Auto Repair Articles

1983 Ford Thunderbird 5.0 EFI turns over but will not fire it getting fuel not sure where I should start.

Answer:

First you need to determine if it has spark or not ( you you only said it has fuel. Next you need to make sure it has at least 30 psi of fuel pressure of the injectors will not fire. These engine do not have a prone issue. So I would, if you determine it is only missing spark, look at the distributor cap and rotor closely.

I have compiled the information that you need here: NO START DIAGNOSTICS 

My daughters 99 olds alero is shuttering when the brakes are applied. I have replaced rotors and pads and still shakes. It does have a broken wheel stud on one of the front wheels. Also has 147,000 miles. Would wheel hubs need replacing?

Answer:

There may be an issue witht he hub bearings. There are two ways to check a hub bearing. One is to swirve a bit left than right while driving about 15-25 mph and listen for a whiring noise and the noise will change pitch as you swirve. For hub bearings that are in worse shape, Simply jack up the front end and grab hold of the tire and try to wigggle it top to bottom, any play or movement at all is from a failed hub bearing.

Another thing that can cause this is a bad spot on a tire. Rotating the front tires to the back and test driving it should let you know if this is the case.

One missing wheel stud will not cause an issue.

97 ETC/ Service Steering Sysyem ??? Information Center on at Each startup, ?? Belts and fluid are okay. Code 127???

Answer:

C1227 - Left Rear Excessive Wheel Speed Variation
C1228 - Right Rear Excessive Wheel Speed Variation
C1248 - EBCM Turned the Red Brake Warning Indicator On
C1255 - EBCM Internal Malfunction
C1287 - Steering Sensor Rate Malfunction
More than likely the ABS Code is C1287 and having the steering wheel position sensor replaced at the local dealer is all that is needed. Part is about $85 and Labor around $100. This is a common failure part and most likely they have the part in stock.

2003 Ford Excursion 4×4 6.0 Diesel keeps eating voltage regulators/alternators. Two brand new batteries charge on the charger and hold a charge. (I do have a 350ma parasitic draw while the truck is “sleeping.”) I even purchased a 200 amper from DB Electrical and installed an additional 0-gauge wire from the alternator to the battery. Checked the two alternator leads and soldered extra wire to relieve stress on the connector. No changes. At idle, the regulator side of the wire shows 11.6V. The batteries are barely charging at 11.88V. at 1K-RPM the battery voltage goes up to ~12.5. At 1.5K-RPM and above I get 13.89V maximum, sustained unless the RPM drops. This is repeatable.

Answer:

Sounds to me like you have a large load occurring with the engine running.Possible glow plugs staying on or FICM not coming out of injector preheat stage.I would suggest getting the load tested while engine running with a shunt type charging system tester and see how many amps are being pulled.If it has over 20 - 30 amp consistent load then you will need to determine what is causing the excessive load.A ford ids scanner will be needed to determine if ficm and gpc is operating normally.

2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD I just bought the truck and the radio isn’t working. Everything lights up like it’s on but no sound. The salesman that sold it said it was working at one time and thinks it has something to do with the Onstar button. The manual says the Onstar button will mute the radio when pushed and to push any button to restore the radio. But it doesn’t work. Any ideas?

Response:

does the radio go through all of it’s functions normally if the buttons are pressed?

I have the warning light up for Transmission fault on the dashboad. I have had it tested on a Snap On Solus this has brought up the code P0705 Transmission Range Circuit Sensor Malfunction. My Car is a Saab 95 Estate Auto Ecopower. Could you help with what part needs replacing or how this problem can be resolved.

Answer:

the range sensor is located on side of trans housing. The shifter cable goes to it. It send signal to computer indicating gear postion etc. for refernce. I have dealt with several posts lately where these have been a problem. It is not a recall. The range sensor new at dealer is around $295 plus 1.2 hours to change it. It can affect shifting or possible put trans in fail safe mode preventing shifting of transmission. A full scan of Trans controls can indicate if it is reading correctly through all functions.

The two main components that will cause this are the crankshaft position sensor (located behind harmonic balancer) and the ignition control module (located under the ignition coils).

President Barack Obama, seeking to end a stand-off between states and the auto industry, plans to issue new national emission limits and mileage requirements for cars and trucks. Obama plans to announce on Tuesday that he will couple pollution reduction from vehicle tailpipes with increased efficiency on the road. It would be the first time that limits on greenhouse gases were linked with federal standards for passenger cars and light trucks. New vehicles would be 30 percent cleaner and more fuel efficient by 2016, according to officials familiar with the administration’s discussions. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement had not been made.

my car was overheating really bad the fans where not working, so i cvhanged the fuse they’re working now. but it continued to overheat . mean while I was turning the heater in the car on but it would only come on sometimes usually when in park on stopping or randomly. The cap to the over flow popped off inthe center completely so all i caould do is cap it but not fully seal it off. but now the car still gets hot but doesn’t go to over heat since?

Answer:

Sounds like the anti-freeze is low.

Also this system needs to be pressurized to work properly. You will need to get a new cap for it. Re-fill with antifreeze and warm up and check again.

Engine Over Heating Diagnostics  

mounted under the hood by the radiator.