Got a Quick, Technical Question?

Mr_Shiftright

I'm a little confused here. If you paid for an alignment, why didn't the mechanic adjust the caster and camber?

If he was saying that he couldn't bring the car into spec, then there's a problem in the front end. If something is bent, you pay. If it's a failed bushing, maybe they'll pay, depending on what the damage is (ripped, probably you'll pay--cracked, probably they will pay).

Anyway, if in fact the alignment guy couldn't align your car no matter how he tried, either a) he doesn't know what he is doing or b) you have something unusual going on under there.

leeandgina

Thanks for your advice

I hit the wipers this morning and the fuse blew. I think its time i take it to the dealer and get them to look at it. The sad part is its about 700miles out of the bumper to bumper warranty Do you think they would consider making a warranty claim this close the miles allowed? I dont think its reasonable that a wiper motor or system should fail in 3 yrs/60k but i guess when you buy a cheap car theres a reason its cheap

Thank you again.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you could plead your case, tell them it's been going on for some time. Was there any indication on any past invoice that you had complained about this, or did you ever speak to them about this by phone, etc., while under warranty? That might help.

Well if the fuse blew something is binding up or the motor is drawing too much current.

imadad2

I don't know the answer to that question. He stated that he would need additional $$$ to adjust them. I am not an alignment expert, so I paid him and went on my way. What he did do helped the car, and the pull to the right is barely noticeable. GM is telling me that the warranty will not cover it at all. They consider it wear and tear. I am really regretting buying the extended warranty on this car. I love Chevrolet, but their warranties are trash. My trunk lid will not stay open because one of the springs came off. The dealer won't cover that as well, and they claim it is the first time he has ever seen that happen in his 20 years at the dealership. That is wear and tear? No it is not. If I owned the dealership I would have fixed it for free. Especially if it is the first and only time I would have seen it in 20 years. My engine runs great. My transmission runs great. I get good gas mileage, but the little things are getting on my nerves. The cassette player does not work, the trunk lid, and now the alignment. This car is only four years old and should not have these problems.

Mr_Shiftright

I agree, the trunk lid should be on their dime. The alignment issues, I tend to side with them, since adjustment seem to have corrected most of it.Wear and tear could account for the rest. The cassette player...well...most systems you get off the showroom floor are not the best. Best Buy could fix you up pretty cheaply on that one.

akangl

We have a 1999 Ram 3500 V10 with approx 20k miles on it. Its had a rattling catalytic converter for a while, we just figured out what the noise was and looking back, its been there since we've owned the truck (bought in November 2003 with 11k on it). Its gotten noticably worse in the past week and we are replacing it as soon as we locate one for it.

So, my question is......would a plugged cat cause low oil pressure? I know it seems like a silly question, but the truck has suddenly dropped its oil pressure from its normal 80 psi to approx 20-40 psi, its also very slow to come up on starting the truck.

I'm just concerned that there is damage done to the engine from the plugged cat. The other cat is fine. We are 4 months out of the 5yr/50k emissions warranty too.

Mr_Shiftright

RE: Dodge Ram 3500 -- I've thought and thought about your question and I can't come up with any direct correlation between a plugged catalytic and low oil pressure. I could concoct some convoluted series of events over time that might go from A to Z, but nothing direct comes to mind. You would have a drop in performance, though, and I suppose if it were totally clogged, you could even stop dead, or you could have a fire under there, but low oil pressure, I just don't see it.

RE: Cherokee -- I can't see any harm unless they send some maniac teenager out with the car and it pegs the tachometer into redline all the way, gets busted for going 125 and is sent to a chain gang. If it were a Porsche, one might worry but in this case I don't think I'd put that one high on my worry list. Given modern traffic conditions, it is almost guaranteed that the driver will have to vary his speed on the highway, which is what you want for the first 1,000 miles anyway.

leeandgina

If it was a Porsche being delivered, im fairly sure they state it doesnt need any running in period . Of course, if it were me, id not want a crazy car lot teen driving my car anyway you look at it

