Got a Quick, Technical Question?

len888 · July 2005

I have an '05 Tocoma V6 Access Cab and want to add a folding rigid tonno cover. None are advertised for this model truck. Can use help locating one if available.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Hard to say from here, but sounds like that compressor needs attention. The click click is characteristic of a defective compressor clutch and the shimmy, which I presume you mean is VIBRATION, might be a loose compressor mounting. I presume the car didn't used to do this before the new compressor?

bozie · July 2005

I have a 87-Chevy S-10-2.8 6-clynder- Courtesy light's stay on no matter what- Have diagnoised down to fuse block. Pull the 20-amp fuse for them. They remain on. Pull the 20-amp fuse for horn, light's go out and horn and radio want play. You solve this for me I'll give you my kiss for the week. Believe it or not I've exchanged 5-batteries in the last five month's because of this. I'm in a foram in other place's on Edmund's on this matter. Thank's, Bozie

candie · July 2005

Mr. Shiftright, Thanks so much. I really don't know what to do any more. This is the 2nd compressor this mechanic put in because after the first one the car was not drivable (which is was fine before) because of the vibration, it would have knocked one's socks off...the car was like the bull they ride in the beer commercials. Now it is starting up again, same symptoms, the noise and vibration after he put a "new" compressor in. I have spent $2,972 on this car, and although I can't afford another, I can't have a vehicle that every time I go in it, I end up at the mechanic's. I had put in a new idler tensioner and serpentine belt but they had to be done again after he put the 1st compressor in at a 2nd cost of $250, (2 x all together for new idler tensioner and serpentine belt, once when brand new, once after he worked on it after he put the compressor in. I had another mechanic do this because I was fed up. I am about to lose it totally. The compressor mechanic will NOT admit there could be any problem with the compressor...says might be may other things (of course things he wants to charge big $$$ for). Being a woman, I only know how to fill the tank, detail the car, and that's about it. What are your suggestions on how I should proceed? I can really use any help/information or advice....I'm at the point where I don't want to drive this any more (but have no choice).
Thanks ...Candie

marsha7 · July 2005

By courtesy lights, I assume you mean the interior lights that come on when the door is opened...one possible solution that is quite cheap, and I am not joking, is to remove the courtesy lamps if they are the only drain on your battery 24/7...

Off the top of my head, is it possible that some switches have shorted out, making a "constant on" connection instead of an on-off connection...the ones that come to mind are these: the two switches that are activated when the doors are open, those little push-button switches that are compressed when the doors are closed (I am assuming yours is a 2 door truck, if 4 doors check all four switches)...also, check your dashboard headlamp switch, because when you turn it completely in one direction past the click, that is how you can turn on your interior courtesy lights without opening the door...

Since both of those switches control the courtesy lights (or, at least, what I am calling courtesy lights), if any have broken or shorted out, you may have an "on" connection 24/7 instead of a switch that goes on-off...

Best of all, if you cannot isolate it to one switch, buying 2 door switches and one headlamp switch will be much cheaper that one battery...

Of course, removing the bulb will be the cheapest of all, and will CERTAINLY break the connection, no more battery draw-down...let me know if any of this helps...

:confuse:

...Bob

bozie · July 2005

Bob; All the above has been tried. Am now running with bulbs removed. The question is the mix in the fuse block. Removing the proper fuse does nothing. Removing the horn fuse shuts off the light's and horn and radio. Did replace one door push button and checked the old one for conninuity and it showed up good. Really want to fix the problem. It's a buit of a truck-Tahoe Package -only 80,000 mile. $45,000 wouldn't buy it. Thank's Bozie-More info. appreciated

alcan · July 2005

It's a pretty straightforward circuit. This diagram might help locating the short to ground in one of the white or white/black ground circuits. I'd be looking at the door jamb switches and headlight/panel dimmer switch first:

http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d8012b27c.gif

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Well I'm not there so I can't say for sure---but if as you claim it happens only when you turn the AC on and stops as soon as you turn the AC off, well DUH.....maybe a trip to Small Claims Court will make him look harder at his own work.

