Popular questions

I would recommend using a service such as All data, Mitchell ProDemand, or a Chilton book. The sources may give you the correct testing procedure for the map sensor. By using these test procedures you can be certain that the...

Trouble starting in the morning could be a sign of worn secondary ignition components; spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. As for the shaking and jolting the first thing I would suspect would be motor/trans mounts that have torn and...

Hi There, A number of things may cause the car to hesitate when accelerating. This is commonly caused by a faulty fuel pump, a dirty or faulty mass air flow sensor, dirty or faulty fuel injectors or in some cases...

Hello. Typically low engine oil will not cause the check engine light to come on in your vehicle. Unless the oil level is low enough to cause a drop in engine oil pressure, the oil light will not even come...

Toyota has a TSB that states a no start condition due to water intrusion in the engine harness. This could be an intermittent condition and is caused due to poor contact from corrosion caused by water ingress. Fault codes need...

The chirping you are hearing may not be belt related. Your suspension can also make noises like this. If you hear the noises going over bumps that is a huge sign. The fact you have narrowed it down to one...

Hello there, many faults will cause your 1988 Ford Contour to have a misfire even after the spark plugs were replaced. When oil is seen on the spark plug this indicates that the valve cover is leaking onto the plugs....

Hi there. It is highly probable that the replacement of the sensor did not resolve the error code. When the P0336 diagnostic trouble code has been stored in the Engine Control Module (ECM), it is an indication that the “A”...

Hello. Thank you for writing in. The coolant leak is what is causing the engine to overheat. Without proper coolant flow, the engine is not able to transfer it heat away from itself. The hot coolant is also used in...

It would be much easier to visit your local dealer to have the keys cut. The dealer will have all of the information necessary to have a key cut for you by the vehicle identification umber or VIN number. You...

Hello. To start, you may have a restriction in the system somewhere. This will come in the form a clog in the radiator, or the water pump going out. Both of these units can be tested individually. The clogs will...

Hi there. Although most mechanical fuel pumps work off a push rod driven system, not all of them do. There are two different systems, one that is push rod driven (which typically has a short activation rod where the push...

Engines that are considered twin camshaft engines will have individual separate camshafts for the exhaust and intake valves on a cylinder head instead of a single camshaft to operate both the intake and exhaust valves in a cylinder head. The...

Hello. Thanks for writing in about your 1999 Saturn SW2. If the only issue with the car is that there is oil getting into the spark plug holes, then most of the time this is a leaking valve cover gasket...

Hi Al. Let me try to answer your questions in order. First, it is always possible that a mechanic made a mistake when reassembling your engine. However, what is more probable is that whatever caused the head gasket to fail...

It sounds to me like the wheels are out of balance. This may be because of a bent rim, or simply because the wheels weren't balanced properly when you had the tires replaced. Most tire and wheel imbalance problems make...

Hi there. The powertrain control module (PCM) monitors the performance of emissions related systems in your vehicle. In the case of the catalytic converter, it looks at the signals from the oxygen sensors to determine catalytic converter efficiency. If the...

Your vehicle is equipped with electric power steering. Failure of the steering wheel to return, and re-center itself, can be caused by vehicle misalignment (in particular, caster is off), damage to the suspension, or faults in the electric power steering...

One guess is that the problem could be a faulty wheel bearing(s). Bad wheel bearings often result in a rotational growling noise. The wheel bearing is integral to the hub assembly on your vehicle, which also houses the reluctor ring...

Hi there. Typically if it is just that one light that is acting up it is usually fairly simple. It can be as simple as a light bulb or it can be a problem with the circuit. I have also...

The problem you describe is a blown leaking coolant hose or one of the cooling system components have started leaking. The strange smell may be the coolant burning off. This is a sweet smell. The cooling system has a leak...

In most states in the USA, if you have an exhaust leak, you will fail that state’s annual safety inspection. The vehicle will then be rejected for safety due to exhaust gases such as NOx, carbon monoxide, and many other...

Using transmission error codes is a necessary procedure for a transmission technician since automatic transmissions have been computer controlled for over 20 years. The transmissions currently in use are very different to diagnose and repair than transmissions from decades ago....

Power windows are a convenience feature, though there are elements of passenger safety that are incorporated. Power windows can be controlled by the driver, so if a passenger opens the car window when they shouldn’t, the driver can close it....