Questions tagged [troubleshooting]
for questions about determining the nature of a problem and finding possible solutions.
48
questions
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Multimeter - Basic Functionality and Howto
Multimeters
I'm looking for some responses regarding multimeter basics for the site tag-wiki to point OP's at when we want them to use one.
The question is;
What are the basic functions of a ...
- 32.9k
18
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is a leak down tester and what can I do with it?
Background
There are quite a few head gasket related questions on the site. Coolant or water in the oil, oil in the coolant or water in a radiator, etc. I'm thinking that some instruction on howto ...
- 32.9k
8
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What can cause a gasoline engine to suddenly & mysteriously stop (non-catastrophically)
I was thinking about this question and found myself wondering what could cause a gasoline engine to suddenly stop, and then be restartable? So not things like running out of fuel, or suffering a ...
- 14.4k
9
votes
2
answers
20k
views
How to test if oil is leaking into combustion chambers?
How can I test whether oil is leaking into cylinder combustion chambers and getting burnt in case of oil level loss? As opposed to, for example, leaking through the oil pan or the timing chain cover.
- 6,549
0
votes
0
answers
132
views
Getting Started in Auto Repair [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Reviving a vehicle that has been idle for a long time.
How to begin learning engine tuning?
My dad has an old Mazda that has been sitting in the garage for a long time. He ...
- 111
11
votes
5
answers
142k
views
Why would there be transmission fluid in the water overflow reservoir?
The car is a '98 Buick Lesabre with the 3800 engine and about 170k miles. It appears as though some oil was in the radiator, but I haven't seen any signs of coolant in the oil. The water pump recently ...
- 111
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How do I go about troubleshooting DTC codes?
When the check engine light (CEL) comes on, there is usually a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that can be read from the OBD-II (onboard diagnostic) port on modern codes.
How do I go about using the ...
- 14.4k
5
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Testing / checking a water pump
Is there a way to reasonably diagnose a water pump failure directly? In How to test the function of a water pump? the question is posed but the accepted answer only provides a way to infer that the ...
- 14.4k
2
votes
1
answer
914
views
'99 Audi A4 seat belt warning sign
I've had this seat belt warning light on my dash for a few weeks now. My dealer says the wiring to my driver seat is gone and replacing it could cost close to 800 USD. Is there a better option?
- 21
16
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How To Get Organized Without a Garage Workspace?
People I've seen who have garages have it made. They have a clean, dry workspace with all of their tools within arms reach. In the most organized garages, a mixture of rolling Snap-on Roll Cab with ...
- 1,943
14
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How do I troubleshoot the source of oil in my coolant?
I would like to know the step by step troubleshooting procedure for discovering the source of oil appearing in coolant. There are several different points of failure that can be the root cause for ...
- 32.9k
13
votes
5
answers
23k
views
What is a good car to start with if I want to learn auto repair?
A couple of other "getting started" questions have been closed (as redundant with these questions), so I hope that my question is different and specific enough.
I'm interested in learning to repair ...
- 375
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Can (possible) exhaust system damage cause random misfires?
2001 Honda Prelude SH.
About three weeks ago while travelling 10-15 mph I pulled off the side of a dirt road to park and it turns out there was a row of a few railroad ties laying in the grass there....
- 4,900
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What do these compression figures mean
This is a follow up question to What are the causes of fluctuating intake manifold vacuum
I have a 2005 Honda CBR600 F4i which suffers from occasional hesitation at low rpm when accelerating.
After ...
- 668
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What are the causes of fluctuating intake manifold vacuum
I have a 2005 Honda CBR600 F4i which suffers from occasional hesitation at low rpm when accelerating. I also get occasional fault codes from the ECU indicating a vacuum leak.
Today I connected a ...
- 668
8
votes
1
answer
14k
views
Grinding noise while driving
On my Opel/Holden Astra H (150KKm, front wheel drive, m32 6-speed manual transmission) I hear a slight grinding noise from the right-front, starting at about 40 km/h. The noise is synchronous to the ...
- 8,118
8
votes
2
answers
16k
views
How can I tell if a car battery that went completely flat is permanently damaged?
