fuel pump(s)?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
The saga continues....
Ok, so I take the truck back to the same shop because:
1) They claimed to have done the state inspection but "forgot" to put the sticker on the truck. According to them they did the inspection, which I find hard to believe because when I picked it up, a headlight was out. But, what the hey....
2) The truck is still stumbling when driven on the highway, just not quite as bad......on the way to work in the morning. This after installing an IAC sensor and an EGR Valve Position Sensor.
Well, on the way to shop from the house the truck cuts not once but 5 times! Bad enough for the check engine light to come on and lose engine power each time. This in about a 7 mile stretch.
So, I get to the shop and tell them it's STILL acting up and they pull it in to check the computer. 30 minutes later I'm informed they need to drive the truck with the computer attached to be able to read the codes the check engine light sends out. I thought the codes were stored.
So, are those codes stored for later extraction? Where can I find a OBD code reader for a '94?
Oh, and BTW, if you're in the San Antonio area, I would NOT take your vehicle to Fair Oaks Automotive.
1) They claimed to have done the state inspection but "forgot" to put the sticker on the truck. According to them they did the inspection, which I find hard to believe because when I picked it up, a headlight was out. But, what the hey....
2) The truck is still stumbling when driven on the highway, just not quite as bad......on the way to work in the morning. This after installing an IAC sensor and an EGR Valve Position Sensor.
Well, on the way to shop from the house the truck cuts not once but 5 times! Bad enough for the check engine light to come on and lose engine power each time. This in about a 7 mile stretch.
So, I get to the shop and tell them it's STILL acting up and they pull it in to check the computer. 30 minutes later I'm informed they need to drive the truck with the computer attached to be able to read the codes the check engine light sends out. I thought the codes were stored.
So, are those codes stored for later extraction? Where can I find a OBD code reader for a '94?
Oh, and BTW, if you're in the San Antonio area, I would NOT take your vehicle to Fair Oaks Automotive.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,806
Likes: 480
From: Cape Girardeau MO
As cheap as brake parts are nowadays - why is any shop rebuilding? Just replaced the master cylinder and two rear wheel cylinders for $61 after the core charge refund on the master.
Worry about rebuilding - if done wrong - could have a catastrophic brake failure should improper honing 'flip' the rubber boots.
You need an OBD-I series reader - still available, just may have to scrounge a bit. Others have mentioned that AutoZone carries them for purchase, but they no longer provide the free read service as they do with the newer OBD-II system.
Not sure what the shop is after by riding along. Can accomplish pretty much the same thing by clearing the codes, then whatever new ones are set will be in the history. There may be an issue with pending codes, but not sure if the OBD-I system is set up to read these. Active codes (Key On, Engine On) may have to be read on the fly when in the operating situations that the vehicle is acting up, but if the computer flags it, the fault should be stored in memory for later retrieval (Key On, Engine Off mode)
If the light came on - read the codes and share with us what was pulled out - surely at least one of the codes will apply to your current situation.
Worry about rebuilding - if done wrong - could have a catastrophic brake failure should improper honing 'flip' the rubber boots.
You need an OBD-I series reader - still available, just may have to scrounge a bit. Others have mentioned that AutoZone carries them for purchase, but they no longer provide the free read service as they do with the newer OBD-II system.
Not sure what the shop is after by riding along. Can accomplish pretty much the same thing by clearing the codes, then whatever new ones are set will be in the history. There may be an issue with pending codes, but not sure if the OBD-I system is set up to read these. Active codes (Key On, Engine On) may have to be read on the fly when in the operating situations that the vehicle is acting up, but if the computer flags it, the fault should be stored in memory for later retrieval (Key On, Engine Off mode)
If the light came on - read the codes and share with us what was pulled out - surely at least one of the codes will apply to your current situation.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
The Final Chapter?
Back before Xmas, I was enroute to another shop to have the codes read when the truck just flat dies going over an overpass. Fortunately, it's not a major thoroughfare so I pull over and try to start it. No dice. She won't start. Battery is just cranking away, but she won't fire. I called the shop and told them what had happened and they said they would give me the number for a tow truck. I politely informed them that THEY would be sending the tow truck and that THEY would be footing the bill for the tow AND the repair since it has been in their shop 3 times for the same thing. Seconds later they informed me a tow truck was on it's way.
While waiting for the tow, I decided to try to start it again so i could get it off the road and into a safer place. This time it did start, so I drove it about 200 ft to a safer spot and about 10 min later the tow truck showed up.
At the shop I told them I was tired of this game and I wanted it fixed once and for all. I told them to drive the snot out of it so it would do it for them. I think that was 12/21. Due to the holidays and all, they had it until 12/31 when they finally called and told me they thought they had it solved. This time they replaced a sensor in the distributor and said it hadn't acted up on them since.
When I went to pick it up, the shop owner apologized for all the trouble, told me he ppicked up the tab for the tow truck, put about $70 worth of gas it in driving it all over the place to make sure it was fixed, and said to drive it a couple of weeks to make sure it was working, then come back and we'd discuss the charges, which look to be about $170 for a new distributor (since they couldn't just buy the part).
So far, I'm pleased with what they have finally done and will probably pay them for the part, but I will tell them I'm wondering if the other parts they put in the time before this were really necessary, or did I just waste $150?
I wasn't nasty with them, but I was pretty firm. I did no name calling, just told them what I expected. Seemed to work.
While waiting for the tow, I decided to try to start it again so i could get it off the road and into a safer place. This time it did start, so I drove it about 200 ft to a safer spot and about 10 min later the tow truck showed up.
At the shop I told them I was tired of this game and I wanted it fixed once and for all. I told them to drive the snot out of it so it would do it for them. I think that was 12/21. Due to the holidays and all, they had it until 12/31 when they finally called and told me they thought they had it solved. This time they replaced a sensor in the distributor and said it hadn't acted up on them since.
When I went to pick it up, the shop owner apologized for all the trouble, told me he ppicked up the tab for the tow truck, put about $70 worth of gas it in driving it all over the place to make sure it was fixed, and said to drive it a couple of weeks to make sure it was working, then come back and we'd discuss the charges, which look to be about $170 for a new distributor (since they couldn't just buy the part).
So far, I'm pleased with what they have finally done and will probably pay them for the part, but I will tell them I'm wondering if the other parts they put in the time before this were really necessary, or did I just waste $150?
I wasn't nasty with them, but I was pretty firm. I did no name calling, just told them what I expected. Seemed to work.