Page 13 – Sparky's Answers

2004 Chrysler Pacifica, Door Locks & Interior Lights Do Not Work

This 2004 Chrysler Pacifica came in with the complaint that the power door locks and interior lights do not work unless the ignition is on. I also found that the remote control did not work either. The problem was quite simple in the end but it took a little research to find it.

Chrysler uses an IOD (Ignition Off Draw) fuse in the IPM (Integrated Power Module) to put the vehicle into long term storage mode. The IOD fuse is installed into a plastic carrier that has an offset built into it. Rotating the fuse carrier 180 degrees determines if battery power or ignition power will be supplied to the systems on that fuse. I am pointing to the IOD fuse in the next picture and it is positioned for normal operation of all systems.

The next picture shows the IOD fuse and carrier being removed from the IPM.

Note that down in the fuse cavity there are three terminals.

The fuse carrier accommodates all three terminals. Two will connect to the fuse terminals and the third will enter the recess in the carrier. With the fuse towards the bottom battery power is supplied to the circuits.

With the fuse positioned towards the top ignition power is supplied to the circuits.

I should point out that top and bottom references are from the viewpoint of standing in front of the driver’s front tire and looking across the fender into the IPM.

2007 Acura MDX Battery Goes Dead

This 2007 Acura MDX came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead. Usually after sitting a day or more. I checked and sure enough there was a small drain present most of the time and sometimes it would spike higher. Since I was already familiar with a common drain on the TL chassis I decided to look for the Hands Free Link module (HFL). My component locator showed the HFL module being located at the rear of the center console.

Since the ambient temperature was about 70 F I was able to use the simplest of tests. I opened the lid of the center console and felt the surface temperature of the panels. The section where I have my hand located in the next picture was slightly warm compared to the rest of the panels.

It took a fair amount of wiggling and pulling to get the clips that hold the rear panel in place to release. The HFL can now be seen in the next picture.

A simple disconnect of the harness connector and the drain was gone.

And like most customers, the owner of this vehicle elected to just leave the HFL disconnected rather than replacing it.

2000 Cadillac DeVille, B1009 Anti Theft Warning Message and Security Light On

This 2000 Cadillac Deville came in with the complaint that the anti theft system lights and messages were on but the vehicle always cranked up just fine. Of course when the vehicle was dropped off at my shop all of the lights were out and everything was normal.

I did a code check and found the history codes B1009 for an EEPROM checksum error, B2734 for coded key controller memory failure and B3055 for a key not being detected. The diagnosis is pretty straight forward for the code B1009. According to GM SI it is an internal fault of the anti theft or PK3 module.

I installed the new part and expected to have the key learned automatically by the new PK3 module. Worst case, I knew I may have to perform a theft system relearn. Not the case. The key would not learn and the engine would not start. I tried doing the manual relearn procedure but it would not take. So I went ahead and connected to GM TIS2Web and performed a VTD relearn.

The procedure went well and the engine started but all of the anti theft messages and lights were on and would not go out. I rechecked the codes and now I had two codes: B3031 and B3055. Code B3031 means that the PK3 module is in assembly learn mode. The code B3055 means that a key has not been detected, it would make sense then that it could not be learned. It was also an old code. I called a locksmith friend of mine and asked if he could test the key for me. He did and it tested good. We went ahead and made another brand new key just in case (B3055 previously stored) but that did not work either. Time to do some research.

I found a document #PIC3895 that applied to my situation. The subject of the document is DTCs B3031 and B3055 being set after PK3 module replacement. It applies to the model year 2000 Cadillac Deville made prior to VIN breakpoint YU315493. The VIN on this car was YU24**** so it was definitely made prior.

That document was issued after the TSB # 00-02-35-006 that pointed out the change from a plastic lock cylinder housing to a metal lock cylinder housing. The change was made because of plastic debris entering the lock cylinder and causing it to stick and or bind in the housing.

I do not understand why it is not stated plainly in the Service Information but here is what I understand happened.

The manufacturer initially used a plastic lock cylinder housing during production. Early on they determined that plastic shavings were entering the lock cylinder and causing it to stick. There was a running change made to the design of the housing changing it from plastic to metal. The original PK3 module would not work with the new metal design so it had to be changed as well. Good, problem resolved.

