Got a Quick, Technical Question?

awil28

Hey everyone, im hoping i could get a little insight on a car im working on. I purchased the car and the seller told me it had started overheating and acting like the head gasket was starting to go bad but not blown, there was never any oil-coolant contamination, and he gave me the full gasket set for the engine with the car. I drove the car home, had to stop twice to add coolant because it was all pouring out the coolant overflow, and then tore the engine down. The head gaskets did not look that bad, the lower intake gaskets looked ok, and the upper intake gaskets looked like crap. I replaced all of them since i had them, also replaced the following, spark plugs (gapped .060), plug wires, thermostat, coolant resevoir lid, power steering pump, valve cover gaskets, pcv valve, throttle body gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets and bolts, fuel injector o-rings, air filter, and oil/ oil filter. After i did all this i put the engine back together and started it up, it started right up but is not idling smooth and also is still spitting all the coolant back out the overflow. Ive flushed the system and burped it 3 times for 45 minutes each time and it still does it. I also ran a compression test and got 130psi from 5 cylinders and 120psi on the #5 cylinder those numbers sound low but im not sure what they are supposed to read. Also the small vacuum tube connected to the pcv valve is collapsing when the engine is idling and the engine seems like its stalling out. Ive had suggestions that the heads where warped and now i need to redo the head gaskets, the heater core is bad, something is wrong in the vacuum system, and the water pump is bad. So with all this info can anyone tell me what it sounds like im hoping i dont need to redo the head gaskets but that looks like where its heading. Thank you to anyone that helps.

Mr_Shiftright

I would test for combustion gases in the coolant using a chemical test, and if it comes up positive, I'd say you have a crack in a cylinder head. Of course, I could be wrong, but this condition would explain all your symptoms as well as reasonably even compression among cylinders but with some drop in one.

Usually a warped head would show two adjacent cylinders dropping somewhat in compression.

I am rather surprised you didn't replace the water pump. I suppose it's worth a look now, although if it isn't leaking that would have to mean the impeller is broken or severely corroded---a very unusual circumstance.

awil28

I hope the heads are not cracked, i did leave out one piece of info that i forgot about. The previous owners appear to have added some of that brass colored radiator stop leak crap to the system and you can still see some of it on the heads and lower intake and floating in the resevoir, not sure if that could clog something or damage something. I didnt replace the water pump at the time because it seems like it was circulating fine and i wasnt sure if that would cause the rough idle. Thank you very much for your help.

awil28

Also what should the compression be? is 130 high enough or does that sound low? and how do i go about doing the chemical test on the colling system?

kiawah

All that air continually spitting out of the reservoir, has to be coming from the combustion gases. The engine is pumping up the pressure.

As previousl suggested by others, I'd be looking for a crack in the head or cylinder wall, or warped head.....since you've already tried replacing the head gasket.

Water pump bad would show symptoms of leaking, or no coolant flow. It wouldn't account for the continual air in the system.

Heater core bad, would show up as leaking in the passenger compartment. It could also account for a little bit of air in the system, as the engine cooled down, instead of drawing in refill water from the reservoir, it would draw air thru the leaking heater core. That's a little bit of air, not a continual supply of air.

awil28

ok thank you, ill go ahead and pull the heads to go have them checked, machined, and flowed. anything else i should visually inspect for when ive got the heads off. also one last question, is it possible if i lazily reused the old head bolts(i know completely wrong and i have new ones now to go on it) if they where not providing the correct amount of clamping power due to them being torque to yield could that cause the one cylinders difference in compression and the gas getting out without any coolant oil mix, and is that loss of internal pressur whats causing the rough idle and vaccum tube to collapse on itself?

awil28

Sorry again, one more thing, if i set there and let the car idle with the resevoir cap off it will warm up to running temp and wont overheat and ill watch the coolant and it doesnt bubble or come out. once i put the cap on and go to drive it is when it pours out or if i set and hold the throttle down then let off it will pour out then as well. Does that also point towards cracked head?

bieks

i have a 1999 chevy tahoe 4x4. when i try to engage it into 4x4 it blows a 20 amp mini fuse in the dash fuse block. any idea where to start.

thanks,

bieks

bieks

i have a 1999 chevy tahoe 4x4. when i engage the 4x4 switch it blows a 20a mini fuse . any idea what to look for first.
thanks.

kristina15

260k, sedan lx, runs rough, idles rough, some blue smoke- not consistant. gave codes p302,p432,p304,p300. Changed all plugs, #2 cylinder plug was full of oil on top of plug and a little on bottom (cleaned it before installing new plug), installed new valve cover gaskets- still giving p302 and running rough. Switched coils, no difference; installed new one, no difference. Now giving codes p302 and p1494. What to check next?

