I recently had $1600+ of work done on my 2005 Mazda 3 (L4 2.0L). R&R Head Gasket and Thermostat and Coolant Temperature sensor replaced. Since then it's been idling roughly. This was NOT occurring prior to the work. Mechanic says it needs a couple of weeks to "sync"? Does this makes sense? I'm wondering if they did something wrong to cause the problem.
View 9 RepliesI recently had an issue with my head gasket. It was repaired but then learned the real issue was that I had diesel gas in my engine. (Long story, fuel hauler put wrong gas in tank and service station sold the gas to us unsuspecting drivers.) After head gasket was fixed, tried to leave service shop but car still had issues - turned around and went back. O2 sensor and other fuel trim numbers were off. But couldn't diagnose problem completely so told me to drive home (30 miles) and come back next day.
That's when I found out about the diesel gas issue. My car got drained of bad gas and cleaned. Got car back but now is leaking oil. My husband thinks it is either from the valve covers or from head gasket. Can diesel gas in your engine damage the head gasket? Could I have done more damage by driving the 30 miles home with the bad gas? Or did the shop just do a bad head gasket repair? I only bought this car 6 months ago - used. It now has 88K miles.
2001 Chevy Silverado with a 5.3 L engine and a leaking head gasket that was getting worse (at 217,000 miles). Car has rusted body (upstate NY), so not going to spend too much for repairs. Decided to try one of those "magic elixors" in a bottle. Went for the Bars Leaks head gasket repair stuff - Followed directions, etc (put it into the top radiator tube, NOT the overflow bottle). The stuff had little strings of copper-looking stuff floating in it. It worked. After a little more loss of coolant, the coolant loss has finally stopped. Amazing that something like this really worked.
View 7 RepliesOn July 18 my 1999 Ford Windstar van was towed and diagnosed with a blown head gasket. I FINALLY got it back on Sept 4th and was told it was idling a little rough, but it was probably due to water that got in the catalytic converter and would work itself out. The next day we drove it about an hour away it was idling VERY rough and started to stall every time we came to a stop or tried to slowly pull into a parking spot. The following Monday September 8th it wouldn't start and the shop came and towed it back in. It's still there and they are saying they aren't sure what's wrong with it, but are assuring me the problem is unrelated to their repairs. Every time I call they continue to say they are working on it. Where do I go from here?!?!
View 10 Replieshow difficult is a in frame head gasket repair?
View 6 Replieswhen replacing valve cover gasket, using the cork based one. Do you use any gasket sealant or any kind of silicone or just put it in by its self.
View 5 RepliesI have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES (1.8L) with 120k+ miles and an automatic transmission. The car drives well at speed, but when sitting at stops it will shake a little, sometimes worse than others. Often the RPMs drop to below the lowest tick for a split second before recovering, very much like when driving a manual transmission and not pressing the clutch in enough. Even when the RPMs are steady at a stop, it shakes enough to rattle a couple of the plastic parts in the dashboard.
Recent history (some likely unrelated, but I'm no expert):New air hose (one from the air filter to the engine) in September. RPMs were falling at idle more often than they are now, there was a decent sized crack in the hose. RPMs stopped falling as often, but has idled roughly before and after.New radiator and thermostat in April (overheated on the interstate and cracked open).New spark plugs and wires last fall after one cylinder wasn't firing.For the last couple years every fall when it starts to get cold, the alternator belt squeaks and I tighten the bolt a little each morning until it stops (usually after 2 days, maybe 3 - the alternator itself is on a long bolt that adjusts the belt tension).Every 5k miles I have the oil changed with high mileage oil and tires rotated/balanced.
I took it to a garage a couple weekends ago after the check engine light had come on earlier in the week. I reset the computer and the light never came back on, so I lost the chance to have the code read, but there weren't any other symptoms beyond what I'm used to. The mechanics at the shop said they couldn't find anything specific causing the rough idle and suggested replacing some or all of the motor mounts, which are weak. They didn't seem confident that would fix the problem, and neither am I, as I don't see how weak motor mounts would explain the low RPMs as well as the shaking.