I was sold part number 10355946 (shown below) which is the correct replacement part for the PK3 module. However according to the VIN I should have been sold a number 26089463 kit which includes a new metal lock cylinder housing.

It would seem the repair and parts supply side of the system may have been overlooked. Or it may have been, as it was in my case, the parts department did not use the VIN in looking up the replacement part. The original TSB#00-002-35-006 was issued in August of 2000. GM issued the PIC3895 document on Febuary1, 2006. At that point GM documented that the original plastic lock cylinder housing would not work properly with the replacement PK3 module and it had to be replaced with the metal housing.

I am very thankful that GM issued PIC3895 so that those of us on the service side could determine the cause of the DTCs B3031 and B3055. My problem was caused by being sold the 10355946 when I should have been sold the 26089463 kit.

The first picture below shows the new PK3 module while the second picture shows the old PK3 module. They look alike except for the label.

The old PK3 module and plastic lock cylinder housing.

The housing attaches with two screws at the left of the housing. Those two screws are hidden under the steering column locking plate.

There is a third screw that is located to the right center in the next picture.

The new metal lock cylinder housing and PK3 module installed.

The keys were learned when installed to the new assembly as they should have been originally. I did not show all of the details of replacing these parts since you have to have specialized tools and experience to complete it. My main goal was to help other professional mechanics that may not have access to factory service bulletins.

2009 Saturn Aura, No Charge Condition

This 2009 Saturn Aura came in with the complaint that the alternator would not charge. Originally it came in for a no crank condition that was diagnosed as a faulty PCM. The vehicle was sent to a local dealership to have the PCM replaced under warranty. The car only had just over 31,000 miles on it. The PCM was replaced and programmed and now cranks and runs but the customer was advised that the alternator was not charging properly and it would cost about $700 USD to have the alternator replaced. The customer thought this was high since he knew he could have the alternator off and back on in about 30-45 minutes. He knew that since he had already taken it off before, along with the starter and some other parts when he was trying to diagnose the no crank/run condition himself.

I advised him to make sure that the battery was fully charged and then bring the car by so I could run some quick checks on it. I saw the car as he was pulling in the lot and motioned him to a particular bay. As he pulled in I heard what sounded like the cooling fan running on very high speed. I asked him to open the hood and I checked to see if it was the fan making the noise. The fan was not on.

The noise was in the general area of the fan and the only thing that I could see in the vicinity was the starter. I lightly placed my hand on the starter and could feel that the starter was the source of the noise and very hot. Since I could reach the starter wiring from the top of the engine compartment, I reached down and disconnected the “S” terminal wire from the solenoid. The starter continued to run. I turned off the ignition and the starter stopped turning. There must be something wrong with the starter! This a lot of stuff going wrong with a car that only has 31,000 miles on it. I racked the car up and lifted it in preparation of changing the starter and this is what I saw. I immediately knew what was wrong.

A closer look finds the blue fusible link wire attached to the motor stud of the starter solenoid. The other end of that wire attaches to the alternator output stud.What I found interesting was that the starter motor was being powered by the alternator output wire after the engine was running and the alternator was charging. With the key off the starter would stop running since the alternator was also turned off. This set up allowed the starter motor to turn without the drive mechanism being engaged into the flywheel. Had the drive been engaged and the car driven the starter would have blown up internally.

Consulting with the customer we decided to replace the starter anyways. The car had been driven with the starter running a total of about an hour. That is a lot of run time for a component that is designed to function for about one minute at a time before extensive cooling down.

Anyways the new starter was installed and the wires were placed in the correct positions.

Now the starter and the alternator worked as designed. I know that the customer was ultimately to blame for incorrectly installing the wire on the wrong terminal but I have to wonder about the systemic breakdown at the dealership that allowed this vehicle to leave their facility without correctly advising the customer of the real issue.

2008 Chevrolet Colorado Blower Inop All Speeds

This 2008 Chevrolet Colorado came in with the complaint that the blower would work sometimes however the condition had worsened and now it did not work at all. Up until now I have always found two common problems with the blower systems on these Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Isuzu I Series trucks.

If the blower works on high but does not work on some or most of the lower speeds the issue is a damaged blower resistor and harness connector. If this is your only issue you can find the needed parts here.

If the blower does not work on any speed the issue has always been a bad ground at splice pack located behind the engine air filter assembly.

