Service Slants Chrysler Air conditioning system blows Chrysler Rear A/C warm air. Owners of 2006-07 Town System Connections & Country, Caravan and Voyager with the rear air condition- Expansion Nut ing system may come into your shop Valve with a comment that their a/c system doesn’t get cool enough or blows nothing but warm air. One likely cause of the cooling is- sue, reports Chrysler, is a low refrig- erant charge. Leaks in the rear a/c evaporator are what cause the loss of refrigerant. Installing an improved evaporator from a special kit (Part No. CNTKX210AA) should bring back the cool in no time flat. The kit includes the upgraded evaporator, a rear expansion valve, two O-rings, a

nut and three seals. Magazine Before going down to the dealer to order the new kit, however, get the Sealing OTOR people-mover on a lift. Get under- Plate neath the vehicle and, using the illus- Extension tration at right for reference, careful- Tubes ly inspect the rear extension tubes. M Illustration: Chrysler says they’re prone to corro- Although the rear evaporator should be a prime suspect when you have re- sion or pinhole leaks. If the tubes are frigerant leakage on a 2006-07 Chrysler , don’t overlook these exten- damaged, you’ll have to replace them sion tubes. They’re susceptible to corrosion and pinhole leaks. (Part No. 5183256AA) along with the rear evaporator to get the desired fix. Ford with the 3.7L engine and 42RLE au- DTC stored hard, won’t clear from tomatic may come into your shop GM memory. Some 2006 Ford Fusions, with a complaint that the transmis- Squealing noise on start-up, pos- Lincoln Zephyrs and Mercury Milans, sion won’t shift out of 2nd gear after sible engine vibration. Some 2007- as well as 4.6L V8 Mustangs, may turn an engine start. With a little prod- 10 GM and light with the on the MIL and store DTC P1000 ding, he might admit that the prob- 3.5 or 3.9L engine may develop a (System Readiness Status Incomplete) lem is intermittent, with the trans- squealing noise on start-up. GM says in computer memory in high-altitude mission behaving fine on the next key the noise is often accompanied by an conditions. Ford says that if there are cycle. The MIL will be off and no obvious engine vibration and is likely no other codes stored and clearing the DTCs stored when either scenario due to the outer ring of the crank- P1000 proves impossible, you’re deal- presents itself. shaft balancer slipping on the center ing with software gremlins in the PCM. One likely reason for the finicky hub. New-design crank balancers are Reprogramming the module is the only tranny, says Dodge, is the PCM at now available to address the issues. sure-fire remedy. You’ll find the new times incorrectly determining that Check with a dealer for the part calibration files in WDS release B40.4 certain operating parameters aren’t number for your specific application. and higher or B41.1 and higher. If you being met following an engine start. Vehicles that are prone to the con- have a subscription, you can also down- That forces the transmission into dition are 2007 Rendezvous load the new software off the internet “limp-in” mode, which causes the 2nd and Chevy Monte Carlos, 2007-08 at www.motorcraft.com. gear lock situation. On the next Buick Terrazas, 2007-09 Chevy Up- restart, the module reverses itself, al- landers and Montana SV6s, Dodge lowing the transmission to shift nor- 2007-10 Chevy Malibus and Pontiac Transmission stuck in gear. The mally. Software gremlins in the PCM G6s and 2007-11 Chevy Impalas. owner of a 2007-09 Dakota pickup are the cause of all the trouble. Repro-

58 September 2013 Tom Rosario gramming the module with updated fuel, the PCM will sense the rich And it’s this lean condition coupled software is the only sure-fire remedy. condition, then try to compensate for with the closing of the purge valve To do the flash, you’ll need a wiTECH it by driving the fuel system lean. that causes the driveability issues. diagnostic platform operating at soft- continued on page 60 ware release 10.01 or higher. Chrysler Driveability and a/c problems. Budget Owners of 2001 Town & Country, Friendly! Caravan and Voyager minivans built before 1/8/01 may complain of a host of driveability and a/c system con- cerns. Among the complaints: re- duced engine power when the a/c system is switched off, with the pow- er returning after the throttle is snapped wide open or the engine is restarted; a serpentine