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"Check Engine Soon" Light Keeps Blinking
This 84 Buick LeSabre has had an intermittent problem with the indicating light since I bought it new. The light usually blinks on for sometimes as long as 10 minutes , three or four times a day. It never sets a trouble code and mechanics always want to replace the computer. This has been done twice and has never improved the problem. I have looked for bad wiring but with no success. Has anyone else experienced this problem and located the problem?
Check engine lights can be caused by a huge variety of things. Computers do not generally cause check engine lights to illuminate but in extreme cases they may throw the light on and it will stay on. The mechanics that you refer to may know some detail about these cars particulars that I do not; but the ECM itself will not usually generate a false check engine light. Most often phantom lights are caused by bad connections at a sensor or something like that .I assume this car is carburetored with feedback controls? These cars were notorious for quirky lights and inconsistent control problems. If you can predict a pattern of when this car will flip the light on you might want to tell your mechanic that you can simulate this for him while he is scanning the problem with his scanner. Take him for a drive when you think its due to act up and have him catch it in the act. He can take a snapshot or a picture of the event with his scanner and read it back frame by frame millisecond by millisecond to see what info the scanner was reading at the time of the event. From that, he should be able to ascertain what it is thats causing the problem.
Any one of the many sensors or the wiring to them can be the culprit. Oxygen sensors are a common fault area that is often overlooked because of its insignificant effect on a lot of the earlier vehicles. They will cause a check engine light to come on and not necessarily store a code. This would be considered a soft code or an intermittent failure code and even GM recommends not chasing them as they don't necessarily indicate a fault. At one point, I can remember that some of the early Cadillac (GM) systems could always pull a code from for some silly thing and it didn't have any effect. If you checked and believed what you read you could replace parts and fix those cars all day long.
You are right about those "quirks". Many times, they can mean absolutely nothing. I owned one once that used to do that. I would disconnect the battery; hum a tune, reconnect, and I'd be good for another month or two, sometimes longer. When I swapped cars, it had not done it for over 6 months. Temperamental beasts sometimes.
Ford Windstar - Check Engine Light Reset
Can you tell me where the reset switch is on 1998 Windstar to turn off the "check engine soon" light?
That I am aware of there is no reset switch as per say. I assume that this vehicle has what is known as obd2 diagnostics on it and to reset the memory you will have to disconnect the negative battery cable and depress the brake pedal for apron. 15-60 seconds to purge any voltage that is remaining in the memory backup ckt. This in most cases will reset the memory but if the light comes back on immediately, you will have to take the vehicle in for either a scanner type reset or diagnostics for the failure that has occurred.
GMC Suburban - Check Engine Light and Code 36
I have a 1995 GMC Suburban 3/4 ton with a 454 cu. I just started getting a check engine light. The code that the computer is storing is a 36. I looked it up in my book and it said either the Mass Airflow sensor or Transmission\Transaxle circuit. Has any ever had this problem. Vehicle is seems to be running fine and shifting ok. I cleared the code and it stayed off for about two days before it came back. Any ideas?
I would tend to lean towards a problem with the airflow sensor or related hoses. I would check all the hoses and clamps after the airflow meter (towards the engine) if any and then I would look into cleaning the airflow meter if possible. If the airflow sensor is the Hitachi type with two screws holding the black plastic sensor in the aluminum body I would remove it and use a inoffensive cleaning solvent like brake clean to remove any debris from the sensor bulb and retry it after clearing codes again. It's a small cost repair that might give you terrific results.
Evaporative Emission Control System Nissan 97 truck 4WD
My MIL indicator is lit. I just went in for my annual inspection and they checked the OBD codes. The codes were P0440 and P0446. I looked them up and it was an Evaporative Emission Control System Vent Control Circuit Malfunction.
I have been looking on line because this seems like it could be an easy problem to fix. I have found nothing. How can I check the vent valve control circuit? I am not a mechanic, but I am an electrical engineer so control circuits do not scare me.
Personally, I would clear the codes and see if it reoccurs before I jumped into it. Occasionally a one time stuck solenoid or a bad vacuum supply or even a loose connection or a dropped off hose at some time during service may have set the code and it hasn't been lost from memory yet. In the event you still wish to pursue it, send me an email and I will look it up at work because I have never had the occasion to look into that area of the Nissan emissions, and from year to year and model to model they do vary sometimes drastically as I am sure you are aware. Unfortunately, I cannot keep all that info in my head but would be glad to check it out in the sources I have at work for you.