It's too late to unravel all this work. Probably the car should have been dealt with entirely differently---but that's in the past, so your only recourse is to at least get it driveable. Perhaps another shop would at least verify that you have a loose or vibrating AC compressor and you can use that diagnosis to demand justice on the repair.

candie · July 2005

Thanks Mr. Shiftright, I'm going to do that, take it to a certified Chevrolet dealer and see what's up. This can't continue. I am already taking the place I purchased the car from to Small Claims Court because they warranteed to fix the "leak and squeak" the car had before I purchased it. (That dealership went out of business in 9 months). They neved fixed the original problem; they did a quickie repair of the squeak with white lithium grease, and never did fix the leak, I had it leaked all over the crank shaft, motor mount, etc. I therefore hesitate to take this mechanic also, it might look bad for me. I have used mechanics close to my home (transportation to get back was easy), but this time I can't go any farther with them and thank you for advising me to go another route.

rsarbora · July 2005

When removing the flywheel from my son's 1998 Nissan Frontier (1998 Nissan Frontier, 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 4WD), I forgot to mark the orientation of the flywheel to the crankshaft.

Is it relevant?
Crank has a recess between 1 set of bolt holes. Is this TDC? Does it orient to somewhere specific on the flywheel?

There must be a way to re-orient flywheels for people who forget to mark them or resurface them. After, people replace flywheels with lighter weight ones, and you gotta bolt 'em up somehow!

The crankshaft position sensor appears to work much like BMW ABS sensors, i.e. it detects magnetic variances between the teeth/valleys on the flywheel and thus reports variations in flywheel speed. This is assumed to be misfire, and such is reported to the on-board diagnostics. So, according to the manual, "The sensor is not directly used to control the engine system. It is only used for the onboard diagnosis of misfire."

So, I'm thinking orientation is at best, a matter of balance. But, as flywheels certainly should be pretty well balanced, do I care?

Will stop working today and call a Nissan Dealer tomorrow. But as I find that the advice from this group is often far superior to that of Nissan dealers, I will appreciate insight into correcting my faux pas.

Thank you,
rsarbora
Seattle

bozie · July 2005

My Grandson's 95 Dodge Neon is giving a headache again. The Oxegon sensors are bad. Can get to the one just ahead of the Catalactic Conv. But what is the easy way to remove the one near the firewall and engine. What do you do to have room to re-move it. Bozie, Thanks

ehlers1 · July 2005

I have a 2002 Buick Rendezvous and I lost the lower speeds on my blower motor. Someone told me it is the blower motor resistor. The only problem is ...I can't find it! Do you know where it is? I know if I go to a dealer it will cost me $150+. Thanks, Michael

shovelhead · July 2005

Can anyone tell me where the fuel reset button is on a 2001 Mazda Millenia S? I've been told that it may not have one. If not, is there a breaker or a fuse or inertia switch that doubles as one? My car has stalled and will not run after cranked and acts like it is out of fuel, but it is not. HELP!!??

chevexpress · July 2005

We don't have an owners manual for our 1999 Toyota Corolla and cannot find the fusebox to troubleshoot one power window (passenger front window) that will not respond. Even if this sounds like it's not a fuse problem, it would be good for us to know where the fuses are in case of future troubles. Sometimes there is more than one fusebox on a car, can anyone tell us where the fusebox(es) on this vehicle are located? Thank you in advance

chevexpress · July 2005

My 1999 Chev Express G1500 full size van with 97,000 miles has begun to emit a high pitched whine that sounds like a Dentist's Drill. The noise is audible only after the engine has been running for 20 or 30 minutes or more and the noise is in exact rhythm of the engine rev's (going up with RPMs on Acceleration, going down with RPMs on deceleration and holding steady at cruising speed). The noise gets louder when I turn the headlights on, and the noise can be heard through my radar detector---yes coming from my radar detector up on the windshield---and also through only my rear stereo speakers (rear channels only for some crazy reason, not the front) and the dome lights dim in sequence with the rising, falling of RPM's but that could be simply normal generator inefficiencies at not keeping current steady). This problem started co-incidentally only after U-Haul installed a trailer hitch with wiring harness tied into my taillights. They have since re-wired the 3 to 2 wire conversion hitch pigtail for GM products after we discovered that one brake light was always on and one turn signal had stopped working following the hitch installation. Now the taillights work properly but the audio whine is still present and I still suspect the whine may have been caused by the U-Haul trailer wiring harness installation, because the noise had not presented itself until after that work was done, but I can't ask them to troubleshoot it if it turns out to be a coincidence.