Now it seems there is another cause for the blower not working at all. No power on the brown wire at the two wire blower motor harness connector. Of course if both power and ground are present at the blower motor harness connector and the blower does not work that would mean that the blower motor itself was faulty.

Power for the brown wire at the blower motor comes from the blower fuse in the underhood fuse box. It was both good and powered with the ignition on. Because of the design the fuse or the translucent fuse cover has to be removed to perform testing.

Since I had never encountered this exact problem before on this body style of truck, I went with general experience and checked the condition of the wiring under the fuse box. The brown wire in the white harness connector body is the power feed wire to the blower motor. There was no problem found here.

I looked around under the hood and under the dash to get a feel for how the wiring harnesses are routed. I decided the best place to investigate was behind the passenger side kick panel shown below.

There is an in line harness connector located behind that kick panel and if you look closely you should see a slight discolorization in the gray plastic body.

There is the problem. The terminals that connect the brown power feed wire have overheated and no longer connect the circuit through the connector body.

Since it was only one wire and it would have taken too much money and time to replace the whole connector, I elected to cut the wire on both sides of the connector body and splice them back togther with a new wire.

Now power has been restored to the brown wire at the blower motor harness connector.

Another one done.

1999 Ford E150 Air Only Blows Out The Defroster Vents

This 1999 Ford E150 van came in with the complaint that the a/c would only blow out of the defroster. The mode actuators in this vehicle are vacuum controlled so checking vacuum is the first point in the diagnostic routine. There is a vacuum hose splice connector under the hood on the passenger side of the vehicle. The hose is red on one side and black on the other. There should be engine vacuum on the red hose. There was vacuum present with the engine running on the red hose. The next test point was under the passenger side of the dash.

The next test point was under the passenger side of the dash. Looking up under the passenger side of the dash there are two vacuum hoses one black and the other white. There is also a junction point for those hoses to connect to the rest of the dash system.

This is what the connector looks like when it is disconnected and pulled down.

There should be engine vacuum on the black hose. Of course the engine needs to be running. There was no vacuum present.

Following the black hose back to the firewall, another connection point can be found. There is a piece of translucent pink hose that joins the interior black hose to an exterior black hose.

Since I knew I had vacuum to the black hose under the hood and I had none at the interior firewall, I surmised that the hose was damaged somewhere in between. I could not see exactly where the hose went from under the hood so I just wanted to run a new hose. I used a 10-12 gauge splicing connector and spliced the black hose to a piece of 12 gauge wire.

The wire was about four feet long and I tied a knot on the other end to prevent pull through.

I carefully wiggled and pulled the hose and wire back through from under the hood. I found that there was a vacuum check valve and a dry rotted piece of rubber hose that would have attached to a vacuum reservoir.

I looked and looked for the vacuum reservoir and could not find it so the next step was to remove the battery and the battery tray.

Still no sign of a vacuum reservoir.

It turns out that the vacuum reservoir is located under the HVAC case assembly. Between the case and the inner fender. The next picture shows what the reservoir looks like. I bought a new one to get an idea of the shape, size and possible location. I did not want to remove the entire case assembly I started looking at options to install it in a new location.

With the battery tray removed I noticed that there was an extra hole that was not used in mounting the battery tray. The vacuum reservoir fit nicely on the side of the bracket and the mounting holes lined up.

After securing the vacuum reservoir I attached a new hose and ran it up to the top of the HVAC case.

I had to drill a hole in the plastic battery tray to clear the head of the new bolt that was installed to mount the reservoir. I used the dirt ring to identify the location of the new hole.

The battery tray installed over the mounting bolt.

I had to reconfigure the hose attachments to the vacuum check valve as follows. The part that I have my finger on in the next picture is the hose that attaches to the vacuum reservoir. The short black plastic hose was relocated to the opposite end of the check valve and the long plastic hose attached to the tee fitting and routes back to the inside of the vehicle. The rubber ends that are on the black plastic hoses are different sizes so I had to use a small pick to free the rubber ends from the black plastic hoses.

Using the same piece of wire that I had left in place, I pulled the long plastic hose back to the inside of the vehicle and reattached the connections. In the process of attaching and removing the guide wire I lost a minimal 1/4 to 1/2 and inch of hose length. That did not matter though as the relocation procedure actually made up for that amount and more.

