Sparky's Answers

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Changing the Rear Mode Actuator

2012-01-23T22:40:00.001-05:00

This 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer had a loud ticking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle on the passenger side. In the last post I showed how to remove the trim panels and locate the faulty actuator assembly. Please click here to see that part of this repair.
Once the trim panels were removed it was just a matter of feeling the clicking in the actuator.

The thumb latch has to be depressed to release the harness connector.

There are a total of three phillips headed screws that hold the actuator in place.

It took a little bit of wiggling around but the actuator pulls straight up off of the mode door shaft.

I manually turned the shaft to make sure the door moved freely.

Notice the shaft has a half round section with a perpendicular tab to one side. There is a matching recess in the actuator assembly.

When voltage testing, I use an angled pick to probe the harness wires individually. I then clip my meters test lead to the pick.

There are various designs and many are useful for this kind of testing.

Now that the actuator has been replaced the system should be recalibrated. The standard Trailblazer or Envoy would need the driver's side rear seat cushion lifted to access the fuse box. The vehicle is an EXT version and the whole seat flips up to access the interior fuse box.

There are two push pin retainers that have to be removed as shown below.

I had to locate the fuse labeled "HVAC B" on the fuse box legend.

I had to orient the legend to align the picture with the actual fuse box components.

Once I had located the proper fuse I removed it to start the recalibration process.

The key must be off before the fuse is removed.

Leave the fuse out for one minute.

Install the previously removed fuse.

Turn the ignition on for one minute.

Put your hands in your pockets and Do Not Touch Anything while the ignition is on.

Turn the ignition off for at least ten seconds but no more than thirty seconds.

Turn the ignition on and start the engine. Test the actuator for proper function.

I do my best to detail as much information as possible. There are many repairs that I have yet to document and some of you may wish to have more than I have provided. I would strongly recommend subscribing to one or both of the following data companies for further assistance. Although having an abundance of information does not guarantee an easy repair, the lack of adequate information will guarantee a failed repair!

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2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Clicking Sound From Rear HVAC Unit

2012-01-22T22:08:00.001-05:00

This 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer came in with the complaint that there was a loud ticking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. From experience I knew that one of the rear actuators was making the clicking or ticking sound. I checked the rear controls and found that adjusting the mode position would make the sound go away but the mode position would not change. I found out that the blend or temperature door was also unresponsive. The bulk of the rear HVAC system is located behind the passenger rear trim panel. This is a fairly long post so I will be breaking it up into several shorter posts.

There ar multiple panels that have to come off first before the main cover can be removed. I started by lifting the rear floor trim strip that finishes the edge of the carpet. There sure is a lot of dust in there.

I then turn my attention to the right rear upper pillar seat belt mounting bolt. The cover first has to be lifted by lifting each corner one at a time so that the clips will release.

Once both lower corners are unclipped the cover will flip straight up.

Now the mounting bolt can be removed. A Torx T47 bit is needed.

Next lift the rear rubber seal from the body edge.

I generally grab the upper edge of the panel and pull the panel from the body. Having the rubber seal loose and out of the way allows me to be able to see what is going on behind the panel and gives me access to the plastic edge for better pulling.

Now the right rear door sill panel needs to be removed. You just have to reach under one of the edges and start lifting up. Although the picture gives the impression that I started pulling up from the outer edge, the truth is that I normally start at the inner edge or one end. The angle that the picture was taken at was to show the way that the clips fasten in.

The second row seat belt bolt has to be removed in the same manner as the third row was. This is an EXT style vehicle. Once the seat belt bolt is removed the trim panel can be pulled loose from the vehicle.

There are five phillips headed screws that have to be removed from the rear area of the passenger side panel. Two about half way up the panel and three along the lower edge.

Now the side panel can finally be unsnapped from the body. There are clips along the rear edge, the front edge and the edge just below the side glass.

The panel will slide out either the right rear door opening or you could pull it out of the back.

With the ignition on the clicking noise started and it was easy enough to just place my hand on the actuator to feel the malfunction. The actuator shown below is the auxiliary mode actuator.

Now that the panels have been removed and the clicking sound identified the next post will deal with changing and calibrating the faulty actuator.

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1995 Infiniti J30 Low Blower Speeds Do Not Work

2011-12-30T09:22:00.013-05:00

This 1995 Infiniti J30 came in with multiple blower issues. The main culprit was a faulty blower motor and I show how to change it at this repair post. Once I had a working blower motor I found that the lower speeds did not work.

In doing this post I am addressing the concern that the blower motor is working fine on high speed but there is a problem with the lower speeds.

You will first need to remove the lower cover under the passenger side of the dash. A few phillip's headed screws

And the cover will drop down.

For some reason I did not get pictures of actually testing the signals. Probably more interested in finishing the job at the time. Maybe one of you out there can email me a picture or two to add to this post. sparkysanswers@gmail.com

There are three wires that connect to the blower resistor.

The Yellow/Black wire connects to the blower motor and is the ground control wire for the blower motor. With the system not working and a good blower motor present there will be a nominal battery voltage present.

The Black wire is chassis ground and terminates at the left side of the instrument panel.

The Light Blue wire is the control signal from the a/c controls system.

In my testing on this wire I found these voltages present with the faulty blower resistor. Key and a/c system on. Black lead connected to a known good chassis ground. Red lead connected to the Light Blue wire.

1.33 volts on the lowest speed.

1.435 volts on speed two.

1.61 volts on speed three

.003 volts on high speed

I found these voltages with the new blower resistor.

2.56 volts on the lowest speed

2.71 volts on speed two

2.93 volts on speed three

0.00 volts on high speed

The voltage reading is not a result of power being supplied from the a/c controls to the blower resistor. Instead it is being out put by the resistor and the controls are applying a ground signal to it in a varying degree that lowers the voltage. I would suspect that the output from the terminal in the blower resistor would be a nominal 5 volts.

The three terminal connector on the blower resistor.

The aluminum rods are for cooling the resistor electronics. The resistor actually is not a resistor instead it is a power module or blower speed controller. The manufacturer describes it as a resistor so I have been doing the same.

The new and old resistor assemblies side by side.

I do my best to detail as much information as possible. There are many repairs that I have yet to document and some of you may wish to have more than I have provided. I would strongly recommend subscribing to one or both of the following data companies for further assistance. Although having an abundance of information does not guarantee an easy repair, the lack of adequate information will guarantee a failed repair!

Need more information? Subscribe to AllData or Mitchell1 today!

2004 Volkswagon Beetle, Battery Goes Dead

2011-12-23T08:16:00.027-05:00

This 2004 VW Beetle came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead while driving the vehicle. Especially when the a/c and lights were on. A quick visual inspection found the problem. Note the rusted nut in the center of the picture below. Rust on a steel nut that is part of n electrical connection indicates a loose connection. The more rust the longer the connection has been loose.

From the looks of this one it has been causing a problem for quite a while now. The reason the battery has been going dead is that this is the wire that connects between the output stud of the alternator and the battery positive terminal.

The heat that was generated from the loose connection melted the insulation away from the cable about an inch away from the terminal. The insulation was melted into the cable about four inches away from the connection.

All I had to work with on this repair was a Mega fuse holder assembly. I cut the cable back to a good clean location and spliced in a new lead that I attached to the fuse holder assembly.

I tied my new fuse holder assembly into the battery positive terminal connection and tucked the fuse holder into a stable position between the battery and the air filter box.

