Got a Quick, Technical Question?

0patience

I would agree. It is a job a DIYer can do. It may take them a full day to do the job and it is a miserable job, but they should be able to do it.
Provided they have proper jack stands, jack and some front end tools.
Most the tools for the front end work can be rented at most quality parts stores.

burdawg

Don't use a "turkey fork" as you call it to remove the tie rod ends from the steering knuckles, it will most likely tear up the boots on the joint. Use a tie rod removel tool, or sometimes a pitman arm puller will work. You will probably also need fitting wrenches for the hose connectors on the rack. If you get lucky open end wrenches may work, but you need to take care not to round off the fittings.

Mr_Shiftright

Good suggestion. You are right, the forks can rip the boots unless in the surgically skilled hands of people like us (yeah, RIGHT!). The screw type tools work better. And the fitting wrenches (they have a 3/4 opening, like a box wrench with a gap) is another good idea.

0patience

Odd, I never tore a boot.
But I will agree that a puller is the best tool.
This is the tool I use.

lordgalen

As far as i know, this should be an easy fix, i just have never done it before- so anyone who can give me a procedure list/ point me at an online manual...
i can get myself as far as jacking the car up, removing the wheel, then i don't rightly know what i'm looking for...
feel free to refer me to another more relevant thread too, if this ain't the place to be...

96850glt

I couldn't find any info in the VW GTI forum. My son's GTI's engine got a little too wet when I washed it, and now it won't start. I have dried all the ignition/plug/coil wires, I have taken the distributor cap off to make sure it was dry, I have dried all of the electrical connectors I could get to, , the spark plugs, the fuel injectors, and it will not start. I dried them all with a hair dryer. I am getting a spark, I can smell some fuel, but it will not even start and run roughly, as has happened in the past. I get a OBD II code of 1528. It's not in my Actron book. They say it's a dealer code. Any ideas. We were supposed to leave for FL tomorrow morning. I hope someone has some answers. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

04cad

Thanks for all the good replies. Lately I haven't been doing much of this type of repair myself, but this is sort of a project car. However, after reading the replies I may not tackle this one either. I really enjoy sites like these, they are so helpful and a wonderful resource. Thanks again.

96850glt

Sorry folks, I got the code screwed up. Time-crunch induced dyslexia. It's really P1582-Idle Adaptation At Limit. It is a VW-specific OBD II code. I just tried a jump, but still no joy. The battery was good before, but I was hoping a couple of extra volts would help, but it did not. I have Haynes manual for the car, but it does not address this particular code. Again, I can smell fuel, and my spark plug tester lights up when I crank the engine. Help!

0patience

Check fuel pressure, compression and check vacuum hose to fuel pressure regulator to see if it is damp/wet with fuel or smells of fuel.
If the vacuum hose is damp or smells of fuel, replace the fuel pressure regulator and change the oil and filter.

Check fuel pressure. Specification: approx. 2.5 bar (36 psi) .
Disconnect vacuum hose from intake manifold upper section at fuel pressure regulator (arrow).
The fuel pressure must rise to approx. 3.0 bar (44 psi).

Let us know what you find.

mfagg49

anyone know how to adjust the emergency brake on a 2005 chevrolet express cargo van

stickguy

my SIL has a '99 Odyssey with ~130K on it. It has developed a habit of dying at random times.

I haven't experienced it myself, but it will run along fine, then the guages go wonky, and everything electircal (and of course the engine) ends up dying out.

Normally, it will immediately (or withing a few minutes) start back up and run fine.

I am assuming that it needs a normal electrical system back track (battary, cables, grounds, etc.)

But, does anyone have a bright idea of something sneaky to check?

kiawah

keyswitch

stickguy

You have experience with the key switch causing this? Not even sure if this is an imobilzer key (will have to take a look at it later), if that matters.