0patience

akangl,
Your oil pressure loss should be looked at immediately. Are you certain that it isn't the gauge? Install a known good mechanical gauge and check the oil pressure. Or have it done by a shop.
Once you confirm that the oil pressure is good or bad, then you will know the course of action to take. As Mr Shiftright said, it is unlikely that the cat is the cause of the low oil pressure problem, but it is possible. The back pressure that a plugged cat can cause on an engine would be enough to push considerable amount of pressure out openings in the engine and would create pressure on the engine, which could cause the oil pressure to drop.
Possible, yes. Likely, NO.
Because.........
Usually when the pressure gets to that point, the engine will barely run or not even start.

alligator4480,
I agree with Mr. Shiftright.
By the time you get a vehicle, understand that the engine has already run a fair amount of time.
From testing at the factory, to loading and unloading the vehicle at the dacks or warehouses and test drives and such.
Now, about breaking in a new engine..........
I cannot stress this enough, the engine should be operated as it will be normally driven, with many varying rpms in the drive.
Long term constant stable rpms should be avoided.
Varying speed and rpms is the best break in for the engine.

My advice, don't worrry about it. Drive it like you stole it. Oops, wait, that is drive it like you own it. LOL!

bsmoodha

Scenario: 98 Astro, 98,000 m, 2WD,NON/limited slip diff.,6k on new tires, also tires balanced and rotated for troubleshooting, wearing evenly,no metal in diff.,new brakes. Front shocks new. trans. fluid and screen changed nothing unusual on chip detector.

Problem: 55/67 mph, INTERMITTENT medium freq. vib. in wheel,console and the seat of your pants. When it is doing this you hear a rumble from the back of the van, also if you hit the brakes when it is vibration the whole van shakes.

Took it to the Dealer before the 6y/100k warrant expired. two techs looked it over and drove. They couldn't duplicate problem.

Could it be the rear shocks ?

akangl

I have the new cat, we are going to fix it tonight, I'll report back if the low oil pressure is better or not. The engine has been VERY hard to start the past week or so, I'm guessing that's related somewhere.

crankshaft

i seriously doubt your cat is plugged.the noise is either the heat shield or the internal guts to the cat are rattling inside.if your cat is plugged you will ruin the new one unless you find out the cause.remember a clogged cat is a symptom of an underlying problem.

akangl

Well, couldn't get it off there, its rusted on so badly on one side that it won't release. Going to have to take it to a muffler shop and get bent over I guess. Either way when I drove it tonight something broke loose, it got louder, then quieted down, the oil pressure came back up and the truck seems to be running a little better. Beat the snot out of that cat trying to get it off the truck, oh well, no biggie. Its supposed to slide off and the new one slide on, nothing is ever that easy, lol.

Mr_Shiftright

Well if the cat and the oil pressure are related, that engine must have been barely running, and when it was, like a real dog, as in barely able to rev up and get the oil going around.

RE: Vibration: usually, vibrations that occur within a set and narrow speed range are tire related or wheel related. Given that you also get vibration when braking, I'd look for something LOOSE. Also check u-joints--if they are frozen they will give you a harmonic vibration that runs through the body of the car.

So in this order:

Tire balance or tire out of round even if balanced
(test on machine and/or run-out gauge)

Bent wheel or loose wheel (check visually)

bad u-joints (check visually and pry for loosenss)

bad motor mount (rev engine with brakes on forward and reverse and see if engine moves appreciably).

akangl

It was pretty much like driving a 4-cyl engine in a 7k lb truck. Definatly was/is not acting like a V10. Should be fixed tomorrow and we'll see.

alcan

The catalytic converter is covered by factory warranty for 8 years/80,000 miles. Read page 4 here:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/warr95fs.pdf

bsmoodha

Vibration: The first thing I did was put four new tires on, then I just recently rotated and rebalanced them, still vibrates. The dealer guys had it up on a lift for hours and looked it over including the U joints, per them. It is an IMTERMITTENT vibration. ????

driftracer

They've got a Ram 3500 - it's only 5/50 on one-ton and larger trucks.

