Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Sep 24, 2004

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	Help Request	Answers
	1989 BMW 750iL 5.0L Stall VIN: WBAGC8317K This car intermittently would stall at idle. After a few months the base idle is now nonexistent. The car will start and run fine but if you take your foot off of the gas pedal it will stall below 450 rpm. I resyncronized the throttle motors. No change. Using ...	View
	1994 Buick Park Avenue 3.8L Stall VIN: 1G4CW52LOR Ihave a strange one here, This car will stall out sometimes . Problem is it only does it when the air is on and when the compressor clutch disengages not when it engages . I have seen it happen myself. I let it idle with air on for one hour and it shut off 2 t... Trouble codes: P0341	View
	1995 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1G4HP52L6S Head gaskets were the main concern on this vehicle, so did head gaskets, went on the test drive and everything was fine till I got back to the shop. Started to idle rough, misfire on number five. started the old swap game, moved the coil and misfire followed t...	View
	1989 Cadillac Fleetwood 4.5L windshield wipers VIN: 1G6CB5154K greetings every one this is my first post but you all have helped me fix lots of cars this is a great group of people thanks for all the help you've given todays problem is a caddie with wipers that wont turn off the wipers work normaly at all speeds but will ...	View
	1990 Cadillac DeVille 4.5L ebcm VIN: 1G6CD5337L We keep getting an ABS light and Code 21. All tests pass except there is no voltage at pin 17 on EBCM or to main valve connector. There is power to the EBCM at pin 2. We have tested and enhanced all grounds and inspected wiring. We cannot see how the valve blo...	View
	1995 Cadillac Seville STS 4.6L steering VIN: 1G6KY5292S HELLO TECHS this caddy is well maintained veh.after checking front end suspension, drive axles , tie rods, ball joints, engine mounts, took cvjoints apart can't come up with this crunch noise have found nothing so far . when driving veh. turning some what shar...	View
	1991 Chevrolet C1500 Cheyenne 5.7L Stall VIN: 2GCEC19K6M This vehicle stalls when put in drive, it idles great with no load but as soon at its put in drive it misfires then dies. The IAC is functional it just does not seem to be able to re-act soon enough. When using a scanner to force it into "backup fuel mode" or ...	View
	1995 Chevrolet K2500 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Stall VIN: 2GTFK29KXS This truck has been worked on at another garage .Customerwants me to try and get it working. Truck has no power. Step on gas and it falls on its face.Won't accelerate . 13 PSI fuel pressure ,1qt volume 30 seconds cranking .Tried known good throttle body assemb...	View
	1996 Chevrolet C2500 Cheyenne 5.7L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 2GCFC29R7T misfire on cylinders 3,5,7. fuel related. propane enrichment causes misfire to go away. replaced 3,5,7 injectors after fuel injection flush had no effect. 3 and 5 still misfiring. replaced injectors again, and replaced cap, wires and plugs. scope shows normal ... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	2001 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 6.0L Poor Idle Quality, Stall, Misfire VIN: 3GNGC26091 vehicle came in with rough idle 1 week ago after cheaking truck out noticed 2 cracked plugs so I replaced plugs and wires with oem parts .still same problem. With scanner on truck misfire travles to different cyl.but not enough to set a code. I removed the inj...	View
	1991 Dodge Stealth 3.0L No Start VIN: JB3XD44S1M HELP!!! PLEASE The car was a tow in while going down the road it just started loosing power and dyed then would not start it has spark but when you crank it the plugs will flood with gas. If you install new plugs or clean the old plugs it will run at about 200...	View
	1996 Dodge Viper GTS 8.0L Engine VIN: 1B3ER69E1T Dogdge Viper Gru, I need your help on this. Car towed in due to overheating. We notice radiator was rusted & some restriction on it. So replaced radiator & thermostat but still overheating. Fan was working fine(app.220F Fan kicked in & 200F off). Your help wil...	View
	1996 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.8L tranz VIN: 1B4GP54L1T hello all im no tranny tech but im trying to help a friend out. its in limpin mode checked codes found 74 calc. oil temp 12 batt power to module disconnected and 41 LR solenoid i went to van first test drive it had 1st gear went to second and thats it limpin m...	View