belt chirp fol- lowing a wide-open throttle 1-2 shift; a short, one-time spark knock after a warm-engine restart; or an a/c com- pressor that burns up if the front sys- tem is continually operated with the rear system off. Chrysler attributes all of these problems to software issues in the PCM. Flashing the module with up- dated software is the only remedy. You’ll find the new calibration in CIS ™ CD2077 or higher. OPTIMAXOPTIMAX 400400 GM Truck Leak Detection Flashlight Hesitation, stumble or stall, harsh This new, economical inspection flashlight features a high-output or slipping 1-2 shift. Drivers of true UV LED that causes dyes to fluoresce far more brilliantly and with 2002 Chevy TrailBlazers, GMC En- greater contrast compared to conventional inspection lamps. It makes voys or Olds Bravadas with the 4.2L all automotive leaks easier to spot, slashes diagnostic time and puts (VIN S) engine may complain of an money where it belongs — in your wallet! intermittent hesitation on accelera- tion or a stumble or stall on throttle Power comparable to high-intensity 150-watt lamps! tip-in after the vehicle has been Inspection range of up to 25 feet (7.6 m) or more! restarted following a prolonged soak. Works with all universal/ester and PAG A/C dyes, as well as Furthermore, owners of 2003 models green-colored fluid dyes of these trucks may also complain of a Compact design easily gets into tight, cramped areas harsh or slipping 1-2 shift or a hard Rugged, corrosion-resistant anodized lamp body stands bump as 2nd gear kicks in. up to years of heavy use According to GM, all of these 100,000-hour LED service life symptoms could be due to the OBD II system’s automated evap self-test. The OPTIMAX™ 400 (P/N TP-8610CS) comes complete with a lanyard, belt holster, three “AAA” batteries and fluorescence-enhancing glasses. Keep in mind that during this test, the PCM opens the purge valve for a Circle #27 few seconds then closes it, to verify To learn more, scan QR code the integrity of various sensors. Prob- call 1-800-641-1133 lem is, if the canister is saturated with or visit www.tracerline.com

September 2013 59 Service Slants

GM says the problems are much ware is the only sure-fire fix. To do before long you’ve got a wicked bear- more obvious when the ambient tem- the reprogramming job you’ll need a ing knock on your hands. perature is higher than 70°F and on StarSCAN scanner operating at soft- The key is to catch the leak early vehicles that experience short trips, ware release 7.04_SP1 or higher. The on, before it can do its dastardly since they don’t have the advantage actual calibration files are available deed. But how do you find a pump of a complete drive cycle that would off the internet. leak when it’s buried under the tim- allow the purge canister to fully recir- ing cover? Just look at the left side of culate the excess fuel vapors. Toyota the engine block just below the ther- Reprogramming the PCM with up- Accelerated brake pad wear. Toy- mostat housing. That’s where the dated software is the only sure-fire ota says that the front brake pads on pump leak will first manifest itself. remedy. You’ll find the new calibra- 2009-10 Corolla models may wear Forewarned is forearmed! tion on the TIS 2003 Disc 10.0 CD. out much quicker than expected. One likely reason, reports the Japanese Acura Honda carmaker, is that the friction material MIL illuminated, misfire codes Squeak from underneath vehicle. used in the OE pads can’t pass logged. Some 2001-03 TLs (except Some 2007-11 CR-V mod- muster with regard to the hard sur- Type S models) may turn on the MIL els may produce an annoying squeak face of the rotors. Installing updated, and log misfire DTCs P0301 and from underneath the vehicle. Accord- more aggressive pads with a different P0305 in computer memory. Acura ing to Honda, the noise is most evi- friction formula (Part No. 04465- attributes the problem to the PCM dent when the steering wheel is 12630), along with a new set of anti- misinterpreting key sensor inputs turned lock-to-lock at slow speeds, squeal shims, should eliminate fur- during specific driving conditions. the air conditioning system is on or ther wear issues. New modules are now available to the engine is under some sort of load. address the concern. The front exhaust gasket sticking to Buick Before removing the old computer, the inlet flange of the catalytic con- Noise or vibration from brake, ac- however, look