Mr_Shiftright

Not sure what you mean by intermittent...do you mean "always occurs but only at a certain speed/rpm" OR "sometimes occurs at a certain rpm/speed and sometimes not" OR "occurs at random speeds and at random times".

The more intermittent-er it is (new word I made up there), the harder it is going to be to track down.

By all means check all your rubber mounts. If your van has hydraulic engine mounts, those things are notorious for trouble on some vehicles.

Another idea if you give up in frustration is to check the mounts on your a/c compressor or other engine-driven accessories.

akangl

Replaced the catalytic converter on the 99 Ram 3500 today, what a pain that was, took my brother 2 hours to get the old one out and the new one in. Anyway, the truck is 100% better, even the oil pressure is better and the transmission is shifting better. Must have been really restricted.

He cut open the old cat and it was all broke up inside and seemed like it was jamming up against the screen and restricting the flow.

Next mission is a whole new exhaust system from front to back on that truck, dual all the way instead of dual back to dual cats into a single muffler. Its about due anyway, just can't afford it for a few more months. Sounds like the other cat is starting to come apart too, hopefully it will hold on for a while.

lottie

My '92 Audi 100CS , 140K miles, recently began popping out of 5th gear. Eventually it was necessary to hold it in ANY gear. The dealer said one of their mechanics had this same problem with his Audi 100 a couple of years ago. It turned out the metal plate between the top of the transmission and the console had come loose, stripped the bolts. The mechanic made the repair himself at home using molly-toggle bolts but was not willing to fix mine.

Since it was not a "standard" type of repair, the service advisor suggested I find a "creative" mechanic who has time to do the job, since I probably wouldn't want to pay them $90 an hour to remove the front seats, carpeting, and console, do the repair (which is basically a body repair, not a mechanical repair), and then put everything back together.

Opinions, anyone?

Mr_Shiftright

Makes no sense. The transmission is not connected to the console, at least I hope not. Might have been some linkage problem, but if the gear lever banks out of gear when you let off the gas, I think your problem is internal. I'll ask around for you at an audi shop I know.

andmoon

new here. I had a similar vibe problem with a ford pu. Turned out to be the balance weights on the driveshaft fell off.

skyhawk10

I have a 1993 Accura legend. This car has no high tension cables and is distrubuterless it requires 15 BTDC. How can I adjust this or check it, I am getting gass knocking sounds even with 93 octane fuel.

gvyt

Similar to the owner of a '90 Accord on another board I've also recently developed this. I've got a '99 BMW 328i.

The AC blows cold air, but causes the engine to vibrate at idle. Occasionally there is a noise too. Like holding a credit card against a fan. When AC is off, engine runs smooth, you can stand a nickel on edge on top of the engine. During hwy cruising, there is no noise and little to no vibration. The vibration reminds me of an unbalanced component.

Also, I lost some coolant lately too. No puddles, no leaks, just missing. Could these issues be connected?

What can you suggest? Thanks!

Hot in MO

Mr_Shiftright

I checked with the Audi Experts on this problem of your car popping out of gear and the answer is "it depends".

If you mean that it is hard to find a gear, and that the shifter is very sloppy, then there are some plastic bushings that can be replaced in the linkage to repair this problem.

If you mean that when you let off the gas, the gear shift slams out of gear, then you probably have a more serious transmission problem OR a busted transmission mount/engine mount.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area you can e-mail me and I will recommend a competent Audi independent to fix your car for you.

Kirstie_H

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gvyt

Update. A local mechanic has narrowed it to a failing compressor clutch through his stethoscope. Clutch makes noise, compressor doesn't.

Two different dealers have told me the clutch is integral to the compressor. The assembly is ~$800. I'm not sure I believe them since I see clutches available online for ~$35. Two question now.

1. Can the clutch be replaced separately?
2. If not, can I continue to run until failure or will that be "bad" (compressor metal shavings throughout the AC system)?

Thanks!

