Got a Quick, Technical Question?

branw

Thanks alcan, could I bother you to ask if you know where the speed sensor might be located? I see that autozone has a replacement for $43.

97rodeo

I have a 97 Isuzu Rodeo..
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed my A/C light was out. When I stopped, I noticed it had blown the 10amp fuse under the hood. Replaced it, switched on the A/C and after a couple of minutes, it blew the fuse again. I checked the A/C and condenser fan relays and they seem to be fine. I surmised it could be the fan, since about the time it should kick on when idling the fuse seem to blow again, fan never came on. I finally got to the fan electrical connection and was able to put power to it from the battery. Nothing. I am hoping that if the fan doesn't work, the A/C will kick off so there is no overheating.
So....since the fan isn't working, I have been looking for a replacement. I have not been able to come up with a new one from the auto parts stores in person or over the net. I have found a used one over the net from a salvage. Does anybody know why you can't get a new one??? If they are out there, where in the world are they??

Thanks for any info

alcan

Right side, rear. 2 wires are yellow and purple. Make sure wiring and connectors are ok before replacing the sensor.

jewblee

I have a factory installed radio/cassette player and a factory installed cd player. I am at times losing my front speakers completely. No sound, no static, nothing. Is there a factory installed audio amp and if so, where is it located? Does this amp drive all speakers or does it have outputs for front and back separated? Thank you

unique_name

i have a 2002 neon 85k miles. ingested water after going thru puddle. motor is locked, can't crank it with a breaker bar even with the plugs out. without knowing what is wrong an aig adjuster looks at it and says they will pay for a replacement engine from the junkyard. he states they are replacing with equal or better value. i say i have receipts showing oil changes every 3 - 5 thousand miles and tuneups on my motor, what can they produce to show the junkyard motor is of equal quality? they state it is up to my mechanic to determine the quality of the junkyard engine. is this normal?

burdawg

I can't comment on your problem with aig, but that must have been one big puddle. One thing to help would possibly be to have the compression on the replacement engine checked, and have the mileage of the junker it came out of verified. You could very possibly come out with an engine better than what you had before, i.e. less miles, 85k on an 02 is a lot of miles.

unique_name

yes, i agree 85k is alot but it is highway miles and a well maintained engine. i would rather have my engine fixxed than end up with a junker that has 50k and never changed the oil and was driven leadfoot.
ps: the puddle was about 8" deep. that wasn't really the problem. it appears the speed i was traveling (10 - 15) combined with an air intake snorkel that snakes downward into the lower fender caused my demise.

Mr_Shiftright

Your engine underwent what we call "hydrolock". The reason you can't turn it is that all the connecting rods are bent and/or broken in half. It's like your pistons coming up and hitting a brick wall....if the velocity is high enough, water isn't much softer than cement.

Your junkyard engine should have been test run and compression and oil pressure recorded before it was pulled from the car. The engine should be bagged and clean.

If it's some greasy mess with no tests, don't put it in. Also the engine should carry a written warranty, usually good for a short period of time. The warranty however does not include labor, so if the engine screws up, either you or your insurance company pays for removing the junkyard engine, not the junkyard.

Some wrecking yard engines are really good--depends where you get 'em.

seventy7

I've got a question regarding using mixed gas in a 2000 Dodge 4.7 liter V8. I have about half a tank's worth (30-40 litres) of relatively fresh leftover boat gas that I would like to get rid of instead of storing through the winter. It is mixed at 50:1 with 2-stroke oil for outboard motors (TCW-3). Is it safe to run the 4.7 on this stuff, or would it possibly gum up some internal components, like injectors? It's mixed with the same gas that I have been using all along in the truck. I can dump the whole amount in at once, or add a bit at each new fill-up, if that would make a difference. Someone with engine experience claims that it would be like a "treat" for the engine, but I have my reservations. Any thoughts?

Mr_Shiftright

Should be okay if you dilute it further. I wouldn't run it 50:1 in your car as I'd worry about the catalytic converter more than anything.

imidazol97

I'd dump in a gallon at a tank. A technician had told me to dump old mix from leaf blower after a couple of months. He said it wouldn't hurt a thing. Of course he was in Alabama and I'm in Ohio.

Mr_Shiftright

Well everybody using "Marvel Mystery Oil" is doing the same darn thing.

glenn7

I need to replaced the o-rings in the engine oil cooler. How do I disassemble the cooler? I replaced the oil guage on top of the cooler but still experience a heavy loss of oil.

johntheloser16

my car is boggin out when i try and take off it will stop once it hits about 3k rpms then will finally kick in and work right. what is the possible problem i changed... spark plugs,oil,oild filter,fuel filter,cap and rotor, and air filter what else is there to do? also put fuel injection cleaner in the gas. please help me!!

williamd1

I have a 2000 Lincoln Continental with the 4.6L DOHC
engine. It surges while accelerating. The dealer is stumped. So far have replaced fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel rail pressure sensor, throttle position sensor, spark plugs, cleaned mass airflow sensor. All to no avail. Does anyone have an idea?

burdawg

Have the fuel injectors been serviced?

