Questions tagged [troubleshooting]
for questions about determining the nature of a problem and finding possible solutions.
546
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Why is my car struggling when it gets hot? (breaks, bearings, transmission...?)
If this is TMI, let me know and I'll try to simplify.
I have a 2003 Cadillac CTS with about 205k miles
I recently had the master cylinder and brake booster replaced. When it was finished, the brakes ...
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0
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232
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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 ...
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3
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Help please! Loud clicking/ knocking sound coming from engine
I really appreciate anyones time. I own a 2003 Pontiac Sunfire 5-speed manual with the 2.2L l850 Gm engine with about 320,XXX kilometres for reference.
Anyways, so I went drifting last night and did ...
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Diagnosing the leak location in a power steering system
My 1997 Lexus ES300 has recently sprung a leak in the power steering system, and the mechanic who diagnosed it only said it could be in either the pump or the hose, and replacing both would be around $...
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1
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Intermittent Metallic Rattle and Rotational Noise
Vehicle: 2009 Honda Civic LX
I don't know much but what I'm hearing sounds like it might just be exhaust rattle. I haven't been able to find anything loose under the vehicle or in the engine ...
- 123
2
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2
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708
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Airbag light blinking after ignition switch replacement
I am looking for some troubleshooting guidance on a 96 GMC Sierra C1500.
I had to replace the ignition switch and now the airbag light on the dash blinks 7 times and stays on constantly. I checked ...
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287
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Truck burning through a lot of gas
Vehicle Information:
2006 Ford F150 4WD with the 5.4L
Problem:
On the way to work I noticed that the truck was "burning" a lot of gas. As I drove, (at a normal speed - 60 mph) I noticed that the ...
- 141
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1
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My 2005 mazda 3 has power sometimes, runs great, then another ill start it and it has no power it just doesnt wanna go. Gas to the floor and all
I've changed spark plugs, coil packs, cleaned the body with 2+2, codes of thermostat and aor mass flow sensor came up. Car is not overheating. Runs fine then sometimes when started has no power to go, ...
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1
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1k
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Can overfilling a gas tank damage a fuel pump?
I was driving a car with an overly full gas tank. After about 20min of driving, I pulled into a parking lot and the engine died. After waiting about 15min with the hood open (I thought it might be a ...
user29391
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1
answer
442
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Open source OBD II scanner hardware without ELM or STN
We have built an OBD-II scan tool using an STM32 microcontroller and it works for most vehicles. But occasionally our device fails to detect the OBD protocol, whereas the OBD scanner (ELM) will detect ...
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I have a Mariner 5 HP outboard. I need info please?
My Mariner is a 5 HP model 5M, Code 6E3 S, and Serial # 148968. I'd like to know who made it, what year model it is. Help Please !
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840
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broken serpentine belt, 2007 Chevy Cobalt
My Cobalt has been sitting, not started for about 2 months. Went to start it today and started to smoke and the belt squealed. I stopped the car and opened the hood and the belt was broken.
Ant idea'...
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2
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4k
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Why do the RPMs drop when the car stops at red lights, stop signs, and give way signs?
I am interested in buying a car from a friend of a friend, they said it goes perfectly except the revs drop causing the car to cut out when you stop. What are the causes of this and underlying factors ...
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3
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13k
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2008 Mazda 3 engine cooling fan won't work
The electric engine cooling fan won't come on in my Mazda 3. The first thing I did (a mistake, in retrospect) is replace the original fan.
When the new fan didn't run, I ran through the electrical ...
- 255
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1
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1k
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2004 Honda Civic with Puzzling Cooling System Issues
My 2004 Honda Civic has been having some puzzling cooling system issues. The car would slowly start to overheat, giving me enough time to pull over and shut the car off with one exception. When the ...
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2
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9k
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How to tell if crankshaft sensor or Camshaft sensor is bad
I have a 2006 Honda Civic I was driving it and was On my way! To my friends shop I mad a turn and it felt like the transmission went out of fear while I was accelerating than while I was trying to get ...
