Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Feb 24, 2007

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	Help Request	Answers
	1997 BMW 540i 4.4L dash lights Hi Gents, I have a 540i bmw I located the light control modul on the driver side kick panel. I have a grey wire with a red trace with a short circuit. I beleave that wire is the dash light circuit. Sometimes i get power on that wire and some times not I beleav...	View
	2002 Buick Century Limited 3.1L battery draw VIN: 2G4WY55J52 i have a intermitten draw that causes the battery to discharge. recharge the battery check the system (battery, alt.,starter, and draws, ok). my amp meter does not go below .1 amp. problem occurs about every 5-6 weeks. has been going on for about 3-4 months. t...	View
	2000 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L Stall VIN: 1G6KD54Y5Y We replaced both crank sensors on this car to correct a stall and hard restart on decel. The manual calls for a crank sensor relearn procedure to be performed by a tech one scanner. Although the car ran fine with the new sensors we took it to a GM guy to perfo... Trouble codes: P0385 (Crankshaft sensor problem)	View
	1995 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge VIN: 1GNCS13W2S Got a good head scratcher here ! Coworker took this in trade from a car dealer he has dealt with for years . This is one of the change over models from obd 1 to the obd 2 style .Old style computer with the new style plug in. My brick is the only thing that wil...	View
	1994 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1B4GH44R5R Thank you in advance, loosing hair fast and need help. This car came in for rough idle while warm up and stalling, crank fine no start till cool down. Interfaced with on-board computer and no codes hooked up snap-on brick to computer and watch wave form and on...	View
	1996 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L No Start, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3B7HFBY8TG Hello looking for some help. This truck runs for a little bit then it will act up. Fault code PO320. Pull wiring diagram check all powers and grounds - ok. Replace crank sensor. Test drive problem still there. Install used PCM flash with correct calibration. T... Trouble codes: P0320	View
	1999 Dodge Stratus 2.4L Mechanical VIN: 1B3EJY6XXX posting this for a friend.car runs fine, has plenty of power it has a noise mainly at idle. it sounds alike metalic random clatter. it is hard to pinpoint exactly were it is coming from. and it is my understanding that it has been there for about 60,000 miles ...	View
	2001 Dodge Intrepid SE 2.7L timing chain VIN: 2B3HD46R81 this is for all the chrysler guru's or the engine builders. thanks in advance for such great help. this vehicle was towed in as a no start. customer thought starter. upon cranking the engine it was obvious, we had little or no compression.we checked the radiat...	View
	1999 Ford Econoline Super Duty Custom 7.3L forward gears VIN: 1FDXE47F5X Here is one for you ford tranny gurues...Hope youve seen this??? "simular to the ol'e 96 days when you put it in rev" Customer started complaining that truck would stall at intersections "stopped" We were unable to get it to do it till a few days ago, Very int...	View
	2000 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L wiper VIN: 1FMPU16LXY hello i need help with this truck check all power & ground , multifuction switch ok .i think i had gem. module was defective send to dealer they but the module & program it . they send it back to us but fr & rear wipers don't work but both fr & rear washer flu...	View
	2001 Ford Ranger Edge 4.0L air bag VIN: 1FTZR15E11 I got one that is driving me nuts...I just purchesed this vehicle. recently..The air bag lite was on when I purchesed it...I scanned for codes...code B1881 Right Front Seat Belt Pre Tensioner circuit open.. Also the door ajar lite comes on intermitantly...also...	View
	2003 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L drive train VIN: 1FALPNS527 i have this 03 expedition that sounds like a front bearing noise but checked bearings ok when you get just above 25mph you start to get a rubbing sound like a helicopter noise almost it sounds like it is coming from the front but turning the wheel back and fou...	View
	1988 Honda Civic 1.5L No Start VIN: 2HGED634XJ Evey time it gets cold, close to zero, this car will not start. It belongs to a very good customer of mine and he has left it with myself and with 3 local dealers. Every time we have gotten the car it starts great and runs well. It only happens to him and he c...	View
	2003 Jeep Liberty Limited 3.7L 4wd indicator VIN: 1J4GL58K83 Hello everyone; My problem is quite simply, when 4wd high is selected there is no visual indication on the dash that it has been selected and when put back in 2wd the part time light comes on. I have verified that the 4wd system is working properly except for ...	View
	1994 Lexus ES300 3.0L cv joint VIN: JT8GK13TSR this is for lexus or related. customer brought his own driver side front axle to replaced.i am having problem to installed new. i bolted togethetr inboard joint with end cover. dirve shaft stay stright no movement up or down as well as to side.what i am doing ...	View