	1997 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L cluster gauges VIN: 2B4GP44R5V this van loses it's guages and odometer and service light comes on and abs and air bag light are on after starting once in a while. i've seen it but by the time we troublehsoot it works fine. i think iv'e seen this in a fix before but can't remember what was d...	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 3.9L cab vibration VIN: 1B7HC16X5X hi guys doing this one for one of the guys that i work with.truck came in with low to no oil pressuer and eng.nosie.so he installed a rebiult jasper eng.with all new parts for ignition and new dist.when it started up it was vibrating.he was not sure if it vib....	View
	2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L steering VIN: 1B4GP44G3Y I replaced front struts as customer requested and stabilizer bar links. After replacing them customer called me mad as heck. Customer says vehicle now pulls to the right when under heavy acceleration and then when you let off of the accelerator it pulls mmomen...	View
	2003 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1D7HU18D33 First of all thank you for taking the time to help out on this one. I have checked the ignition coils, spark plug wires, fuel injectors, and they are working fine. Truck first came in with a random cylinder missfire. I cleared codes and the po172 codes came up... Trouble codes: P0172	View
	1989 Ford F-250 Custom 7.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTHF26G1K while driving check engine light will flicker,sets code 35 in memory,test in shop cant duplicate problem has new motor craft sensor, voltage at egr sensor is .56 volt apply vacuum 4.90v help please what is setting this code Trouble codes: 35 (egr evp/ short to vref/vpower)	View
	1991 Ford F-250 Custom 4.9L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FTEF25Y1L Sorry I don't have more info, but this thing is driving us nuts. Cust. replaced cap, rotor, plugs and wires, to try to get rid of a miss. This thing is very hard to start cold. Once it is running, it runs good cold, but as soon as the thermostat opens, it feel...	View
	1997 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 5.4L Misfire VIN: 1FMFU18L1V This veh has a P0307 code for cyl # 7 missfire. Acording to my alldata this is the 3 rd cyl back on the drivers side. I've moved every thing (coil,plug&injector) to the # 1 cyl and the miss stays on # 7. The miss is intermittent and is driveing me up a wall. T... Trouble codes: P0307 (Cyl 7 missfire)	View
	1998 Ford Contour GL 2.0L timing belt tensioner VIN: 1FAFP6630W Ok, I know there are a bunch of emails about timing belts walking off because of tensioner adjusting problem. My question is after following the adjusting proceedure and tightening down the tensioner bolt the tensioner still moves via the spring loaded part. I...	View
	1998 Ford Windstar 3.0L 3.0L GEM Module VIN: 2FMZA51U9W This vehicle has an .20 amp draw. I have positively determined it is the GEM module. Is this acceptable? If I pull fuse # 19 I get 0 amp draw. I tryed to swap a differnt relay into the battery saver relay slot. Still the same. .2 amps seems a little excessive ...	View
	1997 GMC Jimmy SL 4.3L Speed o VIN: 1GKDT13W0V Here is one for you guys, This jimmy was bought from an auction and the speed o reads about half speed of actual speed. We checked with a scanner and the speed o and the VSS agree on speed but the front abs sensors read correct speed. Changed VSS and checked f...	View
	1999 GMC Yukon Denali 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GKEK13R5X truck has continuos missfire changed injector, motorvac, gm top engine clener no improvment!!! Trouble codes: P0306	View
	2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J8GW58N12 Hello :This jeep came in with a # 4 Po304 misfire,we found injector #4 pissing out fuel .so we replaced injector. ran the misfire monitor and all was good three weeks later jeep came back with Engine lamp on #2 cylinder misfire & long crank time. perform compr... Trouble codes: P0302	View
	1996 Lexus ES300 3.0L Compressor clutch VIN: JT8BF12G9T The AC clutch is intermittent. When a/c switch light starts to blink a/c blows hot. I changed the RPM sensor but same thing. Mitchell doesn’t have info on this. Please help!	View
	1999 Lexus RX300 3.0L Axles?? VIN: JT6HF10U1X Hello fellow techs, This Lexus has a definite vibration under acceleration, most evident under hard accel from 5 mph to 20 mph. Also there light accel @ 20-25 mph. No vibration during cruise or decel. Checked database, found 3 suggestions from members, but po...	View
	1983 Mercedes-Benz 380SL 3.8L engine VIN: WDBBA45A5C we installed a set of re condittioned heads and a timing chain set all the timing marks to zero (as i can tell the timing marks are behind the front timing chain cam gears.we installed the engine and cant get it started the drivers side bank seams to have bett...	View
