Just curious. Are my RPM's running high? Currently I'm running 3000 rpm's at 76 mph. Is that high? Someone told me it was. (My speedometer shows I'm running 80mph but both my gps show 76mph, stock tires, 1.8T). Pretty sure I'm in range.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1994 F-250 that we have changed the thermostat, radiator, water pump, cap, hoses, and installed a spring fan. New heads. Hot heat in the heater. It runs normal at highway speed for around 10 or 12 miles and gets hot. pull up and idle and the temp retracts. Even the block has been blown thru. What could possibly be the problem?
View 2 RepliesOk, so I was driving normal highway speeds and all of a sudden, I realize a major drop in power. I pull over and restart it and it changes nothing. Now when I floor it, it takes 20-30 seconds to get to 90K.
I checked the air filter... Nothing. Used a code reader... Nothing. Then I decided to pressure test the cylinders... Nothing, except now the check engine light is on.
The Ol Dub is still drivable, but it is extremely slow and rough at idle. I am thinking it might be a MAF or fuel filter.
I'm new to owning a Toyota. I just financed a 2010 black Toyota corolla S with 36 miles on it from a local dealership after i decided my last car was pretty much a money pit (2001 expedition)...blew the head gaskets, then after that was fixed developed a bad knock...anyhow i just decided i was overdue for a new car. Its a 5 speed manual and at highway speeds (65-70mph) I've noticed the rpms are bit high...like around 3grand. Is that normal? Just seemed really high to me, I really think this car would do great with a 6 speed. Also is the corolla governed? I was on a long stretch of road and i quickly got to 110ish with no sign of a governor kicking in...?
View 14 Replies we recently bought a CPO 07 2.0T Wagon last November and I have been keeping track of the gas every fill-up since. I have to say I am a little disappointed of the miles per gallon as I thought I would be getting more of around 22/32, at least over 20 mpg in the city. I don't have a heavy foot, RPM are usually under 2k around (1700-1950) do, does this seem normal???
I don't know much about the vehicles history as the Dealership only told me if there were any recalls for that specific year they were probably taken care of... I have asked for an exact list of what recalls were done, but they just wont tell me or just don't know have that info... Kinda sucks I think when there is a freaking computer they use to type all the info in....shouldn't you have that info!
So if any of you know are there any special recalls that might have affected the gas mileage of car? Or certain recalls that might still need to be done that maybe seem like that never were addressed? The one thing that kinda worries me is the "cam follower" piece, and I have no idea if its been changed or not. Also I have an annoying "random tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, from the passenger feet area that vw said was normal, but in the forums here people say it is a closing heater vent not properly position itself.
Should I just demand all this be looked at by the dealer since I have a 2yr CPO warranty? Other then that is has been a great car with poor gas mileage and a tick, tick, tick, noise. See iphone gas buddy tracker image for my MPG, the spike up was a 350 mile road trip, but still not that great.
2000 neon automatic. My wife was complaining about the rpms jumping around when on the highway going about 65mph. The rpms are around 3000 and jump very slightly up and down and you can hear the engine tone change when it happens. Checked tran fluid and it was low about 3/4 of a quart and added some fluid, changed spark plugs and wires and the problem is still there. Doesn't happen all the time. She says it seems to only do this if the car has been sitting for a few hours or longer. There is an code for the downstream sensor which needs to be changed.
View 2 RepliesIts peak summer here and temperatures are around 50c. Recently I am experiencing a strange AC behavior! While driving, AC is blowing very cold air but while stationary air get little less cold and it feels sweaty... Also accelerating car makes AC more cold than cruising on normal speed...
I am wondering what it could be.... I had golf IV and never experienced it even it even parked under 50c summer afternoon.... Two weeks back, they have replaced my AC compressor valve... It could be a fan?
I wanted to believe I had rid the car of the steering wheel vibration when I lowered the Psi in the tires from 46-50Psi to the 35Psi it should have. However, the car still has a vibration in the steering wheel when going highway speeds accelerating up gradual hills or when accelerating out of a sweeping turn at highway speeds. It is very noticeable, you can see the hands on the wheel shake. Passengers don't notice it. I had my brother in law drive it without mentioning to him and he noticed it as well.