burdawg

With that many miles and your description I would do a compression check.
P0302 = cyl 2 misfire
P1494 = Leak det pump failure or mechanical fault (part of evap control system). This most likely isn't causing your problem.

bieks

i have a 1999 chevy tahoe 4x4. whenever i switch to 4x4 it blows a 20amp transfercase fuse. or if the key is on and i replace the fuse it blows right away even without the motor running. anyone have any ideas.
thanks.

burdawg

I would look for a short circuit in the wiring harness, or in the actuator (solenoid?) for the transfer case itself. A wiring diagram would be very useful here.

aude

i have a ford 150 lariat 1989 4x4.. automatic .499k
for the last 6 months i did change parts left right and center ..had no problem doing it or problem finding the part ...now this time it is different .
let me explain ..i was driving at 100 kmh then i did ear a very bad noise and did see dust and feel like the front drive shaft did hit the passenger side floor ...
turn out the tire did peel ( tire was still inflate)..
because my pick up have no inner wheel well made of metal .the rubber did destroyed lots of stuff.so the part name i need to know is against the firewall passenger side and have the blower motor attache to it .this part is all black plastic 2 feets wide not sure how tall .i did look a bunch of place to find the name but no success help please ..also where can i find this part?..peace claude

bolivar

Inner fender well??????

Go to a salvage. They have books. And picture. And dead trucks where you can point to the part.

aude

i did that already ..but see i have a small problem i am french and can barely understand others when they talk to me ..and them well very easy they cannot understand me at all...writing and reading i am not too bad ...but to speak or to listen french only for me ....still need the name of that part before i can try to order it ..against the firewall ..blower motor is attach to it ..plastic part ..what is that name ?
thanks in advance ...claude

stickguy

write down what you just told us. And take a few pictures of it. And bring that with you, and I am pretty sure they will figure out what is going on.

Could even bring it to a Ford dealer. They have books and online diagrams for everything.

bieks

thanks for the info.

awil28

Hey everyone i could really use some help ive been trying to fix my sisters car and im stumped. we bought the car with a 3.4l in it from a chevy venture, it had overheating problems and suspected head gasket failure w/ no oil coolant mix. I have replace the following; head gaskets, head bolts, heads were resurfaced and a shim was added with head gaskets, upper and lower intake gaskets, throttle body gaskets, injector o-rings, spark plugs, plug wires, oil change and filter, thermostat, cooling system flush, power steering pump, air filter, fuel filter, and fuel pump along with some other things like tires and rotors and brakes but those wouldnt cause the problems. after all that work was done and the car was reassembled it will just crank all day but wont start, there is no fuel pressure but there is spark and proper compression. the relay under the hood clicks but neither the old pump or the new one makes any noise and the there is no power at the connection. i was looking around and came across all of the complaints about the passcode theft system and it deactivating the pump and injectors. my theft light is on and it stays on and does not blink. i have tried the ten minute reset thing and i tried the resistor bypass thing, and the car still only cranks and will not start. anybody have any help at all they can offer ill answer any other questions you might have. thank you for any help,

euphonium

Out of gas?

awil28

lol no it has 4 gallons in it.

wsome001

A couple of things you might consider:

First, you know there's no fuel pressure, but do you know why? Look up your computer pinout diagram online and find out which pinout is the fuel pump enable. Put a voltmeter on it and test it, and if you're not getting the specified voltage (usually +/- 5 volts), then the computer is not sending the message to the fuel pump.

If this is the case, you have a few probable causes. You could still have trouble with the anti-theft device, or even more likely, your computer could be KAPUT. I imagine this is your problem, based on what you wrote. Get a cheap used one from a junkyard (50 bucks) and see if that solves your problem.

In the end, the bad computer could even have been what was overheating your engine by getting the ignition timing all wrong. I have seen this happen.