	2001 Mazda B3000 DS 3.0L air bag VIN: 4F4YR16U01 hi group. vehicle came in for no air come out the vent.any speed position, check the fuse. found the fuse 15 amp and blownd resistor is bad. replace the fuse and resistor. it take care the air bag light and the high speed blower. now only low speed blower is w...	View
	2002 Mazda Protege5 2.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JM1BJ24632 Hi Mazda Techs;This car came in after being looked at at another shop. They had pulled codes and found a p0300 random misfire. They also recomended replacing the coils.Becauce the first time the problem happened the customer was driving for five minutes then w... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	1999 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic 3.2L fuel system VIN: WDBJF82H5X Once stalled, no fuel pressure, no spark, just cranks. Voltage to the CKP ok, all electrical sensor voltage seems correct. I'm not a MB tech, so I'm looking for some help/ direction on process to identify problem. I'm a Chrysler/Dodge tech who trying to help a...	View
	2003 Mercedes-Benz E500 5.0L Hesitation VIN: WDBUF70J93 Hi to anyone reading this. Was able to confirm complaint fairly easily. Road test and at light throttle in 3rd, 4th and 5th noted a shudder. I think 1st & 2nd gear do not have enough of load to have symptoms appear - not sure on that. If you let off throttle, ...	View
	1999 Mercury Sable GS 3.0L Airbag system VIN: 1MEFM50U3X Customer bought this car at an auction. It had been previously wrecked lightly on the passesger side. The front door was replaced, and fender repaired. It was not damaged in the front, so the bags are intact. The Snap-on MT-2500 scanner came up with the messag...	View
	1994 Nissan Maxima GXE 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, MIL Lamp on VIN: JN1HJ01F4R Car came in no start. Replaced ignition coil due to bad. got running. runs very rich. does not want to accelerate. Check engine light is on. cannot get pcm to go into diagnostic mode. Red LED stays lite all the time. I suspect faulty PCM any ideas???	View
	1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4L Rear Brakes and ABS light VIN: 1G2NE52TXX Hey everyone, I am having some problems with this grand am. When the car came in the first day it had the RBWL on and also the ABS light on. I pulled the codes and found a [...] control relay coil circuit o...	View
	1999 Toyota Corolla CE 1.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2T1BR12EXX Hi. I have been chasing this problem for days.First of all this car dosn't have a maf {mass air flow meeter}. The map is on the throttle body and it checks good.the o2 is switching good. the car is calif. emissions but the o2 switches like fed. toyota said the... Trouble codes: P0172 (B1S1 rich)	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2000 BMW X5 4.4i 4.4L front driveshaft VIN: WBAFB3345Y Well it was as I thought.Due to the stripped condition of the driveshaft and transfer case the shaft wasn't going to go back far enough to remove it normally.I ended up removing the transfer case anyway for replacement,and the shaft came out easily.We ended up...	5
	2003 Cadillac CTS 3.2L Mechanical VIN: 1G6DM57N93 Well Guys this one is down the road.I did not get many replies on this one,but I do thank the guys that did.I had to locate a timing kit that I could borrow and and install on engine,in doing so I found the cams were in time but the crank was two teeth off.Not...	3
	1995 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L No Start VIN: 1GNCS18W3S Quick Answer: BAD GROUND WIRE for those that hate reading all the fix information. Hey Thanks for everyones input. Finally fixed the vehicle. Thanks to Brian [...] for suggesting to test the grounds. We were powering the pump directly with a wire to the pow...	22
	1998 Chevrolet C3500 Cheyenne 7.4L Collapsed fuel tank VIN: 1GBKC34JXW Thank you all for the feedback. Comebacks always bother me so I wanted to verify my thoughts with you. As most of us thought it was the canister vent being plugged with debris that caused the vacuum to be pulled on the fuel tank and collapsing. I removed the t...	13
	2000 Chevrolet Impala 3.4L Battery light VIN: 2G1WF55E6Y Thanks to all who replied. Actuallly wentto drive vehicle to shop to check the ignition switch per most peoples advice and low and behold the car would not crank over. It was the ignition switch.It diagnosed itself. Thanks again	6
	2001 Chevrolet Prizm 1.8L headlamps VIN: IYISK528X2 Thank you, for the help guys. This vehicle is a security car that has seen better days in terms of body condition, I found a bad ground on the left front fender, repaired it. Replaced the drl module & all went back to normal. Very good experience. Thanks again...	3
	2006 Chrysler PT CRUISER 2.4L all gages VIN: 3A4FY48B06 one reply suggested ignition switch, Installed new switch and vehicle has not returned. Most replies stated the car was under warranty and return it to the dealer, I am the dealer, they were not any help at all.	11
	1998 Ford Escort ZX2 Hot Coupe 2.0L timing belt VIN: 3FAKP1133W Thanks to all those that sent responces . the cam seal was the problem.	5