View 9 RepliesCar runs just fine except I do notice the RPM's moving a bit up while I'm cruising at a steady speed. Almost as if the clutch is slipping. It's an Auto, btw.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1997 Oldsmobile 88 (174K miles, owned only by my father-in-law and then me) with which I am experiencing a hesitation problem from time to time at highway speed. My mechanic has taken the car on several highway test drives throughout the last two days, and he has been unable to reproduce the problem. Furthermore, he has done a full diagnostic test and found no problems with the fuel system, ignition system, or anything else.
Here are the conditions under which the problem occurs:
---Attempting to accelerate gradually at highway speed (usually from 50-60 mph), but WITHOUT pushing the gas pedal down so far as to cause the transmission to downshift
---Engine fully warmed up (temp gauge at 200 F or just below)
---Occurs more often when I have been driving for at least 1-2 hours
The condition is as follows:
---Car lurches/surges noticeably and does not accelerate
---Speedometer needle reflects the lurching by fluctuating up and down about 1 to 2 mph
---Accelerates well if I step down hard enough to cause the transmission to downshift, or stops surging if I lift off the gas pedal
---NO Check Engine light at any time
Some history on the car and corrective actions taken:
---June 2009: My mother-in-law was driving the car about 6 hours into our trip and it consistently hesitated between 50 and 55 mph with the Check Engine light on for the last 30 miles or so of our trip. The next day, we took the car to the dealer where my in-laws had their cars serviced (note the past tense here), where they told us that "there's probably something wrong inside the transmission" and suggested that we replace the transmission with a new one. This transmission is the second new one the car has had (replaced the first time at 95K miles), meaning that this transmission had less than 80K miles at the time. We took the car to a local shop at the referral of a friend, and this mechanic suggested we try flushing the transmission fluid and replacing the filter to see if that would fix the problem before we started talking about replacing the whole transmission. This worked, and we were glad that we did not have to get rid of the car. Did not notice any more problems with this for over a year.
---May 2010: Experienced engine misfire, had spark plug wires replaced. Problem solved.
---March 2011: First noticed my current problem. Had fuel filter replaced (it was probably a little overdue) and had the mechanics do a fuel system cleaning.
---April 2011: Problem still occurs.
---Had throttle body thoroughly cleaned, which fixed a slight sticking in the gas pedal.
---Replaced spark plugs myself. Car running more smoothly overall, but the hesitation still occurs.
---Inspected all three ignition coil packs myself. Top coil pack had some rust on the poles, which caused the resistance to measure as zero. Cleaned most of the rust off the poles, after which all three packs bench tested at 6.23 (with 20000 ohm setting on multimeter). Car runs even more smoothly overall, but hesitation persists.
At this point, my mechanic and I are both stumped as to what could be causing the hesitation problem. My only thought right now is to try replacing the one coil pack that had rust on it, since a pack with a fault I can see may have others inside that I can't see, and maybe something like this is flaking out on an intermittent basis.
I'm a converted Chevy man and I don't think my 2011 F150 FX4 is cold enough. I am getting 46 degrees at highway speeds and outside vtemp is 77. My Chevy always get 38-40 in the same situations. What is eveybody getting? Is this normal?
View 10 RepliesSo I have a 2005 Hyundai Elantra, it is a manual transmission. I was having problems with the rpm's going higher than normal at random times while driving, then I noticed that the fluid in the clutch fluid reservoir was low. I determined that to be caused by a bad clutch slave cylinder that was leaking fluid. So I replaced the slave cylinder and that seemed to fix the problem, but now I am noticing that the car lacks power when I'm going up any sort of hill or trying to accelerate faster than normal.
When going up a hill the rpm's will go up and I have a hard time maintaining my speed. When trying to accelerate fast, as in pulling out in front of someone or similar situations, the car seems sluggish and it seems like I need to shift because the rpm's are high but I'm not going fast enough yet for the next gear.
This sounds like it would be some sort of problem-related to the clutch going bad or could the leaking slave cylinder have damaged the clutch. Or does this sound like more of a different problem, maybe something with a fuel filter or something?