Good Luck.

awil28

ty i will go and check that. can i just unplug the old one and plug in the new computer? and it turned out both heads were warped so i really think that was causing the cooling problem because all that would happen was the car would idle rough and get to temp then spit all the coolant out of the overflow hose.

jonpipe

I run a 1995 Ford F350, 7.3 Turbo Diesel, Super Cab, Dually. I had to put a new drive shaft on a month back. A hung over super truck mechanic destroyed my original. By the time I figured out the shake, resonating problem, it cost over $6000.00

My truck was driving as smooth as glass, for about two weeks. A car pushed me into curb, on a corner (left outside rear). Now when driving down the highway I get white knuckles from the Canadian Tire Chainsaw like vibration from the steering wheel. I drove 1000 Km yesterday. It was fine. Today, it vibrated for about 200 Km. And then I pulled off the highway, did a steady 95 Km/hr.(on a smaller highway), no vibration..????
--I'm going to re-torque my wheels right now. I hope it's not tires. I replaced the front bearings 3 months ago. In hopes of getting rid of a horrible groan/howl. No luck with that one. The groan thing seems to come from the tranny. Between 95-99Km/hr. Other than that everything is pretty quiet.

Also my right rear brake locks on. I take the tires off. loosen the brake, a week or two later, I get home, my right rims are glowing read, you can feel the heat, and the great smell as soon as you open the door.
I changed drums and pads two weeks ago. Just noticed tonight that the brake was stuck on again. ---I thought it needed a little more pedal on the highway tonight.

jonpipe

My mother has a 91' Olds 98, a 2001 Buick, 2001 Malibu. They all do the same thing. I bought the head gasket kit and gasket kits to fix the Buick. But the Buick is finished, so I was planning on putting the kits in the Malibu. By the sounds of it, it's a waist of time.

The 91' Olds runs like a top. The $2800.00 optional factory paint job is immaculate with 400 000km on it. The worst conditions, snow, salt, gravel etc....
In hot weather it does the drop your transmission on the street-shifts. Change the 3 pack distributor and the computer underneath and your ok for 500 km, at a cost of around $600.00 At 140 km/hr (In the USA) the car gets 45 miles to the gallon (Canadian).
--The 2 million lights/computers/controls in the car burnt out 3 years ago. That includes the entire dash/climate/jumbo jet steering wheel controls, everything inside the car. Still lays rubber..

All three cars get hot in stop and go traffic at temperatures above 20 Degrees Celsius and do that thump/slam shift thing. And it is the head gaskets leaking and damaged coil pack.

The right fan on the rads doesn't come on, causing the coil pack to get hot and slowly melt. In the cold the cars run fine. I checked my fans, they all work but the right fans never come on when the engine is hot, only the left....

jonpipe

I just re-torqued at 150 lbs. instead of 140 lbs. On the right front wheel I got 1/4 turn out of 3 nuts. Hopefully the cause of the vibrating in the steering wheel.

After I put the new drive shaft on, the back end of my truck it was jumping across the road at 101km and over. I re-torqued my rear wheels, I got 1/4 turn out three nuts on the right side. This fixed the jumping thing. It was pretty bad, at 130 km the wheels felt like they were leaving the pavement with a good couple inches under them.

I pulled off my right rear wheels, the drum actually just slipped off. (I didn't have to beat on it for an hour with a sledge hammer). My bran new Ray-Bestess brake pads...a little smooth areas here and there, mostly very rough with metal hairs hanging off, with deep crevices. They appear to be junk, and burn to a crisp.
The drums appears ok.

The old pads were smooth, but the forward shoe was worn uneven. It was tapered from the top down about 1/4 of the way.

When my rims are glowing red, I have to beat the drum off with a sledge hammer.
My rims were glowing red this time, but the drum slipped off by hand...?

The old pads were original. I went to replace them 8 years ago, but they were 3 times thicker than the new ones.
The new pads were $269, I took them back. The truck has 300 000 km on it. Every time a mechanic touched my truck. My rear wheels were glowing red (I have to have it certified/inspected every year).

bolivar

Possibly a collapsed rubber brake line on that wheel? You sometime cannot see this from the outside. This keeps brake pressure on the brake all the time.

This might have also caused the off/on vibration?

jonpipe

I drove to work this morning, my steering wheel was [shaking] at 60 km. When I got on the bigger highway and increased speed to 110 km, I got white knuckles again, something else under my truck seem to be shaking side to side, there was the occasional grinding noise, the back end was thumping/hoping occasionally. My steering box also has an enormous amount of play in it, so it makes driving very, very difficult.

When I got to work I crawled under the back end. Left rims and plate -ice cold, drum maybe 17 degrees Celsius. The right side, not glowing red but I singed my finger tips on the rims.

The way home, my truck drove as smooth as silk. Just like a new truck. The brakes seem to be pulsing but that's to be expected considering the right (brand new) pads are burnt to a crisp and have gouges in them. I imagine the brand new drum is garbage too.