I've had a lot of electrical problems with my car, and a couple of times, the car battery voltage got drained absurdly low (like below 2V) for short periods of time. I gather that fast charging ...
- 2,608
8
votes
1
answer
14k
views
How to Fix Check Engine Light (OBDII code: P0172)
I just saw the check engine light come on on my 2004 VW Passat B5.5 and did a bit of research. Some people said that it would be a faulty oxygen sensor. I was about to order one, but then I read this (...
- 7,927
8
votes
1
answer
225
views
Troubleshooting fluid leakage onto the engine area?
The bike is a Hero Honda Splendor Plus, and I've been seeing some fluid on the engine area for a month. Earlier I used to ignore it and wipe it off, but it returns. The bike's mileage has also reduced,...
- 1,431
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Overheat, coolant loss, P0170/P0117, hard start, smoke, delayed throttle, no vtec
So I'm on the road right now (or was, when I wrote this) having an issue that started a few days ago and I'm trying to diagnose it. I am not sure what info is relevant, it does feel like more than one ...
- 4,900
7
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Diagnosing P0171 2007 Toyota Corolla
First time poster trying to get into cars. So my 2007 Toyota Corolla (with around 89k miles) has a Check engine light that reads error code P0171 (System too lean Bank 1). I was looking that up and ...
- 181
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Measuring A/C refrigerant I got 96 PSI, is 96 PSI bad?
I bought a car refrigerant gauge online because my A/C is not cooling the air at all and the first suggestion was to check your refrigerant to see if it is empty or low.
I found out where my car's "...
- 416
6
votes
3
answers
46k
views
Overheating at idle - mechanic says head gasket
My car has been overheating at idle after a long period of time - perhaps 20-30 minutes in traffic. If I drive, it immediately starts to cool down again. I don't drive often so it hasn't been an issue ...
- 263
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
2000 Audi A4 1.6 weak motor power
Just few days before I wanted to take Audi A4 B5 1.6 (year: 2000) to 'preventive' service. I've started the car normally, only the motor sound was very weird. So I tried to make a test drive. I couldn'...
- 213
6
votes
3
answers
13k
views
Troubleshooting 'random' clutch problems
I've got a customer who came in complaining that the clutch pedal had gone 'funny': it wasn't 'coming back up' like it used to. As he was in for service anyway, we replaced the clutch fluid, and it '...
- 189
6
votes
1
answer
14k
views
Troubleshooting ECU related short circuits
I own a vehicle that has given me a lot of grief recently due to short circuits.
The benefit of this is that I have undertaken a class on professional automotive electronics diagnostics and repair ...
6
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Fault code 27 with engine light on '94 Jeep Cherokee
I own a '94 jeep cherokee 4.0 liter. The 27 code indicates the injector circuit is not syncing with the input signal. How do I trouble shoot this?
- 61
5
votes
1
answer
8k
views
toyota corolla 2001 air duct smell [duplicate]
My 2001 Toyota Corolla recently started smelling very foul whenever the air system was turned on. According to the research I've done online, there is no cabin air filter to change. The glove box ...
- 53
5
votes
2
answers
68
views
04 Mercury Montery stalling while driving
While driving on the highway my van stalled. Once on the side of the road, I tried to restart and no joy. All indicators and lights came on but when I turned the key nothing happened. I jiggled he ...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Rod knock in my engine?
Kindly assist.
My 1GFE engine had a rod knock sound and I replaced all the bearings, oil filter, cleaned the sump & strainer and tolled it with brand new fully synthetic oil.
The engine ran for ...
- 51
4
votes
1
answer
51k
views
How can I diagnose a scraping sound when turning left?
My car is a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX with 72k miles. About three weeks ago I started noticing a scraping sound when I turn left. My mechanic did a courtesy check of alignment, balance and tire pressure ...
- 297
4
votes
1
answer
627
views
2011 Equinox Heat only on high RPM
My 2011 Equinox 71000 miles on it...- The heater blows hot air only when the RPM is high - as in highway or accelerating. It blows cool air at stop lights or idling. It's winter here lol - Any ideas? ...