I just inherited a 2004 Camry LE I4 like the one I already own. This car has 257785 on the ODO. I got the engine already taken apart from the Head Bolt Issue known for the 2AZ-FE Engines. I finally got everything back together, the timing is all set and I am at TDC. I also added all the fluids and got a new battery. The old one way pushing out 10.4 VDC from sitting so long. This is how everything turned out:
- During the Initial turn over the engine tried to crank and just ended up sputtering and cranking again.
After the first crank, I got my OBD scanner and plugged it in. These are the Codes that showed up:
- P2716 - Pressure Control Solenoid 'D' Electrical
- P0010 - A Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit/Open Bank 1 a
- P0778 - Pressure Control Solenoid 'B' Electrical
- P2102 - Throttle Actuator 'A' Control Motor Circuit Low 9
- P0748 - Pressure Control Solenoid 'A' Electrical
So I found another thread on here about a Highlander with the same engine and Codes. The grounds ended up being the cause. I searched TIS for the Electrical Diagrams and found all the Engine Compartment Grounds. I cleaned the grounds and tested them all came back showing correct Voltage.
After that, I tried to crank it again and still didn't start, so i hooked up the OBD Scanner again. These are the codes:
- P0983 - Shift Solenoid 'D' Control Circuit High
- B1660 - Passenger Airbag Indicator Malfunction (Clock and Airbag Status Light on Dash were not Plugged in)
Now I have noticed these problems without even starting it:
- Turn the Key to 'ON' without cranking; everything is fine (all dash lights show up)
- Turn the Key to 'OFF' after the 'ON' Position; the Oil Pressure Light, AirBag Light, Battery/Alternator Light and CEL All stay lit. If you activate the Cruise Control or E-Brake the Cruise and BRAKE Light come on respectively. If you take the Key out everything is still the same.
- While the Lights are stuck on the Dash; if you flip the Wiper Switch Down the Left Side Radiator Fan turns on.
- If you turn the Blower Motor Fan on while the Key is in the 'ON' Position then to the 'OFF' Position; the blower motor stays on.
I looked at all the Fuses and none are blown. What else could it be? I have spent a while looking at everything and can't figure it out.
I just bought my first Prius, a used 2009. So far I like it very much. I just have one concern: The engine seems to run roughly, especially when it's idling and when it goes up to about 45mph. I'm not sure if this is normal for a hybrid and I'm just not used to it or if it indicates a problem. The problem persists even after it's warmed up.
View 17 RepliesShop Manual says you need to remove the oil pan as part of the front cover gasket repair. Is that really true? Removing the oil pan on this car is a very complicated procedure. Want to make sure it's abosolutely necessary before continuing.
View 19 RepliesI posted earlier about my car idling roughly, the dealership is now saying it may be my engine or transmission mounts. I have a 2002 Passat wagon with 41500 miles.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2004 Prius with 196k on it. Over the past 3 months, I have had the P0505 CEL come on about 3 times. After looking over everything and not noticing it running differently, I have cleared the code and kept going. The CEL stays off for a 3-4 weeks, then comes back on.
Yesterday, the light came on and was accompanied by a rougher idle. I checked the code and the only one shown is P0505 reads as Idle Air Control System. I removed the airbox and cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF spray and cleaned the throttle body valve with throttle body cleaner spray. They were both dirty, but didn't seem too bad.
I recently pulled the head gaskets on my '98 RAM 1500's 360 Magnum and after two weeks of waiting on the machine shop I've put everything back in and to torque specs. After a battle with the starter ending in pulling all the shims I painstakingly marked I got it to fire up. But, it is now idling roughly. I burped the coolant system, checked the oil level and removed some as it was slightly overfilled.
I also had an exhaust leak so I checked torque specs on the exhaust manifold. All of this worked marginally but when I felt comfortable moving the vehicle I found that in gear with the throttle open it would sputter, idling it moves along just fine. The engine is pulling air weakly through the filter and I noticed it is blowing a little white smoke when given gas. My OBD2 reader doesn't pull up any codes, I'm at my wits end.