Another answer:
Just some food for thought I am a tech for Lexus and when we see a 440 or 446 code we find it usually means the car has had the gas cap off while running or an aftermarket gas cap put on causing pressure differences in the sensor circuit and setting those codes (very sensitive to pressure differences) I would think Nissan is probably the same. So I would take the advice to clear the codes and make sure you have a factory gas cap and that it installed tight till it clicks and see if your codes reset. Just my 2 cents, hope it helps!
1990 Dodge Caravan - Fouling Plugs, Running Erratic; Code 32, 42
I Have a code of 32 and 42 can you please tell me what they are...also it is leaking exhaust by donut gasket in spurts and almost like exhaust is blocked.
It is a possibility that your exhaust is restricted but its hard to say without having it checked properly, it may just be that the donut just fell apart due to age. The code 32 is an egr system malfunction and may be related to your exhaust problem, if it is genuinely restricted. Your code 42 is an a.s.d relay ckt problem, depending on the application. i.e. engine etc., it may be located in the smec(engine controller)or remotely on the fender in a relay form. It may be worth a call to the dealer to ask where the a.s.d relay is located in your vehicle.is it part of the computer or is a remote mount. If it were remotely mounted I would definitely check the wiring as they are prone to rotting out and failing at the connections or inside the unit itself and will cause intermittent stalling ,etc.
1990 Dodge Caravan - Fouling Plugs
I have been having a problem with the plugs fouling...(black soot).....clean plugs and it runs better for a short period of time but then starts to skip and then won't start....(code says lean fuel mix)also have a smell of gas....could this be that the evaporator canister is plugged full or should I look elsewhere?
If you are referring to the vapour canister, yes this could be an area of concern but I would definitely be looking into the possibility of a bad o2 sensor or something like a sensor that is out of range. Maybe even a vacuum leak (hose, gasket, or something of that nature) that is making the system lean and as a result the computer is trying to compensate for the problem by throwing excessive fuel at it (your sooty plugs) This is where a scanner (usually most garages have one) comes in handy and the data can be read to see what's happening in real-time. Sometimes if the plugs are bad enough they may not be helped by cleaning and this is a self perpetuating problem with plugs that are just plain contaminated and not going to be revived.
1990 Dodge Caravan- Fouling Plugs, Code 32 & 42
I Have a code of 32 and 42 can you please tell me what they are...also it is leaking exhaust by donut gasket in spurts and almost like exhaust is blocked . Sure, no problem (assuming your codes are the same as my 92).
32 EGR system failure OR power loss lamp open or shorted .
42 Automatic shutdown relay circuit open or shorted
42 Fuel pump relay control circuit
42 Fuel level unit - no change over miles OR
42 Z1 voltage missing when autoshutdown circuit energized (whatever that means)
GM Plastic Timing Cover
I just rebuilt a GM 4.3 and it states on the timing cover that you must replace it after removal. It looks fine, so why can't I use it over?
I would almost bet the reason to be because of heat. Sometimes when you take a plastic cover off, it's twisted out of shape and never seems to fit back on right? That's probably why. They've probably found on some of the engines they twist in such a fashion, there's a chance of them coming in contact with the timing belt.
86 Nissan z24 Engine Timing Chain
How can I adjust the timing chain tension easily?
I am not sure I've never had occasion to adjust one for any reason that I recall. Most chains are self-adjusting with hydraulic and or spring tensioners and guides.
Noise in Astrovan (When Cold)
Have an 88 Chev. Astrovan with 130,000 on it. Recently in frigid weather a noise appeared. It only occurs when in gear at low speed. As speed increases over 25mph, it goes away. We thought for sure it was the water pump....replaced that along with a worn serpentine belt and a weak belt tensioner. Noise is still there. Could this be the oil pump? The alternator is new, we checked the a/c compressor; and the power steering pump is ok. What do you think?
At this point it seems you have done all the obvious except to verify that the noise does or does not exist with the van cold and the belt off entirely. Best suggestion I could make is run the van without the belt on for a couple of minutes to determine if this noise is or isn't here with the belt off.
This can be done with no problem ,as long as you don't run it for and extended period of time so as to overheat it or run the battery dead. Try this first and maybe it'll give you some direction. If the noise still exists with the belt off either email me or repost and I'll guide you further .If it doesn't than your going to have to retrace all your tracks and check the harmonic balancer as well.