One friend suspects it could be my GM AM-FM radio/integrated security alarm gone bad, and I additionally suspect a bad spark plug wire because it only starts happening when the engine gets warm after driving 30 to 60 miles, and the van has nearly 100,000 miles (about time for an expensive tune up with new ignition wires).

Once the engine is warm, the whine doesn't go away but can be quieted drastically (but not completely) by turning off the headlights. It drives me crazy listening to the high speed rpm-whine. (What a strange array of symptoms---only with warm engine, louder when headlights are on---sound is sympathetic to engine rpms----and whine comes through my radar detector, but when I unplug the radar detector it comes through my rear car radio speakers----even if the radio is OFF!)

Yes I have unplugged the power cord to the Radar Detector, and turned the GM AM/FM Radio off, and the noise still comes through this conversion van's rear speakers. Turning the headlights on makes the whining sound much louder, turning the headlights off reduces the sound to almost inaudible but not quite.

Maybe a poor ground somewhere? I am open to suggestions on how to trace this and fix it. Thank you in advance.

mcgheezer · July 2005

I've verified motor is good, checked the fuse, relay and the switch itself. It wont run on any speed.

Thoughts?

acurapassion97 · July 2005

Hi, I was just wondering if anybody knew what could be causing this...my engine seems to have a sludge/shudder/vibration going on when stopped at idle. It seems more prominant when in park than in drive. It doesn't to actually be bogging the engine down because it idles at a steady pace, the tach doesn't move. However, its pretty noticeable inside and I have no clue why its doing that.....its a 92 Lexus LS400. It has a big V8 engine and mine does happen to have 200k miles on it....so tell anybody that has any ideas, please let me know. thanks in advance!

marsha7 · July 2005

That's what they are called...door jamb switches...thanks...

Kirstie_H · July 2005

Don't forget tonight's member-to-member chat - it's open mic night, so come and discuss whatever's on your mind.

6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Drop by for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!

kirstie_h

tomz1 · July 2005

First time here, so I hope this goes right.... Guy at chat recommended I come here... have '98 Subaru Legacy wagon... 80k... well maintained... lately started hearing "rumble" in rear when taking sharp left or right turn... getting louder... sounds like driving over rumble strips. Feels like back wheel(s) stuttering or binding. Was told it could be CV joints... how do I check? What are other possibilities and how do I check?....Diff fluid fine, tire wear normal, brakes ok

alcan · July 2005

Start by rotating the tires front to rear. If the noise stays in the rear, look for a bad wheel bearing.

stever · July 2005

Check the posts over in Subaru Crew: Problems & Solutions too, Tom.

Steve, Host

candie · July 2005

I've had the compressor checked out by a certified Chevy mechanic, who tells me I need another new tensioner. I think this is #4 so I am really confused. I've put on less than 500 miles and 3 or 4 tensioners? Can this be because the mechanic who put the compressor in failed to install it correctly? I feel like I've financed the "tensioner" companies. LOL. Seriously, I am assured this is the problems, but after all I have explained, I need to be absolutely sure before I invest another $260 for yet another idler. Any comments, ANYONE?

Thanks,

Candie

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Very odd, makes no sense really...the tensioner keeps the AC belt tight, it doesn't hold the compressor tight. It would be very enlightening to know what was wrong with the old/new tensioners...what is happening to them?

crankshaft · July 2005

I am not sure I want to tackle this project.As I have reached 60k miles,what can I expect to pay for a timing belt/water pump replacement on a 92 Dodge spirit (2.5Liter)?What would the "flat"labor time be on this repair?I thought I would check on this board first before calling anyone.

time1 · July 2005

have a 1996 GEO Tracker. The body is in very good shape but I think it needs a new engine. It stalls out and has no energy.A friend told me that it had a valve out.

I really like the car otherwise,..I think it fits my personality.

Is it worthwhile to put a new engine in that old of a car?
I hate the idea of buying a new car because I dont want to go in debt.If I could get a new engine put in for under 3K$ that would be reliable and dependable for 3 years I would be very happy.

Any suggestions?

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Yeah, first of all get some good solid information. You may not need a new engine at all. Besides that, it's really not worth putting a new engine in...you can buy another good used Tracker for less money.

0patience · July 2005

What engine? What engine? and What engine??

Ok, now that I have that out of my system.......................
There are 2 different compressors made for that vehicle. A direct mounted, which I think you have, or a conventional mounted. Conventional means brackets. Direct means the compressor is bolted directly to the head, block or timing cover.
There really isn't any way that you can install the A/C compressor wrong.
It only goes on one way and there is no adjustment for the compressor. It goes on in one spot and that's it.