That sounds like one of those hard to diagnose problems, certainly for a DIY without proper tools!

flasentra

Hello,

I have a 2000 Nissan Sentra XE with auto transmission, about 80,000 miles, 1.8 liter, I think, with a sticky gas pedal problem. The gas pedal sometimes sticks when going from the brake pedal to the gas pedal, when you first go to accelerate. However, in the past month I have had two instances where I start up the car, put my foot on the brake, then go to step on the gas pedal to find the gas pedal seemingly completely depressed and it won't go anywhere. I'm not really sure what is going on but the bottom line is you can not accelerate at all. The first time, the gas pedal released after going back and forth to the brake pedal. This last instance I shut the car off and started it up again -- the car was fine after I restarted the car. Could this be an electrical problem? What would cause the gas pedal malfunction.

Thanks for your time.

qbrozen

well, i don't believe it is electrical, as I'm pretty sure an '00 Sentra doesn't have drive by wire. So what it seems like you've got is a sticking throttle cable or linkage. the "stuck down" part has me a little confused, but it might be possible.

I've only had this happen on one vehicle and removing the cable and spraying a lot of WD40 in to the housing and working the cable back and forth fixed the issue.

In your case, I would also try lubing the hinge points on the pedal assembly.

user777

battery go low-voltage or was replaced recently? if so, i guess the first thing I'd try was the idle-relearn procedure.

i think you can find it on the H&A web-site associated with a new radio installation.

one QN: what's a SIL? :shades:

stickguy

is someone married to a BIL (sister and brother in law).

truck2old

I have a 1992 Chev. K1500 pickup with a 5.7 and 5 speed transmission. It has low miles for the year (96,000). I've always taken good care of this truck. For some time now I’ve had “ping” problems (preignition knock) and after untold amounts of money on tune-up expense there has been no mechanic who can cure the ping. Everything has been done including a new control module, cap, rotor, plugs, fuel filter, checking and rechecking timing, and on and on. The last timing adjustment was retarded 8 degrees because I’m at 4000 feet and was told that it is recommended to retard 2 degrees for each 1000 feet rise from sea level. That didn’t help either. The last thing I was told to do is change my catalytic converter because it is probably plugged up and that is the reason I have ping. I went to yet another mechanic (an exhaust specialist) and he put in an entire new exhaust system including a new better design catalytic converter. After he cut the old exhaust out of my truck he told me the converter weighed about 2 and a half times it’s original weight. He said that he could not even break all the stuff lose inside because it appeared to have been fused from heat. When I returned to his shop the next morning so he could check his work for leaks he told me that he has never felt so much heat coming from an exhaust system after a two mile slow drive or after any amount of driving. He said the new catalytic converter was getting so hot that it was turning color. He told me that he thinks I have a fuel intake problem …..that maybe the TBFI was putting too much fuel in. I was told that I have to fix this problem right away or I would destroy the new catalytic converter and would not be covered under warranty. Can some one please help me with my ping problem and EXCESSIVE EXHAUST HEAT before I throw my truck at all these thieving mechanics who are taking all my money with no answers?

imidazol97

Sounds like the mechanics need to do more diagnosis rather than parts hanging. Catalytic converters never commit suicide; they are killed by something else. So if the catalytic converter had a problem, something else caused it.

qbrozen

has anybody replaced your O2 sensor in all this? If it is giving false readings to your computer, it will dump in more fuel than necessary.

truck2old

Thank you so much for your idea. I have had other people suggest that I have a mechanic check the O2 sensor and I did in fact ask two mechanics about that. Both of them told me the O2 sensor would trip a code if it was bad. It also would make my check engine light come on. After both mechanics read the codes there was no problem found with the O2 sensor. Would you please tell me what your experience is in this. Would you suggest to just replace the sensor no matter what?

qbrozen

Yes, a bad O2 sensor would/should trip the check engine light. And, like you, I've been told this, too. However, and I really can't tell you if this is definitely possible, but I believe an O2 sensor can give false readings and NOT trip a CEL. Maybe others with more knowledge can weigh in on this topic.