Mazda 626 - Pinging
I have a 1996 626, and have had performance problems ever since I owned the car. The problem went to another level when I began having pinging when accelerating and the air conditioner was on. After much research with Mazda HQ, my dealer put a new mass airflow sensor in the car. It was installed 4 months ago and seems to work. However, now that we have hit the dead of winter, I am getting a ticking/pinging noise again. I cannot tell you if it is from the engine or from the "wonderful" Ford probe transmission they put in these cars. I do not hear the noise when the weather is 30 and above. I have also started putting in 89-octane gas, but the cold weather ticking/pinging persists on the very coldest days. Any advise besides waiting a month for the weather to turn warmer.
Well, not really. Is it a tick or is it a ping? Can the noise mostly be heard when the engine is under load and is it a light tinkling noise? Or is the ticking audible even when the car is sitting idling ? These are important before we even try to address the problem. If it is a pinging did the higher-octane fuel make any improvement? Or not? 30 degrees F or C- remember your talking to a Canadian here that went metric whether I liked it or not. Is the noise the same noise that you heard before the airflow meter was changed? If you can try to answer these questions the best you can and we'll take it from there.
The noise used to be heard only under load (air conditioner on; going uphill; etc). Once the mass air flow sensor was replaced, the problem seemed to be fixed. The engine performed better; the transmission seemed to shift more in harmony with the RPM's of the engine. That was repaired 4 months ago. However, during the cold weather (30 degrees Fahrenheit and below), I have heard a light tinkling noise (as you called it) when the engine is cold. I tried 89-octane gas, but I have not noticed any improvement. As I stated before, I cannot tell if the noise is from the engine, or the transmission. I have noticed that the "engine" has returned to its sluggish nature in that it does not downshift (automatic transmission) efficiently, resulting in poor acceleration. If you need more info, I'll try to get more specific. Thanks for your time and interest.
Anyhow, concerning your car..pinging: can be caused by several different things. Poor octane fuel as we already know, a malfunctioning E.G.R(exhaust gas recirculation) valve that allows exhaust gases back into the combustion chamber as an inert (unburnable) gas to reduce combustion chamber temperature,thus conrolling ping,as well as a lean mixture (meaning not enough fuel too much air. I suspect that the air flow meter was replaced for the last reason, which had corrected this problem temporarily. The possibility does exist that there is an inherent flaw in these airflow sensors but not likely(wouldn't hurt to check into the warranty on this item).
Also, excessive engine load, i.e. engine shifting up too early will also cause ping as the engine is loaded excessively when attempting to accelerate with improper gear ratio(too high) at the appropriate time. Lean condition of the engine running could be caused by an external leak of air into the intake stream that isn't being monitored by any of the sensors i.e. vacuum hose off somewhere or a leaking gasket ,intake ,or throttle body or something along those lines. A dirty or plugged up injector of fuel filter can also cause a ping due to a lack of fuel volume getting to the combustion chamber.
Coolant temperature sensors can also affect the lean rich condition as they monitor the temperature of the engine coolant and if they don't tell the computer the proper temperature than it would add too much or doesn't put enough fuel into the combustion process and thus can also cause a ping. If it were my car I'd start there just because of the relatively low cost of this sensor and the likelihood that it could affect the items your referring to when cold. During the open loop cycle(stone cold to warm up) of your automobile running, the computer uses only a few of the sensors it has available to it and the rest is done from a preprogrammed set of values and the rest are disregarded or not used. One of the primary sensors lets call them is the coolant temp sensor and it is one of the sensors that the computer uses on start up and through all of the cycles. Does your car work well once warmed up or does the ping persist even fully warmed up?
Another item I believe might affect the issues your having could be an air charge temperature sensor, which tells the computer to lean, or rich the mix according to the temperature of the incoming air. In most cases this sensor is incorporated into the air flow meter, but not necessarily in all cases .You would have to check into the source of yours ,but I think yours is internal. Hopefully, I have provided you with a little better understanding of how this system works and you can address problem with a little background and point you in the general direction.
