July 4th Fireworks are Hot, so keep cool with your Air Conditioning on the way there

Independence Day is one of my favorite times of the year. Local communities across the United States have celebrated with parades and festivals for years. Many larger cities offer huge fireworks displays for all the family to enjoy. So this means everyone will need to pile in the "family truckster" and make your way through the heavy traffic during one of the years hottest days of the year. We all know just how hot it can during the stand still on the way there especially if the air conditioning if on the fritz. Don't let this become one of your worst days of the years. Check your car's Air Conditioner and make sure your vehicle is in good working condition before heading out to enjoy July 4th fireworks. A few milutes to check your fluid levels and your Air Conditiong operation may just save the day before it needs saving. Now that we have done an ounce of prevention we can enjoy a pound of fun. Be safe and Happy 4th of July !!

codes: P0003, P0171 & P0174. The engine just started running very rough. Check engine light is on.

I am getting 3 codes: P003, P0171 & P0174. The engine just started running very rough. Check engine light is on. it is a 1999 ford f150 4x4 5.4L 120000 mi. Is this something that would come on suddenly? Truck was running fine and I stopped to get gas and it started running rough on restart after fill up

Answer:

This is a great example of a vacuum leak. More than likely the intake gaskets are shot and need to be replaced as this is the most common issue with the fords and these codes.

It is possible to happen all at once, it is possible that you just got some bad gas then. I would put some octane boost in it and run the gas out then fill it with good gas from another station. If that doesn't clear it up, then you will need to replace the intake gasket or repair the vacuum leak. by spraying brake wash around the top of the engine(not on exhaust) while the engine is running and listen for the engine to change to stumble.

Diagnostic Trouble Code Definitions

2006 Ford Taurus that will not start. Battery is not dead

We have a 2006 Ford Taurus that will not start. Battery is not dead, radio and lights work. Had it in, they created new keys and replaced the starter relay 2 weeks ago. Now car won't start again, even when jumped. What else could it be?

Answer:

The Starter itself could be bad. The ignition Switch could be bad. The battery cables could be loose or corroded. If the car has a Fully charged battery and a correctly installed starter and you are getting one hard click and the dash lights/head lights do not go out when it clicks. Then the engine may be locked up and you will need to confirm it isn't by putting a socket on the end of the crank shaft and turning it. If there is a click , click , click (repeated clicks) then the battery is bad ( even if it is new) If you get a short click and the dash-lights/head lights go out when this happens, then your connections at the battery are loose/dirty/corroded or the battery cables are corroded internally or where the battery cables goto the ground and or starter are loose/dirty/corroded. These are the only options unless this is a ford then you may have a failed fender mounted solenoid. No Start Diagnostics

99 olds alero is shuttering when the brakes are applied

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 with the hub bearings. There are two ways to check a hub bearing. One is to swerve a bit left than right while driving about 15-25 mph and listen for a whirring noise and the noise will change pitch as you swerve. For hub bearings that are in worse shape, Simply jack up the front end and grab hold of the tire and try to wiggle 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.

a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger

a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger- is $375 steep for stepper motor? tough time starting up sometimes....$475 for ignition cassette and plugs...steep? I'm sure by the time I walk out of the place it will be $1k all in...and it's a 2001 9-5 wagon, so I'm trying to figure out if the charges are reasonable, on target, and any feedback if this is a good time to get rid of the Saab before it costs more than it's blue book to repair?

Already Tried: brought it to solid local repair shop this morning...quotes I shared are what they gave me based on problems: sometimes tough to start in morning: $475 for ignition cassette and plugs; a/c blows hot air from rear vents and front passenger: $375 for new stepper motor; before I call to set up appointment for tomorrow to lock this in wanted to get some feedback on if these are on target with solving the problem (big issue in the past with other repair shops), and if costs are reasonable, and to solicit thoughts on whether to keep car or move on. It only has 52k miles on it...but seems to be getting pretty expensive to maintain.

Answer:

The prices they quoted you seem reasonable. Make sure the quote is in writing and that they know you are only going to pay what they have quoted. Best way to make sure is to ask them the amount you need to write on the check, tax and all.

