Service Slants

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RDX Air Mix Door Linkage

on the MIL and log DTC P2181(cooling system performance) incomputer memory. If there are noother codes stored and no symptomsor problems related to the coolingsystem, the DTC is probably bogusand caused by software glitches in thePCM. Reprogramming the modulewith updated software should elimi-nate further ghost codes. To do theflash, you’ll need a wiTECH orequivalent scanner operating at re-lease 11.03 or higher. The actual cali-bration files can be retrieved fromTechCONNECT via the internet.

Vehicles that are susceptible to thebogus cooling system code and canbenefit from the updated calibrationsoftware are: 2007-09 Chrysler Se-brings and Dodge Avengers with the2.7 and 3.5L engines and automatictransmissions; 2008-09 Town & Coun-

AcuraCreak or squeak from underneathinstrument panel. Drivers of some2007-09 RDX trucks may complain ofan irritating squeaking or creakingsound from under the dash panelwhen adjusting the temperature onthe HVAC panel. One likely cause ofthe noise, reports Acura, is insufficientlubrication at the driver’s-side air mixdoor linkage. Lubing the linkage witha special grease (Part No. 08798-9012)should silence the noise permanently.Here’s how to go about it:

Start the job by getting under thedash and disconnecting the six-pinelectrical connector from the acceler-ator pedal module. Next, remove thetwo retaining nuts, followed by thepedal module itself. Disconnect theelectrical connector from the driver’s-side air mix control motor, then re-move the three screws and pull themotor off the HVAC case. Using theillustration at right as reference, re-move the screw/pan washer, detachthe cable from the water valve leverand pull the valve lever off the case.Apply the special grease to both sidesof the lever and the lever’s pivot seat,as shown.

Now reinstall the water valve lever,reattach the cable and reinstall thewasher and screw, tightened withlight torque; the washer should rotatefreely around the screw. Apply thegrease to the pin and groove on theair mix control motor, position themotor on the HVAC case and installand tighten the three retainingscrews. Reinstall the accelerator ped-al module, torquing the two retainingbolts to 10 ft.-lbs. To complete thefix, reconnect the pedal module elec-trical connector, start the vehicle andadjust the temperature on the controlpanel to verify that the creak orsqueak has been eliminated.

ChryslerMIL illuminated, cooling systemDTC stored. Chrysler says quite afew of its 2007-10 vehicles may turn

try and Grand Voyager minivans withthe 3.3, 3.8 and 4.0L engines; 2009Dodge Journeys and Challengers withthe 2.7 and 3.5L engines and automat-ic transmissions; and 2007-10 Chrysler300s, 300Cs and Dodge Chargers andMagnums with the 2.7 and 3.5L en-gines and auto gearboxes.

GMBlack smoke on start-up. Some2009-12 GM cars and light truckswith the 3.0 and 3.6L direct-injectedengines may spew black smoke onstart-up following a prolonged coldsoak. While the smoke can look omi-nous to car owners and techniciansalike, it’s actually quite normal andpart of GM’s commitment to light offthe catalytic converter quicker in aneffort to reduce cold start emissions.

The General achieves the quicker

42 April 2012

Apply GreaseHere

Water ValveLever

Screw/PanWasher

Water ValveCable

Lubricating the plastic water valve lever and its seat with a special grease,as shown here, should eliminate creaks and squeaks under the instrumentpanels when adjusting cabin temperature on 2007-09 Acura RDX models.

converter light-off through a uniquedual-pulse injection strategy that runsthe air/fuel mix very rich for up to aminute after start-up. Rich mixturescause a converter to heat up veryquickly, and that’s exactly what thedual-pulse injection strategy does—only in a very controlled fashion.Once the converter lights off and thefeedback system goes into closedloop, fuel injection returns to normal.

The following vehicles are equippedwith the dual-pulse strategy and thusare prone to producing the smoky orsooty exhaust on start-up:2009-12 Buick Enclaves &

Lacrosses; Cadillac CTS, SRX& STS models; Chevy Malibus& Traverses; GMC Acadias

2010-12 Chevy Camaros &Equinox; GMC Terrains

FordMIL illuminated, DTC stored.Some 2007 Ford Edge and LincolnMKX models may be brought intoyour shop with the MIL on the dashilluminated. According to Ford, if theonly DTC you pull with your scanneris P0451, and there are no symptomsassociated with the code, chances arethe trouble is the result of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) in thefuel tank pressure sensor circuit. In-stalling a capacitor/jumper harness(Part No. 7T4Z-18801-C) into thecircuit should eliminate the interfer-ence and turn off the MIL. Detailedinstallation instructions are includedwith the jumper harness.

ChevroletLow clutch pedal, gear clashwhen shifting. Chevrolet reportsthat the clutch pedals on some 2005-09 Corvettes may engage very closeto the floor. According to the carmak-er, the problem will usually be ac-companied by gear clash when shift-ing, and could be due to design flawsin the clutch pressure plate and disc.

To nail the diagnosis, inspect theclutch hydraulic system for leaks ordamage. Repair or replace parts as

necessary. Next, make sure the fluidlevel in the clutch reservoir is up tothe fill line. Top off with DOT 4 brake

fluid, as required. Now get under thedash panel and pull up on the clutchpedal until it hits the top stop. This is

Tom Rosario

continued on page 44

43April 2012

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Circle #23

critical because the fill port to themaster cylinder isn’t uncovered untilthe pedal is up to the top of its stroke.