99 ford taurus 232000 miles. Great car I keep it fairly well maintained or my mechanic does actually. The thermostat was faulty and while in a long idle it shot all the way to HOT. The car did not over heat. the thermostat was replaced. A week later another long idle and it shot up to HOT again. A few days after that it was discovered I had a leak from the O rings going into the radiator part/section. They were replaced.
Yesterday I drove from work to the store about 25 miles. I got back to my car - started it up - it was rough/sluggish. I drove it 100 feet and noticed the RPM dropped or would not go up to where it had been normally. 40 to 45 miles an hour RPM at 1 or 1.5 .....It drove home "ok" but, I have had the car 13 years and I know there is something wrong. But I do not know what.
I have done everything I can think of to this car. New; plugs, wires, distributor, battery, fuel pump, fuel filter, relay, and electrical lines to fuel pump. The timing belt is fine. The car has a rough idle and when I am stopped the RPM's drop below normal. Now it won't start. What can I try now?
View 1 RepliesThe primary electric fuel pump in the fuel tank of my 2004 W12 failed last month, shortly after I had set out on a cross-Canada trip from Vancouver Island to Toronto. The whole process of diagnosing and identifying the cause of the problem, mitigating it so that I could continue the trip, and finally replacing the fuel pump was kind of complex, so, here's the write-up.
The problem presented itself as a surging of the engine - a momentary loss of power - at normal highway operating speeds. The onset was progressive, but it didn't take very long - only about 60 miles of driving - from the first little cough of the engine until total failure of the pump. The first indication was failure of the car to maintain speed (while on cruise control) when climbing hills. That progressed to failure to maintain speed on flat surfaces, and finally led to the car coasting to a stop, engine stalled, at the side of the road.
I soon learned that if I floored the accelerator pedal and held it against the floor, the car would cough and burp for a few seconds, then take off like a rocket. So, for the next 40 miles, I coaxed the car into the next city by flooring it, accelerating to about 80 MPH, then coasting until the speed dropped to 20 MPH, and flooring it once again and accelerating to 80 MPH. Fortunately, I was on a remote road with few other cars, and no police.
I checked the fuses for the two fuel pumps - fuses 34 and 35 in panel C (above the left battery), and they were both OK.
The next day, I visited a VW dealer in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and together with the parts manager and one of the technicians, we looked at the Self-Study Guides (SSGs) for the Phaeton, and looked at wiring diagrams. Eventually, we came to a tentative conclusion that the primary electric fuel pump in the fuel tank had failed. The SSGs stated that the primary electric fuel pump (the pump on the right side of the car) operates all the time, and the secondary electric fuel pump (the pump on the left side of the car) only operates during starting and during 'periods of high demand'. That made sense to us - the car started fine, and worked OK when the accelerator pedal was held to the floor (high demand). It just didn't work worth a darn at any other time... the engine would stall, or, the car would not accelerate at all.
Here are two illustrations taken from the SSGs that describe how the fuel delivery system works. The first image is taken from the 'Phaeton Overview' SSG, which applies to all vehicles. The second image is taken from the W12 engine SSG. I kind of suspect that all the Phaetons operate in the same way, regardless of engine, because the fuel tank in all the Phaetons has the same shape - two lower lobes, which means two pumps are required.
Descriptions from the SSGs
I think that there may be an error in the description above. My experience suggests that the right hand pump (identified as G6, above) is the primary pump, and the left hand pump (identified as G23) is the one that switches on during starting and periods of high demand. Note also how the identification of G6 and G23 in the illustration above is reversed from what is shown in the illustration below. I believe that the text and illustration below is correct, and the text and illustration above is incorrect.
The 'effects of failure' in the description above would, I believe, make sense if it was the left-hand pump that failed. In my case, the right hand pump failed, and the effects of failure that I experienced were as I set them out in the beginning paragraphs of this post - quite different from the 'effects of failure' of the left hand pump that are described in the SSG above.