After installing this in line fuse holder, I got together with The Electric Connection and helped them put together a repair kit that has all of the needed parts to replace the damaged fuse box and the burnt wire that I had to replace in this repair. After R&R of the fuse box assembly, all you will need is the ability to crimp and solder the one splice terminal. Note; the battery must be removed from the vehicle if an open flame or inductive soldering tool is used to solder the connection or shrink the heat shrink tubing. The gases from the battery can explode violently causing injury or death when exposed to an open flame or spark.

If you need one of these repair kits please click here to be taken to the product page.

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1995 Buick Park Avenue, Hard Crank Condition

2011-12-22T18:25:00.004-05:00

This 1995 Buick Park Avenue came in with the complaint that it was hard to crank sometimes. Meaning that the starter would turn slowly. A quick look at the positive battery terminal connection revealed a possible problem. The engine was still running at this point so I touched the terminal to see if it was warm.

As it turned out it was actually very warm. One hundred and seventy nine degrees fahrenheit to be exact. According to my infrared temperature gun.

On the left is the assortment of lock and flat washers that were installed. On the right is the proper lead spacer that is supposed to be installed between the two cable ends.

The cable ends were also fairly corroded.

A quick clean up with a wire brush attachment in my 1/4" drive impact driver.

Nice clean terminals.

A new bolt, spacer and clean terminals.

A much better temperature reading. I tried to get the owner to let me replace one of the terminal ends because it was getting warm at the crimp area.

The customer declined, stating it was "good enough for her, now that is was cranking okay". Oh well she will be back one day and I will fix it then.

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Actuator Replacement GM Trucks and SUV's 1999-2009

2011-12-19T18:32:00.041-05:00

This is a list of procedures to replace the multiple actuators on General Motors Trucks and SUV's from 1999 to 2009.

These posts will apply to all of the Full Sized Trucks and SUV's listed below. There may be slight differences between brands and trim levels.

HVAC Calibration Procedure GM Trucks And SUV's

2003 Chevrolet Silverado, Changing The Mode Actuator, B0263

2004 Chevrolet Silverado, Dash Cover Removal

2004 Chevrolet Silverado, Changing The Passenger Side Temperature Door Actuator

2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Changing The Fresh Air/Recirculation Door Actuator

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe, Driver's Side Blows Hot Only

2005 Cadillac Escalade, Blows Hot Air Only From Driver's Vents

2005 Cadillac Escalade Installing The Passenger Side Hush Panel

2005 GMC Sierra, Air Only Blows From Defrost

These posts will apply to to the midsized SUV's listed below. There will be slight differences between brands and year models. Year model 2002 mode actuators are different from all other years and so is the procedure. I have not had the opportunity to document one of these yet. If the vehicle has adjustable pedals the accelerator pedal assembly may have to be removed.

2003 GMC Envoy, No A/C Vent Control, B0263

2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Identifying The Heater- A/C Actuators On Driver's S ide

2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Poor Heat, Clicking Sound Under Driver's Side Of Dash

HVAC Calibration Procedure GM Trucks And SUV's

1999 Chevrolet 1500/2500 Pickup, New Body Style

1999 GMC 1500/2500 Pickup, New Body Style

2000 Chevrolet Silverado

2000 Chevrolet Suburban

2000 Chevrolet Tahoe

2000 GMC Sierra

2000 GMC Yukon

2001 Chevrolet Silverado

2001 Chevrolet Suburban

2001 Chevrolet Tahoe

2001 GMC Sierra

2001 GMC Yukon

2002 Cadillac Escalade

2002 Chevrolet Avalanche

2002 Chevrolet Silverado

2002 Chevrolet Suburban

2002 Chevrolet Tahoe

2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2002 GMC Envoy

2002 GMC Sierra

2002 GMC Yukon

2002 Oldsmobile Bravada

2003 Cadillac Escalade

2003 Chevrolet Avalanche

2003 Chevrolet Silverado

2003 Chevrolet Suburban

2003 Chevrolet Tahoe

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2003 GMC Envoy

2003 GMC Sierra

2003 GMC Yukon

2003 Isuzu Ascender

2003 Oldsmobile Bravada

2004 Buick Rainier

2004 Cadillac Escalade

2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

2004 Chevrolet Silverado

2004 Chevrolet Suburban

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2004 GMC Envoy

2004 GMC Sierra

2004 GMC Yukon

2004 Isuzu Ascender

2004 Oldsmobile Bravada

2005 Buick Rainier

2005 Cadillac Escalade

2005 Chevrolet Avalanche

2005 Chevrolet Silverado

2005 Chevrolet Suburban

2005 Chevrolet Tahoe

2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2005 GMC Envoy

2005 GMC Sierra

2005 GMC Yukon

2005 Isuzu Ascender

2006 Buick Rainier

2006 Cadillac Escalade

2006 Chevrolet Avalanche

2006 Chevrolet Silverado

2006 Chevrolet Suburban

2006 Chevrolet Tahoe

2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2006 GMC Envoy

2006 GMC Sierra

2006 GMC Yukon

2006 Isuzu Ascender

2007 Buick Rainier

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic

2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2007 GMC Envoy

2007 GMC Sierra Classic

2007 Isuzu Ascender

2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2008 GMC Envoy

2008 Isuzu Ascender

2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2009 GMC Envoy

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Blower Motor Systems For GM Manufactured Trucks, SUV's and Vans 1995-2012

2011-12-18T14:25:00.003-05:00

I have separated the information that I have for the model years 1995 through 2012. This list covers the following model trucks, suv's and vans that were made by General Motors but sold under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu, Oldsmobile and Saab brands.

The following list of vehicles use the same blower resistor and blower speed switch. Therefore the three part repair posts that I have linked to apply to all on the list. Not just the vehicle in the post title.

1997 GMC 1500 Blower Does Not Work Part 1

1997 GMC 1500 Blower Does Not Work Part 2

1997 GMC 1500 Blower Does Not Work Part 3

1998 Chevrolet C1500 Changing The Blower Motor Assembly

1995 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1995 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1995 Chevrolet C&K Suburban
1995 Chevrolet C&K Tahoe
1995 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1995 GMC Yukon

1996 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1996 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1996 Chevrolet C&K Suburban
1996 Chevrolet Tahoe
1996 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1996 GMC Yukon

1997 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1997 Chevrolet Suburban
1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
1997 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1997 GMC Yukon

1998 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1998 Chevrolet Suburban
1998 Chevrolet Tahoe
1998 GMC C&K Pickup 1500/2500/3500
1998 GMC Yukon

1999 Cadillac Escalade w/manual controls
1999 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 1500 Old Body Style
1999 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 2500/3500
1999 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
1999 GMC C&K Pickup 1500 Old Body Style
1999 GMC Yukon

2000 Cadillac Escalade w/manual controls
2000 Chevrolet C&K Pickup 2500/3500
2000 Chevrolet Suburban
2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
2000 GMC C&K Pickup 2500/3500
2000 GMC Yukon

2001 Chevrolet C3500
2002 Chevrolet C3500

The following full sized trucks and suv's with manual a/c controls all use the same series of blower systems. Testing and replacement of the blower resistors are the same. There are minor variations in the blower motor replacements.