Once the pedal is up to the stop,recheck the fluid level in the reser-voir, again adding brake fluid as nec-essary. Now go on a road test andcheck the performance of the clutch.If the pedal engagement is normaland the shifting is smooth, the fix iscomplete. If not, replace the clutchdisc and pressure plate with revisedparts (Part No. 24248985 for the set).

Dodge Truck/JeepIntermittent no-start or keylessentry system. Owners of 2009Dodge Nitro and Jeep Wrangler andLiberty trucks may come into yourshop with a complaint that the engineintermittently won’t start or that thekeyless entry system periodically goeson the fritz.

If the MIL is off and no DTCs arestored when either problem occurs,chances are good that a signal glitch

in the remote key fob is responsible.Installing and programming an up-graded key fob should prevent fur-ther trouble. Here are the part num-bers of the new key fobs available:Model/System Part No.Nitro:With theft deterrent

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68001705AAWith remote start

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68026372AAWrangler:With theft deterrent

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68001702AAWith remote start

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68039414AALiberty:With theft deterrent

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68029833AAWith remote start

system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68029834AA

Ford TruckNo power, possible Check Air Fil-ter message on instrument clus-ter. Drivers of some 2008-09 6.4L F-

Super Duty trucks built on or before3/16/09 may complain that the bigpickup is down on power while accel-erating. In some instances, a CheckAir Filter message may be displayedon the instrument cluster messagecenter. According to Ford, the prob-lems always occur in snowy weather,and are due to the air filter elementbeing restricted by wet, heavy snow.Keeping the snow out of the aircleaner box is the obvious remedy.Here’s how to go about it:

Start by looking up the build dateon the truck. If it’s before 9/18/2007,install a new winter grille cover (PartNo. 8C3Z-19A414-A). Next, locatethe electronic filter minder indicatorand look at the engineering partnumber on it. If the part number is-n’t 8C34-9N622-AB, replace the in-dicator with an upgraded design(Part No. 8C3Z-9N622-A). Now re-move the auxiliary snow tube on theair box filter cover, followed by thecover itself.

44 April 2012

Service Slants

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45April 2012

Continue the fix by replacing the air filter element ifit’s wet or frozen. Now get a new snow deflector gasket(Part No. 9C3Z-9C664-A) and attach it to the rim of theair box. Install the air box cover, followed by auxiliarysnow tube. All that’s left is to make sure that the plasticbreather box on the end of the snow tube is positioned asafe distance from the turbocharger’s heat shields.

AcuraFront suspension noise. Acura reports that some2006 MDX trucks may produce a popping or clunkingsound from the front end during turns. The Japanesecarmaker says the noise affects vehicles between VINs2HNYD1…6H516731 and 2HNYD1…6H538287, andis the result of the power steering gear retaining boltsloosening at the subframe. Installing new-design retain-ing bolts (Part No. 90161-SJC-A00) at the pinion shaftarea should help prevent further noise issues. After in-stalling the two new bolts, torque them to 43 ft.-lbs.

SaturnIgnition key hard to remove and/or binds in lockcylinder. Saturn reports that the ignition key on some ofits 2006-09 Sky sports cars may be difficult to removeand/or bind in the lock cylinder when trying to start the ve-hicle. The recently defunct carmaker says that installing anew-design lock cylinder (Part No. 20869121) will elimi-nate further trouble. Full installation and coding instruc-tions are provided with the new cylinder.

FordScraping noise from rear of vehicle. Owners ofsome 2009 Focus models may complain of a scrapingsound from the rear of the car while driving. One likelycause of the noise, says Ford, is the rear brake shoesdragging against the drum. A misadjusted parkingbrake is the true villain. The problem can occur at oneor both drums. Readjusting the parking brake using thefollowing revised procedure should eliminate the dragcondition:

Start by loosening the adjustment nut at the parkingbrake lever to relieve tension on the parking brake ca-ble. Next, remove the drum that’s causing the noise.Now apply pressure to the spring retainer rod at the topof the adjuster and push the rod as far as you can to-ward the outside of the drum. Reinstall the drum, thenapply and release the brake pedal at least five times toset the adjustment. If necessary, repeat the drill at theother brake drum, snug up the adjustment nut at theparking brake lever, then go on a road test to ensurethat the brake drag condition has been eliminated.

ToyotaFront brake noise. Drivers of 2003-07 Corolla andMatrix models may complain that the front brakessqueak when hitting the pedal while moving slowly inReverse. One probable cause of the noise, reports Toy-

ota, is the front brake pads vibrating in the calipermounts. Installing new-design caliper mounts (Part No.47721-02141), brake pad support plates (04947-02120)and bushing dust boots (47775-02090) should silencethe noise and prevent further trouble.

GMRepeat supercharger failure. If you replace a super-charger on a late-model GM vehicle only to soon dis-cover that the replacement supercharger went by thewayside as well, you could be missing out on a vitalpiece of the diagnostic puzzle—the belt tensioner.

According to the folks at CARDONE Industries, abum belt tensioner is one of the leading causes of su-percharger failures on GM vehicles. Here’s why: As atensioner deteriorates with age, the tension on the beltincreases dramatically. Eventually, this results in a side-load effect on the pump’s rear bearing, which then liter-ally falls apart and seizes the entire assembly.

CARDONE says periodic belt tensioner inspectionshould be part of a regular maintenance routine on su-percharged engines. And not just on GM engines! Thisis especially critical if a supercharger suffered an earlydemise, because chances are the replacement pump willsuffer a similar fate.