I recently began having problems with the fuel filter and pump in my 2001 Miata. When I bought replacement parts, the Napa man said he hasn't ever seen sold so many fuel pumps and filters in a month before. He and others have chalked it up to the new fuel blends causing problems. Many of my coworkers are regularly adding sea foam, while others are using gum out. Is this worthwhile?
View 3 RepliesThe RPM gauge began surging, which caused my car to stall. Restarted the car and the surging began again as well as the check engine light came on. After a mile or so, the surging stopped and the engine light went off. Drove to Toyota dealership, ran diagnostic and was told 'possible' air fuel filter problem. No surging since the diagnostic. Should I follow-up and have this looked into or just let it be? 2009 XLE 4 Cylinder ....
View 2 RepliesProblem: car cranks but doesn't start then randomly it will start. 2 different shops...first thought maybe battery (no it cranks) but said these cars are notorious for cam sensor problems they didn't have software to diagnose. Brought to dealership again battery (we were finally beat down and replaced battery) ...then brought home if car sat for a few days totally dead needed jumpstart....brought back to dealer they replaced cam sensor and timing belt...went to pick it up and you guessed it....cranked but didn't start....mechanic came out and it started....so after replacing several parts we are back to the same problem intermittent crank without start...
View 4 RepliesI have a 2001 Miata. It's been over 100 degrees daily lately. The AC will blow sort of cold for about 30 minutes and the temp gauge will move towards the H hashmarks. If I turn the AC off, the gauge will slowly drop. I've also noticed that the amount of cold air is decreasing as time passes. In fact, the other day, the system was blowing air hotter than the outside temperature after about an hour drive.
The viewing glass has bubbling stuff flowing thru it. The recently flushed radiator is full as is the overflow reservoir.
Today I drove my Prius Plug-in from my home almost to the highway in EV mode. When about one minute from the highway, I pushed the PWR mode button twice, on and off, and the ice came on for warmup. All the green symbols above the speedometer were cleared. I then again pressed ECO to bring back that mode.
I believe the vehicle was in what I think of as blended HV mode. This mode blends the extra battery capacity of the Plug in with the ICE. After a 40 mile trip, the available EV miles dropped from 13.9 to 1.2, and the trip meter registered 76 MPG. I went up and down a serious hill which probably reduced the mileage.
Today while I was out driving in the country, my 2001 Prius with 140,900 miles pulled an error code. The red triangle popped up on the dash along with a "Check Engine" light and the car symbol with the "!" through it came on the MFD. I was able to get it back home safely by the way. The car had a weak 12v battery as it is, and I have been planning on replacing it but haven't gotten around to it yet. What I want to know though is, can a weak 12v battery cause those warning lights?
View 11 RepliesI have a 2006 Kia Spectra with 74K miles. It was apparently neglected before I bought it (at 55K miles), and has a case of engine sludge. It's clogging my oil control valve, and a couple engine flushes (by Kia dealer) over the last year have failed to correct the problem thus far. The car runs ok, but cannot pass an emissions test due to the check engine light and corresponding codes. Can I perform the flushes myself? What product should I use? Can I safely remove and clean the OCV myself? What product should I use?
View 19 RepliesMy jeep heater continues to have sand like sediment cloging the heater core, even after many flushes and replacing the heater core and the radiator. the mechanic says this will probably continue unless I replace the engine.
View 4 Replieswhen it began overheating, and to be specific it is a 2003 Honda civic ex, automatic. I took it back to them after having to pay towing expenses. They said they didn't know it had issues (bull) they said it was due to a radiator, so they installed a new one. When I got it back it drove fine then it began exhibiting the same symptoms soon after. I decided since I loved the car I wouldn't even bother with the people I bought it from, big mistake and I should have just returned it...I didn't because I was sick of looking for a car and school was about to start. This began the routine of having to fill it with antifreeze every day before and after class, if I didn't it would most certainly overheat and then I'd have to blow hot air all day.
So I took it to another mechanic who figured it must be something wrong with the cooling system and said the fan was acting slow, so he replaced the fan-switch and thermostat and said that it wasn't the water pump. I was hoping this would do it, but it did not. He then tested the head-gasket twice and it came back negative. Then they tested the catalytic converter, came back negative. This mechanic, then proceeds to tell me the people who sold it to me may have put a sealant in which gummed up the engine and is clogging things so it can't function correctly, or put on the head-gasket wrong or any number of things to the engine. Although, wouldn't this still make the head-gasket test fail? He tells me I may need a new engine because to figure out if it truly is an engine problem that would cost as much as a new engine. I don't know what to do or where to go I am at a loss here. Spending my money just to have mechanics tell me there is some mysterious "undiagnosable" problem with my car is the most frustrating thing ever. No one can fix this car it seems.