The part number for the vacuum reservoir is YC2Z-19A566-AA

The vent controls now worked as designed. In case you are not familiar with the whole idea of check valves and vacuum reservoirs they are installed to help prevent vacuum door movement under medium to hard acceleration when engine vacuum drops. Without these parts the vent positions would shift every time the vehicle was accelerated.

2006 Nissan Maxima, Gauges and A/C Inop

This 2006 Nissan Maxima came in with the complaint that the gauges and the a/c controls did not work. After the obvious fuse checks I went to the most common location for this problem in Nissan Maximas.

The problem is located behind the a/c control panel and repairs start with removing the shifter knob or handle assembly. To do this the bottom trim piece needs to be pulled straight down. Some wiggling is needed.

Removing Shifter Knob 2006 Nissan Maxima, Step 1

Removing Shifter Knob 2006 Nissan Maxima, Step 2

Once the trim piece is lowered the retaining clip will be exposed. Use a screwdriver or a pair of pliers to pull the clip out. Be careful not to lose it.

Removing Shifter Knob 2006 Nissan Maxima, Step 3

In the following picture you can see all three parts of the handle. The knob at the far right. The lower trim tube in the center and the retaining clip to the left.

Shifter Handle/Knob Parts, 2006 Nissan Maxima

To remove the shifter’s trim panel it can be lifted at the rear of the panel as shown below.

Removing the Shifter Trim Panel, 2006 Nissan Maxima

After the trim plate is lifted you will find that there are wires attached to the front edge.

I found it easier to disconnect the wiring on the passenger side of the panel first. Then it can be rolled to the left to disconnect the remaining wires. There are thumb latches or locks that have to be depressed before the harness connector can be removed.

Now that the shifter’s trim panel is out of the way the two lower attaching screws for the a/c controls and the cover over the cassette player are exposed and easily removed.

The lower edge can then be pulled out and then the top can be worked free. There is a ribbon cable connector that has to be taken loose. Care should be taken as it is easily broken.

There are two more screws at the lower edge of the radio control panel. Once removed it too can be pulled loose from the dash.

There are wires attached to the backside of the panel.

Now that all of the panels are removed you can finally see the unified meter and a/c amplifier module assembly. The white box in the middle of the next picture with the ribbon cable attached.

I took a quick look at the underside of the module and saw this. Those do not look like factory holes in the plastic.

I finished removing the attaching screws for the center stack assembly.

After pulling it loose from the dash I could access the screws on the side panels. I removed the two upper screws that hold the display face in place. The screws only need to be removed from one side of the assembly.

There are two screws that I had to take out that attach the module to the frame. One on either side and the rear of the assembly.

The screws are different so I was sure not to mix them up. The screws that held the display are shorter and have machine threads. The ones that attach to the plastic module are longer and have much coarser threads.

Note the slot in the module case resembles that of a piggy bank. When shaken it rattles like there is something loose inside.

I went ahead and removed the five phillips headed screws that hold the module together.

I lifted and removed the one cover.

Then I lifted the circuit board and found 21 cents inside the cover.

There were multiple burn marks on the circuit board.

There were also burnt spots on the coins.

The new module is supplied with a piece of felt tape covering the slot. The old module had the part number 27760 7Y01A printed on the outside cover. The new part had the part number 27760-7Y01B on the box.

In a previous life the horizontal panel below the display was used as a shelf. At least for coins.

The new module installed and everything back to normal.

The motto of this repair would be “read the owners manual and only use recommended spaces for storage”. Another adage would be “When does $0.10 plus $0.10 plus $0.01 equal $400+? When you use the unified meter and a/c amplifier module as a piggy bank.”

2001 Lincoln Continental, Speedometer and Tach Inop

This 2001 Lincoln Continental came in with the complaint that the speedometer and the tachometer were not working. The mileage displayed dashes instead of digits. There were “Check Traction Control” and “Check Transmission” fault messages. The “Service Engine Soon” light was on and codes P0500, P1502, P1744 and U1039 were stored in the PCM. That is a lot of stuff going on in one vehicle.

When I got in the care to pull it in the shop the first thing that I noticed was a relatively new radio install. It had the the look of a BYB. The head unit was not securely mounted and was not flush or square.

The amplifier wires were not properly routed behind panels.