0patience

I am not sure, but I think the clutch assembly is available.
You might check with ACkits.com, they generally carry quite a bit of A/C parts, but you will have to call them to see if they have your clutch assembly.

gvyt

0p

Thanks. Upon additional research today. I'm looking at a compressor replacement. Clutches fail for reason, the compressor is usually messed up. For a '99 328i it's $800 for the compressor/parts. With labor and it the compressor let loose metal in the system I'll be looking at $1500. That's over $2k in one year. BMW NA say sorry, we can't help. The honeymoon is over. Now I'm thinking Acura...

Think I ought to let the local AC specialist take a crack. I'm thinking they could do it for under $900 with a better warranty.

Cheers

Mr_Shiftright

Also shop the Internet for new and rebuilt compressors and don't forget salvage yards. I've found good compressors for both my Mercedes and my BMW 7 Series through reputable salvage yards at 1/3 the cost of new.

If you could find a good used unit + a few hours labor + recharge, well you are more likely in the $600 range than the $1,500 range.

my2003

I checked under capacities in the owners manual, first. The only thing it listed there was cooling system, engine oil, and fuel tank. Apparently they don't want you doing anything else.

glbells

I have a 1997 30th Anniversay Camaro, with only 13,000 miles on it....I have just started having problems starting it.....I am told it is the fuel pump.....after three tries it starts right up and runs like a champ down the road....what is the best way to determine that it is the fuel pump?

thanks

Gb

alternator

Several weeks ago I asked

"My 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier (2.2L) engine (30,000 miles) has a mildly rough idle (like little surges), that comes and goes from hour to hour of operation.

My dealer changed the fuel filter and then told me that my problem was a leaking valve cover gasket that had allowed oil to foul the plugs, ruin the plug wiring, and ruin the serpentine belt. He proposed to replace the valve cover gasket, replace the plugs, replace the plug wiring, replace the serpentine belt, clean the jets, all to the total of about $600 (I said no thanks).

I had already replaced the air filter and PCV valve. Only a minute amount of oil seems to have leaked out onto the block (at one corner only). The plugs are nearly new and look normal (no oiling or white deposit, and the gap is okay). There is no oil on the wiring and the serpentine belt appears clean to me. Please give me your best guess of what my problem might actually be".

When I found more time to spend on my Cavalier, I thoroughly cleaned the outside of the plugs, applied dielectric lube at top of plugs, and at least for now, my Cav is idling smoothly again (dealer had wanted to charge me $675 for his shotgun measures!)

alternator

Somewhere I read that you should be very careful not to allow any antiseize lube (that you have used on spark plug threads) to get down into the engine. What exactly is in that lube that would be damaging to the engine?

Mr_Shiftright

Well anti-seize compounds do contain aluminum or copper, and are not strictly lubricants, so perhaps that's the concern some people have.

Some automakers, such as GM, advise against using anti-seize on aluminum heads, not because they are afraid of stuff getting inside the engine, but because they are afraid you'll get false torque readings or you'll crank down too hard on the plugs and damage the head. I tend to agree with them on this unless you are extremely careful and know what you are doing.
Most DIY-ers use way too much torque for spark plugs.

7937

Rough idle and hesitant gear shifting - if automatic - is a known problem with the Cavalier and is caused by bad plug wires. The 99 Cavalier had a recall and new plug wires were fitted. From new my Cavalier had the above problems which were fixed by the dealer replacing the plug wires.

Unfortunately, the 96 Cavalier plug wires are not easy to replace because the ignition module sits behind the engine in a very awkward place. However, I have heard of people changing the wires from underneath the car.

I agree with Mr. Shiftright about the torque and anti-seize. With anti-seize, tighten the plugs to no more than 11-15 ft.lbs. This is for tapered seat plugs as used on the aluminum head of the Cavalier. I use a small deflection beam torque wrench for the job.

Double platinum plugs should not be left in for 100,000 miles in an aluminum head as advocated by the user manual. After that period of time they tend to freeze in the head and the head can be damaged when trying to remove them. I remove them every 20,000 miles or so, check them, smear a very small amount of anti-seize on the threads and, carefully thread them in by hand and, finally, torque them up to the settings given above.

alternator

the plugs tend to stick along the way to being seated --- such that you may think that they are tight prematurely. For many years I was unaware of antiseize, but I wouldn't replace plugs without it today. Just my opinion.