Blue Book Value : Excellent $6,060 Good $5,635 Fair $5,085

If you like the car and it drives well , go ahead and fix it. If you feel that it is starting to cost you too much, then trade it off before you fix it. I do not think you will get 1,000 more for it if you fixed vs. trying to sell it the way it is.

ford escort zx2. got codes p0340, p0300,p0302, p0304. replaced plug, wires and cps. what should i do

So far you have done the best first thing.. Start with a fresh tune up. Next look at all the codes and determine what could cause all of them. And the P0340 code is a big indicator. P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction Camshaft Position Sensor Testing

A clogged cat would cause : codes p0340, p0300,p0302, p0304 but not p0340. You can use a back pressure tester in-place of the o2sensor and you need to see less than 1 1/2 psi or it is clogged.

How to trouble shoot a 1982 Chev K20 power brake booster problem?

Brake pedal feel is firm, but brakes lack sufficient stopping power or fade Check the operation of the brake booster and brake booster check valve. Replace worn or failed parts. Check brake linings and brake surface areas for glazing and replace worn or damaged parts. Check for seized hydraulic parts and linkages, and clean or replace as needed. VACUUM BOOSTERS Most power brake systems use a vacuum booster to assist braking. Vacuum is good for a lot of things, like sucking gas through a carburetor, opening and closing airflow doors in a vehicle's climate control system, and for providing extra muscle for braking. But to assist braking, it takes a lot of vacuum. How can something take a lot of nothing? After all, vacuum is the absence of atmospheric pressure. The answer is the higher the vacuum, the greater the atmospheric push to fill the void. As some famous scientist once said, "Nature abhors a vacuum." What he meant was as soon as you create a hole in the air (vacuum), the surrounding air tries to rush right in to fill it back up. So the push that a vacuum brake booster gives to the master cylinder is actually atmospheric air pressure. At sea level, air pressure is 14.7 lbs. per square inch, which equals about 30 inches of vacuum on a gauge. The average engine can't pull that much vacuum, so the most intake vacuum you're going to read is about 20 to 22 inches. Most engines pull a steady 16 to 20 inches of vacuum at idle. One exception is a diesel, which has no throttle to create a restriction and thus no intake vacuum. So diesels have to use an auxiliary vacuum pump if they have a vacuum brake booster. How the brake booster uses vacuum to provide power assist is amazingly simple. The original "Master-Vac" power brake booster that became the predecessor to virtually all vacuum boosters today was patented back in the 1950s by Bendix. The booster housing is divided into two chambers by a flexible diaphragm. A vacuum hose from the intake manifold on the engine pulls air from both sides of the diaphragm when the engine is running. When the driver steps on the brake pedal, the input rod assembly in the booster moves forward. This blocks off the vacuum port to the backside of the diaphragm and opens an atmospheric port that allows air to enter the back chamber. Suddenly, the diaphragm has vacuum pulling against one side and air pressure pushing on the other. The result is a forward push that helps shove the push rod into the master cylinder for power assist. The amount of power assist that's actually provided by the booster depends on two things: the size of the diaphragm and the amount of intake manifold vacuum produced by the engine. The larger the diaphragm, the greater the boost. An 8-inch booster with 20 inches of engine vacuum will provide about 240 lbs. of brake assist. From this, it should be obvious that the vacuum booster needs two things to do its job: a good vacuum supply from the engine, and a good diaphragm. A vacuum supply hose that's loose, leaky, collapsed or restricted may not allow the booster to receive enough vacuum to provide the usual amount of power assist. Consequently, the driver will have to push on the brake pedal harder to get the same braking as before. A restricted vacuum hose will cause boost to drop off when the brakes are applied in rapid succession. This happens because the blockage slows the return of vacuum in the booster. To check engine vacuum, connect a vacuum gauge to the supply hose that runs from the intake manifold to the booster. A low reading (below 16 inches) may indicate a hose leak or obstruction, a blockage in the exhaust system (plugged catalytic converter, crushed pipe, bad muffler, etc.), or a problem in the engine itself (manifold vacuum leak, bad valve, head gasket, etc.). The condition of the diaphragm inside the booster is also important. If cracked, ruptured or leaking, it won't hold vacuum and can't provide much power assist. Leaks in the master cylinder can allow brake fluid to be siphoned into the booster, accelerating the demise of the diaphragm. So if there's brake fluid inside the vacuum hose, it's a good indication the master cylinder is leaking and needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Wetness around the back of the master cylinder would be another clue to this kind of problem. To check the vacuum booster, pump the brake pedal with the engine off until you've bled off all the vacuum from the unit. Then hold the pedal down and start the engine. You should feel the pedal depress slightly as engine vacuum enters the booster and pulls on the diaphragm. No change? Then check the vacuum hose connection and engine vacuum. If okay, the problem is in the booster and the booster needs to be replaced. Vacuum boosters also have an external one-way check valve at the hose inlet that closes when the engine is either shut off or stalls. This traps vacuum inside the booster so it can still provide one or two power assisted stops until the engine is restarted. The valve also helps maintain vacuum when intake vacuum is low (when the engine is under load or is running at wide open throttle). You can check the valve by removing it and trying to blow through it from both sides. It should pass air from the rear but not from the front. Replacing a vacuum booster is a fairly straight forward job. All you have to do is disconnect it from the brake pedal on the inside and unbolt the master cylinder. The push rod that runs from the booster into the back of the master cylinder must have the specified amount of play, so check your service manual for the particulars. Most require a small amount of play so the master cylinder will release fully preventing brake drag, but some late model GM and Bendix applications have zero play.