-The night before, on the way home. The drive was insane. I got white knuckles at 60 km/hr. @90km/hr my entire truck (front to the back) was doing the cheap chainsaw vibration thing. My camper mirrors were almost braking off the doors. I was going to pull off the high way but I don't have a $1000 for a tow truck. I decided to go pedal to the metal. At 125 km/hr the vibration that was beating the living c--p out of me and my truck was gone. Pulled on to another highway and my truck was as smooth as silk again, at all speeds.

--My brother has a 2002 Duramax 4X4 dually. Every time the mechanics certify it, an hour down the highway you hear a faint groan from the rear. The back end of the truck starts walking side to side (smoothly). Very weird feeling. Pull over, check the wheels and the lug nuts are falling off one side.

My truck, if you get 1/4 turn on three lug nuts on one side, you might as well strap yourself to a couple of Bosch Brutes for the ride..!!

jonpipe

I took my wheels off at 8 pm last night and waited until 1 am for some help on this/these matters. Thanks for the tip about the collapsed rubber line. Too tired tonight, I'll check it out tomorrow night. Just thinking about it, there is only one piece of rubber hose, it drops from the frame to the splitter on the dif housing.

jonpipe

The shake and vibration (white knuckle thing), was from the dragging right rear brake. When the brake was locked on, I didn't get a shake or vibration, but since the new equipment is dragging I'm getting the shake. I replaced everything on the right side. And I replaced the springs and shoe's on the left side as well.
The right drum was black, brown, blue.

lhy

I hear a knocking sound from the rear of my car. It sounds like someone is knocking on the trunk. The weird thing is the sound is a single short knock.

The sound usually occurs when I first drive the car in the day. It only happens one or twice. And it can happen either while driving or while idling at a stop.

I checked my trunk and there is nothing loose. I thought it might be the rear shocks or brakes, but I had these checked out earlier this year.

My car is is a 1996 Oldsmobile 88 LS
3.8L V-6 engine.
Automatic transmission
46K mileage

imidazol97

This is a strange symptom. You'd have the struts checked so it's not a bad mount. It occurs moving or sitting still. It only occurs once. Can you describe the sound better?

The only random thing I can think of is if you have the load-leveling rear struts. The system uses a pump that's mounted under the right rear of the car inside the stub frame at the rear. That pump might be making a noise trying to start or the change in air pressure it gives to the struts may be causing a shift and a noise.

Another might be the links at the ends of the stabilizer (sway) bars or the sway bars where they are held in rubber mounts under straps. The links on the end have a rubber pad that wears and hardens. The internal part is a metal bolt that rusts away. It's inside a hard plastic sleeve. Some people with cars our age (I have a 98) have had trouble with the links. If they break on one end, when the car wheels go up or down just right the remaining pieces hit or shift and make a noise.

Also it could be a ball joint that's low on grease or is worn giving a noise as it binds and then lets go.

It could be the muffler and exhaust system expanding.

stickguy

well, at 14 years old, if nothing is falling off, just turn up the radio and don't worry about it!

kiawah

muffler or tailpipe, banging against the frame.

lhy

The sound is like a muffled knock. It's like someone is inside the trunk and gives it a single knock with a rubber hammer or fist. You have to listen for it sometimes, but you can hear it.

And the knock usually happens after I have parked the car for a while. It happens within a few minutes after starting, and then I don't hear anything more.

In terms of the load-leveling rear strut pump or sway bar problems that you mentioned, are these issues pretty serious in terms of repair cost and possible damage?

And would the muffler or exhaust system expanding be a problem?

imidazol97

The struts would be unusual to give that sound but it should be repeatable by someone pushing up and down on the car front and back. It might not happen all the time but might happen when you did it.

The front sway bars and the links that hold the ends to the A-arms for the wheels can be inspected visually for flaws by a mechanic who knows what to check.

But I just decided I might have another source: the gas tank. Does your car have the original gas cap? Or has it been replaced with what might be a wrong cap? The gas tank might be pressurizing from the fuel in it or it might be running a leak check where, I believe, it pulls a vacuum and sees how long it lasts. If it leaks air in too fast, then it fails the pollution check and the check engine light comes on steady which means pollution devices didn't test right.

Pressurizing or vacuuming might cause the tank metal to move in or out giving a dull thud sound. The tank is under the rear seat cushion, so sounds would be like they were from the trunk.

Do you run always low on fuel? Or always full? You might start thinking about how much fuel is there when it does it. Some cars have a sloshing problem. E.g., when stopping, you'll hear the fuel hit the end of the tank as it sloshes a short time after a stop. The fuel is supposed to be baffled in the tank with things placed to stop the sloshes from moving as a single wave front. Sometimes baffles come loose, or the baffles just weren't designed right. These symptoms might not occur with a different level of fuel in the tank.