2000 Chevrolet Silverado Changing The Cabin Air Filter

2002 GMC Sierra, Blower Works Sometimes

2003 Chevrolet Suburban, No Blower Speeds 2 and 4

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Blower Does Not Work on Any Speed

2005 Chevrolet Silverado, Blower Inop Most Read

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic, Changing The Blower Motor

Identifying The Correct Blower Resistor For Your 1999 - 2007 Classic Series Truck

1999 Chevrolet 1500/2500 Pickup, New Body Style
1999 GMC 1500/2500 Pickup, New Body Style

2000 Chevrolet Silverado
2000 Chevrolet Suburban
2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
2000 GMC Sierra
2000 GMC Yukon

2001 Chevrolet Silverado
2001 Chevrolet Suburban
2001 Chevrolet Tahoe
2001 GMC Sierra
2001 GMC Yukon

2002 Cadillac Escalade
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
2002 Chevrolet Silverado
2002 Chevrolet Suburban
2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2002 GMC Envoy
2002 GMC Sierra
2002 GMC Yukon
2002 Oldsmobile Bravada

2003 Cadillac Escalade
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
2003 Chevrolet Silverado
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2003 GMC Envoy
2003 GMC Sierra
2003 GMC Yukon
2003 Isuzu Ascender
2003 Oldsmobile Bravada

2004 Buick Rainier
2004 Cadillac Escalade
2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
2004 Chevrolet Silverado
2004 Chevrolet Suburban
2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2004 GMC Envoy
2004 GMC Sierra
2004 GMC Yukon
2004 Isuzu Ascender
2004 Oldsmobile Bravada

2005 Buick Rainier
2005 Cadillac Escalade
2005 Chevrolet Avalanche
2005 Chevrolet Silverado
2005 Chevrolet Suburban
2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2005 GMC Envoy
2005 GMC Sierra
2005 GMC Yukon
2005 Isuzu Ascender

2006 Buick Rainier
2006 Cadillac Escalade
2006 Chevrolet Avalanche
2006 Chevrolet Silverado
2006 Chevrolet Suburban
2006 Chevrolet Tahoe
2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2006 GMC Envoy
2006 GMC Sierra
2006 GMC Yukon
2006 Isuzu Ascender

2007 Buick Rainier
2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic
2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2007 GMC Envoy
2007 GMC Sierra Classic
2007 Isuzu Ascender

2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2008 GMC Envoy
2008 Isuzu Ascender

2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer
2009 GMC Envoy

This information is for the rear blower systems with manual a/c controls on the following vehicles.

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe Rear Blower Will Not Turn Off

2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
2000 GMC Yukon

2001 Chevrolet Tahoe
2001 GMC Yukon

2002 Cadillac Escalade
2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
2002 GMC Yukon

2003 Cadillac Escalade
2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
2003 GMC Yukon

2004 Cadillac Escalade

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

2004 GMC Yukon

2005 Cadillac Escalade

2005 Chevrolet Tahoe

2005 GMC Yukon

2006 Cadillac Escalade

2006 Chevrolet Tahoe

2006 GMC Yukon

This information is for trucks and suv's with auto a/c controls in the list below.

2003 Chevrolet Silverado Blower

2003 GMC Yukon Blower is Erratic/Not Working Updated part information applies to all on list.

2004 Chevrolet Silverado, Blower will Not Turn Off

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic, Changing The Blower Motor

2003 Cadillac Escalade

2003 Chevrolet Avalanche

2003 Chevrolet Silverado

2003 Chevrolet SSR

2003 Chevrolet Suburban

2003 Chevrolet Tahoe

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2004 GMC Envoy

2003 GMC Sierra

2003 GMC Yukon

2003 Isuzu Ascender

2003 Oldsmobile Bravada

2004 Buick Rainier

2004 Cadillac Escalade

2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

2004 Chevrolet Silverado

2004 Chevrolet Suburban

2004 Chevrolet SSR

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2004 GMC Envoy
2004 GMC Sierra

2004 GMC Yukon

2004 Isuzu Ascender

2004 Oldsmobile Bravada

2005 Buick Rainier

2005 Cadillac Escalade

2005 Chevrolet Avalanche

2005 Chevrolet Silverado

2005 Chevrolet Suburban

2005 Chevrolet SSR

2005 Chevrolet Tahoe

2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2005 GMC Envoy

2005 GMC Sierra

2005 GMC Yukon

2005 Isuzu Ascender

2005 Saab 9-7X

2006 Buik Rainier

2006 Cadillac Escalade

2006 Chevrolet Avalanche

2006 Chevrolet Silverado

2006 Chevrolet Suburban

2006 Chevrolet SSR

2006 Chevrolet Tahoe

2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2006 GMC Sierra

2006 GMC Yukon

2006 Isuzu Ascender

2006 Saab 9-7X

2007 Buick Rainier

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic

2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2007 GMC Envoy

2007 GMC Sierra Classic

2007 Isuzu Ascender

2007 Saab 9-7X

2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2008 GMC Envoy

2008 Isuzu Ascender

2008 Saab 9-7X

2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer

2009 GMC Envoy

2009 Saab 9-7X

The following repair information is for small trucks made by General Motors from 2003-2012 with manual a/c controls.

2005 Chevrolet Colorado Blower Only Works on High

2003 Chevrolet SSR

2004 Chevrolet Colorado
2004 Chevrolet SSR
2004 GMC Canyon

2005 Chevrolet Colorado
2005 Chevrolet SSR
2005 GMC Canyon

2006 Chevrolet Colorado
2006 Chevrolet SSR
2006 GMC Canyon
2006 Isuzu I-280 & I-350

2007 Chevrolet Colorado
2007 GMC Canyon
2007 Isuzu I-290 & I-370

2008 Chevrolet Colorado
2008 GMC Canyon
2008 Isuzu I-290 & I-370

2009 Chevrolet Colorado
2009 GMC Canyon

2010 Chevrolet Colorado
2010 GMC Canyon

2011 Chevrolet Colorado
2011 GMC Canyon

2012 Chevrolet Colorado
2012 GMC Canyon

The following information is for 1996-2005 Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari vans.

1998 Chevrolet Astro Van Blower Only Works On High

The following information is for 1996-2002 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans.

1997 GMC Savana Van Changing The Blower Resistor

I hope that this will make finding the needed information much easier.

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1995 Infiniti J30 Replacing The Blower Motor

2011-12-13T10:15:00.007-05:00

This 1995 Infiniti J30 came in with a faulty blower motor assembly. The blower motor is located under the passenger side of the dash.

There are a few screws and snaps that hold the lower cover in place.

A courtesy light also has to be unplugged.

There are screws at either side of the glove box opening, 10 mm. there may be small covers over the screw heads.

The passenger side kick panel has to be removed. There is a nut at the rear edge. A screw at the top edge.

The vertical portion of the rocker panel or sill plate will need to be unclipped as well.

In order to access and remove the blower motor the computer will have to be removed. I started by loosening the 10 mm screw that attaches the harness connector to the computer.

With the connector out of the way I used a 10 mm wrench to loosen and remove the two screws that hold the bracket on place. This bracket is in the way of removing the computer.

There is a screw at the bottom under the carpet that needs to be removed.

One behind the carpet at the firewall edge.

Then the computer can be rocked down from the upper retaining bracket.

The computer can now be fully removed.

Now the upper retaining bracket for the computer has to be removed. Two more 10 mm screws.

There is one small phillips headed screw that is up in a tight location as shown below.

The small screw removed.

There are three more phillips headed screws that need to be removed. They are easy to access and have a slightly different design.