My understanding is that an O2 sensor reads the amount of oxygen and tells the computer to adjust the air/fuel mixture accordingly. It will continue making adjustments UNTIL it cannot adjust the computer enough to get the right mixture, ONLY THEN will it trip the CEL.

Given this understanding, why would it not be possible for an O2 sensor to THINK it is properly adjusting the mixture when, in fact, it is fouling it up? Let's say, for instance, the air receiver on the sensor gets gunked up. How would it know? All it knows is that its not getting enough oxygen, so it adjusts the mixture until the reading is correct. Since it is not reading it fully, its not ACTUALLY correct, but it THINKS it is correct. Know what I mean?

Maybe I'm totally off on this. I don't know. But I can tell you that just the other day I pulled the O2 sensor on my '86 Alfa. I have failed emissions with this car and am trying to figure out why. The O2 sensor looks HORRIBLE. I don't see how any air is getting in there at all. And based on the readings from the inspection station, I am running very rich. Yet, I have no CEL. I'm waiting for new exhaust gaskets now before I can put it all back together and find out if the new O2 has fixed my problem.

By the way, an OEM sensor can cost quite a bit of money, so I'd hate to tell you to do it for the heck of it. BUT, there are universal sensors available that are MUCH cheaper. I'd ask your mechanic if he can fit one of those for you. I used a universal on my mazda pickup and it works just fine.

bolivar

Is this a carb or fuel injectedd vehicle? 1992 is probably fuel injected, but who knows?

In either case, you car appears to be running very 'rich', with unburned gas probably being burned in the exhaust system, and this is the increased heat your are finding. This increased heat is what is damaging the cat converter.

Causes of over rich condition is what I would look for.

-A vacuum leak might be one problem (into the intake?) which would be making the sensors think the car was running lean and increasing the gas flow.

-Bad injector/s that remain open and allow gas into the cylinder/s which is then pushed into the exhaust system unburned.

-Bad fuel pressure regulator that could be over-pressurizing the injectors, or allowing gas to leak into the vacuum system, where it is being pulled into the exhaust?

More experienced mechanics probably know of other things that could cause a car to run overly rich.

0patience

Both of them told me the O2 sensor would trip a code if it was bad. It also would make my check engine light come on.
Not necessarily.
The O2 sensor can still be working with in the specified range, but slow to switch.
On a 92, it isn't like today's vehicles where the computer will show a slow O2 sensor. Unless they actually checked the O2 sensor with a labscope, they really won't know.

The 92 is throttle body injection.
As bolivar stated, there are several causes that can cause your symptoms, but just because the light didn't come on, doesn't rule out the O2 sensor as the problem.

My questions would be, how was the timing set?
If the timing connector wasn't disconnected when the timing was set.
You shouldn't have to adjust the timing for altitude, that is what the MAP sensor is for.

First thing I would do is check for vacuum leaks.
Then set the timing to what it should be.
Then run a compression check.
Next would be check the fuel pressure and see where it is at. Possible that it is running too high. If the fuel pressure regulator is bad, that would be a symptom.

The next check would be to see how much play the timing chain had. If the timing chain has stretched (which on a 92, if it has high miles and has never been changed, it will be), then resetting the timing all you want won't get the ping to go away.