	1998 Ford F-150 XL 4.2L Leaking VIN: 2FTZF1820W Wow guys, thanks for the replies. Everyone had the same idea - o-ring, spacer, o-ring. I tried this to no avail. I ended up replacing the fuel fitting on the engine side of the filter. Truck is running with no leaks. Thanks again, Cory	13
	2002 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 7.3L engine VIN: 1FTWX33FOX thanks everyone. for your info. I HAD STATED THAT I CHANGE ALL THE INJECTOR ORINGS. GUYS DON'T EVER TRY USING DORMAN (POWERSTROKE INJECTOR O-RING KITS). THE FORD DEALER SENT THE WRONG ONES SO I STUCK AFTERMARKET ONES IN AN THEY DID'NT EVEN LAST A WEEK. I'M A Y...	9
	2004 Ford F-150 FX4 5.4L radio, electric window VIN: 1FTPW14514 Thanks to all who helped, I think we were on the right track. Since the truck is stock (no modifications ever), we gave the customer the advice of Nick from Ohio - take it to the dealer for reprogramming the security module. Owner is sitting on it for now, let...	6
	2001 GMC c6500 7.1L caliper VIN: 1GDJ6H1001 after many hours on the phone and internet I found www.toms truck center.com. They answered all my questions. they also had all parts in stock at a decent price. First most of the aftermarket pads do not come with these shims (stamped steel). factory pads do, ...	4
	2001 Honda Civic EX 1.7L air bag VIN: 1HGEM22981 Thanks to all who responded I was able to retrieve codes by jumping pin 5 and 9 The car required a control module to repair codes cleared and all is well	10
	1994 Isuzu Pickup S 2.3L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge VIN: JAACL11L8R Got this fixed enough for customer. Turns out the ecm would lose the groung for the slow-cut solinoid on the carburator when off idle. Customer didn't want to purchase a new ecm so we permanently grounded the solinoid so the truck would run good. Only thing is...	4
	2001 Jaguar S-Type 4.0L Suspension VIN: SAJDAQ1D51 After several replies & conversations it was obvious that without a factory scan tool I would be wasting my time trying to diagnose this vehicle. I refered the customer to the Dealer. Thanks for the replies. John	4
	1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4FJ58SXM Well we finally have this vehicle fixed and out the door. Thanks to all who replied in regards to our misfortunate Jeep. The fix consisted of several blown fuses, an alternator, a PCM that was blown and of course the final fix...a crank sensor. Even though we ...	6
	2002 Lexus LS430 4.3L Lighting VIN: JTHBN30F52 Thanks to all who replied...havent seen vehicle again yet, but if I get the chance, I will update... Most replies related to elect. connection..very resistive-sensative ckt.	9
	2000 Mazda Protege DX 1.6L Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: JM1BJ2225Y checked egr valve, tested ok. rechecked o2 sensor ok. rechecked fuel pressure ok. checked for fuel drop no drop. checked pressure regulator ok. tried a maf sensor, fuel trim went to proper specs. test drove vehicle everything was within specs. customer has dri... Trouble codes: P0172.	12
	1971 Nissan 521 Pickup 1.6L cylender head VIN: PL52144445 Thank you all for your time. Now that the old truck is running will be trying to get me nephew among the ranks of the employed. James reminded me of the library as a resource, and that the old truck is a Datsun, how ever iatn dose not have Datsun in the drop d...	14
	1991 Nissan Stanza GXE 2.4L Cuts out VIN: JN1FU21P2M overthought this one bigtime timing chain was two teeth off duh me!	3
	1990 Volkswagen Jetta 1.6L no start VIN: WVWPGO1GOL Thanks for all the great help offered.This job like many jobs has caused me to learn a lot about this system I thought I had no fuel at the pump ie no smoke on crank. I hooked up a gravity feed tank(lawn mower) and the engine ran fine I then openned up the tan...	22
	1993 Volkswagen EuroVan GL 2.5L No Start VIN: WV2KC0707P I did put a ignition coil on and still no fire, I wasnt surprized because I was getting no trigger to the coil. But I did ohm out the coil when I had it apart and it did fail that test. The customer did not buy the computer so it has been towed out. Thanks for...	6
	2001 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8L Brake booster VIN: WVWPD63B3B Well not quite sure how i fixed or if I did fix it. We did a complete system flush (2nd) time and refilled system with VW supplied dot4 fluid. We also lubed eveything in the brake system that moved. So far either the problem is fixed or its not been cold enoug...	10
	2001 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0L Stall VIN: 3VWRS29M61 thanks guys for all the replies. looks like something I won't be able to hadle here at the shop. I'll send the car to the dealer to have them program the new computer. thanks again.. Trouble codes: 18020 (engine ecu coding incorrect).	8
	1964 Volvo 122 s 1800CC Stall thank you for the 21 people who took time to answer . the fix was to install a pressure regulator at the fuel pump , to lower the pressure to 2 psi .it has a new pump in there , but it may not be correct for that car , because it puts out 8 to 9 psi . also the...	21

(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)