4
votes
2
answers
6k
views
What can cause an AC to ice up?
Backdrop
Posting this for a friend.
Last Thursday 2011 Honda Accord AC stopped cooling all of a sudden.
The service center found the system low on refrigerant, topped it up and ran some dye through ...
- 39k
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
2001 Toyota 4runner @ 147k miles - Speedometer dead and various dashboard lights on
My 2001 Toyota 4runner has, on random occurrences, has had the traction alarm go off for no reason while driving. Just recently it went off and then Dashboard lights started coming on. I currently ...
user29391
3
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Engine revs up while idling
I have a 2007 Toyota Matrix, and sometimes(not always) it will rev up to about 1700-2000 RPM while idling. It normally idles at about 900 RPM once it warms up. I just changed the oil & air ...
- 161
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Coil Pack Location
Where are the coilpacks located in a 1998 Buick LeSabre? Images would be most appreciated.
Robert
user267
3
votes
2
answers
119k
views
Does the checkengine light clear itself on it's own or require manual clearning?
I was discussing the behavior a car's check-engine light. When a check-engine light comes on, can the check-engine light turn off on it's own or does the check-engine light always require manually ...
- 416
2
votes
0
answers
2k
views
Hyundai Sonata EF (2002 - 2005) - P0335 CKPS Malfunction
Vehicle will not start. I have replaced the CKPS sensor with a used one, but it still brings back the code P0335. before I shell out cash for a brand new sensor. Am I on the right path?
Here are my ...
2
votes
1
answer
267
views
Mazda 6 V6 auto rough misfiring – fuel flow problem?
2007 Mazda 6 3.0L V6 automatic with ~80k miles:
Runs "rough," especially while stopped in drive – feels like what I imagine an occasional cylinder misfire would feel like, producing a sort ...
- 1,189
2
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Dodge Ram - no heat at idle but have heat when driving
I have a Dodge Ram 1500, I have changed the heater core, radiator, the water pump, and the thermostat. When I push on the gas it blows out hot air but when its at idle it blows out cold air.
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How can I listen for a tire noise without driving?
When driving I can sometimes hear a metal noise coming from the tire. It can be intermittent or continuous, like a brake part or a bad bearing. It doesn't sound like road noise or something stuck in ...
- 619
1
vote
1
answer
98
views
Car interior rattles on idle
My carb Citroën BX interior rattles on idle.
This mostly happens before the engine warms up, as soon as I apply the smallest amount of throttle this disappears, which leads me to apply throttle when ...
- 1,005
1
vote
1
answer
321
views
2002 Ford ZX2 A/C compressor turns off when engine is warmed up, but works fine when engine is cold
Observations:
A/C and compressor work fine when starting car for the first time for the day
A/C and compressor stayed working fine when idling 5-10 minutes
A/C and compressor work fine for a few ...
- 13
1
vote
0
answers
232
views
two conflicting mechanics opinions on what needs to be fixed, which one should I work with?
I drive a PT Cruiser with an automatic transmission, that only has about 75k miles on it.
One day recently, I found that while I was stopped in traffic, my car wouldn't move while it was idling. For ...
- 324
0
votes
1
answer
135
views
weather causing power loss
Why would my engine lose power when the weather temperature gets warmer. While driving the vehicle will not have as much power when it gets warm or hot.
- 11
0
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Leaving Bike unused for 3 months
I am going out of country for 3 months is it okay if i leave the bike unused for 3 months ? and what to do to protect my bike for any loss ?
0
votes
0
answers
107
views
How to Get Basic Car Repair Knowledege [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Getting Started in Auto Repair
I'm looking for some teach yourself sources for auto repair. I'd like to start restoring an old car in my dad's garage, but I don't have the ...
- 111
0
votes
2
answers
177
views
car will not turn over when key turned
I have a 2005 Opel Corsa 1.2 petrol. The car will not turn over when key turned. The dash lights are not on,( headlights, radio, c/locking are working) wipers not working when ignition on. The battery ...
