QuestionQUESTION: There is a knocking when the vehicle is accelerating or idling. I am wondering what it could be> never been on here before but have no money to guess. please assist.
thx
ANSWER: Hi Scott,
It may be that then knock sensor is malfunctioning. Got to an Autozone parts store and get a free code readout. Or turn the ignition switch on-off-on-off-on and leave on, doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the mileage reading in the cluster to change to show some 4 digit numbers preceded by a P Let me know what they are and we'll go from there. Tell me which engine you have.
Roland
PS Please 'rate' my answer, and where you see the question about 'volunteer of the month' please consider a 'yes' answer. Thank you
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QUESTION: thx.. ok i did what you said to do... no numbers came up... what came up was "donE"
the engine i have is a 3.8 v6 anything else i can try or do??
ANSWER: Hi Scott,
Without actually being there to here it I can't give you anything solid to go on. About the only thing I can think of that would knock (or more accurately 'click') at both idle and acceleration would be a collapsed valve lifter. I would ask a friend with some experience with engines to listen to it and see what he thinks. The knock sensor normally is not active at idle so I would not believe it could cause a knock at idle. So seek some help from someone familiar with unusual engine sounds who can be there to hear it.
Roland
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QUESTION: thanks for the answers.... the van on Christmas ... engine stopped... i was stuck on hwy65 for over an hour waiting for tow.... anyway.. thx for you help.... i appreciate it... maybe you can clue me in on what is the best type of van or vehicle for 7 passengers??? thats is very reliable and not going to be really expensie live under 10K??/ if there is one.... otherwise... thanks again...
AnswerHi Scott,
Is it confirmed that something major is wrong with the engine? If not, then you might want to get an idea of what the fix might be and weigh that cost against another used vehicle that may also have a latent problem that is costly to repair.
On the question of another vehicle, my best advice would be to check the April issues of Consumer Reports for the frequency of repair data on all the vehicles that you might be considering. It will help you narrow your search and also point toward what weak spots to look for when you find a spsecific vehicle at a fair price.
Roland