There is one piece of linkage that is attached to the lower left corner of the panel as shown below. It has a flip door latch that has to be opened in order to remove the threaded rod linkage.

The next picture shows the location of the mounting hole that is next to the inner kick panel. I had to feel around for the screw and then slide the screwdriver into position.

Now that the cover panel has been removed the blower motor assembly can be removed by taking out it's four mounting screws. The blower motor in the next picture is actually the new motor as it is getting ready to be installed.

Due to the difference in connector locations on the old and new motors, I had to extend the length of the two wires by about six inches.

The old blower motor on the left and the new one on the right.

I could not install the less expensive aftermarket design blower motor as it is designed to replace the motor only. The fan blade and the mounting plate are intended to be reused after inserting the new motor into it. The problem is that the new motor has a nominal outside diameter of 3.25 inches and the old motor insert is only 2.75 inches in diameter.

The high blower relay.

Due to the length of this repair post I will be breaking it up into at least two posts.

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2004 Honda Accord 3.0 Liter V6 Misfires

2011-12-08T12:53:00.005-05:00

This 2004 Honda Accord came in with the SES or check engine light on. I checked codes and found a misfire code for everyone of the six cylinders. P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305 and P0306. With a code set for every cylinder plus a random misfire code P0300 I was pretty sure there would be a common fault to all.

The fault as it turned out was the previous repair done by the inexperienced son of the owner. Since I was looking for a common thread and suspected a problem with the spark plugs themselves, I asked the customer if the spark plugs had been replaced anytime in the recent past. She acknowledged that her son had installed new spark plugs about a year ago. I started at the forward cylinder head. The black plastic cover is held on by two screws at either end.

With the cover out of the way, I disconnected the ignition coil harness connectors.

Loosened the coil retaining bolt.

Removed the bolt and pulled the coils out.

The rusty looking deposits on the coil boot is from combustion gases.

More deposits.

The seal at the porcelain base to the steel housing appears to have been leaking combustion gases.

However I was also able to remove the spark plugs using my ratchet as shown in the next picture. The spark plugs were not properly tightened when they were replaced.

Looking at the spark plug crush gasket, I could see that it had never been crushed.

To show the difference in the crush gaskets, I tightened the plug on the left to the proper torque before removing it.

The properly tightened spark plug gasket measures 1.83 mm in thickness.

The one that was not fully tightened measures 2.18 mm in thickness.

It is a little hard to see but I try to always use a torque wrench when tightening anything on an engine. Including spark plugs. I prefer the clicker type torque wrenches. The specifications for the spark plugs on this engine are 13 ft lbs. Please check the specifications for yours.

The torque specs for the ignition coils was 8.7 ft lbs.

After properly installing a new set of spark plugs and clearing the codes, all is well with this Honda. In case you are wondering, the slightly loose spark plugs were not properly grounded and this was triggering the misfire codes. The problem was slight enough that I could not feel the misfires but the PCM was picking up on them. I am sure an oscilloscope would have picked it up but no sense in adding cost to the repair as it was simple and evident.

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This 2005 Chevrolet Suburban Instrument Cluster Does Not Work

2011-12-04T15:59:00.002-05:00

This 2005 Chevrolet Suburban came in with the complaint that the instrument cluster gauges do not work. I asked the customer how the problem had started and he told me that the speedometer has been acting up for a while. Recently all of the gauges stopped working at the same time. I connected my Tech 2 scan tool and checked IPC codes and data. The IPC would not communicate at all. In checking power supplies to the IPC on a wiring diagram I found that thee are multiple designations for the battery all the time and ignition fuses. The continuous battery fuse may be labelled IPC/DIC, 10 amp or SEO B1, 15 amp. The ignition fuse may be labelled IGN E or SEO IGN. Both are 10 amp fuses.

The troubling thing is all four are listed in the fuse box legend. I checked the IPC/DIC fuse as shown below.

The IGN E fuse tested good as well. The key had to be good in order to confirm power was present on both legs of the fuse. Since the other two fuses were also installed in the fuse box I checked those as well and the too were okay and had the proper power signal present.

Now I had to check for the same power conditions at the wiring harness behind the instrument cluster. The next step was to remove the dash trim panel that covers the IPC. I always start by grasping the outer edge of the panel and pull it out to release the spring clips.

The steering column will need to be tilted fully down and the shifter placed in the lowest gear setting. Then the trim panel has to be carefully rolled out of the dash. The hazard switch will likely pop up and will have to be turned back off.

Four screws hold the IPC in place and they all have 7 mm heads. Once the screws are removed the cluster can be rolled towards the steering wheel and the harness disconnected.

The IPC harness connector.

Battery power is supplied on the orange wire, terminal B11.
Ignition power is supplied on the pink wire, terminal B9.
There are two ground wires, terminal A12 and terminal B12. Both wires are black and one has a white stripe.

I alternated using the A12 and B12 terminals for a ground and tested power at both B9 and B12 using a jumper wire assembly with a halogen headlight bulb installed. This provides a load on the circuit. I often will use a fused jumper wire with the factory rated fuse installed and I install a slightly higher amperage fuse in place of the original factory fuse for the circuit. I actually prefer that as it will accurately tell me if a wire pair will carry the factory rated amperage. In this case 10 amps. Hard to capture the fuse blowing on camera though. Either one of these tests are not for the faint of heart or the uneducated. The bulb can shatter, melt plastic or burn skin. Jumping power and ground circuits can immediately destroy components, releasing the magic smoke that allows all electronics to function.

The next step was to isolate the data communication line between the IPC and the splice pack the the lower left of the dash assembly. I removed the white buss bar and located the gray wire at terminal "G". I installed a test lead to insure a good connection.

I checked for a short to power or ground using my ohm meter, okay.

I then checked continuity from the IPC terminal A6 to the splice pack terminal "G". It too was okay.

Diagnosis of a faulty instrument cluster assembly. Actually replacing the IPC involves some programming and that is a topic for another day.

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2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, No or Erratic Heat

2011-12-01T18:53:00.003-05:00

This 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe came in with the complaint that the heater was working erratically. The customer stated that when she started the engine in the morning there would be no heat while idling and driving down her driveway. Once she had been driving at highway speed for several minutes heat would start coming out. When she got in traffic it would come and go. She thought that her Tahoe had some sort of terrible electrical problem.

Well, it turned out that the main problem was that the coolant level was low by one gallon. The coolant reservoirs become stained over time with neglect and at first glance it looks like there is something in the reservoir.

You can see the color change slightly above the halfway seam in the tank.

Removing the pressure cap (following proper safety procedures) revealed that there was no coolant on the reservoir tank. You may need to click on the picture below to enlarge it, to be able to see.

I installed a 50/50 mixture of Dexcool and distilled water. It took one gallon.

You can see the shadow is now darker and you can see some orange color in places.

A much better view of the coolant level from the driver's side of the vehicle.

Another view from the firewall side of the tank. This is the general full level for a warmed up engine.

I did a little bit of checking and found a coolant leak at the heater hose tee where it connects to the front heater core and the lines for the rear heater core. Normally a leak in this area would be attributed to a leaking intake gasket but not so in this case. The drip on the ground was at the passenger rear side of the engine and that is where a leaking intake gasket normally drips on these engines.

She says she will have me change the tees and heater hose connectors but we will have to wait and see.

