Chrysler’s ‘Christmas Tree Stump’ Code
Chrysler transmissions have been difficult to diagnose for technicians since the beginning of electronic shift solenoids.
They use a separate transmission-control computer that is sometimes hard to read.
Trusty Accord Gets Better with Time
Honda revamps 2012 model; it’s better than ever
This time, let’s focus on the Honda Accord and compare the current 2012 LX with the 1997 model.
Tests Confirm Uneasy Feeling about Diagnosis
When was the last time you had a customer bring you their vehicle – along with a part – and ask you to install it? On occasion, I have a customer ask me to do just that, and it is often large, used and costly to purchase new – such as an engine, transmission or differential. This was the case recently when my friend Jim had his 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT towed to our shop; he also had a used automatic transaxle delivered from a local, reputable used-parts supplier.
Dodge Caravan’s Sensor Goes Awry
I got a call recently from a friend of mine who runs a car shop, asking for help on a code for a cam sensor.
He had changed the sensor twice and double-checked the circuitry and even replaced the crank sensor. The powertrain control module (PCM) was the next stop, and it was a rather expensive one, so he asked me to take a look at the vehicle before he got a PCM to see if I could verify his diagnosis.
Serviceability Report: Chevy Cruze
This is another in a series of reports that asks a simple question: Do the automotive engineers look at “ease of service” when designing a new car?
Issues Pop Up During Emissions Check
How often have you had a customer with a high-mileage, 20-year-old vehicle say, “I just need it to last one more year”? With the average age of vehicles on the road more than 10 years, I am seeing more “20-somethings” coming in my bay for TLC.
A customer recently brought in her 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a 3.8-liter engine, 138,000 miles and a failed emission report. In our metro Denver area, we all must pass our centralized emission test – or we cannot renew our license plates.
RAV4’s Transmission Dilemma Presents Challenge
The code chart for the P0770 shift-solenoid-E malfunction has a simple description of the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) checking condition: It says that the lockup does not occur during lockup range (50 mph) or lockup remains on during lockup-off range. The possible causes listed are that the shift-solenoid valve is stuck open or closed, the valve body is blocked or stuck, or the clutch is locked up.
Serviceability Report: Ford Focus Revisited
In the July 2006 issue of AutoInc., I compared the 2006 Focus to the 2000 model. Well, let’s look at the next generation and see if Ford took heed of our suggestions.
Ford had a hit when it introduced the 2000 Ford Focus in 1999; it sold more than 286,000 units the first year. Sales settled down to around 175,000 for the other years, but the 2012 model may change that for the better.
Bitter Cold: Sometimes It’s the Root Cause, Sometimes It’s Not
Here in Denver, when the snow flies and the mercury plummets, we all like to press “4WD” on our dashboards and blast out into the blizzard. When our rigs stay in “2WD” and slide into the gutter – that’s when I get the phone calls. The following two customers called me the same morning recently, and we came to two very different conclusions after diagnosing their inoperative four-wheel-drive (4WD) systems.
Gen I Prius Crank No-Start Presents a Challenge
Crank no-start problems can be challenging when you’re dealing with a high-voltage (HV) battery. But specializing in hybrids has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I have always enjoyed the challenge of working on “hard to find” drivability and electrical problems.
A New Look: 2012 Fiat 500
Long time no see! Fiat 500s are making their way across the Atlantic and into U.S. bays
“Fix It Again Tony” was the joke from the last adventure Fiat had in America. Well, thanks to Chrysler Motor Co. looking to the taxpayers for money, a deal was struck with Fiat to take it over and pay us all back. So far, so good. One benefit for Fiat is an instant dealer network that is now selling a small retro version of an Italian mini-car sold back in the ’50s. Is it any good? Or, more important, can the typical technician in the U.S. service this little vehicle, or should they stay away?
Taking it to the Track, Part II: Our Charger Runs the Quarter Mile
In my previous installment (November 2011), I profiled our progress of “hot-rodding” a part-time sheriff’s car for our local one-fourth-mile drag strip, Bandimere Speedway.
Our speedway hosts a program called “Take it to the Track,” an initiative aimed at getting young drag racers off the street and onto a safer venue, and this 2006 Dodge Charger just needed its exhaust system installed before we could start the engine.