I cant find my original post but I am reporting back on a low heat output issue. Not the climate door. It was the heater core clogging up. Instead of replacing, this is what I did. Purchased a "drill pump" and some clear hose and some CLR. Cut both the heater hoses,taking consideration of where best to install "T" connectors.
While hoses disconnected,filled heater core with CLR(as much as I could get in it). Hooked clear hose,drill pump configuration,on to the heater hoses. Ran drill pump in both directions for several minutes and stopping and letting it sit for a few minutes.
About 1 hour all together. Pieces of debris came out of the heater core and I could see it through the clear hose. Flushed the heater core out. Installed "T" connectors and it is heating very well now.
2001 B5.5 V6 Passat 4-motion.
there is a misfire code in plugs/wires/coil...one of those...but car isn't really running rough. the big prob i notice is when you start pushing accelerator, it wants to shift to 2nd even at like 5mph...can't be normal. can that be related to the misfire code showing up?
About 2 months ago, I needed to test my engine cooling fan motor. Was using two lead test wires with alligator clips and stupidly connected the battery ends first and then the wind blew the other connection ends together creating a spark. That may or may not have anything to do with what has happened since then. About 3 days after that, I started to notice that my lights were dimming and ac fan motor was slowing when the engine was under load as in 1st or 2nd gear or going uphill.
After about a week, the ALT/BAT light came on and I replaced my alternator. The problem with that was that getting the belt back on the new ALT nearly killed me and I got several pretty bad injuries and ended up having to get it done. The old alternator tested bad so I figured my problem was solved. But ever since then, I am still getting the same problem - a voltage drop or loss of electrical power causing the lights to dim and the fan to slow - except this time is doesn't happen under load - it happens while driving and just after I have come to a stop at a light or stop sign. I have had the battery and alternator tested several times and they always show up as being fine.
I checked all the cables and connections and changed the positive battery cable bolt. I get no codes thrown. I cant just take the alternator out and change it because of what I went through with the last one - not to mention it tests OK so I can't use the warranty as long as that is the case anyway. So I am left with this troubling, annoying problem and don't know what the cause or solution is. I am guessing the list of options has to have the alternator, battery, connections, belt (though I have no sounds or evidence there is a problem with the belt - I suppose if the tensioner was damaged with the belt fiasco that it might cause such a problem). What to do? It is the biggest problem at night because my headlights are affected.
2001 Cavalier 5-speed manual 2.2
I have a 2002 prius with 143,000 miles. On Friday, I went to start my car and put it in gear and the check engine light came on and the "triangle of death" lit up and car died. I turned it off and waited about 30 seconds and tried starting it again. It started and I drove 1/2mile home. Went into the garage and got the Actron/OBDII code reader. Pulled the code P3125 which when I googled it, it was referring to the inverter. I cleared the code and all was well.
View 6 Replies2002 Santa Fe, 2.7 AWD
The transmission has started going into limp mode and causing the check engine light to come on.
The codes given are p0750 and.... I think p0751, for shift solenoids C and D. There is also the generic Transmission Control Module code.
Limp mode only occurs at higher speeds although shifting feels a little rough at times in lower speeds.
If operated in manual mode the vehicle can be driven normally at all speeds without going into limp mode.
Fluid levels are fine.
With limp mode occurring in automatic but not occurring in manual mode, is it more reasonable to believe the solenoids are malfunctioning or the control module itself? I'm inclined to replace the solenoids but find it odd that the vehicle operates normally in manual. Also, can the solenoids be replaced without removing the transmission? It looks like I could get the pan off but am unsure if there is room to get the work done once it is removed.
Recently bought a 2001. In the process of reading about this engine I discovered there is a some what regular breakdown of head gaskets causing water to leak into cylinders and oil pan, all of which is serious.
Given the vehicle is 12 years old and has 89K miles it appears it is in the age and range of where this leakage can occur. Any knowledgeable engine rebuilders that are familiar with this issue on the 4.2 have any comments???