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1996 Chevrolet S10, Air Blows Out Of The Defroster Only

2011-11-30T14:15:00.001-05:00

This 1996 Chevrolet S10 came in with the complaint that the heater/ air conditioner air only blows out of the defroster vents regardless of where it is commanded. It is actually a pretty simple problem and strangely enough it is not an electrical problem. The most common place for failure is in the under hood vacuum hoses that attach to the vacuum reservoir.

If you look closely at the picture below you should notice that one of the vacuum hoses is flat.

You can barely see it but the shorter hose has a split on the underside of it, at the curve.

The vacuum supply hose is attached to the engine (V6, VIN X) at the PCV housing. Removing the breather elbow at the throttle body makes it easier to gain access to it.

I am using a large flat blade screw driver to push the hose off of the nipple. A little bit at a time and switching sides. I did not want to break anything.

The vacuum supply hose removed from the engine. Small hose at the center of the picture.

There are two sizes of vacuum hoses used for this repair, 5/32 and 7/32.

All new hoses attached to their respective parts.

This repair applies to several different models and years. I think it was for year models 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997. It applies to Chevrolet S10 pickups and Blazers. Along with GMC S15 pickups and Jimmy. Hopefully some one out there will help clarify this for us.

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2004 VW Beetle, Low Beam Headlight Works Sometimes

2011-11-29T17:01:00.002-05:00

This 2004 Volkswagon Beetle came in with the complaint that the passenger side low beam headlight works sometimes. I suspected a loose or burnt terminal inside the headlight assembly. This vehicle had been wrecked somewhere along the way and the mounting locking tab was broken so it is being held in place by a screw. If you want to see how to take out a complete assembly please see the information at this link.

Once the headlight assembly is out of the car it is simply a matter of removing one small screw (if present) and depressing the locking tab on the black cover.

With the cover out of the way it is pretty easy to see the damaged wiring. If needed click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Some one had been in there before and had used electrical tape to insulate the bare wires. Okay for a temporary fix but not the long term. They would have been better off using a pair of pliers to tighten the female spade terminals.

Anyways I installed a new bulb and harness connector with and extra ground wire.

The thing that I really like about this connector is that it has an extra ground wire built into it and the center terminal attaches very tightly.

These bulbs tend to develop problems due to loose mounting clips and week ground terminals.

You can see in the pictures that the outside tabs give a lot of contact area for the ground supply to the bulb.

The installed height of the connector assembly is 1.204 inches.

Or 30.59 mm.

As measured from the base of the bulb in the picture below. I know for sure it will fit this application but the H1 bulbs are used on many vehicles. To order these connectors please click here.

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2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, Multiple Complaints, Communication Faults

2011-11-27T09:46:00.002-05:00

This 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe came in with multiple complaints. Radiator cooling fans on with key off, dash warning lights on, gauges not working, door locks cycling, power windows not working and of course the battery will go dead if left sitting for any length of time. I had checked this Tahoe out a few weeks earlier and knew it had a PCM problem. Since it had under 65,000 miles the PCM was still under warranty, I sent the customer to the dealer for repairs.

Sadly the Tahoe is back at my door. According to the customer the dealership had replaced the PCM and refused to do anymore work to the Tahoe. Sounds like a lack of communication to me. More than likely the dealership informed the customer of a deeper problem and the customer refused to pay for any other repairs. Not knowing how much of the story was true, I checked to make sure the PCM had been replaced. Looks like a new install to me.

The first time I saw this Tahoe the only problem it had was the battery was going dead from the engine cooling fans staying on sometimes with the key off. Now there was a growing list of symptoms. I checked codes using my Tech 2 scan tool and found multiple class 2 data communication fault codes. I performed a Class 2 DTC check to see how many modules were in this vehicle. I repeated the check several times over a five to fifteen minute span with the engine running. I found a range of seven to eleven modules reporting during the various times I checked Class 2 DTC's. Time to access the class 2 data junction or buss bar. It is located under the driver's side of the dash. The covers do not have to be removed but it makes it a little easier to see things if you do.

Remove a couple of 7 mm headed screws at the lower edge and the panel will unsnap from the dash.

The connector I was looking for is about three inches above my hand in the picture below. The wires that I am holding are just part of a harness that was in the way for taking a picture. The connector body is taped to a harness. the tape has to be undone or cut to get the connector and it's short harness down for testing.

The class 2 data connector pulled down from the dash for easier access to the wiring. I sure do wish the engineers would have added a few more inches of wire to the harness though.

My next step was to use a small screw driver to remove the connecting bar, shown below.

Now the fun begins. I had to carefully insert my test lead assembly into the connector body. This lead assembly takes the place of the little white buss bar.

All of the wires leads are installed into the connector body except for one. Even though there are twelve spaces only eleven wires are installed.

With any kind of computer issue the two of the most important tools are a pen and paper. As mentioned earlier I looked for Class 2 Data DTC's, one of the chief reasons for doing this is to see how many modules are reporting at any given time. Doing this allows me to build a written list of modules. With the full list built it is just a matter of repeating the same Class 2 DTC test to see which modules go missing. In this case the PCM, ABS, SIR and GBCM modules would drop out on a fairly regular basis.

While monitoring Class 2 Data DTC's and looking for changes in vehicle behavior. I disconnected one wire at a time with the engine running and checked for reactions. I only had to do this with the four terminals associated with the missing modules from my list. My initial testing and subsequent list eliminated almost 65% of the testing possibilities.

Using a wiring diagram that shows the Class 2 data lines, I knew what color wires were involved and their positions within the connector body. The connector body has letter designations for each terminal.
I know you were hoping to read the diagram but it is a licensed product and I do not own the license to share it with you. If you want it you have to buy it just like I had to.

The Tech 2 screens involved in getting to Class 2 DTC tests.

In the end the problem was with the PCM communication line. Water had gotten into the lower half of the blue, C2 connector and left corrosion. When the dealership had replaced the PCM under warranty, the tech thought he was doing an extra good service by adding a dielectric gel/grease to the connector. What in fact happened was a conductive gel was created in the connector between the terminals.. This conductive gel was driving the computer system crazy with false readings. The best fix for the problem would be to replace the PCM and the engine harness. The customer did not have the money to do this so I removed the blue cover and using a small bristle brush I cleaned the mess from the connector. I dipped the brush into an electrical contact cleaner and wiped all of the contaminant away. After it was cleaned I checked to see if any terminals were damaged and found nothing of significance. I installed the blue locking cover and wiped a slight amount of grease into the small holes. I checked the gasket for damage and found none. I flipped the gasket over from its original position and rubbed it down with dielectric grease for an added seal.

I informed the customer of the situation and we agreed that we will monitor the integrity of the seal and connector over the coming months. I also advised them to get their finances prepared for replacing the harness and PCM in the near future.

They stated that they were also going to contact GM about the issue. I wished them luck.

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2001 Buick Park Avenue, Multiple Electrical Problems

2011-11-26T23:04:00.001-05:00

This 2001 Buick Park Avenue came in with multiple complaints. Some of which were various dash warning lights would come on, the gauges would stop working, the power door locks would cycle intermittently and the battery would go dead. I asked the customer specifically if the clock on the radio would reset and was relieved to hear the answer was yes. Experience has taught me that if the clock resets that there is likely to be a major power or ground circuit interruption. I did a quick voltage check at the battery with the engine running. A flat 12 volts indicated there was a problem.

I checked the voltage at the junction stud connection on the underhood fuse box and it was what I should have expected with a running engine. A nominal 14 volts.