at the freeze frame data verter is the likely cause of the celerator pedals. Some 2006-08 and confirm that the following PIDs squeak. Replacing the front gasket, Lucerne models with the 3.8L (VIN are at or greater than these values: the prechamber gasket and the three 2) engine may produce a buzzing RPM, 4000; ECT, 170°; TPS, 1 volt; retaining nuts with updated parts noise or vibration from the brake VSS, 30. If any of the PIDs don’t should put a quick end to the ruckus. and/or accelerator pedals. One likely meet or exceed the conditions noted, Here are the specifics: cause of the annoyance, reports GM, continue troubleshooting the com- Component Part No. is the fuel lines making direct contact puter system until the problem is re- Front Exhaust with the brake booster. Installing a solved. If all of the conditions men- Gasket ...... 18229-SWA-305 new-design fuel feed and evaporative tioned are met or bettered, install the Prechamber Gasket emissions pipe assembly (Part No. following new PCMs: (2007-09 models). . .18393-SSO-J30 25978188) that routes underneath Emissions Level Part No. Prechamber Gasket the booster out of harm’s way should KA (2001)...... 37820-P8E-325RM (2010-11 models). . . . . 18302-SPO-003 solve the problem. KL (2001) ...... 37820-P8E-326RM Retaining Nuts ...... 90212-SA5-003 KA (2002-03)...... 37820-PJE-A64 Nissan KL (2002-03) ...... 37820-PJE-L64 Chrysler Water pump failure warning. Electrical gremlins. Some 2007 Coolant leaking from the water pump Ford Truck Dodge Charger SRT8, Magnum weep hole should always be cause for Rattling noise, rough idle, MIL il- SRT8 and Chrysler 300 SRT8 models concern for technicians. But on 1995- lumination. Some 2004-12 Ford with the HEMI engine and AWD 2003 Nissan 3.0 and 3.5L engines it trucks with the 5.4L three-valve V8 system may produce strange electri- can mean something far worse—cata- may produce an intermittent rattling cal problems. Among the comments strophic engine damage, say the wa- sound from the top of the engine. Ac- you might hear are that the radio ter pump experts at ASC Industries. cording to Ford, the noise is usually mysteriously stops working and/or the According to ASC, the problem accompanied by a rough idle and an AWD system will not engage. Fur- lies in the fact that a severe leak from illuminated MIL, with DTCs P0021, thermore, if you hook up your scan- the weep hole on these pumps will P0022, P0340 and/or P0341 logged in ner, you might find DTC B210D (low eventually take out the pump’s bear- PCM memory. battery voltage) or B210E (high bat- ing. Once that happens, the leaking One likely cause of the woes, says tery voltage) logged in computer coolant is channeled back through the carmaker, is a defective variable memory. Software issues in the PCM the pump, where it has direct access cam timing (VCT) oil control solenoid. are the root cause of all the woes. to the engine’s oiling system. The Replacing the solenoid on both banks Flashing the module with new soft- coolant then mixes with the oil and of the engine with an updated design

60 September 2013 (Part No. 8L3Z-6M280-B) should elim- Acura are responsible for the ruckus. inate further trouble. On 2004-06 en- Ping under moderate-to-heavy Before ordering up a pair of the new gines, you’ll also have to replace the throttle. Acura reports that all 2009 ball joints, however, look at the joints VCT solenoid-to-cam cover gasket TSX vehicles, as well as 2010 models that are presently in the . If they (Part No. 3L3Z-6C535-AA). built from VIN JH4CU2…AC000001 have paint marks on them, the upgrad- To make a definitive diagnosis, through JH4CU2…AC009053, may ed ball joints are already installed. In hook up your scanner, start the en- develop an engine ping under moder- that case, replace both of the steering gine and allow it to reach normal op- ate-to-heavy acceleration. The luxury knuckles. Here are the parts specifics erating temperature. Next, go to the carmaker attributes the condition to a for the knuckle assemblies: datastream and select PIDs VCTDC faulty knock sensor combined with Model Part No. and VCTDC2. With your foot firmly software incompatibility issues in the Accord (LH) ...... 51215-TA0-Y60 on the brake pedal, raise the engine PCM. Replacing the knock sensor Accord (RH) ...... 51210-TA0-Y60 speed to 1500 rpm, then abruptly re- with an improved design (Part No. Crosstour (LH) ...... 51215-TP6-Y00 lease the throttle and allow the en- 30530-RL5-A01) and reprogramming Crosstour (RH)...... 