EGR Valve Trouble
I have a '94 S-10 Blazer w/119000+ miles on it. The EGR valve (I think this is the name) was replaced last year. Last Month the 'Check Engine Light' came on and the truck would rev, almost stall, rev, almost stall. My mechanic said the value was clogged and cleaned it out. Last month the same thing happened again. Carbon is getting into the valve. Is there anything that can be done so this does not happen again?
I also am getting a jittering/hesitation type motion when going up big hills. This seems to happen after the truck shifts down from a higher rev. The fuel pump was replaced last month. Could one thing be causing both problems? Is the fuel pump still an issue?
Yes, every thing you have mentioned makes perfect sense to me .What you might want to try is running some "Kleens"(GM makes it ) through the passage of the egr and allow it to soak and soften the carbon that has built up. This will require removal of the egr as to perform this task and the other avenue you might want to explore is to run some Kleens through intake as instructed on the can. This is a combustion chamber cleaner and it is designed for this purpose. I find it works well for this.. After doing this I might recommend taking it out on the highway and really hoofing it when entering it on the highway. This will remove any heavy chunks that may have accumulated in the combustion chamber on the valves and other locations. After this process is finished, have the egr cleaned again and see if this corrects your problem of reoccurrence. In the future I would recommend that you take the truck out often and really kick it when you can to remove any small amounts of accumulation along with the occasional tank of premium quality fuel.
Mitsubishi Pickup - Valve Clack
My wonderful new girlfriend came complete with a pickup! It is a fine vehicle a 1990 2wd inline four. It has a problem though.
Valves (I think it is the second from the back) are noisy at low revs, it will clack not continuously but on for thirty seconds then off. When it is under throttle, it is less noticeable. it comes back at cruising speed. I have changed the oil twice using rislone oil cleaner. I believe it has hydraulic lifters but I know nothing about them I am used to overhead cam bucket/shim jobs, mostly on motorbikes.
What steps should I take to alleviate this problem. It is my manly duty to keep it in the best shape possible. I am trying to get a feel for what I can do versus having her take it to a mechanic.
Most hydraulic lifters can be changed relatively easily on a lot of the late model Japanese engines lot have hydraulic valve lash adjusters .If you were to get back to me with the particulars of the engine model, cc etc I might be able to access some info on the Mitsubishi that you speak of. Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi brand vehicles were not released in Canada so I cannot be of any help unless I know what engine it is we are dealing with.
Oil Leaking From Drain Bolt
Yes, I changed my oil like I always do with no problem this time I have a little oil leaking from oil drain bolt I have it tight and the gasket on it looked good. My questions what do you think the problem is and if I try to take it out is all the oil going to run out ?
Not too much you can do with the oil plug in, so I would recommend you purchase a new oil plug and sealing washer and check the sealing surfaces once you have removed it again. You may find that a thread cutting has jammed itself in between the two surfaces causing it to seal poorly or the washer is just plain worn out with an impression in it from a previous installation. Considering the cost of the washer, its kind of good insurance to purchase one for each oil change and save yourself a lot of hassle. I prefer the thick fibre ones myself as they tend to work better on any sort of surface irregularity that may have occurred through distortion of the pan, bolt or wear, or any of the above.
Oil Drain Plug Leak
I recently change the oil on my '83 Toyota Cressida. After I finished, I noticed the drain plug was leaking. I have tried both the metal crush gaskets and the fiber types. I've also tried a new drain plug. Still, I have a leak that was not there before the oil change. The threads are not striped on the pan. The old gasket came off during the oil change that I did not notice on previous changes. It was quite worn and formed the pan curvature. It definitely did not look like the gaskets that the auto parts stores said to use.
What do you recommend I use to stop the leak? I was thinking of using some liquid gasket inconjunction with the normal gaskets. Stumped on this one!
More often than not the fibre gaskets are the fix, but if you say this did not work than you are going to have to look at this plug sealing area and the surrounding area really carefully to see what is going on(rusted out pan possibly).If the sealing area is pulled or twisted your going to have to either replace the pan or try and straighten it out .Occasionally the area that the oil pan plug seats against becomes pulled or distorted from having to pull on the plug extremely hard to either seal it or remove it .If you run your finger across the surrounding 1'4" surface of the plug surrounding area you may find that the surface is distorted. If so, no amount of sealant or new plugs or anything is going to correct this issue. If you find this is the case you will have to attempt to correct it by flattening out the surface with a hammer using some finesse when doing so. There is a risk with this though, if its too far gone, what may happen from this action is the inner nut may become disconnected from the pan(spot welds) and then your committed to replace the pan so use care and caution if attempting this fix. If in doubt ,take it into a garage where they may have seen this sort of thing before and let them have a look at it .It may cost less than you think .
