Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Jul 15, 2011

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	Help Request	Answers
	1991 Alfa Romeo 164 L 3.0L Abs VIN: ZAREA43L5M Vehicle displays ABS indicator intermittently. No obvious defects in brake hardware. Test drive revealed no issue with brake performance, no pulling, grabbing, etc. Alldata does not even list Alfa Romeo, and there is no repair manual with vehicle. Where to sta...	View
	1998 Audi A6 Quattro 2.8L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WAUBA34B9W Hello All! Im at my wits end here. Have worked extensively on Audi and is my main focus- this one has me up a creek. Bought this POS from a customer for $1400. In need of tune-up / maintenance... 1 year later and $3k in parts / labor and it STILL misfires on... Trouble codes: P0000, P0303 (Cyl 3 misfire)	View
	2001 Audi A4 Quattro 2.8L Brake booster VIN: WAUDH68D51 Production date 05/00. This VIN reads as a 2001 which should hav an aux. vauum pump but it does not and never has. This Audi has an extremely hard brake pedal after it has been first started in the morning. I first looked at it and confired the condition las...	View
	2003 Audi A4 Cabriolet 1.8L top VIN: WAUAC48H93 Help!! I have a audi a4 that I am having trouble with the Automatic roof. I had to replace the top control module due to water. Top works as it should but I can not clear code 02024. I went thru the adaption twice but when car is first started the top light wi...	View
	2006 Audi A4 Quattro Cabriolet 3.0L Ac VIN: WAUDT48H76 We have a 2006 Audi A4 Quattro convertible the ac is weak or not good enough in the hotter temperature the best we can get out of the dash vent is 46 degrees. The customer has had the car to the dealer 8 time during the warranty time and they could never get i...	View
	2000 Buick Regal LS 3.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2G4WB52K8Y This vehicle has had a reoccuring P0440 code. The owner has had the Purge valve, vent valve and filler neck replaced but states the code keeps coming back. I confirmed the P0440 code and did a Evap leak/smoke test and found no leaks. Here is how I performed t... Trouble codes: P0440	View
	1991 Cadillac DeVille 4.9L Hesitation, no power VIN: 1G6CD13BXM Hello everyone, i need some help on this caddie its my grandmoms car, car came in with misfire bucking running rough, so i thought easy enough put plugs ,wires, rotor, cap, air. fuel filters and same thing ran like crap . so checked firing order all ok, so the... Trouble codes: E52, E99	View
	1997 Cadillac Seville SLS 4.6L Engine Block VIN: 1G6KS52Y7V Looking for a short block with all the threads been repaired. or one block to be rebuild. What I found so far is long blocks and used engines.We already spend money on a rebuild engine and the rebuilder did such a bad job that we have to remove the engine thre...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L temp gauge VIN: 1G1YY22G61 Car's temp gauge will climb to 260F at times, PCM data str eam agrees with gauge. Nothing under the hood feels that hot and checking with an IR thermometer can find nothing hotter that abt 210f. We tired a new sensor with no change. After sitting over night, ...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 3.8L dead coil 2/5 VIN: 2G1WY15K41 Customer drove car in, engine missfiring badly,complaining of fuel smell and converter turning cherry red. Customer states he replaced cam and crank sensors, only to find wires chaffed/broken by serp belt. Obvious miss,three coils on module. coil 1/6 fires, 2/... Trouble codes: P1374 (CKP high to low resolution frequency correlation)	View
	2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 Z71 5.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3GNEK13T42 hello-had this avalanche come in today. p0449, p0452. removed vent valve from truck and bench tested it with 12v and it seemed to function as intended. apply 12v and ground and it seals shut. checked harness and have 12v feed at valve harness connector. re-ins... Trouble codes: P0449 (Evaporative emission vent solenoid control circuit), P0452 (Fuel tank pressure sensor low voltage)	View
	2004 Chevrolet Malibu LT 3.5L turn signals VIN: 1G1ZU54864 vehicle came in with melted front turn lenses, we replaced bulbs with tsb recomended bulbs, and completed tsb for ground issues. it came back and we replaced with new headlight ass. once again and replaced bulbs once again. vehicle is now back a third time wit...	View
	2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer LS 4.2L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNDT13514 Thank you for looking at my post. I am completely stumped on this one. The truck came in with a complaint that the customer could not maintain freeway speed on any type of hill, low power at all speeds and a really rough running engine at times. I have been ab... Trouble codes: P0014, P0016	View