Without checking again for your car year, the vacuum check for pollution leaks occurs on my 98 when the tank is between 3/4 and 1/4 full. It only is run when the engine is started and the coolant is between two temperatures, for example only, between 100 and 170 deg. You might notice if the sound occurs only under those circumstances. The check does not take long, less than a minute. I know because I've had a gas cap turn on the check engine light and when the car ran the check the light was off before I was down the street very far from the quick market.

lhy

I checked the gas cap on the car. It still has the original gas cap.

Your idea about the gas tank being the cause of the knock sounds interesting though. I've heard the sloshing gas sound from the tank that you mentioned, sometimes when I back out of a parking space. I usually run the car on a 1/4 tank of fuel. I'll put in more gas and see if I still have the knocking sound problem.

As I understand it, you're saying that the problem could be caused by the gas tank pressurizing fuel or the baffles in the tank being loose?

I haven't noticed the check engine light turning on or the "vacuum check for pollution" running when the knocking sound occurs, but I'll look for it again.

If the problem is the gas tank, how serious of a problem is this in terms of repair costs? Or is this a problem I can just ignore?

imidazol97

Try running the car fuller on gas. Low fuel helps age the fuel pumps toward replacement.

When the pressurization or vacuum test is run, the light doesn't turn on. Only if there's a problem does the light turn on.

I would just keep driving the car rather than replace a tank due to a noise.

euphonium

I usually run the car on a 1/4 tank of fuel.

It doesn't cost any more to run the car with a full tank & when my gauge gets to 1/4, I fill it up.

bakerichie

I have a 2005 sonata. i adjusted the headlights, but the brights now are shining high. is there an adjustment point for the hi beams also. there is info on the rubber gasket, but no location to adjust

colin_l

They don't adjust independently. Most likely you have inadvertently positioned your main beams too high, thus your high beams are higher still... probably above signs and in the trees, I bet.

I would suggest that you lower them a bit.

terry102

i have a 91 honda accord the sport shift light comes won't shift into 4 gear i've changed both shifting selioneds didn't help the car has 178000 miles on it also have a 92 doing almost same thing somebody told me it was the brain wondering where brain is and if thats the problem my book shows brain but doesn't tell where located

lrccomo

scot31

2001 vw new beetle, 1.9 diesel auto had a turbo leak and took to a shop they fixed the leak but the battery went dead while it was their now transmission wont shift into over drive the book says its in fail safe mode how do i fix the problem

lostwrench1

It does cost more to run a car with a full tank of fuel.
It costs fuel to carry fuel.
A full 20 gallon gasoline tank weighs 120 pounds.
You wouldn't ride around all the time with 120 pounds of bricks in your trunk.

jipster

It does cost more to run a car with a full tank of fuels an example you car

How much more? You're averaging 20mpg on a full tank and 19 mpg on a quarter tank. Seems it would hurt you in a lot of stop and go driving, not so much if most of travelis on interstate.

srs_49

A simple numerical example helps to put this into perspective.

According to the government web site fueleconomy.gov,
fueleconomy.gov
5.8% of the energy content from a gallon of gasoline goes to overcoming inertia losses (vehicle weight). If a vehicle weighs 3600 lbs, then the difference between a full tank of gas (20 gallons) and and half tank of gas is 60 lbs. As a percentage of the example vehicle weight, that 60 lb difference is 1.67%.

So the effect on gas mileage between a 20 gallon loaded tank and a 10 gallon fuel load would be 1.67% x 5.8% = 0.1%.

Tell us, do you think a 0.1% difference in fuel economy is noticeable amongst all the other noise?

jipster

.1%? Wow.. didn't think it would be that low.

jipster

I'm getting a loud humming noise from the engine compartment that increases in noise level with more acceleration. More noticeable in cold weather and low speeds, particularlly in workplace parking garage. Making a turn seems to make it worse, with a different moaning type of sound... and a slight stiffening of the steering wheel. My left field guess is a loose serpentine belt and or wheel bearings. Any ideas?

juliana77

I have a toyota camry 2007 v6 not hibrid, automatic transmission. I have been noticed that my car is, like, losing power when I am driving. When I first start the car the rotation per minute goes very high and I have to force the speed to make the car run. A mechanic who I dont know told me today that I have to replace the transmission and I am very concerned about it. I have this feeling that is not true what he is saying. Someone can help a woman who doesnt know anything about cars?