Oil Leak in Lower Engine
I have an engine oil leak in a 94 Cad Dev Northstar engine. I dyed the oil, the leak shows to be not in the oil pan area but the lower engine addition. I'm sure the "O" ring gasket is leaking. I understand that in later Northstar engine model they have made provisions for adding a stop leak to the oil.???? Anyone heard of this?
I personally have not heard of it but nothing says it isn't true .I would check with the Cadillac dealer, parts department. If it is available I am sure they would know about it .
Smoking Occurring During Oil Change
When I get an oil change for my 97-Ford Contour, it starts to smoke. I used 10-30 oil ,what can I do to fix this ?
You could try to use a thicker (20w50) or a higher quality oil or a reduces oil burning additive. Occasionally inexpensive generic engine oils although bearing the 10w30 label have a tendency to break down extremely quickly and loose their viscosity. The thin consistency of it is then burned and goes out the tailpipe. Hopefully, you haven't overfilled the system and you are burning off the excess. You can cause catalytic converter damage by doing this. I would wonder what has happened that this car has an oil burning problem if none of the above has occurred. Usually high mileage is the most common cause of oil consumption and I assume being a 97-model year that this is not the case. I would look into it if nothing else corrects it.
Oil leak!!
I have a 88 Pont 6000 2.8L,it has an oil leak, I can't tell where it is coming from. It is toward the back of the engine, but it is all wet on the whole engine. Where is it coming from and how can I fix it?
I can't tell you what it is without looking at it myself, so will have to do some of the investigative work yourself. Removing the oil from the soiled area with a product like brake clean will help in determining the source of the leak or if its a large area, an engine shampoo would be in order and then check it soon after to verify the source. You should use the usual cautions when getting an engine shampoo or get someone who knows what to avoid when shampooing the engine to take care of it for you. Once cleaned, you can check the engine over from top to bottom and verify the starting point of the leak and determine if its at the bottom or top or whatever and running down.
99 Sunfire GT- Bad Gas Mileage
I recently bought a 99 Sunfire Gt., it has roughly 34,000km, I have been getting low mileage or not what I expected or what other owners are getting. I recently replaced front brakes as it felt like they were dragging, but today I noticed that when backing out of driveway that car wanted to take off by itself. This is a 5 speed manual and when on straight road it will continue driving without foot on gas or clutch in first gear, it also went up a medium grade without stalling also to my amazement , without using the clutch. As I'm not new to standards something is wrong and could this be causing my lousy gas mileage? The dealer wants to leave the car there all night to check out the sensors or codes probably at my expense. I would like to have a rough idea of what it might be.
Sounds like its got an idle speed problem or maybe even a vacuum leak,(this will make the car hard on fuel).Does this car have a relatively high idle when in neutral idling. If so your problem might be in the high speed of the idle being capable of pulling the car along in gear without accelerating. Also ,I would definitely making sure that there is nothing obstructing the accelerator pedal like a pantsaver floormat or anything silly like that (this would be your responsibility) and above and beyond that I would assume that anything else should be covered under your warranty package. Myself I would ask them that if it is any sort of driveability thing that is causing this unusual problem would it be covered by warranty or would you have to pay for it. Likelihood is that most any of these things are covered with the exception of changes you have made or problems you created...i.e. floormats or something like that. Emission control warranties would generally cover most any of the problems that could cause what you are describing .
Burning Too Much Gas... Or Quirky Tank?
I have a 1986 Nissan PU and if I fill the gas tank completely, it burns the first half of the tank in about a half an hour! The second half seems to be normal. I can not find a leak anywhere. The carb has been rebuilt. I helped for about 6 months now it is happening again. Any ideas???
The possibility does exist that maybe you have an evaporative emission control canister that is somehow picking up the fuel out of the tank via a misrouted vacuum hose, a plugged canister that is allowing carb vent to be plugged and therefore pulling too much fuel through the system because of it not being vented to atmosphere. I would recommend you check into this area first and then see what your gas mileage actually is via a systematic check of the mileage versus fuel consumption ..Many fuel tanks are tapered from top to bottom and it may appear that the first half of the tank is burnt quicker than the last or visa versa. I personally find with my own vehicle that the last half appears to go more quickly than the first but in actuality this is not so, its just the way the tank is sloped and the fact that the gauge is not calibrated to go exactly to zero and a couple of variables. If I check the mileage and compare it to other people who have the same vehicle it really is not that far off ,so I would verify that first and in the meantime check the other items I spoke of.