Without having the vehicle in front of me, it is hard to tell what is going on, but those are some things that should have been checked.

bolivar

I defer to 0patience opinion, as he obvious is the 'more experienced mechanic' I mentioned.

truck2old

Thanks to all who have helped. I have an appointment in 30 minutes with yet another mechanic. Will bring suggestions with me for him to consider. I will post results of this appointment later today or tomorrow.

truck2old

Thanks to all who have helped. I have an appointment in 30 minutes with yet another mechanic. Will bring suggestions with me for him to consider. I will post results of this appointment later today or tomorrow.

truck2old

As a courtesy to those who have been kind enough to help me with my original problem with my ‘92 K1500 excessive exhaust heat and ping problem I want to submit the following. I made note of all the suggestions from those of you who have helped and went to yet another mechanic armed with a list of suggestions from my on line friends. This mechanic agreed that the timing should be set at zero and let the MAP sensor do it’s job. He hooked up a small computer to test my O2 sensor and I noticed that he let the truck run for a long time and he varied the RPM up and down a lot. He explained that he was watching to see how fast the O2 sensor was responding to demands. He gave the O2 sensor a clean bill of health. After he checked everything else very carefully…….. he stated that he is 99% certain that my whole problem is coming from a bad intake manifold gasket. There are traces of coolant on top of the intake manifold on both sides. I have noticed this for some months now and I must admit I have been adding coolant more often than a person would expect to. There were no leak traces around the upper radiator hose to thermostat housing or at the housing gasket or from anywhere else. He explained that there are traces of water on the spark plugs because there is coolant mixture leaking into the combustion. He also asked me where I buy my gas and after telling him he recommended to not buy gas there because that station has a bad reputation for having old tanks buried in the wrong place and they routinely get water in them when it rains. He stated that because the intake manifold gasket is bad….. this creates an internal vacuum leak and the plugs are burning lean which would cause excessive exhaust heat and also the ping problem. He explained that even if changing the intake manifold gasket does not solve the ping and exhaust heat problem it still needs to be done because it is very obvious that it is leaking. So………I have an appointment for this Friday morning to get this work done. He is going to charge a flat $275.00 for the gasket, new quick drain plug, new thermostat and all labor. If anyone wants to give me their opinion on all this I would be really grateful. My truck has only 96,000 miles on it and the oil and filter has been changed every 2000 miles since new. Everywhere I go my truck turns heads and everyone says the same thing…..It looks like a new truck. I have always taken care of this truck the best I can in all ways. I would love to keep it another 100,000 miles.

kiawah

Ahhh....the "I forgot to mention about the missing coolant problem"..........

Sounds like you found the root cause of your problem.

Good luck.

0patience

He stated that because the intake manifold gasket is bad….. this creates an internal vacuum leak
It also allows coolant to burn thru the cylinders, which causes some mixture problems.

Sounds like this new mechanic is good. (Not just cause he agreed with me.)
He seems to be thorough, knowledgeable and reasonable.
And I really like the fact that he explained things to you.

So please, as another mechanic, make sure you remember this guy the next time you need work done or your friends need a recommendation, sounds like he earned it.

Keep us posted on the outcome.

0patience

Ha ha, Gotta luv the ones that have the old, "I forgot to mention" or "BTW, is this important?"

Folks don't seem to realize the importance of those "little" facts. :shades:

qbrozen

yup yup yup. As others have pointed out, the tidbit about losing coolant probably would have pointed us all to a bad gasket (either intake or head).

But I'm glad he tested the O2 sensor and really checked things out rather than just throw parts at it as others have done. I agree with others here, too, it sounds like he is good. Hopefully this will cure your problem.

flasentra

Thanks. It ended up being the throttle. I ended up back and the dealer and they cleaned it/took care of it and now everything is fine.

auto_guy

I have a 1993 Nissan Altima gxe. It has a 2.4-liter twin-cam 4-cylinder with automatic trans and has 94,000 miles. When I am at a stoplight the engine makes a high pitch wining noise and I can hear it even with the windows rolled up. My mechanic recently reset the ignition timing to 20 btdc. But I have no idea what the problem is and the noise is driving me crazy. so any help would be greatly appreciated. auto_guy

kiawah

The way I diagnose these problems, is to first figure out whether it is internal to the engine, or external. If you take the accessory belt off, none of the external accessories will be driven (alternator, a/c compressor, etc). One of the pulleys is a tensioner, which is spring loaded and keeps the belt tight. Find the tensioner, and look for where you put a wrench or pry bar on it so that you can take the pressure off the belt, and then easily remove the belt. Now start the engine. If the whinng is still there, then you know you have potentially serious problems with some internal bearing going bad.