	2006 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 5.3L Air Bag Side VIN: 1GNFC13J47 All of the side curtain air bags blew while driving the truck. When it arrived at the shop there were 37 codes stored in various modules including serveral low voltage and lost comm codes. The battery is BAD and the neg terminal is corroded very badly. We had ...	View
	2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LT 6.6L shifting VIN: 1GCHK23D56 hey, I have a real tough one here, for me anyways. 2006 chevy 2500hd 6.6lt, 6 speed allison. Vehicle came in with internal transmission failure, as well as transfer case failure. replaced transmission and transfer case. After installing new equipment when truc...	View
	1998 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.2L No Start, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 2C3HD46J5W Well! the car came in with an intermitant stall and restart after it cooled down. When i finally got it to ack up the asd relay continue to click very fast even with the key out of the ignition. The starter relay and fuel pump relay would also click the same w...	View
	2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.4L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3C4FY48B94 Need some help with an intermittent problem. Car came in with a P0344 and a P0340 Code we inspected the wires and and the sensor for any damage there was none to be found and the circuit tested fine with a multimeter. We replaced the Cam Sensor with knock off ... Trouble codes: P0344	View
	2003 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L control VIN: 3D7KU28C04 Any speed I can hit a bump in the road and the steering goes out of control until I stand on the brake to slow almost to a stop. Has someone in the world found a cure for this?	View
	1978 Ford Pinto 2.3L cam / valve timing Customer droped off rail to have cam re-installed (thrust plate came loose and let cam walk out). The cam was almost flat, followers were ground off. This 2300 has no head timing indicators for the cam timing and no covers either. I have installed new cam, bus...	View
	1995 Ford Taurus GL 3.0L Door latch VIN: 1FALP52UXS This is a part question. Will a door latch from a taurus without keyless entry fit a taurus with keyless entry?	View
	2000 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L Cluster VIN: 1FTRX18LXY OK fellow IATN'ers, I have a good one here, this F-150 is making me pulle the little bot of hair out that I have left. It came in as a crank no start, the theft light is flashing, and the odometer reads ---, Checking wiring etc, I have no scanner communication...	View
	2006 Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch 6.0L turbo VIN: 1FTWW33P96 HELLO everyone i have this truck i am running short on time with and dont ask often but i need help ! It has 2 poss. problems and here is what i can tell you . The wrench light comes on for 2 problems 1 is the p012 engine oil over temp and does not appear to p... Trouble codes: P0234, P0012	View
	2006 Ford Taurus SEL 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: JFAFP56U16 Hello to all you ford techs out there i got a 2006 taurus giving me fits. It comes in with a lean code on bank one. I check fuel trims bank 1 st ft is -17 and lt fuel trims is +23. I replaced the bank 1 o2 becuse it was laying down, reset fuel trims. And on st... Trouble codes: P0171	View
	2006 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: 1FMPU16546 I have a 2006 expedition with the 5.4 3v vct engine. customer complaines about lack of power and hesitation. and also of a ticking noise. We never noticed any lack of power or anything. or even a noise. we looked at data and everything seemed ok exept we were ...	View
	2002 Honda Civic LX 1.7L No Start, Stall VIN: 2HGES16582 have honda that was towed in for no start. starts up and runs for awhile then just stalls. no spark and when its stalls the dash light will not come on, no power windows and no spark. engine will crank, radio is on blower fan is on. checked for power at fuse 1...	View
	2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS 2.0L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: KMHDN46D55 The vehicle came in with codes for lean mixture and bank 1 upstream o2 sensor heater circuit. Reading the O2 sensor voltage with the scanner I have over 2000 mv! Obviously way too high. I disconnected the 02 sensor and have the same voltage. Has anyone had a s...	View
	2002 Isuzu Axiom 3.5L Mechanical VIN: 452DF58X02 02 Isuzu Axiom 4X4 3.5L. Customer came in complaing of noise on start up. Found the starter was shimmed using 2 lock washers causing damage to the flywheel. Replaced starter and flywheel and grinding noise is gone but now when you start it you hear a screechin...	View
