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Hi everyone! My name among friends is Deltron, and I'm an ASE Certified Master Auto Tech. Looking to do a little bit of moonlighting here to help out the community should the need arise, for BTC tips.

We all have cars, and they all break down. Not everyone knows how to work on them, but with my help I can point you in the right direction, and hopefully guide you to a solution.
If nothing else, I can help you figure out if your mechanic is trying to hose you or not.
I have full 24/7 access to AllData, the industries leading diagnostic database, and I have 14 years experience on the job as well.

No question is too tough, although there are some limitations to what I can answer without physically being there.

If your question is related to a check engine light(referred to as MIL from here on out(malfunction indicator lamp)), please have the failure code pulled from your vehicles computer before posting. This can be done at your local Autozone for free, but try not to listen to anything they have to say beyond the code number. ( PXXXX (IE: P0340)) They're quite dumb over there.

Remember, the more detailed you are, the better. And don't forget year/make/model/engine size

Let the games begin!

'96 Taurus w/V6. Revving engine while in neutral does not result in "linear" increase in RPM, instead resulting in "hiccups." It'll rev a bit, then "hiccups" (combustion rate appears to slow dramatically for ~1-2 seconds) and RPM decreases significantly before heading up again. It's done this since purchase, and I'm unable to tell if performance while driving is affected (flooring it while in drive does not seem to replicate issue). Asked for diagnosis at nearby auto shop in middle of nowhere, received unauthorized tune-up for 1/4 the car's worth which did not resolve issue.

Is this actually an issue or is this normal behavior?

Excellent one to start off with! It's most certainly not normal behavior. Computer controlled vehicles, especially 1996+ (OBD-II), are very precisely engineered. Anything that seems "off" usually is.

Your problem, sadly, could have multiple reasons.

TPS(throttle position sensors) are potentiometers, and can develop a bit of a dead spot. While free-revving the engine in neutral, it dramatically exaggerates problems that might not be seen while in drive, because engine load can overshadow them. This can't be seen without an oscilloscope or very pricey scan tool.

Faulty fuel pressure regulating can also produce your symptoms, but I would expect to see issues while in drive as well. You can rent a pressure gauge from Autozone(fee refunded 100% on return of tool). Your pressure should be between 35-45psi with key on, engine off. It should hold steady for quite some time, too. Another quick test of the FPR(pressure regulator) would be to take the vacuum line off of it. If the diaphragm inside has ruptured, gas will be in the vacuum line(shouldn't be under normal conditions). When that happens, the vacuum of the intake manifold pulls fuel through the lines and into the cylinders without the computer knowing it, and causes stumbles and general rough running.

The tuneup that was performed might have been a step in the right direction. Ignition coils are generally "2-stage", meaning that the power they produce for idling is separate from the power they produce when throttle is applied. The secondary windings in the coil could be bad, causing your issue.

Lastly, the MAF(mass airflow sensor, big blockey sensor in the plastic part of your intake tube) could be the culprit as well. This is another one that will require a pricey scan tool to figure out. One thing you could do though is examine the filament inside of it. If you take the MAF out of the car and look inside, you'll see a tiny tiny wire going across the inside. This wire should be as white as a tissue. If it's not, you can clean it with some spray chemicals. Autozone sells MAF Cleaner. Don't use carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner as those are chlorinated chemicals and will destroy it.

As an aside, this particular vehicle has about 6 TSB's(tech bulletins) from Ford talking about rough running, bad idle, etc etc. They require a reprogram of the computer. You might want to give Ford a call(have your VIN handy) and see what they say.

All in all, given the age and (assumed) mileage, it might not be worth trying to find and fix the problem. If it's liveable and you experience no other issues, then I'd say.. keep on keepin on. Mine up some BTC and buy a new car! lol

Whoa. Wasn't expecting nearly as detailed an answer. Sounding like there's not much reason to bother with it (has run relatively fine for ~1yr), but worth the education. Tipped about the max I could as someone driving that. :D

lol!  ;D Thanks for your patronage! Happy motoring!

Is this a free service? Seems too good to be free!!