	1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 2.3L vehicle VIN: DA24C5FF05 We recieved this car as a donation to the auto shop program. Car seem to be in overall good condition. We would like to fix car up and sell to raise money for the shop. My question is with 211,000 miles on it, is worth sending any money on. With most cars 200,...	View
	1997 Mercedes-Benz E420 4.2L valvetrain VIN: WDBJF72F1V New member!! First and most important, thank you to all who read & respond to this. I have a Ticking sound coming from the left rear valve train,it sounds like the intake side. From a cold start right up to & during operating temp there is a lifter noise Or li...	View
	1996 Mercury Villager Nautica 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4M20V11W9T Van is running very rich, no vacuum leaks, charcoal canister hose removed no difference,engine temp sensor in range, injectors check out electricly and flow tested, fuel pressure in specs, ignition timing good, maf replaced with test unit, tps good on scanner ... Trouble codes: P0172	View
	1991 Nissan 300ZX Turbo 3.0L Hesitation, Lack of power VIN: JN1CZ24H1M car has no power, turbo is n't coming on.	View
	1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R 2.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4BB42D6T Hi Nissan experts. This little 200SX has already been to two other shops and landed here thru a reference. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor etc. already replaced at the dealer shop. Problem is #1 cyl. misfire only after warmed up and only under light load, ie. smoothl... Trouble codes: P0301	View
	1995 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.1L security VIN: 1G2WJ52MOS car was towed in as no crank condition,replaced theft detterent module was replaced,car runs now but Security light flashes all the time,alldata says module did not program and system should be checked for faults.Any ideas on where i might start? thank you for...	View
	1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G2NE15MOS At closing time, a guy drives in and asks if I could look at his car. He thinks he might need a water pump. I was closing for the week-end, but agreed to take a look. At a glance I don't think that the water pump was bad, but spotted something that looked more...	View
	1997 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5L tranny/rear end VIN: 4S3BG6858V I'm looking for some subaru help on this Legacy. It acts like maybe the rear differential is locking up on turns. I did find a tsb for the transfer clutch binding and bucking on turns.	View
	1989 Toyota Pickup SR5 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: JT4VN0ZD6K hi gang,this truck came in with rough running complaint,blowing black smoke,poor fuel economy.spark plugs were fuel fouled,cleaned plugs.emissions very high,but clean when engine cold.found screw missing from fuel damper,replaced damper.replace o2 sensor.maf c... Trouble codes: 51 (tps/checks ok)	View
	1995 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.4L No Start, Hesitation VIN: 4TAUN41B7S hi. this truck has got me. what is doing is, after running and fully warmed up, and shut off for 5,10 mins, wont start up right away. just cranks,.i have spark, it will start after a bit. what i have found is , it seems like the fuel is not getting past the in...	View
	1995 Volkswagen Jetta Celebration Edition 2.0L Starter VIN: 3VWWC81H5S I have a VW Jetta that has an intermittant no start, no power to starter, alarm module clicks loud when when this thing acts up but if you hold the ign. switch in the start position for a second or two it will then start, alldata dont show a test on this alarm...	View
	1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0L No Start, Cuts out VIN: 33VWRA81H3 this car (1996 volkswagen Jetta) come to my shop with no start problem, battery was dead ... after recharge the battery the have good crank but never start . i scan it have code Po341 cam sensor ... i put new distributor on the car start but the idle not smoot...	View
	1988 Volvo 244 DL 2.3L right rear caliper VIN: YV1AX8844J hello this car is driving me nuts customer had front brakes done somewhare else.because car pull to the right they put on rebelt front calipers know it has a bad pedal feels like air so i go to bleed it so i find right rear bleeder screw is broke off needs pad...	View
	1995 Volvo 850 2.4L Rear Brakes VIN: YV1LS5518S I have a 95 Volvo 850 GLT here that is becoming a nightmare. the rear brakessqueak continually all the time. When you press the brakes the squeak seems to go away a little and it sounds like the wear indicator. the noise is coming from the Right rear. I have r...	View
