Q and A / Awareness
Not Starting
Q: Thought it was the battery and replaced it and no luck. The voltage even looks correct right at 12Volts.
A: Check to see if its getting fuel up to the plenum….there is a plug to remove to check.
If not, probably a fuel pump problem.
A: pull one of the plug coils turn over to see if you have a spark at the plug,then you can rule that out,also if you have a spark you will hear it when it fires.unplugging the wire from the coil should do the same thing.if it has spark then you can eliminate its electrical.
A: If you smell gas at the engine,,,,then gas is reaching the plenum……fuel pump is working fine, most likely. Disregard my first thought.
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Running Hot
Q: My Prowler has just started running very hot on fast highway runs. The water temp gauge is up at two o’clock and water needs topping up. It doesn’t appear to have head gasket leak (no milky residue) and when I pull to look under the hood the fan is spinning as it should. Which makes me wonder, could it be a sensor or has anyone else experienced similar?
A:I had those same problems and a change of my radiator cap fixed it all. Simple for me. Try it. I actually swapped my Dodge Ram cap with the Prowler and that’s all it took.
Lower Ball Joint Failure
I backed in the spot like most of us Prowler owners do and I heard a Loud POP… Sounded like a gun. I thought that maybe I had ran over a water bottle or something and I got out and walked around the car and saw nothing. Got into the Prowler and put it into gear and the Driver side front tire pulled away from the car and it went thud on the ground.
Precautions
Each car should be inspected closely before each season. One check is to raise both front wheels off the ground, check the rotation of the wheel bearings and brake drag, move the wheels from center to left lock and to right lock, feel for uneven drag. Then closely inspect each boot and connection in the suspension, steering and stabilizer bar. Then check the rear suspension and upper lateral links. Another check that most miss is the fluid level of the rear drive shaft housing.
Most Prowlers aren’t driven that many miles each year. Most never see rain or get wet. The joint failure is typically caused by a small tear in the rubber boot. The tear allows lubricant out and water in. Once the water gets in, it has no where to go and may not evaporate. When the lubricant is washed out and rust sets in, the joint slowly wears itself out with the rust grinding through the joint. Even then it takes a hard turn and suspension movement to cause the joint to pop. Remember, the joint supports the weight of that corner of the car so has a significant load on it at all times.
This is a long answer for don’t just automatically replace the joints unless you have the suspension apart for some reason, then absolutely replace them.
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Smog Failure OBD2
(correct term is getting the transmission into “ready status” for emission testing)
Q. failed smog test due to the OBD2
A. Check Fuses (#10)
A. Corrosion on the OBD2 receiver connection under the dash by your left foot.
site that has the covers for the OBD2 conector:
http://allobd.com/products.asp?cat=35
When codes are cleared, disconnecting the battery temporarily. You need to drive the car some for the computer info to cycle.