The codes are nice. Pull in to Autozone, have them check it with their handheld scanner (usually free), it tells you exactly what's wrong. My poor, dead 4Runner had a check engine light come on. Punched the code, told me misfire on #6 cylinder, so I spent 20 minutes replacing the plugs & coil packs. Problem solved. It took longer to get the air box unhooked from the throttle body than to actually diagnose the problem.
PULL INTO AUTOZONE, HUH?
i had a ford explorer the other week. the guy went to autozone, and they pulled a code P0121. that's for lean condition if i recall, bank one. they told him it needed the upstream o2 sensor. he came to me, and requested that o2 sensor. i offered to diagnose it for him. he refused. he told me the autozone story. i offered again, knowing just how smart they are there. he refused. so i made sure he knew that if i put it in, and the CEL came back on, and had the same code, it would not be warrantied unless the o2 i put in was bad. it came on 3 days later. this time he let me diagnose it. it had a vacuum leak.
moral here? although i know you all(especially those of you that don't understand cars) don't like to pay for diagnosis, and i know there's still lots of dishonest mechanics out there, and i know money is tight right now, but if you don't already have a reputaable shop, find one, and trust them. if you like to tinker yourself, then by all means, please do. i love being able to charge extra for that.
seriously though, i don't really care how/where you get the work done. i AM however, proud of what i do, and take great pride in my work, as i'm sure a lot of you tech/mechanics do. i also get annoyed just like you all do, when i cut up my arm trying to change that last plug on the rear bank of that 3.3L towne and country. but this is what it costs to have our cake and eat it too. we want pretty cars, that go really fast, and get good gas mileage. the govt., wants to clean up the air. so we now have engines that are really only 20%-30% effecient, but they have management systems on them, that help them run cleaner and better. we've really only masked the problem for the last 30 years of emmission controls. steve built an awsome engine by going backwards, and doing it old style.(BTW, i love the scoops on your vette dude!) a 10 second street cars is awsome. but a 12 second street car that gets over 22 mpg, and will start on the first try in 0 degree weather, and drive perfectly civily is a tad better. chevy i think had the camaros running 12's out of the factory, just before they discontinued them.
anyway, i'm tired......
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