It seemed to me that with normal voltage at the fuse box stud, low voltage at the battery positive terminal and an obvious junction point in between, that the junction point may be the location of the problem.

At first glance there did not seem to be a problem at the junction point. No arc or burn marks were present.

A gentle wiggle of one of the cables indicated that it was indeed loose. Notice that my fingers are back on the insulation and not on the terminal itself. Experience is a mighty fine teacher.

I decided to take a temperature reading to show why I did not just carelessly grab the terminal. The engine had only been running about three minutes when I took the reading with my infrared heat gun. Amperage plus resistance equals heat and a lot of it.

I turned the engine off and let the connector cool down for a while. Then I took the connector apart, wire brushed the terminals and tightened the nut securely. I took another temperature reading. Roughly two hundred and sixty degrees cooler than before.

At start up the battery terminal voltage was 13 volts. It did not start coming up very quick so I turned the engine back off and connected a battery charger to the car.

After all alternators are deigned to keep a fully charged battery fully charged. They are not designed to recharge a discharged battery.

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2001 Cadillac Deville DTS, Passenger Side Air Stuck on Cold

2011-11-25T09:09:00.004-05:00

This 2001 Cadillac DeVille DTS came in with the complaint that the passenger side air was stuck on cold. There was a code B0429 stored in the Instrument Panel Module. B0429 relates to a fault with the passenger temperature door actuator assembly.

To gain access to the passenger side temperature door actuator the glove box will need to be removed. This starts by removing the trim panel that surrounds the sides and lower edge of the glove box. It is held in place by spring clips and will unsnap from the dash.

With the surround panel removed it is easier to gain access to the two 7 mm screws that hold the lower hush panel in place.

Next there are eight torx screws that hold the glove box assembly into the dash. They are either T15 or T20. Two are at the upper leading edge.

Two on the right face panel and two on the left face panel.

Two at the rear of the glove box. Just above the interior shelf.

With all of the screws removed the glove box will slide out of the dash. Keep in mind that there are several wiring connectors attached to the switches and light on the left side of the glove box assembly. Bring the box out slowly and in a way to gain access to the connectors.

On this Cadillac there were two plug in connectors with clips/latches that have to be released before removing the connector. The blue one has a latch that can be depressed with either using a small screw driver or your thumb. Hence the name thumb latch. The other has a latch that has to be lifted slightly so that the harness connector can be removed. The light assembly has two latches that have to be depressed. One upper and one lower.

Once the latches on the light are released, it has to be pushed to the inside of the glove box.

Once the light is fully within the glove box it can be rotated and placed back through the hole for removal. The wires do not disconnect from the light it has to be removed as an assembly.

Now that the glove box is fully out of the way the passenger side temperature door actuator can be easily seen.

There are two screws that need to be removed both have 5.5 mm heads. The first is located in the hole near the center of the actuator.

The other is located on the lower edge. The wiring harness at the lower left edge will also need to be removed. It sometimes takes a bit of wiggling and maneuvering but the actuator will come out and go back in with no other parts removal.

Once off you will notice that there is a split shaft on the underside of the actuator. That is because the actuator also controls the temperature of the r rear vents in the back of the enter console. When installing the new actuator, you will need to reach in and slightly flex the center shaft towards you so that the actuator will slide onto it.

The old actuator has a label with the following numbers on it. 52474996, B311031CSA

If you need of this actuator please click here.

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2006 Chevrolet Impala, Ticking/Clicking Sound From Under Passenger Side Of Dash

2011-11-15T19:01:00.001-05:00

This 2006 Chevrolet Impala came in with a rapid clicking or ticking sound coming from the passenger side of the dash. As far as I could tell it was emanating from behind the upper right corner of the glove box area. I opened the glove box fully and found that there were two locking tabs at the rear on either side. A slight push down and the latches released.

A better look at the latches. The glove box body has to be pushed down so that the latches can clear the rear housing. After they are clear the glove box will roll down out of the way.

Looking through the opening I could see the door bumping back and forth in rhythm with the clicking sound.
I disconnected the wiring and it stopped. There are two 5.5 mm headed screws that hold the actuator in place.

The old actuator.

I decided to open the actuator up to see if the problem is evident. I suspect a broken gear.

There it is two missing teeth.

Click on the pictures to enlarge for a better view.

The gears are not available by themselves.

Luckily the actuators are not very expensive.

If you have the same problem and need to buy this actuator please click here.

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Sparky's going to Vegas!

2011-10-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

Sparky will be attending the SEMA and AAPEX conventions in Las Vegas next week. As of this posting he will be unavailable to respond to any comments or emails until Monday, November 7.

As you can see in the photo above, Sparky's had an "interesting" last day before he left for Vegas. This car had been wrecked and the frame man cut wires under the ABS unit and did not realize it. Sparky found and fixed the problems before leaving for Vegas.

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1999 Chevrolet S10 Blazer, Runs Poorly Sometimes

2011-10-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

This 1999 S10 Blazer came in with the complaint that the engine would run poorly sometimes. The customer unfortunately could not provide a better description of the issue. Luckily there were some clear codes stored in the PCM memory, P0118 and P1115

Code P0118 was stored due to a high voltage signal from the coolant temperature sensor.

Code P1115 was stored due to and intermittent high voltage signal from the coolant temperature sensor. This intermittent code explains why the vehicle runs poorly sometimes

The coolant temperature sensor is located on the driver's side cylinder head, below the master cylinder area. It is a two wire sensor and if you look closely at the picture below you will see that the terminals are compressed. You may want to click on the picture to enlarge it. This compressed condition will allow the terminals to lose contact with the corresponding terminal on the coolant temperature sensor.

Looking at the data below with the coolant temperature sensor unplugged you will see a coolant temperature of -40 F. The coolant temperature is at 5 volts. To clarify the 5 volt signal is a high voltage signal as the sensor operating voltage range is from 0-5 volts.

I used a fused jumper wire to "short" the two wires together. The wire does not need to be fused but I happen to have one that has the correct terminal ends on it and it makes the process much easier.

With the two wires "shorted" together the temperature jumps to 302 F and the signal voltage drops to zero volts. This test confirms that the remaining wire and the PCM are both okay at this time.

I cut off the old harness connector and spliced in a new one. Note that I staggered the splice connections.

I used a small torch to heat the heat shrink tubing.

The wires are neatly back into the split loom and the harness is reconnected to the temperature sensor.

The coolant temperature at engine startup.

The engine temperature after about ten minutes of idling.

I cleared the codes and took this Blazer for a test drive. This one is fixed.

2004 Kia Optima, Power Windows Do Not Work

2011-10-08T08:39:00.000-04:00

This 2004 Kia Optima came in with the complaint that all of the power windows stopped working at the same time. I took a quick look at a wiring diagram and saw that it was a fairly simple system. A power window fuse, power window relay and power window switches.

The 40 amp power window fuse is located in the underhood fuse box. It is the second fuse down from the top left corner of the fuse box legend.

I looked closely at the fuse and could see that it was okay. Looking however does not let you know if there sis power there or not. Also sometimes it is very hard to tell by visual inspection that a fuse of this style is good or not.

To be absolutely sure this is what I do. After first removing the fuse in question, I use a small screwdriver to release the locking tabs on the window or clear cover.

With the cover removed I could get a clear view of the fuse element and it was good.

To go one step further, I reinstalled the fuse and checked for power on both sides of the fuse with a test light. Obviously power is present and the fuse was indeed good.