Source: aa1car.com

truck will not start when i turn the ignition is just click i just changed the starter

Hi my truck will not start when i turn the ignition is just click i just changed the starter and it still just click just got a new battery in a couple of weeks ago

Answer:

If the truck has a Fully charged battery and a correctly installed starter and you are getting one hard click and the dash lights/head lights do not go out when it clicks. Then the engine may be locked up and you will need to confirm it isn't by putting a socket on the end of the crank shaft and turning it. If there is a click , click , click (repeated clicks) then the battery is bad ( even if it is new) If you get a short click and the dash-lights/head lights go out when this happens, then your connections at the battery are loose/dirty/corroded or the battery cables are corroded internally or where the battery cables goto the ground and or starter are loose/dirty/corroded. These are the only options unless this is a ford then you may have a failed fender mounted solenoid. No Start Diagnostics

Blown Head Gasket

This van's water pump went out and we replaced it before Nov. We also had to replace the idler pulley(?) and serpentine belt shortly after that. Then, the temperature gauge kept jumping to HOT every time you started it. It would sound like something was boiling under the hood. I would shut it off immediately and nothing was ever found leaking or pouring out of it. I haven't started it in awhile. Does you have any ideas? I talked to a couple of people and the first thing they mentioned was the thermostat, but complained that it was allot of work to change in this vehicle.One of my friends also said it could be a blown head gasket. Does this sound like the symptom and how do I repair it. I really need my van fixed. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! ! Thanks, Tammy

RESPONSE: It would have been good practice to replace the thermostat when you changed the water pump. My guess is the thermostat is sticking closed. The boiling noise you hear is probably the coolant returning to the overflow tank. It is usually not that hard of a job to change it. Most anyone with a little Read Entire Article

Rough Idle

OK here we go........2000 Pontiac sunfire gt 2.4 litre engine 180 000 Km Rough idle started suddenly one morning......things ive tried and tested.....changed spark plugs twice replace throttle body gasket replaced intake manifold gasket tried new coils checked engine compression all between 216-222 psi checked engine vacuum not steady but between 14-15" mercury added two cans combustion chamber cleaner no check engine soon light!!!my GM mechanic had it for three hours could not find anything added one can injector cleaner thing i havent checked evap egr catalityc converter fuel pressure engine idles rough only, when it gets above 1500 rpm it disappears but it takes longer than usual to come back to idle speed , all this happens hot or cold....... Hope you can help or suggest............Rick Answer: Your problem you say is below 1500 rpm and that the vehicle runs fine above 1500 rpm. I would say you need to replace the I A C valve (idle air control). The I A C only functions at or below 1500 rpm. This is a common issue with GM engines. If you have replaced the intake manifold gasket , this should be fairly simple for you. Also when you remove the old I A C clean any excessive carbon that may be present. Let me know of your progress.