johntheloser16

will fuel injectors cause acceleration hesitation? and how much do u no does it cost to get it serviced?

burdawg

If the injectors are dirty or worn bad the wrong amount of fuel can enter the cylinders, or worse the spray pattern can be a dribble instead of an atomized spray. I don't know what injector service will cost, the only time I had injector problems was on my old Taurus, in that case I elected to just change them out (at 135K miles I figured they were worn out). I think they were about $20 each, but don't remember clearly.
I don't know if this is your problem, but it sounds like their trying the hit and miss troubleshooting procedure to find your problem......

kappajen

Hello. I have a 96 Plymouth Neon with 178,000 miles and as I was driving yesterday (about 60 mph) all of the sudden I lost all power. I pulled over and then everything came back on. I sat for a minute turned the car off, sat for another minute and started the car. It started right up no probelms. I have driven about 70 miles or so since then and everything has been fine. Anyone have any insight to what the problem could be? Thanks alot.

jcoel04

Thanks for the infomation. I will try the suggestions.

gregtrang

I just recently got a ticket and found out that my speedometer is reading roughly 10 mph lower than my speed. When I thoughtI was driving 42 I was realy doing 52. My question is this, could this be a sign of transmission troubles? My car is a 1993 Toyota Camry with 125,000 miles so it is possible it is just out of calibration but I wanted to rule out a potential problem with the transmission.

imidazol97

Did you have that checked by a qualified speedometer shop? I'd take their report in and ask to have the ticket waived based on getting the speedometer fixed.

bolivar

What size tires are on the car, compared to the size on the drive's door plate?

If they are oversized by 2 or 3 sizes, or large rid size, this might cause some of the error on the speedometer.

simone

Good morning, Just had regular service done on my 04 malibu LT (45,000 miles)and told my mechanic of of a thud or clunking sound that i heard when turning my wheel to the left at low speeds.
After an inspection of the struts and frond end suspension which all checked out ok, I was told that the problem was caused by the strut plate and was quoted a price of over $400 to repair...
My question is this. Is this a reasonable expense?
and just what is a strut plate?? Is this something that can be adjusted??
any and all sugesstions would be greatly appreciated...Thanks Simone

sipherx

Maybe you guys can help me out. I just bought this car last Friday and its been great but I didnt notice this until after I signed the financing papers which kinda sucks. When I make a SHARP left hand turn for example making a u-turn it makes a grinding noise and its not like a tire rubbing up against something noise its like something mechanical is grinding. I also noticed a very slight whining noise every once in a while in my car. Its a 2002 gt grand prix. Hopefully someone can help me out here. I would greatly appreciate it.

Note: It doesnt make this sound when making right hand turns, and it also doesnt make any weird noises when the car is stopped and turn comepltely left or right, also no sounds of power steering whining either then wheel is turned completely left or right when comepltely stopped.

paintman

does anyone know where i can find the location of the blower resistor on a 1995 olds delta 88?

alcan

If my memory serves me it's just to the right of the blower motor, in the engine compartment.

lakeshordrver

I'm buying an 04 Marauder with the DOHC 4.6l V-8..book calls for premium gas but from other things i've read, most premium only motors can get by on regular. Just a slight loss of performance. I've heard of lexus and infinity guys using 87 with no problems. A good 87 octane couldn't harm an old standby Ford 4.6, could it?

Mr_Shiftright

Nah, you can use 87 in a Corvette or Porsche if you want to, but you'll lose performance and fuel mileage. If you are in a heavy traffic area, you'll probably not even notice the difference most of the time.

qbrozen

i can't figure out why that needs premium. 300hp out of 4.6 liters isn't exactly pushing the envelope these days. Anyone know the compression ratio?

Lemme put it this way, if my 280hp 3.9 liter Lincoln LS can survive with regular (also suggests premium in the book), I don't see any reason why an engine with only 7% more power out of about 18% more displacement should have a problem.

Mr_Shiftright

It's not just the compression ratio that determines the need...sometimes the actual shape of the combustion chambers is a factor....also some automakers need to have that "400 HP" mark for marketing so they'll require 93 octane to make that number.

qbrozen

Well, i think in the engines we are talking about, the compression ratio is what is going to determine the octane you need to use for the engine to not hurt itself. I don't know what the clearcut numbers are, but the unfounded mark i have in my head is that anything above 10:1 would need premium. This is, of course, on an NA car, because forced induction changes things completely.

Mr_Shiftright

I think on modern engines you really can't hurt them with lower octane fuel. The factory octane requirements are based not only on compression ratios, but combustion chamber shape and also richness of the fuel mixture. This is why for instance Chevrolet insists on 93 octane for the Corvette because they are running the car lean to boost the MPG. But you can dump any 87 octane crud into your Corvette and it will run fine and won't damage anything...you just won't go as fast or get the good gas mileage, since your engine management system will sense engine knock and retard the engine timing accordingly.

I think people waste a lot of money on octane when they might be satisfied with less for most driving conditions.

llagdaan

I took my suzuki to a local Jiffy Lube. They put the wrong oil filter in my car and the engine seized.
Suzuki is working to fix the car but since it's so new only a short block is available and they must reuse the top portion of my engine. The service shop mentioned they will have to machine the heads etc.

