Stalls. Jerks. No-starts. One cracked module behind the rear axle can take down the entire fuel system. General Motors planted the Fuel Pump Control Module (FPCM), also called the Fuel System Control Module (FSCM), on frame rails across hundreds of thousands of trucks and SUVs. It was meant to pulse fuel with precision. Instead, it … Read more
Drop into neutral at 80,000 lbs and the shoulder better be empty. That’s what the DT12 does when the split pin sticks, the air tank dips, or the clutch won’t release. One blink, and you’re coasting with “NO GEAR” flashing across the dash. The Detroit DT12 was built to squeeze fuel, not to forgive abuse. … Read more
Crank the temp dial to LO. Nothing changes. Heat pours in, windows fog, and the vents wheeze dry. Jeep calls some of these faults safety defects, others “customer satisfaction.” Some never got a campaign at all. What looks like a blown blower motor or a leaky evaporator might trace back to a software bug, or … Read more
Brake pedal locks up. Cam codes flood the dash. Engine cranks forever, then dies. That’s the 2.5-liter Ecotec at failure. Vacuum pump seizes, twists the cam, and the whole top end goes out. Some fail without warning. Others lose oil for months until the chain skips and the head’s toast. This guide tears through the … Read more
Sludge wrecked the 1MZ. Coolant crusts cracked GR water pumps. Debris wiped V35A bearings before 40,000 miles. Toyota’s V6s built a reputation for long-haul strength, but under the covers, each generation hides weak spots. The MZ gummed up crankcases with burnt mineral oil. GRs leaked oil from timing covers and blew water pumps mid-trip. The … Read more
Throttle taps. Engine climbs. Nothing grabs. The 545RFE quits hard. No warning, no limp feel; just a stuck gear, hot fluid, and a dash full of codes. It shows up in early 2000s Rams, Jeeps, and Durangos, especially after towing, overheating, or a sloppy filter swap. We’ll track the real failure points. Where the 545RFE … Read more
Rattle. Tick. Dipstick comes up dry. Fire up a 5.0 and the noise might beat the rumble. Ford’s Coyote V8 runs hot, revs high, and relies on thin tolerances and tight timing. When it’s healthy, it screams past 7,000 rpm and shrugs off abuse. But when oil pressure drops or cam phasers lag, the damage … Read more
Coolant drops. Temp barely twitches. Hours later, flames shoot out from behind the engine cover. The 1.6 EcoBoost was built to punch above its weight. Turbo boost, direct injection, and featherweight aluminum meant big torque and lean fuel use. On paper, it ended the old 2.5 Duratec. On the road, it cooked itself alive. Aluminum … Read more
Pop the hood. Dipstick’s dry. No puddle, no smoke, no warning light, just another 2.4 Ecotec quietly draining itself from the inside. These engines don’t usually destroy themselves. They run low, overheat, and grind themselves apart. Low-tension rings, piston-cooling jets, and a flawed PCV setup push oil into places it shouldn’t go. Some drop a … Read more
Smoke trails from the tailpipe. Coolant vanishes. Misfires kick in. The Fusion stumbles like it’s lost compression, then throws a random misfire code. Mechanics chase hoses, sensors, thermostats, anything but the block itself. The real failure sits lower. Ford’s open-deck EcoBoost engines, especially the 1.5L and 2.0L, warp under heat and hammer coolant straight into … Read more