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2
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3k
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Lawn Mower Motor Troubleshooting - No Spark?
I filled up my lawnmower from a gas can earlier today and spent about 15 minutes trying to pull start it. I've checked the oil level and color and both seem fine to my inexpert eye. On two separate ...
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1
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53
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Troubleshooting: Startup/Ignition
What factors influence ignition, during startup?
Relatively modern vehicle; little over 10 years old. Owned since new. No history of related problems. Recently began to display intermittent failure ...
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3
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1
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608
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C5 Emergency 2nd gear after gearbox oil change
On a 2005 Citroen C5 auto petrol it would act up in a very strange way:
Starting the car and doing several(2-5) kilometers (extra-urban) it would forcefully change to 2nd gear with a good kick and ...
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2
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23k
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How to troubleshoot Intermittent Battery Light Issue in 2003 Honda Civic?
My 2003 Honda Civic EX is experiencing an issue which causes the battery (alternator/charging system) light to occasionally come on for less than a second.
The car starts, runs, and drives fine ...
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Antipollution Fault on a C4 petrol
Went to work this morning (30 mins drive) no problem, just now went to grab a lunch, 3 minutes into the drive Check Engine comes on stating "Antipollution Fault"
C4 2005 Petrol 1.4
Had it someone ...
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2
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3
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13k
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Car won't start, humming noise at the back of car
I have a 1995 Buick Regal Custom.
When I start the car, it spins but doesn't turn over. Electronics work fine and I got the battery tested and both the battery and alternator are completely fine.
...
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Car shakes when braking: warped rotors or alignment?
I have an 07 Chevy Impala and I'm trying to pinpoint the shaking that occurs when braking. Only shakes when braking slowly on highway. The whole car does shake pretty badly. I just put in a new set of ...
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2
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17k
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Scraping sound from front right wheel area
Was driving earlier when noticed what sounds like scraping from drivers side front wheel. Doesn't make a sound while driving at normal speed. Only while driving slow or slowing down I've had in up on ...
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103
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Older craftsman lawn mower 14 HP popped out of neutral to first gear
I was running gas out of mower while it was in neutral, it jumped gears and started climbing a milk crate. I could backup off milk crate, so I run gas out of mower while holding clutch in until motor ...
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1994 Pathfinder (barely used for 6 months) bogs and then dies. Troublehooting help needed
First I must mention the history of my 1994 Pathfinder. I started having problems with start-up with the car 2 years ago.
I took it to a certified mechanic twice and they could find no problem with ...
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9
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1
answer
762
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Why is this valvetrain pitch-black?
I'm in the middle of an LS1 teardown.
Last weekend I removed the valve covers to and found it hard to see anything, as the pictures below will evidence.
While I wait for an opportunity to resume the ...
- 39k
3
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0
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89
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4 cycle weed eater problem
Hi I am based in the UK and have a ryobi rbc430sbs which has not been used through winter. I have new fuel and it will only start on full choke. Once running I can move choke to mid position then run ...
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2000 Honda Civic ABS Light On, Speedometer and Tachometer not Working
Neither of us knows too much about cars, we had this Civic for about a month and a half without problems, except we needed the fuel line and some brake lines replaced.
A couple of months after that, ...
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3
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10k
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heavy soot buildup in a new car on tailpipe
I have a new Hyundai Accent, just broke 5000 miles. It is now spitting black watery soot out the tail pipe. inside of the tail pipe is """"CAKED!" with black soot. {I have a plymouth neon with 250,000 ...
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997
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KIA Rio 2015 locked on the 3d gear
This is a KIA Rio 2015 with an automatic transmission . when the lever is on the D position it shifts to the 3d gear directly ( doesn't move until I let the brakes ). using the scanner it showed two ...