1. Can this issue be avoided by replacing head gaskets now rather than waiting for future failure???
2. Are there new and improved head gaskets for this motor???
3. Does the problem occur on both heads gaskets?
4. Is that all that needs to be done or are there other seals that need replacement???
Its going into overdrive to early causing it to shake at around 40mph but when I get to 50mph it go away or under 35mph it not there either what could that be??? Just got torque converter and trans done and checked it wasn't that.
View 4 RepliesSo I have multiple issues that all seem to stem from a power steering leak. According to the dealership, the PS pump is leaking fluid onto the serpentine and timing belts causing them to swell. This in turn has something to do with the AC compressor not working but they wouldn't give me details. When I looked at the clutch wheels on the AC compressor, there seems to be a good amount of rust in between the two wheels. I can't say that I trust the dealership because the original owner was bought out by a larger group that is known to just say "replace everything". I usually do most of my own work on my 95 Tacoma, so I'm no stranger to import v6 motors.
View 4 RepliesSo, something odd happened to me today while driving. I was getting off a highway after about 250 miles of driving, downshifted from 5th to 4th, and when I hit the gas pedal after shifting, nothing. No acceleration. I shift back to 5th. Still nothing. Try revving in neutral, also nothing. I come to a stop on the exit ramp and try to start the car up. It starts up, hits about 1k rpm and stalls. Gas pedal does nothing still. What's up with this? I had it towed to my shop.
Couple tidbits of info: just had the oil changed three days ago. Checked the oil and it seems fine. I have an aftermarket he's unit in the car and lately, it's been a little wonky. When I put use my automatic windows, sometimes the volume will mute for a sec.
My car is a 2006 Mazda Miata base model. 5 speed manual. Power windows but not locks. No traction control. No cruise control. 40,000 miles. Oil changed regularly with full synthetic.
My car often backfires on downshifts. It happens as I?m decelerating in gear, and then blip the throttle to match the higher rpm of the lower gear. The car runs well and is well maintained. The spark plugs, MAF sensor, O2 sensors, and cat are all in good order. I?m confident the air/fuel mixture is working as intended by Mazda (at least under normal driving), so I?m not looking for a mechanical culprit. I?m sure it?s my style and frequency of downshift/rev matching which causes the backfires.
It happens anywhere from 1-2 times a week to 1-2 times a day depending on my driving, or on something like 2-5% of all downshifts. Personally, I rather like excitement of the backfires and the exhaust burble which accompanies them, it makes me feel like I'm in a race car. My question is whether frequent backfiring is going to drastically reduce the life of my catalytic converter and O2 sensors.
I don't mind replacing the cat 5 years from now instead of say 10, but I don?t want to have to replace it within the next 10,000 miles or less. My Miata is a 1999 model with 130,000 miles on it. The exhaust system uses stock manifold and muffler but with an AEM performance intake and monsterflow catalytic converter.
For the past maybe 10 months, my car has been giving me new AC problems. The AC runs just fine when I'm driving normally or on the highway (basically without stopping for long periods of time and out of traffic). But when I stop for a long time (traffic, drive-thru, long light), my AC begins to run hot. To be more specific, the car actually begins to feel like it is running with more difficulty, as the engine starts running loudly and then I know that it is game over and it begins spitting out hot air. I generally just turn the AC off and put the windows down until I can get moving again, and then the AC is colder when I turn it back on.
Now, about 5-6 months ago I took it to my Mazda guy and he checked it out. Of course, it did not do what I wanted exactly, showing him what really happens when it sits for too long. Anyways, he said that everything seemed to be fine & both fans were working, but that the freon (r134) was low and he charged up the system and added some freon. After this, the AC was running MUCH cooler than it was before and the problem stopped.
That brings me to the last couple months; the problem has returned. This indicates to me, perhaps, that the freon has leaked out at this point, so it needs some more r134, but with dye, so that they can get a sniffer and pick the leak. Additionally, the engine is not overheating or anything of that sort, so I don't think it has to do with the radiator or coolant. I have essentially replaced almost every other part of the AC system in the car within the last 3 years. I have replaced the condenser, one of the fans, the water pump, hoses, everything you could imagine that isn't the compressor or the second fan.
Last week the shift got stuck in Park. I used the emergency release button to get into Drive. After this happened several times I took it to the mechanic who said the shift needed replacing. Got a new shift. The problem persists. I get stuck in Park about 1 in 6 times.
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