Nowhere though can I find a reasonably priced torque wrench with a mid-point somewhere close to the 11-15 ft-lbs torque now required by my cars.

I will definitely look at replacing the plug wiring if my rough idle returns.

7937

Oops! Forgot. Never remove sparkplugs from a hot engine. You can also damage the head. Let the engine cool off completely.

To alternator - I found a suitable torque wrench at Sears about 5 years ago. Sometimes they have all sorts of gadgets in their tool section for autos.

0patience

I am kind of offended that the automotive sites you list, one is glaringly missing. (see my profile)
Actually 2.
There are the car enthuisasts and then there are the hard core DIYers.
There are many enthusiasts who pay someone else to build their engines and vehicles, then there are the DIYers who do everything on the vehicles.

98fordescort

I have a 98 Ford excort. Every time I started it, the Engine Machine vibrated and calmed down after a while.It happened with a cold engine.That means everytime I start my car, the engin vibrates. Any body has such a same problem with Ford Excort? Your advice is appreciated

Mr_Shiftright

You need to read some codes with a scanning tool. Knowing Escorts a little bit, I'd suggest starting with the EGR system and its accompanying sensors.

lekbk

10 year old Camry, 130K miles

The steering feels weird - 'it has too much play', and is 'not smooth'. It is not recovering after a turn - one has to turn the steering wheel back to straight after a turn with much more deliberateness than normal. I also found the steering wheel to be difficult to turn.

Tie rods? Power steering?
Checked the power steering fluid - no problem.

toyotawolf762

I've got an 85 camry with 4 cyl 2se engine, about 240 k. i've changed the air flow meter,cold start injector, fuel filter, fuel pressure regulator, ignition coil, ignitor, distr.cap, plugs and wires, ECU comp, EFI main relay, circuit opening relay, the fuses all good, timings right on, has good spark, good compression, is getting good fuel to cyl, and still cannot get to even fire. Am totally stumped..any help appreciated. Keith in regina. can

98fordescort

Hi,
  I am not sure what's EGR system and its accompanying sensors you mentioned. Could you give me some hints how to get relative informations? I appreciate it.
 Best,
 Lei

monkstermann

Anybody out there have any data on the reliability on 5spd auto trannies for BMW M3 series? Also, any differences in convertibles vs hardtops applications?
Am considering 1999 cabrio with 109K on the clock. One owner though did go through auto auction recently.

Mr_Shiftright

The EGR or exhaust gas recirculation system is an anti-pollution device wherein a non-combustible gas from the exhaust stream is injected into the combustion chamber of your engine to lower combustion temperatures. EGR is used to impede oxides of nitrogen (NOX). Usually the EGR valve is stimulated into opening and closing by inputs from various sensors, such as cam position, ignition, temperature, MAF, throttle position, etc---all these sensors send information to your car's computer.

Normally the EGR valve stays closed when the engine is cold. If yours is stuck open (they get clogged and gritty) or getting a wrong signal from a sensor, your car will run badly when cold.

As you can see you MUST try and get some error codes to see what's going on here.

Mr_Shiftright

Al, your e-mail isn't working and I need to get ahold of you. E-mail me, don't post it online.

Shiftright

alcan

Done.

alternator

I own a 2002 Mazda Protege 2.0L with automatic transmission, only 5,000 miles on it so far.. I am easy on the gas, drive a mixture of city and country, but more often city. Under the very same driving conditions, I always averaged about 25 mpg in my previous four Chevrolet Cavaliers (each 4 cyl with AT). My Protege is averaging only 20 mpg (and the fuel mileage seems to be going down bit by bit). Performance, acceleration and idle all seem normal. Exhaust color seems normal. I wonder why so many other Protege owners with the same engine and AT report getting 28-30 mpg? Any ideas?