We're not talking rocket science here. There are 3 bolts, 3 holes. Put the 3 bolts in the 3 holes and it is lined up. Quite ingenious, actually.

Did you ask the "certified" Chevy [odd, it would be a GM certification] mechanic WHY you need a new tensioner???

Is he the mechanic who replaced the other 3 tensioners????????
If he is, he isn't doing you any favors, he should have found out why the other 3 went and worked on fixing the problem.
Usually when there is a tensioner problem, there is a mis-alignment of the belt, tensioner or one of the units that the belt drives. Sometimes aftermarket tensioners will be the culprit. Was it an OEM part??

0patience · July 2005

The flat rate for just the timing belt is about 3.5 hours, depending on if you have A/C, PS and what not.

Add about another 1.0 hour for replacing the timing belt tensioner, which I highly recommend you do.

The cost of the belt is usually around $30-$45 and the cost of the tensioner is about the same.

ajr2 · July 2005

I have a 95 Cirrus with only 54,000 miles on it. Most of these miles were from cross county trips, as I barely put 1-200 miles per month on the car otherwise.

I have noticed in the last few months that the car would get progressively more difficult to start (it had always started in the blink of an eye before), but today it
refused to start at all. The engine has always ran well, and I have never seen the check engine light come on. I don't know if this is normal as I have never paid attention, but there is a light that does stay on after I stop cranking the engine with the key still in, but I am not sure if it is an oil indicator light or a gas indicator light but I suspect if it is functioning normally as a warning light it is the latter.

I had the car tuned up about 9,000 miles ago (about 3 years). The car is garaged and well maintained, although I am a little overdue for an oil change.

Given this information, I'm wondering what the likely causes anyone can recommend to look for, in order of their likelihood of occurrence.

Given the low miles on the car I guess I would like to hang on to it for a while, OTOH, given its market value I don't want to spend a lot of money fixing it either.

Anyhow, if anyone can help pinpoint this I would sure appreciate it.

Thanks

ferdy2 · July 2005

HI Can any one help me. I taken out the engine of a ford granada 2.0 EFI 1991 and put it on a trike " 3 wheel motorbike or tricycle with a motor " with the on board computer(EEC) with it's harness but it won't start. Have i left any thing out that it don't know. I also taken the alarm out of the ford with the door lock barrel that set the alarm (on. off) But no luck with it. The engine turns over but There no spark on plugs I tested the coil it's ok. ANY suggestion would be most welcome or how to bypass the system

crankshaft · July 2005

many thanks.since this is a non interference engine and my work car,i may wait till it breaks.

gwp46 · July 2005

I have a 2003 Dodge Quad cab with the 4.7 liter engine,I need some info on changing the spark plugs ,such as an online manual or source of info. Thanks in advance.
gwp46

alcan · July 2005

Check for a strong, blue spark at the plugs with a spark tester. If ok, have fuel pressure checked. One of those two is likely the problem, and when you determine which it is you can zero in on the cause.

candie · July 2005

Hi Opatience. I asked him why (yes I did) and he told me that it was causing the car to vibrate. He isn't the one who replaced the other 3. He told me that one had to be a fly-by-night and I think he was correct as I requested receipts from the one who installed the other 3 and all of a sudden he has "disappeared", apparently quit the job, whatever. The certified GM mechanic is a friend and has been for years. I just recently contacted him to help.

I am VERY concerned that my friend will put in yet a 4th tensioner and the problem won't be resolved and am noting what you have said about the mis-alignment of the betl, tensioner or one of the units that the belt drives.

I'm sorry I don't know what an OEM part is, but if that's what I need, I'll be sure to tell this mechanic to get one. As I said, I've already spent more on the car than I paid for it and the purpose of purchasing it was to have a small economical vehicle...(that didn't happen!)

May I ask you and Mr. Shiftright, what would you do in this case? I need to know "something" before I invest any more $$$ into this vehicle, heck, I haven't even had the pleasure of driving it 500 miles and have repaid for it. Any specifics I need to ask the mechanic or tell him (other than what you have listed?)

Thanks so much, I'm thinking of a bicycle at this point. LOL (But actually I don't find any of this funny, I've obviously been royally ripped off more than once and I'm tired).