51210-TP6-Y00 gine to return to idle. If the engine the PCM with updated software rattles, the idle gets rough and the should help eliminate further trouble. Nissan PID values for either solenoid oscil- If the car has an automatic transmis- Poor a/c performance. The owner late rapidly (graphing the data makes sion, you’ll also have to update the of a 2007-12 Altima or 2009-12 Maxi- things a lot simpler), go ahead and re- transmission programming. ma may come into your shop one day place the solenoid for both banks of To do the reprogramming job, with a complaint that his a/c system the engine with confidence. you’ll need an HDS or equivalent isn’t quite cooling up to snuff. On ini- Vehicles that are susceptible to the scan tool operating at software ver- tial inspection, you might find that rattling noise and driveability issues sion 2.019.009 or later. Here are the the compressor clutch is indeed en- are 2004-10 F-150s, 2005-10 F-250s specifics on the calibration files need- gaging, the system is fully charged and F-350s, 2005-12 Expeditions and ed to do the flash for manual and au- and all the controls and mode doors Lincoln Navigators and 2006-08 Lin- tomatic transmissions: are operating properly. One possible coln Mark LTs. Program ID Part No. cause of the trouble, reports Nissan, Manual, Engine Software: is a clog in the receiver dryer or con- Scion L5A030 ...... 37805-RL5-A03 denser. Chirp or squeak from engine Automatic, Engine Software: Start your diagnosis by connecting compartment. Some owners of 2013 L5A530 ...... 37805-RL5-A53 your gauge manifold to the low-side FR-S models may complain of an irri- Automatic, Transmission Software: and high-side service ports. Now run tating chirp or squeak from the en- L5A520 ...... 37806-RL5-A52 the engine, activate the a/c system gine compartment when the engine is and look at the system pressures. If warmed up and idling. Although the Honda the low-side and high-side pressures noise could be coming from the ac- Front suspension noise. Some 2008- are normal or slightly higher than cessory drive belt, a more likely sce- 12 Accord and 2010-12 Crosstour mod- normal, this info doesn’t apply; con- nario, says Scion, is a prematurely els may produce a clunking sound from tinue troubleshooting until the prob- worn high-pressure fuel pump. No the front end while being driven over lem is found. If both the low-side and driveability issues will be present. rough roads in hot weather. One likely high-side pressures are lower than To make the diagnosis, road-test cause of the noise, says Honda, is the normal, grab the receiver dryer outlet the car for about 10 minutes to get tendency for the grease in the lower tube with your hand (you’ll find the the engine good and hot. When you ball joint to migrate to the bottom of tube near the radiator cap). Under get back to the shop, open up the the joint, especially when hot ambient normal circumstances, the tube hood and let the engine idle. If you temperatures are encountered. That should be warm or hot to the touch. hear the chirp or squeak, head to the creates a slip/stick condition in the ball If it is, once again, this information left upper portion of the engine and joint, which is responsible for the doesn’t apply, and you should keep place a mechanic’s stethoscope on the clunking noise. Installing new-design searching for the cause of the cooling fuel pump. If the noise isn’t coming lower ball joints (Part No. 51220-TA0- complaint. If the outlet tube is cool from the pump, continue trou- 306) should eliminate the condition. or cold to the touch, that confirms bleshooting until the cause is found. To make the diagnosis, raise the ve- that debris is clogging the receiver If the noise is, indeed, coming from hicle and allow the suspension to hang dryer or condenser. Don’t try to flush the high-pressure pump, replace it freely for a while. That allows the joint the system; it won’t work. Replacing and the No. 2 fuel delivery pipe with to cool and tends to redistribute the the condenser/receiver dryer assem- upgraded components (Part Nos. grease. Now lower the vehicle and go bly is the only sure-fire fix. Check SU003-00328 and SU003-00342, re- on a short road test. If the noise is with a dealer for the specific part for spectively.) gone, that’s your cue that the ball joints your application.

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