After coming to the tentative diagnosis that the primary electric fuel pump (the right hand pump) had failed, we checked the parts stock status in North America. There was one pump in stock, but it was in the United States, and being that it was a Thursday, the pump could not be delivered before the following Tuesday. I didn't want to spend that much time waiting for it, so, we started thinking about other possible solutions.
If we could somehow get the secondary electric fuel pump - the pump on the left side of the car that only operated during starting and heavy demand - to operate, that just might put me back on the road again. So, I removed the plastic cover from the small relay that operates the secondary pump, and wrapped a rubber band around the relay, thus keeping the relay in the closed position. A short test drive proved that this solution worked just fine, the car once again operated normally. The only "problem" was that the last 25% of the fuel in the tank would be unusable, because that fuel would be left behind in the right-hand lobe of the tank - the lobe with the defective primary fuel pump.
Electric Fuel Pump Relays
Here is an illustration from the Phaeton wiring diagrams identifying the various relays above the left battery.
Here you can see the two relays for the electric fuel pumps. They are identical part numbers.
Here you can see the relay for the secondary electric fuel pump, with a rubber band wrapped around it to keep it continually closed.
Aside from the loss of use of the last 25% of the fuel in the fuel tank, the car worked just fine with the secondary electric fuel pump running all the time. There were no problems noted even under heavy acceleration. It was, however, necessary to physically remove the rubber-banded relay from its position in the relay panel whenever the car was shut down for more than half a hour. The power to this relay comes from Terminal 30 (battery direct) - it is not switched on and off with the ignition as Terminal 15 power is. This meant that if the rubber-banded relay was left in position overnight, the left hand battery would totally discharge, because the fuel pump would operate continuously all night. I discovered this the morning after the first night...
So, for the next 8 days, I drove across Canada, removing the relay each night and replacing it each morning. I didn't bother to remove it when I stopped for meals or fuel. The rest of the 3,000 mile trip was uneventful - except once, when I let the fuel tank run down a bit too close to the 1/4 full mark, and the car began surging again because the left hand lobe of the fuel tank (with the functional secondary pump) had emptied out. That was a close call, but I managed to get to a gas station and refuel.
After arriving in Toronto, I called the parts staff at my home VW dealer and ordered a new primary electric fuel pump. I discovered that the left and right hand pumps are slightly different (the various hoses coming out of the pumps are different), and I also discovered that a pump costs about $400. The parts staff suggested I order two seals (one for each side of the tank), because I would have to remove both the right and left fuel tank covers to change the right pump. The seals were not expensive.
Here are two pictures that illustrate where the pumps sit in each lobe of the fuel tank. Note the fuel filler port on the left side of the pictures (as we know, it is on the right side of the car) for orientation.
Phaeton Fuel Tank, showing pumps
Fuel Pump Access Panels
Below is a picture that shows where the access panels to the two fuel pumps are. It's easy to get to these access panels, just remove the carpeted panel from the floor of the trunk.
Here's a close-up of the right side (primary) electric fuel pump access panel.
The instructions (from the VW Repair Manual, or the ELSA / ErWin system) for replacing the fuel pump are quite well written. The repair manual suggests that the fuel tank be drained before replacing a pump. I didn't want to drain the tank, so, I ran the fuel level down as low as I dared (remembering that 1/4 full is effectively 'empty' with a failed primary pump). That proved to be adequate.
There are a heck of a lot of steps involved in disconnecting all the hoses and loosening the various components before the pump can be removed. I strongly suggest that anyone attempting this task have a printed set of instructions before starting disassembly.
The fuel pump has quite a few hoses and connections on it, but fortunately, each connector is unique in design, thus it is not possible to hook things up the wrong way when installing the new pump. It is possible to 'lose' a hose inside the tank... for this reason, I attached a small piece of string to each hose I disconnected from the pump.
The process goes more or less like this:
1) Remove the two 404 relays, to ensure no power is sent to either fuel pump.
2) Lift the rubber cover, and remove the electrical connections from both pumps (left and right).
3) Using a special tool, lift up the three fasteners that hold the cap over top of the access panel (these are NOT threaded fasteners!)
Here is a side view of the three fasteners that hold the plastic cap in place - they are friction fit, not threaded.