	1996 Volvo 850 Turbo 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1LS5728T Hellow again fellow iatn tech members, recently had this volvo in the shop for the mil light on, checked codes with our Genesey scanner and found codes P0131 02 low [...]/S1 and P0137B 02 sensor B1/S2 low volt. The test for these in alldata for 02 sensors ... Trouble codes: P0131 (02 low volt B1/S1), P0137	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1987 BMW 635CSi 3.4L A/C Fan speeds VIN: WBAE07408H Of the 5 replies only Erik [...] knew where the )))AC((( fan resistor was. It's on the right side of the evap housing and accessable after removing the glove box. The part # is 64 11 1 381 785 which Lawrence kindly provided. World Pac ...	5
	1995 BMW 740i 4.0L compressor VIN: WBAGF6321S I had 5 replies, most agreed that evap or outside temp sensor would be most likely, there was no test for ohms for this sensor, wire diagram was wrong color and pin out, dealer and after market stated that this one had 2 sensors, only found 1. We had bought a ...	5
	2000 BMW 740iL 4.4L Unknown VIN: WBAGH8347Y Thanks for all the responses, It turned out that the vibration was localized to the transmission, The customer passed on repairing it however, He chose to trade the car in.	11
	1992 Buick Regal Gran Sport 3.8L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 2G4WF14L5N thanks to all for your time and expertise...keith from washington the crank sensor was the problem...thank you,, (this had a new sensor on it) we compared the ignition pattern with modis. amp clamp on the pink ignition power supply, the old sensor had unevenly...	9
	1989 Chevrolet Beretta 2.8L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 1G1LV11W6K just to let every one know that this vehiclew had a problem in the wiring harness going to the tps sensor. it was an intermittant problem and hard to locate. thanks for everyones help.	9
	1990 Chevrolet Lumina Euro 3.1L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 2G1WN14T8L Thanks to you all I found number 3 cyl. injector shorted I removed the upper intake and ohms checked all the injectors and they all read 12.2 ohms except number 3 which was 5.1 ohms replaced that injector and the cars runs good still not great but it has set f...	15
	1997 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 2.4L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1G1JF12T6V think we finaly fixed this one, customer has had the vehicle a week and no problems yet. found out after I had posted for help that the running problems started after the customer had replaced the o2 sensor with an aftermarket unit. The o2's we had tried were ...	11
	2002 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L wiper VIN: 2G1WH55K42 Thanx for the help - most help said check wiper module, recheck crankarm update installation - we re-installed it and set it up as per tsb instructions, didn't think we fixed it. Customer called back - no problems since!	7
	1994 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L Brake Booster VIN: 1B6MF36C8R After your responses and some local consultation, came to the conclusion that this is how the brakes behave. Micheal [...] sent a response saying that Chrysler had a problem with these and had a vacuum resevoir fix. I havent been able to find anyone who knows...	12
	2002 Dodge Sprinter Van 2.7L Oil info VIN: WD2YD64142 The van held 9 quarts of fluid. As for the oil reminder the proceedure is to turn the key on, push the milage button twice, turn the key off, push and hold the milage button, then turn the key on for 10 seconds. Unfortunately on this van the oil reminder was b...	6
	1993 Ford Tempo GL 3.0L Hesitation VIN: 1FAPP36UZP Well I had a few responses saying to check tps. Thanks for the Brain kickstart guys. Unfortunatly, I cant get this guy to bring the car back for further diagnosis. Ive got a strong feeling that this is the right direction to go in. Thanks again. Trouble codes: 157 (Mass Airflow Sensor reads low).	7
	1994 Ford F-150 XL 5.0L idle VIN: 1FTEX14N9R Well, thanks for the help.The problem was the PSOM(Programable speedometer).We unpluged the rear speed sensor and when started in neutral and pushed it wouldn't stall.Installed a new PSOM and the truck ran great.Thanks for all the info Mike.	10
	1999 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: NO VIN AVA This Customer still has not returned. I hope to see tehm soon and think that the fix will be as simple as a third vaccum leak. Alot of you were telling me that there is another vaccum line at the back of the intake manifold that is part of the PCV system. I di...	22
	2001 Ford Ranger XL 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTZR15UO1 Thanks for all the help! Did a fuel injection cleaning...no change. Pulled the injectors, all were filthy and #1 was com pletly clogged.You would figure the injectors would be this dirty with such low miles. Installed new injectors and runs great. Customer(nei... Trouble codes: P0171, P0301.	9