Usually however, a whining problem like this is usually one of the accessories or pulleys. Turn the engine back off, and try turning each accessory by hand now, to see if you can feel which of the bearings are bad. It is pretty easy to feel most of the time. Replace the part that is bad, and consider putting a new accessory belt on while you have everything apart anyhow.

Good luck.

burdawg

Along with what kiawah said, also check the tensioner for wear. The internal spring may be weak. Also, many tensioners have a sort of scale on them to show if they are operating within normal ranges, like two grooves or lines on the fixed side and one on the moving side. The one line should operate between the other two, for example. These things do wear out, along with the accessory drive belt. I hope your belt isn't original, since it has 14 years on it if it is.

imidazol97

Don't forget you can't run the motor long without the waterpump turning when you have the belt off!

truck2old

Well…….I took my ‘92 Chev K1500 to that new mechanic on Friday and he performed the prescribed tasks that he advised me about. He replaced the intake manifold gasket, thermostat ( just for preventative maintenance) , quick drain plug, new hose adapters (what ever that is) , new spark plugs, and he even took the time to explain all the steps he took to “fine tweak” everything on a performance level. He explained that he replaced my spark plugs even though the other ones had only 4000 miles on them because the old ones had been burning too lean and had been subjected to water in the fuel. All this for $ 274.66. He did give me some very good news by saying that in all his 38 years as a mechanic he had never seen such a clean engine considering the 96,000 miles on it. He explained that the intake manifold showed no sign of sludge and while inspecting that part of the top end of the engine that could be seen after the manifold was off it looked like a new engine in there. So what is the result of this work? No more ping. And, the truck sounds and performs better than it ever has. He explained that the new performance exhaust that the exhaust specialist installed along with the work that was now done with the intake manifold along with some imaginative “tweaking” should make the truck perform better than it ever has. What an understatement. He did tell me to make an appointment with the exhaust specialist again and get his approval of the exhaust heat now. So I guess this is almost case closed. I just wish I would have taken my truck to these two guys in the first place. I have a feeling of coming into contact with two very talented and honorable men in the automotive field. That is getting harder and harder to find these days. I’ve been asking around and found out this last mechanic has gained the reputation as being the finest diagnostician and performance specialist around. I found out people come hundreds of miles to get his help. There was one guy that ordered a new Chrysler 300 and had it delivered to this mechanic straight from the dealership to make it run faster than any other 300 on the road. It cost him a bundle but this Chrysler has now been clocked at 214 miles per hour on a closed track and has all the local State Police scratching their heads. My new mechanic told me he took the time to explain everything to me carefully because it was obvious to him that I had been on line asking for help and understanding. He knew that I had the “I need to know why, how, and for what reason” thing inside of me. Thank you all for taking the time to give your opinions and help me. Knowledge is golden.

Mr_Shiftright

Well buy this guy birthday cards and cold beer on a hot day (after work, of course). A dying breed of man.

0patience

Now, one thing that I will ask of you.
Remember this mechanic and spread the word about how well he treated you and how good a job he did.

It is very important that you do this.

"My new mechanic told me he took the time to explain everything to me carefully because it was obvious to him that I had been on line asking for help and understanding. He knew that I had the “I need to know why, how, and for what reason” thing inside of me. "

He had respect for you, your thoughts and your desire to know what is going on. You found a good "honorable" mechanic. Sounds like he is more of an "old school" mechanic, which in my opinion, being one, are the best kind.

Oh yes, to add to what Mr Shiftright said........
If you have time on a warm day, bring him a 6 pack of beer or root beer (some guys don't drink) or on a winter day, run some hot chocolate by. You would not believe how much those little things are appreciated.

akangl

He had respect for you, your thoughts and your desire to know what is going on. You found a good "honorable" mechanic. Sounds like he is more of an "old school" mechanic, which in my opinion, being one, are the best kind.