	2004 Jeep Liberty Limited 3.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4GL5874W cannot seem to nail this one down ...found faulty nvld first time around and cockily called it fixed even though i wasnt able to run evap monitor. admittedly threw a gas cap at it on 5:00 on friday when cust showed up with mil on again and hoped for the best.i... Trouble codes: P0440, P0456	View
	1997 Kia Sephia LS 1.8L head gasket VIN: KNAFA1250V Car came in with lots of white smoke, bad miss fire, very clean #1 piston, obvious head gasket failure. Replaced head gasket, started up and smoked just as bad. After warm up improved, on test drive ran great. Customer called next day, was missing again and lo...	View
	2004 Lincoln Navigator 5.4L Interior VIN: 1LNM15D4NR ok so this demon came in a couple of days ago b/c the lift gate would open on its own. then close on its own. check the power liftgate module and got code p2703. i ran through the diag trouble tree and it led me to the lift gate module. i just replaced the lif...	View
	1993 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 2.3L No Start VIN: WDBDA28D8P car came in for a no start, fuel delivery issue, the fuel pump was corroded, replaced it, but no fuel delivery at the injector lines, the fuel pressure is 5 bar at the lower chamber, and about 5.5 bar at the cold start injector, but nothing is comig out from t...	View
	1994 Mercedes-Benz C280 2.8L No Start VIN: WDBHA28E3R Hello fellow techs! I have a 1994 Mercedes Benz C280 in my shop that does not start. Previously, customer ran the car out of fuel, added fuel to it, had troubles starting and after repeated attempts was able to get it running and park it in their driveway. N...	View
	1999 Mercedes-Benz C280 2.8L Steering Lock, Ign. switch VIN: WDBHA29G5X When I insert the key it will not turn and the steering lock will not disengage. As stated I have neccessary voltages and grounds (from what I can tell), but no actuation. Battery 12v held 180amps for a few seconds. Searched knowledge base and the responses we...	View
	2005 Mercedes-Benz smart .8L lack power VIN: F05J215533 We got this car in with a lack of power, cleaned egr, did not help. (for your info you can remove the egr completly like the ford 6.0l engine. you take off the top electric plunger with 3 bolts then you can pop out the steel insert by using a small screw drive...	View
	2002 Mitsubishi Galant ES 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4A3AA46G72 Is anyone else having trouble reflashing Mistsubishi cars? We are trying to address a P0300 code per TSB-02-13-017 We have been fighting the following battle for a week (and we are reflash veterans) We are having problems reflashing a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant 2....	View
	2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor XLS 3.8L Torque Converter Clutch VIN: 4A4MN31S84 I need some help with this one, o4 endeavor with a tcc shudder. We have installed a new torque converter, tcc solenoid and flushed the fluid with valvoline maxlife synthetic. Customer stated that it was ok for 3 days then the shudder came back in 3rd and 4th g...	View
	2006 Pontiac G6 GT 3.5L battery VIN: 1G2ZH15896 Battery goes dead after 4 days. Parasitic draw is high @ 80 milli amps (.080a), but only when the vehicle alarm is set from key fob. Parasitic draw is normal @ 20 milli amps (.020a) if vehicle alarm is not activated. Draw can be eliminated by removing BCM fuse...	View
	1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2L No Start VIN: WPOEB0915J Having trouble understanding the trigger wire input for the Fuel pump DME relay under the seat I can jump the relay and the car will start and run. on the wiring on terminal 86 of the relay going to a block D34 ?? no power to this terminal Help is needed	View
	2003 Subaru Forester X 2.5L No Start VIN: JF1SG65663 Hi Guy's and Gal's Sitting here at home pondering the possible causes of this cars hard starting when hot...it goes like this..Installed a used engine 2 months ago, customer dropped car off a month later stating she had a starting problem. Load test battery w...	View
	2001 Toyota Celica GT 1.8L Hesitation, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JTDDR32T21 This car is killing us! Runs lean, has no power, runs like clogged exhaust. Backpressure is nill, vacuum seems a little lower, but not crazy. 18" and steady. Car has a new MAF, same results. NEW fuel injectors...same results. NEW O2 sensor, SAME. LTFT is +30 w... Trouble codes: P0171, P0301, P0304	View
	2003 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo S 1.8L Oil light VIN: 3VWFE21C03 This vehicle is fixed. But, should be known how this works. We were never able to duplicate concern. Vehicle came in with complaint of oil light flashing. Oil pan was removed and checked for plugged screen, engine is very clean. I replaced both of the ground w...	View
