Broken bracket 1988 Chevrolet Silverado 5.7

This truck has an engine accessory bracket mounted to the front of the engine that holds the air pump, the compressor, the power steering pump and the alternator in position. That's a lot to ask of a questionable strength piece of metal so they were always prone to develop cracks. The mounting bolts to engine were also known to loosen and fall out over time. It wasn't unusual to find broken bolts and broken bracket.

This particular bracket had been repaired with a weld at one point but was now broken again just above the weld and a bit higher near one of the bolt holes.

I also had two broken bolts. One at mount hole A and one at mount hole B.

The bolt at hole A (did you think I was gonna say A-hole?) was broken off almost flush but just enough sticking out to get vise grips on it. The bolt at hole B was sticking out a couple inches but neither bolt would budge with the vise grip method. This was the time to use a good penetrating fluid on the threads. Don't get me wrong, I think WD-40 is great stuff and I use it a lot but the best thing I use in a situation like this is KANO Sili Kroil. Spray it on and let it soak. In this case I let it soak overnight. The next morning I was able to get the broken piece out of A with the vise grips. B was still stuck.

Heating didn't seem to be an option because the hole was very close to the intake manifold gasket.

Maybe a stud remover would give me a better grip and be enough to do the trick. With the stud remover and a 1/2 " breaker bar I did indeed get a better grip. Unfortunately that didn't help either.

If you have a full thread stud sticking out sometimes you can thread two nuts onto the stud, jam them together buy turning them against each other and then turn the inside nut to try and back the stud out. This broken bolt didn't have threads the full length though so I took a die and cut threads along the length of the broken bolt.

I had just gotten the threads cut and was searching for 3/8" SAE Coarse nuts when the Snap-on tool truck pulled in. In case this trick didn't work I thought it would be a good idea to see if he had a 3/8" bolt extractor, which he did. Those things can do wonders at times but I didn't have that size in the shop. The extractor though, whether it worked or not would damage my freshly cut threads so I bought the extractor as a next step if the two jammed nuts didn't work.

He also brought in a MSK10 Snap-on stud removal kit. I realized this was the jamming two nuts together idea but on steroids as the tool is designed exactly for that. Perfect timing and not a bad price. The broken bolt came out hard but it did come out. Appears to have been cross-threaded or wrong-threaded.

Now I just need to run a tap into these bolt holes and clean up the threads. The new bracket is here. All downhill now! I hope.

Thanks for reading!

Kenny@ggauto.repair

When it says low fuel it might be out of gas.

I had a 1999 4Runner towed in several days ago for a no-start condition. The engine cranked just fine. I sprayed starting fluid into the air filter and the engine started. What that told me was I wasn't getting fuel and I did have spark. I was probably going to need to get it on the lift to check the fuel pump but a look at the fuel gauge made me think I should try adding fuel to the tank first.

The gas fixed the no-start. It was simply out of gas. There was another problem though. The fuel gauge still showed the same as before.

The customer declined testing for the gauge problem but in my research for testing procedures I had come across a tsb for a calibration procedure that must be done after any repair to "ensure proper operation of the fuel gauge". Now I hadn't done any work on the system but it seemed possible that any intermittent problem, like a poor connection could cause the gauge to need calibration. I did the calibration procedure and the gauge actually did start working. I hadn't found or repaired the problem and I cautioned it could stop working again but I did have a working gauge at the moment.

Thanks for reading!

Kenny@ggauto.repair

2004 Dodge Dakota 4.7 P0335 Code Stored

This truck has a camshaft position sensor and a crankshaft position sensor. Both are similar in design and work in the same manner. Both have three wire terminals. At one terminal each is provided with a five volt supply. At another terminal each is provided with a ground. The other wire is the sensor signal monitored by the PCM (powertrain control module). We consider the 5-volt reference and ground to be inputs to the sensors and the signal to be output.

Notches cut into the tonewheel on the front of the camshaft trigger the output signal to the PCM from the camshaft position sensor. In a similar manner the tonewheel on the crankshaft triggers a crankshaft position sensor signal.

Since the two shafts, cam and crank, need to be correctly timed (synched) the PCM expects to see signals that correspond to that. The PCM compares the signals while the engine is running and even while the engine is cranking on a start.

So. What sets a P0335? The code will set during an engine crank if the PCM doesn't see a crank position signal but has seen at least 8 cam position signals. At first glance that might seem to be a bad crankshaft position sensor but if you give it some thought it could be either sensor. Either one could have an erratic signal and set the code. Or think about this, both sensors could be fine and a wiring problem is causing the code to set. Or the sensors and wiring could be fine and the PCM is either not reading the signal or has its own wiring problem.