Candie

candie · July 2005

Good question Mr. Shiftright, what is happening to them? I don't know, but I sure intend to ask....(mechanic who did them disappeared) and what I am getting out of my new mechanic (friend) is that he probably didn't install them properly or didn't use prime parts??? I don't know if this helps, but I've also replace the serpentine belt 3x at the same time as the tensioners....they split in spots...had little marks like "knife cuts".

If a new tensioner isn't going to solve my problem and I'm heading down a futile road with this, I'd like to know what the problem is. $260 at a clip x 4 is a lot of money for me for something that in my thinking doesn't seem to be "fixable."

My new GM certified mechanic says he is certaint he car will be fine after he puts in the tensioner. (He is not one to rip me off, that much I know, which was not the case with the other mechanic). But, the question here is indeed, why does it keep happening?

Any thoughts??? Any help??? I'm so disgusted and am not in a position to buy another car....I am disabled and thought this little car was going to be my "dream" car, having had a 1984 Buick Regal until Sept. 2004. Heck, that was less of a problem!!!

Thanks again Mr. Shiftright for any insight you can offer.

Candie

candie · July 2005

Something else, I failed to mention. In November 2004, right after I got the car, I had new spark plugs put in by my old mechanic (the 3 tensioner guy). A month ago I had the spark plug wires replaced. Last week while driving on a very hot day (with NO AC because it cause the car to vibrate and click), I stopped at a gas station and found out one of the wires was "misfiring" Wire #3. He put some kind of grease in it and it appeared o.k.

When my new mechanic (friend) came this week and said I neded another new tensioner, he said spark plug #3 was cracked. He replaced it. Spark plugs being new and wires being new made me wonder what happened here too?

Am I just going to have to continually replace brand new parts? What did I buy here? It's got 28,500 miles, outside and inside appearance is excellent, but what's under that hood? Demons?

Thanks, I just thought I'd add this as it seems everything I replace needs rereplacement.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

I think your only "demons" are human.

Well I don't see as you have any choice. Your new mechanic sounds confident and he of course is the only one actually looking at the car, so he may know better than we do.

OEM means a factory part, made by Chevrolet, rather than in Malaysia somewhere.

qbrozen · July 2005

OEM means a factory part, made by Chevrolet, rather than in Malaysia somewhere.

LOL! Ummmm.... you sure its not "made for Chevrolet by a place somewhere in Malaysia"?

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

LOL! Well you could be right about that but let's hope not.

mcgouch · July 2005

I have a 1994 Eagle Vision 3.3. When I first turn on A/C i get a white vapor out of the ventilation vents. This lasts about 4 to 5 mins. The air temp coming out is about 55 degress F. What should it be? Doesn't matter if it is humid outside or not. Iv'e cleaned out the drain tube. Any ideas why the vapors?

thanks

chinadog · July 2005

1989 Camry.
A/C doesn't work.No cold air whatsoever but it does blow.
Friend says compressor doesn't kick in.

If I add Freon, will compressor & A/C maybe start working ? Is it worth a try?
Car is too old to spend big bucks on fixing air conditioner. However, is there a switch in A/C compressor when Freon is low? Is there a chance A/C will work if I add Freon?

thanks!
ChinaDog

dagr8n8 · July 2005

hi i have a 90'' acura legen vtech V6 and i blew a head gasket and i was wondering if anyone hade any instructions or help full links to helping me replace my head gasket.

thanks -n8

alcan · July 2005

This what you were looking for?:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1a/8d/d5/09- 00823d801a8dd5.jsp

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

And don't forget to find out WHY you blew a head gasket!

alcan · July 2005

Oh yeah, I knew I forgot something. Guess that's why they they pay you the big bucks, Mr. S. LOL

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Oh yeah, I've seen tens of dollars change hands in the Host business :P

imidazol97 · July 2005

> I've seen tens of dollars

Errrrr, you must have mistyped there..., you mean TONS of dollars, don't you?

dagr8n8 · July 2005

thanks for that link. that looks very helpfull i aprecheate it alot.

dagr8n8 · July 2005

is there anything else i should think about replacing while im doing this, because im gonna have most of my car taken apart. (my car has 192 thousand miles on it) im planning on putting in a gasket set and replacing every seal and stuff but on autozone they also had CONVERSION GASKET SET as a related part, for 150$ should i also get that ?

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