Poor Gas Mileage
I am getting relatively poor gas mileage from my 94 Mustang 6-cylinder. I used to get about 300 miles/tank and am down to about 240. I have had the tires rotated and balanced, and the car tuned up trying to solve the problem. Any idea where I can go from there?
I would recommend that you have someone get into the data stream (hook there computer to the one in your car) in the car and see if you have a component malfunction, i.e. a sensor that is out of range, or something that is not operating as it should be with respect to fuel input and rich, lean conditions. A bad oxygen sensor, map sensor or several of the sensors malfunctioning could cause this.
Catalytic Converters
I have a 93 Ford Ranger that I bought with about 20,000 miles on it. I've always thought that it has had a rough idle. I've taken it to a couple of different mechanics for tune-ups and they've told me it's just the "nature of the beast". Anyway, the truck now has about 91,000 miles and the problem seems to be getting worse. I recently took a long trip in which the orange check engine light started coming on and off after I had been driving about 300 miles. The truck began to "buck/lunge" intermittently and eventually began to lose power. I stopped, turned the truck off, and let it cool down for about 15 min. After I started driving again, the problem did not come back for about 250 miles. I later talked to a mechanic who said it sounded like a bad catalytic converter. Does this sound reasonable, and if it does, could this have been the reason for my rough idle all these years?
Yes, I would definitely say that the mechanic that told you the catalytic converter may be causing your problem of running out of power after 300 miles or so may very well be correct about the catalytic converter causing the lack of power but......... the catalytic converter may have been damaged or overloaded by a misfire or another problem --causing unburnt fuel to be passed through the cat.
I would definitely be looking into what caused the problem in the first place. If the problem is left unchecked ,a brand new converter could be installed and destroyed in short- order, not to say that for sure this one is destroyed yet, but it may be close to it if not already. As far as would your converter cause it to run rough all this time, no not likely, a catalytic converter generally doesn't cause rough running even in its worst state mostly just a lack of power. I would definitely look into the possibility that there is something else going on there too.
You should get someone to check into what trouble codes have been stored by your trucks computer and see if there is anything stored that may be relevant to your problem .The trouble codes stored in your Fords keep- alive memory might give your tech some direction and may help sort out your problem .I have also seen where extremely high alcohol content fuels will dry out the Ford fuel pumps to the point where they will stop functioning and then start to work again once cooled off enough. I would definitely get your tech to check into this possibility as well.
There are other items that could attribute to a cat getting flooded out too i.e., oxygen sensor reading lean always, misfiring plug, wire, cap rotor or bad map sensor, taps, valve or intake leakage, whatever. A compression test or cylinder leakdown test at this point wouldn't be a bad idea either just to verify the general condition of the engine, and maybe your rough running. Check these things out .
93 Ford Bronco Won't Start
The engine will not start. The engine turns over yet will not fire. The problem initially happened while running. I was able to get it restarted after 20 min, yet it cut out only a few min later.
I installed a new distributor cap last year along w/ new plugs and wires. Feels like either a fuel pump or electrical problem. Any ideas?
Well, first you have to determine if it has spark, fuel, and compression .The answer to this question might tell you what direction to go in .Can you hear the fuel pump run when you turn the key to the run position without running the car. Is there any pressure at all present at the fuel rail? When having an assistant crank the vehicle, have a spark plug wire disconnected and using a long screwdriver with insulated handle hold it close (1/8 -1/4") to a steel engine part and see if it has a nice blue spark and goes snap consistently. Does the engine crank over with a normal sound of resistance or does it have a sickly whining dead sound and spin over really quickly, this may indicate to you an engine mechanical problem (compression loss) due to washed cylinders, jumped timing chain or belt something like that. Check these things first.
Starting Problem: 1977 Jeep CJ-7
The engine cranks, but it won't catch. Then it stops turning over and just makes the same noise you would hear when you turn the key while the engine is already running. Any suggestions? I just had in the shop to replace a battery cable and ignition wire. The carburetor was replaced 4 months ago. This is my first vehicle and the repairs are draining my wallet!