POSSIBLE CAUSES 

• Intermittent CMP signal
• Intermittent CKP signal
• (K7) 5 volt supply circuit shorted to voltage
• (K7) 5 volt supply circuit open
• (K7) 5 volt supply circuit shorted to ground
• (K24) CKP signal circuit open
• (K24) CKP signal circuit shorted to voltage
• (K24) CKP signal circuit shorted ground
• (K24) CKP signal circuit shorted to (K7) 5 volt supply circuit
• (K4) sensor ground circuit open
• Crankshaft position sensor
• PCM

Before we get too crazy though keep the simple stuff in mind. While we could use a scope to monitor the signals and try and determine if either sensor signal is bad, or wiring is bad or PCM is bad. We could just swap out the two sensors as a test. Both are pretty much the same design and both are high failure items. The two sensors are relatively inexpensive while diagnostic testing time is not. You would actually save money and time by replacing both sensors with new, clearing the codes and letting the PCM tell you if the problem is still there or not. Yes. Sometimes using a known good part is the better choice. In the case of this particular vehicle the fix was to replace both the cam and crankshaft position sensors.

Thanks for reading!

Kenny
Kenny@ggauto.repair

email me what you would like to see discussed and I'll see if I can find a way!

2004 Expedition Needs Expedited

Okay the post title doesn't really mean anything other than I thought it sounded cool. 2004 Ford Expedition with a customer described "hesitation on accel and decel". Intermittent as well. I'm suspecting a miss and since the check engine light is on I'll start with checking stored codes. Since I only have the customer description of the problem so far I'll run the full scan. Full scan will check all the computers for stored codes and not just the engine computer.
I've ended up with 1 PCM fault, 3 DSM faults and 1 HEC fault. PCM is the Powertrain Control Module. DSM is Driver's Seat Module. HEC is Hybrid Electrical Cluster.  I can ignore the seat module codes. They indicate a problem with the passenger side mirror and that isn't the complaint I'm after. The cluster has one code for a data link fault but it isn't a current problem. I'm going for P0171 "system too lean bank 1".

 On these vehicles it is pretty common for the PCV vacuum hose to be rotted and leaking. It is a fairly easy check. I did find a bad PCV hose. Replaced with 3/8 hose and an elbow.

Vacuum leak fixed. But is a vacuum leak what set the lean code? It is most likely but to be even more sure I could look at the freeze frame for the P0171. If the code set at low speed or at idle then it was probably the vacuum leak.

I have a vacuum leak indicated in freeze frame. I found and repaired a vacuum leak. Just have to tie up some loose ends before we are finished. Remember that the complaint could have been caused by a misfire and I haven't driven the truck. I need to drive the truck to verify no more running problem with accel/decel.

........................................ this is time passing ..................................................

The truck ran fine. There were no misfire codes stored and the truck did not misfire on the test drive BUT (big but) there is another place to check for misfires that may have been noticed by the engine computer. Those would be logged in the mode 6 test results TID 53. When I checked the mode 6 logs I found a very low number of misfire counts for cylinder #7. Given that the truck didn't misfire on the test drive and that the counts were low I decided to clear the KAM (keep alive memory) and let the system start over on the mode 6 tests. Yes, it is a judgement call.

Vacuum leak found and repaired. Codes cleared and KAM reset.
Ready to hit the road!

Thanks for reading!

Kenny

kenny@ggauto.repair

Ok It's NOT Your Brakes

I had a recent complaint of poor braking, noise and sinking pedal on a 2013 Dodge Avenger. The customer had replaced the brake pads but still had problems and both the ABS and Traction warning lights were on. I agreed to take a look.
A brake inspection was done at each wheel and there was no obvious problem. I had my tech put everything back together and I pulled the ABS codes C1032 and C1044. I pulled up data view of the wheel speed sensors to watch while I gave the car a brief test drive. I noticed immediately a noise from the right rear. I also had a very erratic wheel speed signal from the right rear.

So what about all the braking complaints? I think the noise was not from the brakes but from the bad wheel bearing/hub assembly in the right rear. The play from the worn bearing and the metal shavings gathering on the tone wheel inside the hub were making the wheel speed signal erratic enough that it could trigger the ABS to engage. An engaged ABS can make it hard to stop and make the pedal feel hard as though it isn't working. I can't say for sure, never had a problem with braking when I drove it. But definitely the bearing was bad. 

Replaced the hub, cleared the codes and did a road test. Fixed!

