ETCG Answers Questions Live #74 (AMA) 9/28/2016

[EricTheCarGuy]

I’m still getting used to this new system. Anyway, if you have a question for the show please post it here. I’ll be doing this one AMA style, so you can ask automotive as well as other questions and I’ll do my best to answer them on the show. This show will air 7pm EST 9/28/2016. Hope to see you there.

Topic

[Marco Osuna]

Hi Eric

Im a new member but I been following your video for a few months now, great videos by the way.

I have a 2013 Honda Odyssey LX, few day ago driving back home i noticed that the TCS light was on, tried to press the TCS switch to get set it back on, but it does not respond, I parked and turn down the engine and started back again, the light stills on.

OBD2 scan doesnt found any fault codes.

the manual says that i have to take it to the dealership, im the second owner for about 1 month already, previous to this problem I just replaced the four brake pads and sent the brake discs to rectified because it was shaky while braking, after that no more shaking while braking but now this TCS light came on.

Its there something i could do or just take it to the dealer.

Thanks!!

[Stephen Bowen]

Eric:

Several people complained the audio has dropouts and is very static filled in some spots. (Just to make you aware if no one else mentioned it)

[Nick Ouimet]

Isn’t copper too soft of a metal to use as a brake line?

[Ken]

Hey Eric,
Way back when you replaced a 5.3l LS engine and transmission into a suburban.
Did you have to swap PCM? Did you get the same year engine?

I have a rebuild 03 5.3l that I want to but into a 05 suburban. Ideas?

[Robert]

Hello Eric. Been meaning toake an account for some time and I finally just did!!

Anyway, my question is about a 95 Acura Integra. Dohc non V tech auto-tragic.

The car has almost 300k on the clock and I’m 99%sure that the trans went out. We bought the car used from my fiancé cousin (who is a mechanic at a local Chrysler Jeep dodge dealer) and 3 weeks after we bought, the trans lost movement while the woman was driving home from work. It wouldn’t move at the toll booth so she shut it off for 10 mins, fired it back up, and it went the mile and a half over the bridge, then lost movement again. I towed it back home where it has sat for a few months and the other day I got the motivation to did a little deeper. I fired it up and put it in drive. It made it about 30 or 40 feet before it lost movement in all gears and just revs like it’s in Neutral.
Someone told me a while back that the shift solenoids could be failing as soon as it gets a little warm causing it to move a little bit, then stop.

My question to you is, do the solenoids on these au to trans have a reputation for failing or is it more likely that the trans is just burnt out? If you think there is a possibility of the solenoids being bad, do you have a video on the testing of them? They are on the outside of the trans and easy to get to.

Let me know what you think. Thank you.

[rj polesky]

hey eric love your channel. i have a 2003 acura rsx base and i have a slight vibration when accelerating from stopped position?seems to be drivers side any thoughts

[Timothy]

Hi Eric!

I have a 94′ Honda Accord SE, I’ve recently had the valve cover gasket and head gasket replaced after discovering oil in the coolant reservoir tank. The car used to have over heating problems. The mechanic that replaced the gaskets had to have the head machined. Ever since I got the car back it seems to run hot. It reaches 3/4 towards hot while driving in 80ish degree weather, and at idle it is 3/4 or sometimes more. This sort of scares me considering I’ve had overheating issues before. Is this something normal after having the head machined? If not what should I be looking at? I also have a IR-thermometer that I can use to see the temps going in and out of the thermostat, and it seems to be opening when the engine get up to temp. What temps should I be looking for at the hoses?

Also the car intermittently revs once or twice at idle when I come to a stop and put it in park.

Non-car question: What games are you currently playing on your Xbox/Playstation? :p

[EricTheCarGuy]

Here’s the video for this show. I noticed when reading back through some of your postings, that I skipped over a few questions. This was NOT intentional. Because my computer was streaming at the time, it was difficult to get it to scroll properly when reading questions. My apologies for that. I’m getting used to the new set up. I feel in a couple more shows I’ll have it down just like I did with the old shows.

Next show is scheduled for Oct 12 7pm EST. Keep an eye on this site and my social networks for the announcement.

Thank you for watching and for posting all your great questions.

[Mathew Gerrard]

Hey Eric,

2000 Toyota Duet (Daihatsu Storia) engine check light on- P0500 code, Vehicle speed sensor issue. After some investigation I have found that this particular vehicle has a mechanical gear drive speedo drive into the transmission.
Any idea how the vehicle speed signal in transmitted to the ECU?

Using my analyser the ABS wheel speed sensors are all working and quite accurate with the speedo and each other.

any idea where to go to from here to get the sorted as i’m at a bit of a loss.

Service manuals on the net are pretty non existent so i have no idea of the wiring for this little beast.

thanks

Mat.

keep up the good work.

[Daniel]

[quote=”fredsmythson” post=176585]I have a 1996 Ford Thunderbird with a 4.6L engine. The car had some freon leaks in the AC system. I replaced the high and low pressure lines, dryer/accumulator, orifice tube and compressor. I charged up the AC system, but I’m getting some weird pressure readings from the manifold gauge.

Here are the psi readings:

AC on – normal setting = 60 psi low side / 340 psi high side
AC on – max setting = 58 psi low side / 330 psi high side
AC off – 120 psi low side / 140 psi high side

All these pressures seemed to be too high. Temps coming out of the vents were around 55F degrees. Also, the AC compressor did not cycle on and off. The clutch would just stay engaged while the AC system was turned on. When I added the first can of freon, the compressor did cycle on and off – probably as a result of that the system was low on freon and hadn’t been fully charged yet.

I was working on the car in a city located in the Southern California desert, so the outside temperature was around 105F degrees. Would a high ambient temperature cause higher than normal AC pressure readings? Also, would the hot weather cause the AC compressor to constantly be engaged when the AC system is on? Are there any other AC system components I can look at to see why the system pressure is so high? Thanks![/quote]
First, 134a refrigerant is not a Freon, Freon is a DuPont Chemicals trademark, and they call R-134a “Suva”.

Second Pressures by themselves are meaningless as they are dependent on temperature.

Third what micron level did you vacuum the system down to? That tiny vacuum section of an A/C low side gauge that reads 0-30″ is only accurate if you are at sea level since it reads relative to atmospheric pressure. A micron vacuum gauge reads absolute, and 1″ of vacuum is 25,400 microns, so 0 on a mechanical vacuum gauge is about 760,000 microns. A system is supposed to be vacuumed to less than 500 microns and then isolated and checked to make sure that it doesn’t rise above 1000. That tiny change won’t even make the needle twitch on a mechanical gauge.

I would be making sure that you have everything outside of the refrigerant loop correct first, radiator fans operating correctly, seal the perimeter of the gap between the condenser and radiator, make sure both are clean, etc.

[Carla Sherman]

Eric, I bought my sons first car. It is a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. When he drives at night, when he uses his blinker, his inside control panel lights and radio, flicker. I looked at grounds under the hood. all look clean and tight. I looked inside steering column, I didn’t see any loose or broke wires. any suggestions? Thank you for any help. Carla.

[Author]

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