Oh yes, to add to what Mr Shiftright said........
If you have time on a warm day, bring him a 6 pack of beer or root beer (some guys don't drink) or on a winter day, run some hot chocolate by. You would not believe how much those little things are appreciated.

I second that! Good mechanics are soo hard to find, we are very lucky to have a great one less than 30 miles from us. He helped us fix our log skidder when no one else would and barely even charged for all the time he spent with my hubby working on it. Its a big piece of heavy equiptment, not exactly a little car, lol. He was just happy to help. They are getting harder and harder to find though, most places just have parts replacers these days.

Mr_Shiftright

Hey wait....you are "thirding it"! :shades:

akangl

Hey wait....you are "thirding it"!

LOL, oops!! I did just wake up from a nap when I typed that, be thankful everything was spelled right and kinda made sense, lol.

dlebar04

Hello Forum! First of all, this is a great place for info From buying to owning to selling. I love this place.

I got a question that I am not sure where I could find some help. I got a 2003 VW GTI that is making a loud whomping noise when I am going from about 25mph to 10mph. The car makes this noise whether the car is in gear or not (It's a manual). Currently the car has 40K miles.

It seems like it is coming from underneath the engine. It also shakes the car a little bit. The noise follows the speed of the car, meaning that when I am slowing down, the frequency of the noise also slows down.

I just had a 40K mile maintenance done at the dealer, but I can't take it back until tuesday, and I was planning on doing a 700mile trip with the car on monday.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

Thanks in advance for any help!!

Required Info:
2003 WV GTI
4 cylinder 1.8T
Manual Transmission
40K Miles
Problem: See above

Thanks again!

kiawah

You want to try to figure out, whether the sound is in synchronization with tire rotation (ie, occurs once every tire rotation), in sync with the transmission (occurs maybe 3-4 times for every tire rotation), or occurs with the engine crankshaft speed.

I believe from your post, that you have indicated that if you put the clutch in and put it in neutral, thereby allowing the engine to idle, you still then get the whomping at car speed, not engine speed. So probably not engine related.

My gut would say it's probably tire rotation speed related. If so, you'd suspect tires, a rotor warped (which would give you a brake pedal pulsation as well when stopping), or a wheel bearing or constant velocity joint.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd agree---tire out of round or bent wheel (tire is actually dragging sideways a bit).

Another possibility to look at is a very loose wheel bearing, which could be dangerous. So I'd inspect the tire for damage, bubbles, etc., the wheel for being bent, the wheel bearing for looseness, and the axle CV joint for excessive wear.

dlebar04

Thank you so much for the help guys.

I drove it again today, and indeed the noise seems to be related to the tire rotation (I was going at around 20mph, shifted to neutral and revved the car. No different in the noise frequency).

I'll go down in a little bit and visually inspect the tires. It seems as if it is not coming from a single tire, but from "both". I'll keep you guys posted.

Again, thanks for the help

Mr_Shiftright

You could look at the tire tread. Does it seem like the tread is wearing unevenly?

dlebar04

Hello!

It does seem like the tires are wearing evenly. I just had a tire rotation done on the car along with a few other things at the scheduled maintenance. This is when the noise started.

As another use asked, the noise does seem to be synchronized with the tire rotation on a "1 noise per wheel revolution".

This sound is driving me crazy. I was supposed to go on a trip tomorrow morning, and I am going to have to put the car on a car dolly and carry it behind me in the moving truck.

I wish I knew what was happening.

I will take the car back to the authorized dealer in the new city I am moving to. I will keep you guys posted.

kiawah

You should check your lug nuts, they may be loose. This noise started after they rotated your tires....I'm betting they didn't get one of the wheels put on correctly or the lug nuts weren't tight enough.