Thanks for reading!

Kenny

G&G Auto Repair

kenny@ggauto.repair

The Long and the Short of It

The '02 Ford F150 comes in with no brake lights and no turn signals. First rule is usually, verify the complaint. There were no working brake lights. Even the third brake light at the rear of the cab was not working. Turn the key on and neither left or right turn signals were working. There also was no turn indicator on the instrument panel. No third brake lamp and no turn indicators made me think checking fuses would be a good idea. When I say *check*, I mean *test*.
There are a lot of different pieces in a fuse block.

Relays, diodes, cartridge fuses, blade fuses and a circuit breaker are all part of the underhood fuse block on this Ford. 

Now, I said the symptoms so far make it worth looking at fuses. I'm not going to worry about relays, diodes or circuit breakers at this stage of the game. I wanted just fuses. Cartridge fuses are designed so that you can look through a clear plastic window on top and usually tell if the fuse is okay or not okay. This one is okay. 

The look-and-see approach works most of the time. If things get questionable the top cover is removable for better surveillance. Just be careful not to break the plastic. The cartridge fuses looked okay in this underhood block so I wanted to test the blade fuses. You can also view inside a blade type fuse but you have to remove the fuse from the block in order to see if it is good or bad. 

If you start pulling blade fuses just to look... well, there are a lot of blade fuses and even if you pull one at a time it can easily be placed back into the wrong slot. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee in just a couple days ago the problem turned out to be caused by an ABS fuse placed into the wrong space and the ABS fuse slot empty. There is also the problem of just looking for a fuse marked *Turn Signal* (in this case) and only looking at that one. Many fuses aren't that easily identified and if you do find a fuse marked for the system it could be a good fuse and the one causing the problem is a completely different fuse. You need to check all the fuses when you are testing and since the only part of the fuse readily accessible with the blade fuse in place is the shiny blade tip then you use a circuit tester and probe that tip. Do that and you won't misplace a fuse, you won't pull a lot of fuses and you will know if there are any blown fuses on other circuits causing a problem. 

First, grab a circuit tester suitable for probing the blade tips. I have a lot of circuit testers. 

 I even have a couple I made when I was a kid. Humor me. 

My favorite tool for this particular purpose though is my old Power Probe II. The leads connect directly to the battery, plenty of cable to go anywhere on the truck, a good ground lead at the probe end, switchable power or ground available to the probe tip and audible for when the circuit indicator isn't visible. I know, sounds like overkill but depending on where the diagnostics take us it could be a real time saver. 

Back to the problem at hand. I started with underhood fuses. I wanted to power to as many fuses as feasible prior to testing. Most fuses are either battery powered (hot all the time) or ignition powered (powered with key on). There are nuances, like battery power that times out. Or ignition power with key on accessory instead of *on* position. Or even ignition only in crank (start) position. In this case though I would have either battery power (brake lights) or key on ignition (turn signals) most likely bad. Turning the key on and testing blade fuses with the probe was all I needed to get started. Just touch the probe tip to each of the two blade tips of each fuse. If one side is hot (power), the other side should be as well. If one side is hot and not the other, bad fuse. The LED on the probe turns red for power, green ground. 

All the underhood blade fuses tested good. All the underhood cartridge fuses looked good. Time to move inside under the instrument panel. 

Found! Bad fuse. 

Technically in Fordspeak, that is the second fuse block (F2) and the #13 fuse. So fuse F2.13

Remember that for a test later. Just joking. If you were going to pull a wiring diagram you could pull up the circuit diagram for F2.13 and look for likely areas for shorts. 

Even though the brake lights and the turn signals worked after replacing the fuse I still was looking for why the fuse was blown in the first place. Fuses are there to protect the circuit. If the fuse blows there was some sort of overload because those fuses don't wear themselves out. This ain't my first rodeo though and it is a truck. The area where a short most likely to take out brake and turn lights would be is the rear. Especially if there is a trailer hitch and a trailer plug back there. 

I put a bar in place to hold the brake on. I slid under the rear of the truck with brake lights on and the plan became one of carefully examining the wire harness at the back of the truck while wiggling and pulling to try and induce a short if it did exist in that area. 

I found nothing with the brake lights on. I turned only the right turn signal on and tried again but only in the area under the right turn. Nothing. Okay, may as well try the left turn before I move on to something else. BINGO!

Fuse replaced. Short repaired. Longer arms and I could pat myself on the back. 

I can walk you through a wiring diagram. It wasn't needed here but it would still be interesting. 

Thanks!

Kenny@ggauto.repair

G&G Auto Repair