	2003 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo S 1.8L Temperature Light VIN: 3VWFE21C83 I have a VW Beetle that the red coolant temperature light comes on intermittently. The light may come on for a few seconds or sometimes stay on for minutes and either turns off by itself or when cycling the ignition key. We have drivin the vehicle and can not ...	View
	2002 Volvo V70 X/C 2.4L Lighting VIN: YV1SZ58D52 Hello All volvo techs! I was wondering are all the Volvo shops out there been following the Vida's procedure on 99 and newer CAN vehicles, its states that everytime the battery is disconneted you MUST have the KOEO Before you reconnect the Negative cable. I w...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2000 BMW 740iL 4.4L Timing VIN: WBAGH8340Y timing, timing , timing. Every body advise me to retime with all the tools. Well i replace the two vanos and retime with a new set of cam holder tools. What happend was that my own set is nine years old and many guys have used it and the one for cy 5-8 was dam...	12
	2002 BMW 325i 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 492NJ20440 WE FOUNDED THE BROKEN VACUUM LIKE BEHIND THE INTAKE THANKS FOR AL [...] THAT HELPED OUT. JOHN AND DAVE. Trouble codes: P0491, P0492.	6
	1990 Chevrolet C1500 WT 4.3L Mechanical VIN: 1GCDC14Z7L THANKS FOR THE SUGGESTIONS ...IN THIS CASE THE FIRST FLUSHING OF THE SYSTEM DID NOT WORK . THE SECOND TIME REVIELED A LARGE CHUNK OF METAL LODGED IN THE LOW SIDE LINE COMING FROM THE ACCUMALATOR.UPON REMOVAL OF THE DEBRIS PROVED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM....	16
	1991 Chevrolet Camaro RS 3.1L No Start, Stall VIN: 1G1FP23T0M Finnally found E.C.M. Junction Fuse#3 Blown due to high amp draw on injectors. Quoted price for new injectors and possible E.C.M. to customer, repair declined. Thank You All !!!	16
	1999 Chevrolet Tahoe 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1GENK13R2X Thank you to all that have replied. This customer is finished with our shop. He needed the vehicle and was going to return the next day so that we may finish the diagnostics. Unfortunatly it now has been a week and we haven't heard from the customer. After...	27
	2006 Chevrolet Impala LT 3.5L Stall VIN: 2G1WT58K06 We have replaced the ecm and programmed it. Its on a road test now. The issue that is irriating by was that the diagnostic tree for this particular vehicle is somewhat confusing. It states that either module could be the culprit. I also failed to mention that ... Trouble codes: P0601.	10
	2001 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.8L Misfire VIN: 2C8GP64L61 The customer is not willing to spend any more money on this car. He had it at the dealer before it came to us and I think he is going to get rid of the car.	13
	2004 Chrysler Pacifica 3.5L Starting VIN: 2C46M684X4 Gentlemen After posting the problem I went back and opened more of the harness and found a small ground wire that goes to one of the fuse/relay box connectors had melted insulation. I traced the wire back to the connector and found the wire end had in fact h...	5
	1994 Ford Probe 2.0L Hesitation, Stall VIN: 4S5FG123QW Ok this vehicle had been to three other places. New timing belt, plugs, wires, MAF. Went looking harder and noticed orginal cap. Cap button was burnt off. Replaced cap and rotor. Problem fixed. Customer very happy. Trouble codes: 653 (OD switch not working).	1
	1998 Ford F-150 4.6L Gem Everyone seemed to agree that Ford pickups of this vintage have a problem with windshields leaking onto the fuse box and GEM, causing problems like the one we had. When we called the customer back to inspect that area, he informed us that the vehicle is worki...	14
	1998 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L Surge, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FAFP45XXW WELL SORRY ITS TOOK SO LONG BUT THE O2 SENSOR WAS SHORTED Trouble codes: P1151 (Lack of ho2s21 switchingsensor indicates lean), P0503.	9
	2007 Ford F-150 FX4 5.4L Hesitation VIN: 1FTPW14V47 Passenger Side converter was restricted showing only 3 psi at 2000rpm. Replaced both converters. This made the cylinder head temp come down and also lowered the fuel pressure issue. Thanks for all the help.	7
	2007 Ford Edge SEL 3.5L abs VIN: 2FMDK49CX7 You guys were right!! RF axle had a cracked tone ring.Road test and monitor wheel speed sensors,found that the RF at times would be out 4-5 mph compared to the others. Replaced RF axle assembly and road test again,all is good. Thank you for the input!!	10
	2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L Horn VIN: 2FAFP71WV2 Thanks to all who replied. I used scotchlocks to splice wire leaving clockspring C218a to interior pin 55 C260. This was a PA state cop car-no hope to find out who the upfitter was but the break was between the 2 above connectors. I hate scotchlocks but proper...	4