More poor radio install work. The wires were stripped back, the bare wire was jammed into the fuse block and wedged in place by the fuse. This practice effectively ruins the fuse block because it over compresses the spring tab in the fuse block terminal. Back to the problem at hand though. Notice the empty fuse cavity just above the green, 30 amp fuse in the center of the fuse box?

The fuse cavity is labeled as number 15. Checking the wiring diagrams I found that it supplies power to the ABS EVAC & FILL connector and the RESCU (Remote Emergency Satellite Cellular Unit) Module. I did not search through all of the vehicle’s wiring diagrams but it did seem unlikely that this one fuse could cause all of the listed issues. I went ahead and installed a new 10 amp fuse as shown in the next picture.

I rechecked and everything was back to working as it should. The only exception was that the SES light was on. I went the further step of checking and clearing the codes in all modules.

Another one fixed.

2009 Chevrolet Impala, Changing The Battery

This 2009 Chevrolet Impala came in the shop for some routine work and in completing those tasks I noted that the battery went dead within ten minutes of having the ignition on. A good battery would have been able to crank the engine if the key had been left on for thirty minutes to an hour. For the sake of argument I did recharge the battery with a battery charger and properly load tested the battery even though I was 99 percent sure it was no good.

Changing the battery in this vehicle can be a little bit of a pain, but in reality it is not that hard.

The first step is to remove the diagonal cross brace. There are three attaching bolts. All have 13 mm heads. There is one at the rear of the brace.

Two at the front.

Once the brace is loosened it can be rolled over so that access to the wiring harness retainer can be gained. Using a tool similar to the one I am using makes the job easier but it is not necessary.

The fuse junction block is attached to the strut tower by two 11 mm nuts that are screwed onto studs.

There is a latch that has to be lifted to remove the junction block cover.

The battery can most likely be changed without removing the junction block cover but I find that little bit of extra room helpful.

If you are like me and want to install a secondary battery to maintain system voltage, the cover needs to come off anyway.

Now that everything is mostly out of the way and the backup battery has been installed, it is actually time to start removing that battery. There is one 13mm headed bolt that secures the battery hold down bracket.

Both battery terminals have 10mm nuts securing the terminal clamps.

Care must be taken when removing the positive cable since it is hot and will be during the entire process. Remember the secondary battery that was installed to maintain voltage and system memory?

Note two things in the following picture. The red cover is protecting the positive battery terminal end that has been positioned out of the way. Also I rotated the battery to line up with angled portion of the radiator support panel. Doing this allows the battery to be picked up and out of the car relatively straight.

In the process of installing the new battery there are a couple of small things that I like to do. First is to clean out the debris from under the battery. I normally just use a shop vac and vacuum it out. I also apply a small amount of anti seize grease to the hold down bolt.

I also like to put just a little bit of grease under the the tapered lip of the terminal nuts. The nut does not need to be removed to do this. I removed just so I could show how the lower surface of the nut is tapered. This tapered edge work as a lever to tighten the terminal onto the battery post.

When re installing the junction block it is important to slide the lower tab into the slot in the inner fender panel or shock tower.

And there is a successfully installed genuine ACDelco replacement battery.

2006 Hummer H3, Blower Inop / Erratic

This 2006 Hummer H3 came in with the complaint that the blower had been working sometimes but now the blower motor had stopped working completely. The most common failure point for this system is the blower resistor and it’s harness connector. This repair applies to 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010 H3 Hummer. Both are located beneath the glove box area. A simple visual inspection confirmed that this resistor was damaged.

There are some replacement connectors available but I could not get a hold of one, on the day I needed to complete this repair. Also they tend to be rather cheap looking. My plan was to remove the damaged terminals and splice new wire and terminal assemblies into the harness. This would require reusing the red connector body. I have the original terminals in stock.

First I pried the white secondary locking bar from the end connector body.

The plastic around the orange wire (shown below) was melted into the terminal so I had to resort to brute force to remove it.

Since I wanted to reuse the red connector body, I had to take the time to file the cavity out so that the new terminal would fit into the connector body.

By the time I had it filed out enough to accommodate the terminal it would slide through the body some. That is okay since it can only travel so far due to the resistor butting up to it.

If the connector body had been too damaged, I would have removed the excess plastic and slid a piece of heat shrink tubing over the end of the terminal to prevent it shorting out on anything else.