Here is my question: would you say that is bringing my car back to its original state or is that close to its original state but not quite and basically a little worse?

Thank you.

Mr_Shiftright

Well as long as they use all new moving parts for the head (new camshaft I hope) you should be all right. I presume they will warranty the short block but for how long? Ditto the head, etc? What happens to your warranty here?

llagdaan

Well I guess my manufacturer's warranty stays in place which is 7 yrs, 100,000 miles on the power train - doesn't that include all those things?
They said they would have to maichine the heads? because the car is too new to get a long block for it.

Even though I will be alright - does it still put the car technially back in its original state or better?

Thanks for the response by the way!

Mr_Shiftright

Well it COULD put the car back to its original state if everything were done top notch, no corner-cutting. It's really more of a workmanship issue than a mechanical question. Really the only thing that's going to be different from brand new is the head and its components. One thing I'd do is insist they drive it for a day or 100 miles or something, after they put it all back together.

bolivar

I'm getting into areas where my knowledge isn't complete, but why are they saying they need to machine the heads?

The car obviously destroyed the motor, from low oil, I assume - leaking past the incorrect filter.

But, did it overheat? I would think no oil would cause enough noise while the engine is destroying itself that there would be no time to overheat. If no overheat, why are heads to be machined.

They would need to be rebuilt, but machined?

If they are aluminum, can they even be machined?

You also need to check into the warranty with Suziki. I don't think they will warranty work done outside their shop. You are only going to get a short-block warranty if they do the job. I would think your 36000/3 year or whatever on the motor is gone.

Mr_Shiftright

yeah I'm wondering about that warranty, too.

The head "machining" may be nothing more than breaking down the head and machining in new valves,guides, cam bearings etc. They might not have to actually mill the head at all.

llagdaan

Well a suzuki dealership is doing the work. I was sure of that. I also called Suzuki to make sure that if this work was done that they would still warranty the vehicle.

The car did overheat. That's why my husband pulled over - the car was smoking!

If i have the drive it for a day will that ensure that the work they did was correct?

I really hope they do this job well as well. I hope this shop does not bill Jiffy Lube for full work but do a 1/2 job!

Anyone got any recommendations to get exposure to what jiffy did - I didnt tell you the worst part about it. The night my husband got stuck - he called Jiffy - they came out and put oil in the car and changed out the oil filter to the right one - to me that was to gid rid of their evidence because what is the point to change it out if the engine has already seized. The manager said that the oil filter was wrong - the district manager said it could've been anything but since they came out and tampered they would take liability but not for any other reason. The manager already said they put the wrong one in which I'm sure he wasn't supposed to tell me. To top it off - the car has the right one in there now so that means when the came out that they changed out the wrong one with the right one. That night they denied being the cause and would not tow my car or help us in any way! The car only had 12,900 but they insisted it was the car not anything they did. Nice huh?

drifter01301

i was just woundering if its possible and if so how hard it is to swap a 2.2 to a 2.4 in my 97 cavalier. also if it would be easier/cheaper to do a 2.4 swap with a turbo or buy a brand new 2.2 and turbo that?

Mr_Shiftright

Well look when a car gets an oil change and then immediately seized the engine, 2+2 = 4 in the eyes of most people. Jiffy may fight but if your dealer is warrantying it sounds like they worked it all out already. There are lots of details here you don't have clear answers to, so you'd better do your homework as to 1) who is paying what and 2) what is the extent and exclusions on your warranty.

No a day long test drive by them doesn't guarantee that things will work out---I suggested it merely because when you take apart an entire engine or do a short block replacement there are lots of lines and hoses and fluids and gaskets and sometimes things will leak or be connected wrong. It happens even to the best of mechanics so a 'shake-down' cruise is definitely in order or otherwise you'll be doing the shake down cruise.

kj27

I drive a 2003 Tribute with 24,000 mi. I've noticed a slight thud, thud, thud, type noise that I can't pin point. I notice it especially on new smooth roads at about 35 to 40 mile per hour. Had tires checked for nails, wear ect., they are fine. Drives straight no pulling. Any suggestions?

qbrozen

how long have you been hearing it?

you had the tires checked for nails and wear, but what about balance?

kj27

Yes checked balance and rotated tires twice. Not sure when it started just been going on for sometime but really started noticing it when they repair our local road.

qbrozen

you're not hearing it on JUST that road, are you?

kj27

No just more noticable on newer roads.

gapjs40

Hi,

When you get an answer to that question let me know. We have a 02 Yukon XL GMC and it does the same thing but when you turn either way. More on left hand turns than the right. The whining noise drives me nuts.

Thank

pgilbert

Occasional sporadic faltering was cured with gas-line antifreeze (methyl hydrate) to remove water in the gas. A week later the problem recurred, so I replaced the fuel filter and again added methyl hydrate. Problem was solved for a few days... but is back again! What does it take to get the water completely removed; or am I dealing with an additional problem?

crankshaft

you have to drop the tank and clean it out.