It sounds like you might have a few problems going on there. One being either a starter drive or a flywheel problem. You will have to pull the starter and check to see if the flywheel teeth are not damaged. If they are intact, the starter drive is most likely suspected at that point a rebuilt starter would be recommended if you are not familiar with the replacement of the starter drive.(disassembly required).Check this out first and then we will address the problem of not catching? Assumeably, its not starting even though the engine is cranking, maybe just not long enough.
93 Geo Metro Bucking
My Geo has throttle body fuel injection, manual trans. After the car has been driven on a warm day and parked for even a couple of minutes, when you restart the engine and accelerate in any gear, it seems that the engine goes completely back to an idle as soon as the manifold vacuum catches up with the throttle position.
This causes the car to nosedive severely. You can depress the gas pedal and the engine accelerates until it catches up with the throttle again. This is past annoying. The Chevy dealer says they can find nothing.
Well, what you are describing could be caused by a multitude of things, timing change (caused by an input sensor) fuel input change by input sensor in error or even mechanical low fuel pressure, incoming air restriction whatever!! If theGM dealer is your choice of service facilities, you might want to either talk to the technician that is going to service your vehicle(preferred) or the service manager(I'm not fond of that approach) because sometimes, depending on the service manager the symptoms real description might not get to the tech as they were intended, the tech might get the condensed version that the manager has deemed appropriate. Ask the person who is looking after you, to go out for a drive with you and demonstrate the symptoms. If they are as bad as you describe, they would have to be thick not to notice it. I have had occasion myself to have a vehicle that won't act up in my presence. Repeatedly I drive it and nothing happens. If you know how to make the car do the nasty things it does, your going to have to get them to take the time to let you show them .Once they actually experience it, I am sure they can rectify the problem.
92 Taurus SW Elect/Mechanical Problem?
I have a 92 Taurus SW, with 3.8 L V6, 131K miles. While idling (like at a traffic light), the engine occasionally sounds like it is lugging for a moment, (occasionally returning to normal idle). If I accelerate from the light at this time, the battery light momentarily comes on. The harder you accelerate, the longer the light remains on (1-2 seconds). The engine appears to run normally as soon as you begin accelerating from the light. Also, the engine/drive train thumps upon initial acceleration, but not when shifting gears (don't suspect motor mounts). Any ideas as to the cause and recommended repairs?
An occasional lump to the idle when sitting in gear at a light could be caused by a variety of things. If the car is in good tune i.e., plugs, wires, cap, rotor and filters, pcv, I would be looking into things like throttle body cleanliness, minimum idle settings, injector cleanliness etc. Also, be suspect of any vacuum leaks from things like vacuum hoses leaking collapsed or falling off, egr valves leaking, anything that can allow air into the intake stream that isn't monitored.
As far as what you said about the clunk, actually it does sound like a mount but the possibility does exist that you have a front end component that is loose and requires immediate attention. I would recommend that you get that looked at as soon as possible because that may or may not be a safety issue .
Astrovan - Hesitation When Cold
I have a '86 Astrovan with the 4.3 engine. When the engine is cold, it hesitates when taking off. It acts like it needs to be choked but with FI, this is not possible. After the engine warms up it runs fine. I am thinking the temperature sensor, I changed one but it must have been the heat gauge because it did not help.
Generally, the temp gauge is not a two-wire sensor. Is the one you changed the two wire one or otherwise? Other sensors that come into play when cold are your map/baro and or the air charge temp sensors. Very occasionally a small amount of moisture that has somehow gotten into the tps (throttle position sensor) can cause this. Vacuum leaks (hoses, gaskets malfunctioning egr) can also be a problem when cold as it requires a really rich mix to run a cold car and it is running on a preset set of numbers when cold and not attempting to correct for any lean mix. Properly you should have someone scan this unit (check data), check, and see what the readings are like from a cold start.
1992 Ford Aerostar surging
I have a van that when it's cold or warm it surges every 15 seconds, can you help me?
Surging can be caused by a multitude of things on a fuel injected engine but I would start by making sure that the throttle body (butterfly plate)is clean on this one, assuming it doesn't have the sticker on the throttle body that says don't clean this assembly. Try cleaning the I.A.B.P. (idle air bi pass motor)it may be sticking or gummed up, and see what happens. Failing that, repost and I will take you a little further into it .
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