Service slants

Motor,  Dec 2001  by Marcy, Thomas

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GM

Noisy rear brakes. Some 1998-2000 Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds built prior to VIN Y2111896 may give off a chirping sound when braking in Reverse. GM says the friction material is the most likely cause. Replacing the existing rear brake pads with a revised set (Part No. 18038575) should quell the noise for good.

Nissan

Hard cold-starting. Some 1996-99 Pathfinders built before 8/1/98 may be difficult to start at altitudes above 5000 feet and/or at low temperatures. Confined to vehicles with VIN JN8AR05Y*XW306090 or earlier, the problem usually occurs after a cold soak over four hours in duration.

Nissan says the problem can be traced to an insufficient volume of air flowing through the AAC valve while the engine cranks. A new AAC valve and attending ECM have been made available to fix the problem. Note, however, that the battery condition, oil viscosity, engine compression, fuel pressure, base idle speed and ignition timing should be checked before replacing the parts mentioned. The ECM replacements for manual and automatic transmissions are:

For the AAC valve assembly, replace the old unit with Part No. 237811W600. After you clear any DTCs set in computer memory, take the vehicle out for a road test.

Jeep

Tailgate rattle. Some 1997-99 Wranglers may exhibit a rattling noise from the rear tailgate when the vehicle is driven over rough roads. The cure involves installing a revised tailgate latch, striker and cover.

To begin the fix, open the tailgate and remove the original latch cover and latch. Next, install the new latch and cover (Part Nos. 55074947AC and 55176533AC, respectively). After installation, tighten the latch screws to 98 in.-- lb and the cover screws to 50 in.-lb.

Now, mark the original striker position with a scriber, then remove the striker and trash it and its shims. Install the new striker (Part No. 55177243AB) and two new shims (Part No. 55033620) within your scribed marks.

Make sure the striker slot faces the front of the vehicle. Hold the flat sides of the striker flange to maintain alignment as you snug the bolts. Next, check to ensure that the striker has sufficient clearance to the jaws on the latch. Misalignment will cause binding. Add or remove shims from beneath the striker to obtain the needed clearance. Once the striker is properly positioned, tighten its bolts to 50 ft-lb. Finally, open and close the tailgate to confirm proper installation.

Ford

Coolant mixing precaution. A recent warning comes from Ford regarding the compatibility of its newest engine coolant with those already in service. A new long-life engine coolant, Motorcraft Premium Gold (yellow-colored), has been introduced in 2002 Excursion and Super Duty F Series vehicles. The initial-fill life for this new coolant is 100,000 miles/5 years. The replacement interval is 50,000 miles/3 years, due to variations in water quality.

Ford is currently testing to determine the backwards compatibility of Premium Gold with its conventional (green-colored) Motorcraft Premium. Until the final results are in, Ford advises that you not mix the two. Also, do not mix either Premium Gold or Premium (green) with Motorcraft Specialty Orange Engine Coolant, which is used in 1999-2002 Mercury Cougar and Ford Electric Vehicle Rangers.