I have a 99' Mazda B2500 5 speed manual transmission that will idle high sometimes while Im driving, that is in motion coating or in gear. It idles high enough it will cause the truck to speed up or maintain speed when i let off the gas in gear, and when i put it in neutral it will either stay at the rpm it was running at or it will speed up to 2500 - 3000 rpms until i slow to almost a complete stop, then it magically goes away. It will only stop the high idle when i come to a complete stop, even though it will go away just before the truck comes to a stop, if i touch the gas or put it in gear for a California roll it will kick back up to 2500 rpm and keep it up. It does not do this all the time. some times i go months without it happening. Sometimes it goes away in a few minutes and some time it will do it all day on a 18 hour ride. It is totally up to change whether or not its going to act up. Iv had it like this for year and cannot find a pattern to it at all. The amount of gas it gets at high idle speed is not much and is only noticeable on the highway when I go to coast or change gears, in town I notice it every time i come to a stop.
View 2 RepliesI had an engine transplant (JDM) and am now getting P0300, P0301, P0302 and P0302 OBD2 codes with my Check Engine light. These are all cylinder misfire codes. A post on Google suggested these may be due to a leaking intake manifold gasket and suggested a replacement. My 2001 Celica GT is stalling out from standstill, idling roughly and hesitating.
View 8 RepliesI came out to my car to go to work and it sounds like a Mack truck idling roughly. I'm trying to get a hold of my mechanic to confirm the problem before calling the police and AAA and my insurance. He hasn't called back, so I'm dead in the water sitting in my car.
View 19 RepliesI have 2006 Subaru Forester that is idling roughly. 90k – oil change every 3k miles. Per diagnostic codes I learned that the 2nd cylinder was misfiring. I replaced the coil, spark plugs, ignition wires, and an airflow sensor. Yet, my car still idles rough. The check engine light is solid and the cruise control is flashing. The idling problem only happens when stopped… after I get high rpms there is no shaking. I had someone disconnect the battery and reset the computer and the lights stayed off for about a week and idling was fine. Week later – the problem returned. I think this an electrical problem, but not sure if mechanical.
View 19 RepliesI have a 2011 Sonata GLS with 86k miles. Sometimes, like once every 2-3 days, when I start the car, nothing appears in the box that says "P, R, N, D". The transmission also acts very strange. I often don't notice the blank box when I start the car, but immediately notice it when I put it in reverse or drive. There is an awful "clunk" from the transmission, and the car drives like I'm driving it through 6 inches of mud. I stop, put it in park, restart the car, the problem is gone.
The dealer said if it is a problem with the shift lever, that is not covered under the drivetrain warranty. I really don't have the money for the dealer to do expensive diagnostics/repair.
With the cold weather arriving I've recently noticed that when I have the heater on it does fine while I'm going down the road. However when I idle at an intersection the blower still works but the heat drops off.
View 5 RepliesWe have two 2000 Echos with 125,000 and 130,000 miles on them. We took my husband's Echo into the shop because it died when idling, and then it started running rough and stumbling. Also needed an alignment. They fixed it by replacing the idle sensor, the mass air flow sensor, and worked on the valve train. They said they couldn't do the alignment because the control arms needed to be replaced due to the bushings. A week before his car went into the shop, my car started running rough and stumbling. So I took it in when I picked his car up. Same diagnosis except for the idle. Is it reasonable for BOTH to need all this work at the same approx. mileage?
View 5 RepliesIn the Car Talk column on 1/3/2016, it sounds like Lynnette's 1991 Honda Civic wagon was experiencing very similar symptoms to my wife's 2001 Honda Odyssey (189,000 mi) a few months ago. Rough idle, engine almost dies sometimes at stops, groans during acceleration. Additionally, accelerating between 40-60 mph our Honda would feel like it was "loading up," running rich or in the wrong gear climbing hills. I replaced the idle air control valve, which fixed the rough idle but not the other symptoms. Turned out I needed to reset (power cycle) the ECM and go through a curb idle/rev warm-up procedure so it would relearn the throttle position sensor's operating range after replacing the IAC valve. I disconnected the battery, removed and reinserted the hazard fuse, then reconnected the battery. Then from a cold start held the throttle at 3000 rpm until the engine warmed up to normal or the electric fans kicked on. Since then it's back to smooth, strong acceleration we expect from the Honda we love.
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