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3
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4k
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Pipe and white smoke come out to the exhaust pipe
1999 Mitsubishi RVR.
Small amount water and smoke come out in tail pipe when I first turn it on in the day. But sometimes no water and smoke come out. I don't know what is the problem or it is normal....
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2
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What would cause differences in spark plug wear on a '97FordRanger?
The mileage on these plugs is unknown, as this is a used vehicle w/o a complete service record. All 3 plugs on the driver side (4,5,6) were almost completely eroded. The 3 on the passenger side (1,2,...
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How warm should a relay get?
I'm chasing a number of DTCs on our 2002 Jetta TDI (ALH engine, 3rd generation, late production, controls with 4-wire glow plugs). Most of the codes are from components that share a common power ...
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3
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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 ...
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2
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1
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14k
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Engine running rough and a "Service StabiliTrak" message after vehicle has been sitting, why?
My 2013 Camaro 2LS has been sitting in my garage without being driven daily for about a month now, maybe longer. I have only driven it in my driveway to move things around in my garage. The last time ...
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1
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2013 Ford Fusion: Radio & Heater/Defroster turn on and off by themselves
While I'm driving my radio and heater/defroster shuts off and then will turn on by itself. It also feels like the steering is also affected when the radio and heater turns off and then seems normal ...
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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
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3
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15k
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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.
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4
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1
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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? ...
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2
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Ford F-150 (2011, 5.0L) wobbling pulley and rattle
I drive a 2011 F-150 with the 5.0 motor in it and after cranking it up this morning it's driving fine but the circled pulley at the front of the block (with arrow pointing towards the front of the ...
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1
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Jetta Mk4 TDI 1.9 - Hard to start when cold
My Jetta Mk4 TDI engine is hard to start in the mornings when the temperature is down around 16° F. When you turn on the key it goes like it's going to start, but the idle remains down. I continue ...
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2004 Durango making bad noise after driving in D2
My son accidentally drove my 2004 Durango in D2 at around 50 mph for 20 minutes. It was running right around 3000 rpm. Now it's making a low whirring noise which gets louder the faster I go. When I ...
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3
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18k
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Dashboard, radio, etc. turn on when turning key everything dies
I have a 2006 Ford Focus and I recently replaced the battery.
Everything comes on dashboard, lights, radio, etc. Then when I turn the key to ignition the lights kind of flicker and then nothing! ...
3
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1
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373
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Dash gauges jitter then settle, stubborn starting, occasional stalls
I've done a lot of Googling and been to a mechanic, but no definitive answer on this one yet.
It's a 2003 GMC Savana that runs great, once it's started. It's stubborn to start though, when I turn the ...
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19k
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Fixing headlight that keeps blowing fuses
My problem
The 10 amp fuse for the right headlight on my 2001 Ford Escort keeps blowing so I presume I have a short to ground somewhere between the fuse block and headlight.
What I have tried
I ...
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What are possible sources of a squeek/mew when letting off the brake pedal?
My 2007 Eclipse has an irritating issue. When I let off the break pedal I hear it meow at me. It's been like this for years, but it irks me. I've heard various theories about air being trapped in ...
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2
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2k
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Replace or Repair Mazda MPV 2000 faulty ECU?
I asked a question about troubleshooting ECU related short circuits.
No more short circuits in the wiring harness, the only short left appears to be inside the ECU.
This leaves me with a faulty ECU. ...
7
votes
5
answers
25k
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Why does my 2006 Chevy Equinox have no heat when all repairs for the heat has been made?
I have:
replaced the thermostat about 10 times,
back flushed heater core and flushed cooling system out about 10 times,
replaced water pump,
intake gasket,
blend door,
mode door,
actuators,
HVAC ...
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4
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4
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6k
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How should I troubleshoot drum brakes that squeal during forward travel, but not in reverse?
I have an '09 Ford Ranger (about 100,000 miles) with disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear. At least one of the drum brakes has been squealing during braking. Here are the facts:
The ...
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