4) Now you have a clear view of the access panel. It will probably be dusty and rusty, and should be vacuumed clean before proceeding, to prevent crap from falling into the fuel tank when the cap is removed. The rust is due to condensation forming on the cold metal part whenever the car is filled with cold fuel from an underground storage tank.
5) A special VW tool is used to remove the locking ring from the access panel.
6) After removing the locking ring, I buffed it up with a wire brush to remove surface corrosion.
7) The plastic access cap can now be lifted. There are two electrical connectors on each fuel pump, but three possible fittings on the plastic cap. Fortunately, the three fittings are keyed differently.
8) This is what you see inside the tank after removing the plastic cap.
9) After following all the detailed instructions for disconnecting and stowing hoses, disconnecting the fuel measurement probe from the pump housing, etc., it is possible to lift the pump out. It will be full of fuel.
10) The old and new pumps, side by side. I was very surprised at the amount of crap that was trapped in the filter screen at the bottom of the pump. The car only has 60,000 miles on it, and I have always used premium fuel in it.
11) I was also a bit surprised at the discolouration of the pump components. Below you can see the old and new pumps side by side.
12) It is necessary to get access to the opposite side (in this case, the left side) fuel pump, because hoses from each pump travel horizontally across the tank and connect to the other pump.
13) Here you can see a new hose from the right side pump connecting into a T fitting above the left side pump. It is easy to thread this hose across the top of the inside of the tank.
14) As mentioned earlier, there are three possible fittings on the base of each plastic cap, but only two connectors within the fuel tank. Everything is keyed, thus improper assembly is not possible.
Once the new pump has been installed, the hoses connected, and the fuel measuring probe reset into the side of the new pump, re-assembly of everything is quite straightforward. I replaced the rubber ring around the access panel opening on each side of the tank, and I also buffed up the locking rings using a wire brush (to remove corrosion) on each side.
It was not a pleasant job - your hands get covered in fuel, and there are some hazards associated with working on an open fuel tank with vapour escaping, but it is not a particularly difficult job. It is time-consuming, though.
my 1990 Nissan 300zx with 136,000 miles often surges at highway speeds for several seconds then drops back down to normal. the surge is usually 1000 rpm. does not happen if not in overdrive, and will not happen unless having been driving for 15 minutes or so. also seems to occur more on hot days (80 degree +) than on cool days. mechanic has looked at this several times but not yet able to determine why.
View 2 RepliesI've noticed on first start up the RPMs go as high as 3000 for a couple of seconds and then drop to normal even at 68' degrees,is that normal? because if it is what will aspect when the temperature drops to 20 or even lower.It is a 2.5 liter 4.
View 1 RepliesI've got a P0456 code on my 02 LS v6. I came to a stop at a light, RPMs quickly dipped twice from 800 to 400(ish) then went right back to normal idle (800-1000) and the CEL lit up. It seems to be running fine other than the RPM drops after coming to a stop.
I checked the gas cap, everything seems OK there. Checked the hoses coming into/out of Evap valve (well, assuming this diagram actually points me to the evap valve: [URL] .... and there were no major/detectable cracks. Any other hoses/fittings that I should check?
I was preparing my sons 2004 escape (3.0L) for a vacation by changing out the spark plugs. When done, I noticed that the engine lacks power during acceleration and has a very high shifting point from normal (3500 rpm). There were no DTC's set so I took it all apart again, this time changing the intake manifold gaskets both upper and lower. I put it all back together and have the same issue. I have double checked (actually quadruple checked) all of the vacuum lines and electronic connections but to no avail. The truck still has very poor power, at idle it bottoms out around 500 rpm. From a start at a stop sign, with the pedal floored it takes a city block to get up to 35 mph. Where I can look next?
View 9 RepliesIs it normal to have variable fan speeds when Ac is on? I understand on WOT Ac deactivates on some cars but when it happens I'm just cruising along coming to a stop, the fan speed increases.
View 1 RepliesI replaced my engine that had 155,000 miles with a newer used one with about 30,000 miles. since the swap my gas mileage is down by one third or more. Everything else seems fine except that my cold start idle is up to 2000rpm's until it drops to normal within 3 minutes.
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