	2001 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SL 6.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on, flashing mil VIN: 1GCHC29U01 Thanks for all the replies. After pulling the # 8 plug to perform a leak down test, the plug was wet. We replaced the spark plugs and # 8 coil. Truck runs great now. We had moved the coils and plugs with no change before. Mike Trouble codes: P0300 (Random misfire).	5
	2004 Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3L Surge, MIL Lamp on VIN: JHMES96624 Thanks to all that replied. Parts finally arrived.(only had to wait about a month)If I didn't mention it earlier, we found timing chain guide/tensioner bolt backed out, which is what hit the pulse plate and caused it to break. After installing new crank sensor... Trouble codes: P0335 (Crankshaft position sensor no signal).	10
	2006 Honda Odyssey EX 3.5L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 5FNRL3864B Problem is still on going.. Last thing we did was swap upstream O2s from bank one to two. Has come back yet with the issue. Not convinced it's fixed but will give an update if and when the customer returns..	24
	2008 Hyundai Sonata GL 2.4L Driveline VIN: 5NPET46C08 Thanks you all for the advice. The customer at this time has declined repairs, so unfortunately this cannot be closed fixed. However, this post will be updated if and when repairs are made.	6
	2004 Infiniti I35 3.5L No Start, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1I14567891 car needed infiniti cam and crank sensors, good old aftermarket stuff didn't work, thanks for the help Trouble codes: P0304.	6
	1997 Jaguar XJ6 L 4.0L Cuts out, Stall VIN: SAJHX6249V Thank you all for your responses. Not sure if this fixed it, but found left side power cable stud at firewall loose. I remove both engine power cables, cleaned and tightened. Also cleaned ground in engine compartment. After tighteneing power connections the ca...	5
	2007 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged 4.2L No Start, Cuts out, Stall VIN: SALMF13477 THANKS AGAIN, I SAVED SOME HAIR...FOR NOW... I NOW KNOW THAT THE AIRBAG COMMUNICATION SHUTS OFF THE ENGINE ON THESE BEAUTYS, AFTER CHECKING ALL FUSES AGAIN I REMOVED THE CENTER CONSOLE AND FOUND THE MODULE, GOT THE WIRING DIAGRAM FROM LAND ROVER SERVICE DEPART... Trouble codes: U0151 (Restraints module lost communication).	8
	2002 Lincoln LS 3.9L cooling fan VIN: ILNHM87A22 Its fixed, but not as helpful a fix as i would have hoped to provide. we changed the pump and the fan, it now runs cool and the fan speed changes with demand. The advise given was very good and this system is a tough one to deal with GOOD ADVISE: Do not go cra...	7
	2001 Mercedes-Benz ML430 4.3L Hesitation VIN: 4JGAB72E81 I read in the tech help section a guy that had cleared the codes in all modules and then the vehicle ran fine. That's what I did and it worked. as soon as I cleared several codes from the ABS module it ran fine. I waited till the customer drove it for a while ... Trouble codes: P0120 (testing and results).	5
	2003 Mercedes-Benz ML350 3.7L XENON low beams VIN: 4JGAB57EX3 The car is fixed.it was a bad all activity module as I suspected but could not confirm.My main problem was an incorrect wiring diagram stating that the car han a SAM module which it does not. Terry and Mike from California set me straight that the car ...	5
	2004 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.2L compressor VIN: 1G2NF52F94 thanks to all who replied. we changed condensor and high side line,blew out lines.line still freezes up,i am thinking we have a evaporator problem, customer picked up car and did not want to put any more money into it.	8
	2001 Toyota Solara SE 2.2L shifting VIN: 2T1CG28P41 OK guys, sorry for so long to close this thing but wanted to make sure of what was going on. The first thing I did (by others recommendation) was to pull the drain plug and refill with a synthetic fluid because it was supposed to do wonders on an erratic shi...	10
	2001 Toyota Camry LE 2.2L keeps running VIN: JT2BN22K11 First I would like to give a huge thanks to those who sincerely tried to help with this little gem in spite of the less than stellar amount of info and testing results provided. I had been toying with the idea of having an integration relay problem and possibl...	14
	2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8L Cuts out VIN: 3VWSE69M53 Installed 2 VDO fuel pumps from worlpac Causing my problem [...] get worse. Purchased VDO fuel pump from dealer took care of the problem. I suspect the fuel pump is the effect of another problem not the actual cause. I noted on several occasions a light click/pop...	4
	2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 2.0L Battery VIN: 3VWTL81K99 Thank you for all the help. Customer did not have money to replace fan and module. Hopefully they will bring car back later and have us do the repair.	8

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