The next thing that I wanted to do was to check the power window relay. I looked in the component locators,in the data base that I use and the only reference that I could find to it was that it is located in the junction block. Not knowing where the relay was prompted me to remove the driver's door panel and check to see if power was present at the connector.

There were several screws to be removed from the door panel. Two at the rear edge. Tow at the front edge, Two at the lower edge. One at the bottom of the pull grip. One that holds the interior door release handle bezel in place. Then at the bottom of the panel find a hand hold and pull the panel to release the plastic retaining pins. There were three harness connectors that had to be released and they were quite difficult due to the ngles. Each one has a locking tab that has to be released first.

I located the pink power supply wire to the power window switch and there was no power present, with the key on. Now I have to find the relay. One of my best friends was at my shop at this time working on a ATV and mentioned that I should do an search online. I laughed and told him that you cannot find information like this on line and that is one of the many reasons why I started Sparky's Answers. I did however give it a try and sure enough plenty of questions and no answers. It did remind me that Kia has a very friendly information site so I went there and signed up so that I could find the information in the dealer site. I am sad to say that I could not find a location there either.
After coming back to the Optima, my friend asked me if I had found the answer. I said "No, as usual the internet is useless when it comes to finding needed automotive technical information. At least what I need."
His reply was "Why don't you call the dealership and ask one of the mechanics there".
I looked him in the eyes and said " Do you even know me at all, I'm MoFlo Sparky at Sparky's Answers. I don't call people for trivial stuff like this. They call me!" We both busted out laughing and I told him to go back to playing with his ATV while I got to work.

Now to finally answer the question of just where is the power window relay on this Kia. It is the second relay from the left on the back side of the fuse/junction block. I am pointing to it in the picture below. The lower dash trim panel had to be removed to gain good access to it. First the left switch panel has to be removed. There is one screw at the upper edge of the opening once the switch panel is out. You can see the clip nut in the picture below. There are also two screws in the lower corners of that panel that have to be removed. From there the panel unsnaps from the dash. It is a little tedious though.

I put my fingers on the relay while I switched the ignition on and back off. No click. I removed the relay and testing it and it was okay. What next?

In looking closer at the wiring diagrams I found that the relay is controlled by the ECATS module. A complicated term for a body control module. I thought that maybe there was a problem in there so I wanted to remove and inspect it for damage. When I started figuring out how to remove it, I realized that the lower edge of it was loose. I snapped it into place and the key in warning buzzer sounded. I was pretty sure that this car was fixed.

I turned the ignition on and checked for power at the power window switch harness. As you can see it was back.

I put everything back together and checked to make sure everything worked. It did and this one was done.

2002 Buick Century Power Windows Do Not Work

2011-09-30T15:37:00.003-04:00

This 2002 Buick Century came in with the complaint that all of the power windows do not work. I decided the best place to start was the master power window switch. I used a small screwdriver to depress the locking tab and lifted the front edge of the switch up.

I checked for power supply at the yellow wire, terminal "G". Power was present with the ignition on.

I used the seat bracket for a ground location for my test light.

Since I knew I had power at terminal "G", I used it as a power source to check for a ground on terminal "B". I also used a jumper wire as a means of connection between the clamp on my test light and terminal "G" of the harness connector. No light meant no ground was present.

Normally I would suspect a broken wire in the driver's door jamb wiring. I pulled the harness boot loose from the body and the door. I saw no problem there.

I looked around to see where the harness connected in the interior and could not see anything. I felt around in the hole in the body and could feel something that resembled a connector. I wiggled and pulled the harness and found this connector.

I flipped the latch and separated the two halves. I you will click on and enlarge the following picture you should notice two damaged terminals in the lower left corner of the connector.

The burn damage on the mating connector.

The blue locking comb had to be removed first.

I did not have the proper terminals to repair this connection. On top of that I am not sure the connector body would have held a new terminal anyways. So I went old school on it. I would normally run new wire through the connector bodies and spliced the wires on either side. Since this is on a moving harness, I checked to make sure my splicing terminals would fit in the connector body and be well insulated. They would. I next used a cordless drill and bits to cut the locking tabs out of the circuit holes. I spliced a new wire onto the door side wire and ran it through the connector bodies.

I repeated the process with the other wire and pulled the splice connections into the connector bodies.

The only way I knew that I could do this was that the separators were not damaged and that would keep the connectors from touching each other.

I fished my two wires through the other connector body.

I then worked on pulling the wires and moving the connector bodies back together. making sure to keep everything properly aligned. It took some effort but it finally went back together and snapped into place.

Then I cut and spliced my two new wires to the old wires that were in the body side connector body. I felt good about putting the splice in this location as there is little if any movement onside the body cavity.

All spliced back together and ready to put back into the body and door cavities.

I connected the switch back to the wiring and turned the key on. Then driver's power window went straight down without the switch being depressed. I guess that explains what burnt the circuits out.

Terminals "B" and "G" need to be replaced in the main harness connector for the driver's door switch as well. The customer declined doing that repair at this time. If you were to find yourself needing this connector, it is the same connector that is used for the blower motor resistor. Please click here to see.

What originally happened on this vehicle was that the driver's power window switch failed and applying constant power and ground to the driver's power window motor. That overloaded the circuits and burnt the terminals. Had the driver known what to do they could have simply removed the power window circuit breaker and saved all of the wiring headaches. Ignorance sure can be expensive or profitable, depending on your point of view.

How To Find A Good Repair Shop / Mechanic?

2011-09-24T17:55:00.003-04:00

You know this question gets kicked around a lot and I have read others recommendations on how to find a good repair shop so I thought I would give my opinions. The number one way to find a good automotive repair shop is to ask! The only problem is who do you ask? You can always ask friends, family and even perfect strangers but let's face the truth, if these people really knew anything about auto repairs they would be in the business. Your friends and family can relate to you that the problem was or was not fixed. They can relate their feelings about the services but "do they really know what a good shop or mechanic really is?"

Some of the problems that come from asking this group of people are:

1. Timeline of repair history. Did your friend or family member have their experience with a repair shop last week, last month, last year or several years ago? Shops can change for the better or for the worse within a few days, let alone months or years. You could visit a shop today and have a particular experience (good or bad) and tomorrow the key person responsible for that experience (good or bad) could be gone. That person could have just been having a great or terrible day themselves (an average of experiences means more than a single experience). I usually am quite honest with my customers, if I am having a particularly bad day, I let them know. Of course I wear my emotions on my sleeve and therefore it is pretty easy to tell about me. I know that about myself and normally I will pre apologize for not being my normal self.

2. Frequency of repairs, did your relative or friend visit a particular repair shop once, twice or many times. I will let you in on something. If you visit a shop once you are a consumer. If you visit a shop several times you are a customer. In the services industries of which an auto repair shop is part of, a consumer is some one that comes in once (usually with the worst of needs) and you know in your heart will likely never return for anything simple. A customer however is some one that will frequent the establishment and likely return for future needs of all sizes. Most shops do not consciously think of it this way (I Do) but it is just part of being human. The more you see a person the more comfortable you are around them and the better you will treat them. Both a good shop and a good customer are trying to find out if this first step, in the relationship is going to work or not. Once you have found a good shop remember to be a customer and not a consumer. Equally important once a shop has found a good customer take care of them. I have dozens if not a few hundred of what I consider to be really good customers. I will do whatever it takes to help them (within reason of course) and this includes delaying service on a consumers vehicle. Would you rather be considered a "good customer" or a "consumer" if your car was broken?