It's for BTC tips. I'd rather not mandate a price since someone could ask me how to change brake pads, and the next post someone could ask how to diagnose a bad evaporative purge solenoid. When I do side jobs at the house, I get $35/hour, if you're looking for a baseline to judge off.

OK, thanks for clearing that up. Do you do bike tips? I have a motorbike not a car ....

Nope no bikes. Don't know much about them, sadly. I mean I could give a general idea of a mechanical process that's failing, but the in's and out's of every bike is not info that I have access to.

Saturn L series. After winter set in my oil is brown and foamy. There is also smoke and the vehicle shakes violently when I try to run it. In what ways might the motor not be completely fucked.

Not very many I'm afraid. The foaming can be a result of water condensation in the system, or combustion gasses, which is reinforced by the shaking and smoke(white smoke, I presume). You either have a bad head gasket likely caused by age combined with ambient temperature, or the cooling system was mostly water and froze/expanded inside the engine block, causing all sorts of hell.

Luckily for you, those engines are rather easy to change and they are a dime'a'dozen. Check www.car-part.com for a local scrap yard near you that has one in stock. You can filter by price and distance. Check your local craigslist or a local facebook group for a guy like me that does backyard work but knows what he's doing. All in, you could probably stick a new engine in there for less than $1000.

Bit off-topic, but I gotta say, I'm seeing more adverse affects this year from the cold than just about any year prior, and we're not even out of December yet. Strange.

bump

 
Hi Deltron,

   I don't have the code handy, and the CIL (MIL) cleared itself on future occurances, but it's more of a general question.
 
   If the code reappears, I'll gladly get it pulled again and tip for any specific info.

   2003 Mazda MPV  - Cylinder 4 misfire code..  (and previously a Cylinder 1 & 4 set of misfire codes)

   As the vehicle is "New to me" as of last week I have no history :
     
   So: Is there a separate code specific to coil packs failing, versus a generic misfire code?

   (Or should I just do plugs/wiring/coils and call it job done without further diagnostics and see how it goes?)

Fordee

Unfortunately on that car there is no specific code difference to point to coilpacks definitively. That's a higher end technology.
As far as diving in and doing plugs/wires etc, the coils are gonna cost you quite a bit to guess on. What you want to do is label each coil with it's particular starting cylinder number, then move the ones that are misfiring to another cylinder(preferably one that hasn't been misfiring).
http://i41.tinypic.com/bf0x94.png

Picking up a cheap code scanner (http://www.amazon.com/U480-CAN-BUS-OBDII-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005FJ0BRI/ref=sr_1_48?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1387779273&sr=1-48&keywords=code+reader) is advisable to help with this and future problems. Good investment. Anyway...

Clear your codes after swapping the coils around then go riding around until the codes come back. Scan them again, and if the code has moved with the coil, then the coil is bad. If the code hasn't moved, you have other issues like spark plug or the compression of the cylinder isn't up to par. Code numbers for misfires are P0300 - General misfire, and then P0301 - P0306, indicating misfire on a specific cylinder #.

Use RockAuto (http://www.rockauto.com) for parts, they're generally about a 30% savings over local stores so long as you make no mistakes and don't need to return anything.

I need to find the ebrake wire on my 11 jetta tdi

?

I'm trying to add a relay for the drl which are constantly on

I just came here to list my services as a fellow Master Technician but it appears you beat me to the punch. I've read your responses above and I can confirm that you're at least qualified and experienced by the content of your explanations.

If you ever encounter a vehicle which seemingly defies all logic I'll happily exchange ideas with you.

Good luck!

Hi Dalton,

  Just wanted to say thanks for your tips..  I'll have to wait for better/dry weather to followup, but sent you two beer's worth as a quick thanks for your help!

Fordee

No problem, thanks!

Sent a tip: 6bebcce4a7f148a0a59c45433cd98dd4f0b918ebd6d69a1384999a4fa5f8cd95

I've let the car sit a few days. The oil looks much better but I'm still getting it changed before making any decisions. To weird this up a bit the problems started actually after the temperature had been warmer for a couple days.

This motor has seem plenty of miles and plenty of wear. At nearly 175,000 miles weird shit has happened before. If for some reason you are wrong, I'll send a further tip your way. If you answer was right though... I'll need a new motor.

bump!