	2002 Ford Explorer XLS 4.0L abs light /brake light VIN: 1FM2V63E42 sorry to not close sooner but 3 hurricanes and the 4 th on its way slows priorities. first i would like to thank the respondees for their in-put. i didn't take a ford tech to lunch, as one sujested. this 02 ford is listed as an 02 but the wiring is 03 and i ...	3
	1997 GMC K1500 Sierra SL 5.0L air bag VIN: 1GTEK14M3V sorry it tok so long but the customer didn`t bring the truck back but i was told that the new module took care of it i want to thank everyone who replied you guy`s are great thanks !!	8
	1998 GMC K3500 Sierra SL 6.5L Cuts out VIN: 1GDJK34F5W Thanks to everybody that replied. Most of the replies pointed to the injector pump module on the side of the pump. We were unable to confirm that the module was at fault thru testing but the customer agreed to pay for a new module whether it worked or not. W...	8
	1998 Jaguar XJ8 4.0L abs codes VIN: SAJHX1249W hi all and thanks to the 7 that replied. well it seems this one is fixed i let it go as long as i could to seem if light came back on, it did not. the replies did give 3 scan tool options, 1 the dealer tool, 2 the autologic, and 3 most recommended the gds 510....	7
	1991 Mazda Miata 1.6L Crank Sensor Alignment VIN: JM1NA3510M Thanks to those whom replied but no solid answer was found. We have to believe it was something to do with the fact that a Japanese engine was installed and something is different. I was forced to make a bracket and lock down the sensor in a different position...	2
	1999 Mercury Mystique LS 2.5L left outer tie rod VIN: 1MEFM66L9X This one is out the door for now,found a good used tie rod off 99 model in salvage yard that was a perfect match in size to original. My local ford dealer is investigating what permanent fix will take - new spindle and matching tie rod might be the cure as k...	9
	1999 Mercury Cougar 2.5L warning lites VIN: 1ZWFT61LOX this turned out to be fairly straight forward, i found someone to scan the ecm with a ngs tester and found a code for the rt rr wheel sensor . when i pulled the carpet back to access the connector lo and behold a rodent had chewed the wire completely in two af...	4
	1998 Nissan Altima GLE 2.4L Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1N4DL01D2W Hello techs and sorry about delay in closing.I tested all three MAF sensor wires.Got lucky in that it failed while testing circuits.MAF signal was erratic(dc voltage on scope bouncing lots and sometimes complete drop out).MT2500 set to generic obd2 and capture... Trouble codes: P0100.	3
	2001 Pontiac Aztek 3.4L gauges dash lights stereo VIN: 3G7DA03E1S thanks to gus for the reply. sent to dealer new BCM installed and reprogrammed by them with tech2. all is well again in green bay.	2
	2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2.2L No Start VIN: 1G2NF52F12 well this one is fixed. thanks for your replies. The problem was in the security system. The fix was real easy. Turn the key on for 10 minutes. Then start it. I can't explain it. I really don't have any info on this system. It's really kind of scary. I mean si...	10
	1997 Saturn SW2 1.9L No Start VIN: 1G8ZK8276V The responses were great,as most of you stated,the fuel pump pressure should not bleed down rapidly,we replaced the fuel pump and cured that problem,the car starts quicker and smoother than before,the second problem where we had no spark did not come back in t...	13
	1987 Subaru DL 1.8L ignition well after getting alot of suggestions about the power transistor at the coil and the pickup in the dist, one suggested i check trigger with a scope(i checked quickly with test light) possibly not pulling voltage to ground. that was it the ground at the power ...	8
	2000 Toyota Tacoma DLX 3.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 5TEWN72N4Y Thank every one of you for your responses to this problem. I'm sorry to take so long for this reply but due to scheduling problems with my customer this was as soon as I could get the vehicle back. One of you had suggested to test drive and monitor engine load... Trouble codes: P0171 (Lean exhaust condition).	16
	1989 Volvo 740 2.3L engine VIN: YV1FA8754K Thank you for the responses. One of the replies mentioned to make sure to use a good brand for parts such as Bosch for AMM or Bougicord for wires. The car had a Bosch Ignition Power Stage Control I put on a new A line brand and another used Bosch neither of wh...	9
	1996 Volvo 960 2.9L Left Turn Signal/Parking Lights VIN: YV1KW9604T Thank you for all of your responses. Most of you were exactly right. All I needed to do was replace the two front turn signal bulbs. The contacts at the bottom of the front turn bulbs had flattened and were touching each other causing back feed. We had origina...	11

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