3. Attitude, Ask yourself this question. Would you want to do anything for your friend or family member, that requires you charging them a fee? If you would great. If you would not, then find someone else to ask! If they are too much of a pain in the rear for you to deal with, chances are they will not have a good opinion of any shop and very little knowledge can be gained.

4.The people to ask are the counter people at your local parts stores. This works whether you are in your home town or traveling. If you have a problem you cannot handle yourself and need the services of a professional mechanic go to your local parts store, explain the type of vehicle and the type of symptom you are experiencing. Then ask, "If it were their vehicle, who would they take it to?" Repeat this at several parts stores in the area and if one name keeps coming up that is where you should go. Although they cannot discuss the actual details, the part stores know a lot about shops and mechanics.

For example they know if the shop is credit worthy and actually pay their bills. They know if the shop has a high parts return ratio (this means the shop is trying parts in order to fix cars, rather than diagnosing). They know the general demeanor of the shop (are they easy or hard to get along with). They hear a lot of feedback from their customers about shop experiences (sometimes accurate, sometimes not). Believe it or not the best thing to hear about a shop is that "They are a little expensive but they fix it right the first time." I may be a little biased, because this is the most common statement about my shop and I like it for two reasons.

1: I know what I have to charge to stay in business.

2: I know I will fix the vehicle if I agree to do so.

I know that I am a little different but I also know I am not alone in this industry. There are a lot of really good shops and mechanics out there. There are also a lot of really good customers out there. The problem is getting the two together. Maybe my opinions will help.

1994 Chevrolet Caprice, Runs Hot

2011-09-21T16:54:00.007-04:00

This 1994 Chevrolet caprice came in with the complaint that the engine runs hot. I ran the engine while monitoring the temperature with the dash gauge, a Tech 2 scan tool and an infrared heat gun. The coolant gauge was reading hot but with the infrared heat gun it was not.

Data stream also confirmed that it was not running hot.

The cooling fans came on at 219 "F" and there were no signs of a overheated engine except for the dash gauge.

The cooling fans were actually on when I took this picture but with the flash and the speed of my camera they look like they are not turning.

It was time to shift my testing to an inaccurate temperature gauge. The temperature sending unit on this caprice is located near the rear of the passenger cylinder head.

After the engine had cooled down somewhat, I reached under the exhaust manifold and unplugged the sending unit.

I got out my decade resistance box and set it at about 1400 ohms.

I then connected one end to ground and the other end to the sender harness. I did use a jumper wire with the proper size terminal on the end that was probing the harness connector.

The temperature gauge went to full cold as it should have.

I reset my decade resistance box to 55 ohms and connected the leads as I had earlier.

Now it reads full hot as it should. I now have a diagnosis of a faulty temperature sending unit.

I replaced the sending unit and ran the engine again to confirm the repair.

I was also again comparing it to scan data.

So in the end this was not a run hot condition. Instead it was an inaccurate gauge reading leading the driver to think the engine was running hot.

I realize that most readers will not have a decade resistance box but you can go to an electronics supply company and buy a 1400 ohm and a 55 ohm resistor to test with.

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, Replacing The Right Front Power Window Regulator Assembly

2011-09-20T10:54:00.051-04:00

This 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo came in with the passenger front window down. The driver said she heard a pop and then the window went down. Sounds like the power window regulator cable broke.

The door panel is fairly easy to remove. One phillips headed screw at the bottom of the door pull.

One T20 torx screw behind the interior door handle.

Using a small screwdriver, lift the cover as shown below. There is a phillips headed screw under the cover.

Going around the outer edge of the door panel are push pin fasteners. Pull the door panel loose from the door one fastener at a time.

Disconnect the mirror wiring .

Rotate the locking tabs for the linkage.

Lift the linkage from the locking tabs.

Disconnect the wiring for the passenger switch assembly. The locking tab is underneath.

My thumb is on the locking tab in the next picture.

Remove the speaker assembly. Four phillips headed screws and one harness connector.

As carefully as possible pull the vapor barrier from the door panel.

There are clips at either end of the attaching bar that have to be removed to separate the window glass from the regulator assembly.

It only take a little force to pull the metal clips out. The new regulator should already have new clips installed.

A good look at the clip.

The window glass has two pins that have to be maneuvered out of the white plastic bushing that the clips were in. Once it is free I used suction cup cables to hold the glass up. You may need an assistant to do that for you.

There are three bolts that hold the regulator to the door. There are three nuts that hold the motor attaching plate to the door.

One more regulator bolt at the bottom of the door.

Shift the red bar so that the black latch will release and disconnect the wiring for the motor.

With all of the fasteners and connections released the regulator assembly will now slide out of the bottom of the door.

After the new regulator is secured in the door the glass can be lowered to the attaching bar. Line the pins up to the white plastic mounts and snap into position. Make sure the pins are fully seated.

I had to take my time and secure the vapor barrier to the door and re enforce it with black duct tape.

I put everything back together one step at a time and this one is done.

2006 Toyota Tundra, Power Windows and A/C Not Working

2011-09-19T13:36:00.008-04:00

This 2006 Toyota Tundra came in with the complaint that the power windows and air conditioner did not work. The customer had stated that the battery went dead a couple of times and he would just jump it off. The last time he changed the battery.

I was pretty sure one of the multi fuse link assemblies would be damaged in the underhood fuse box.

I guessed that it would be the black one because it had two visible cables attached to it.

Sure enough no power to one of the cable connections as shown below.

I connected one of my heavier duty in line fuse holders into the system for testing.

I now had power and the fuse did not blow. My thinking is that someone had hooked jumper cables up backwards at some point and blew the fuse.

I decided to connect by charging system analyzer up and check the amperage going through this circuit.

When I first checked it, the reading was 80 amps. It settled down to 59 amps by the time I got the picture.

Just to show the relationship between amps and heat I also took a temperature check of the fuse and fuse holder. The peak was 158 F.

The fuse itself was easy enough to change. one bolt, one nut and it pulled out.

I did have to use a pair of pliers to get it released initially.

I had not paid a lot of attention to it but there is a 7.5 amp fuse that should be removed at the end of the fuse assembly. One side of it is still attached to the fuse assembly in the next picture.

The new fuse assembly on the left and the old one on the right.

The blown fuse in towards the lower right hand corner. It is horizontal and clearly blown.

I lined the new assembly up in the fuse box and firmly pushed it into position. It has to be fully seated in order the get the screw in without cross threading anything.

Installed the cable and nut on the stud.

Installed the 7.5 amp fuse at the end of the assembly.

I had to check the remaining fuses, clear codes and finish checking out the vehicle. The power windows and a/c are now working as well.

I originally thought that someone had connected the battery or jumper cables and blew the fuse. Now after seeing the amperage out put of the alternator and the rating on the factory fuse, I think the fuse blew by design or accident to protect the alternator from being damaged by an excessively low battery condition. The fuse is supposed to be rated at 140 amps. There are two options for the alternator on this truck. One is a 100 amp unit and the other is a 130 amp unit. In theory the 130 amp alternator operating at full output for and extended period of time could melt the fuse material. In a close up look at the damaged fuse it looks melted. It does not have the flash marks on the clear plastic indicating a blown fuse caused by a strong short. at this point it is just my opinion but I would be interested if others have this same condition and can confirm nothing was connected backwards.