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I've replaced fuses, relays and even the multi function switch.
Down to my last dollar. Please help.
The alternator pulley disintegrated and I'm trying to replace it. It has a 10 pt star type mount surrounded by a spline. I have bought a replacement alternator at a salvage yard which already has a new pulley attatched. I have not been able to get the pulley off of the alternator, so I thought it might be easier to just change out the alternator along with mounted pulley. Unfortunately I cannot get the old alternator off. It's mounted with two bolts, however the lower bolt is too long to clear the metal fan housing which appears to come off the shaft of the water pump. Does anyone know the secret of getting the lower mounting bolt off. What do I need to take off to get it to release the alternator. Or for that matter; how can I get the pulley off?
Also where can I get a good service manual; one of the parts stores seem to carry them.
http://alldatadiy.com
and see if they have info on the Passat Diesel. I didn't see it in their lineup but....
Not an easy car to find a manual for, since there are so few of them around.
You might check with the dealer for the manual, also try your question in the Carspace "answers" forum.
http://answers.edmunds.com/default.aspx
2.0
auto
98k
the fuse for the cigar lighter keeps blowing using the proper fuse when i plug any type charging unit into it (ig:gps or phone chargers) also the other acessory plugs located in the rear and the center counsel does not work at all can anyone help thank you
Problem: Instrument panel light behind fan speed switch is out. Can average skill mechanic replace this light ? How to get at light bulb ?
Type & Size of Engine: 3.0l V6
Transmission Type: Auto
Mileage: 79k
Problem: Recently I purchased this vehicle and its got a strange lights issue that could be something simple. At time when I hit bumps the lights, floor and ceiling, flicker with the bumps I hit.
The more I push the gas the more it stays on/flickers...but also it will stop flickering if I crack open the moon roof, and start again when I closed it, and even rarely it will still flicker/turn on/off till I play with the sunroof or the gas, and then its back to only staying off when I have the sunroof open...
Its the Open Door light that comes on the dash, and it flickers along with the lights...I've tried playing with all the sensors and for some reason none of them seem to effect what happens besides the sunroof...and I dont think that has a sensor?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
It is located at the lower section of the steering column.
A lot of times, the bolts that hold it will get loose and allow it to move.
typically though, we think of cell-phone chargers, ipod power supplies, invertors that convert 12volts DC to 115volts AC to run a laptop or DVD player, a high-intensity search light, a portable pump to pump up tires or inflatable toys for the pool, etc as accessories which might plug into the "cigarette lighter".
once upon a time, people smoked (a lot). now, less.
then we got savvy and deemed smoking hazardous to our health. the cig lighter became or was re-engineered and relabled the accessory socket, and it was fused with the ability to handle much much lower currents (because what we plugged into it wouldn't need as much power as a coil on a cigarette lighter). also, manufacturers made the thing powered only with the car's ignition turned on, so it wasn't possible to run the battery down if you left something plugged in with the car off.
smart.
i guess way back when, people liked to light up their smokes with the engine off.
anyway:
so then, today: when you have a cell-phone charger or other device with a male plug, it has two conductors on the end of it (one on the outside of the plug, and one which is a probe at the tip of it). both are spring loaded to accomodate slightly differing sizes of female recepticles and maintain a good contact when you drive and go over bumps.
sounds good anyway.
continuing: generally people blow the fuse of the accessory outlet or receptacle (female part which is a part of the dash) because they insert the accessory plug (male which is part of the accessory cord) initially at an angle (this is called mis-alignment) and the tip of the plug shorts the conductors on the inside of the female receptacle.
generally the mis-alignment is temporary since as the plug is forced further in, the plug and recepticle mechanically become more and more in alignment. so the risky period of insertion is the beginning of the act.
:shades:
logically then, it follows that since the accessory plug receives no power until the ignition of the vehicle is actually turned on, if you plug in your accessory device before starting the car, you will not short out the receptacle, you will not cause a lot of current to flow in the wiring of the recepticle, and thus you will not blow it's low-rating fuse which protects it (generally from an accessory that develops an internal short).
lets say the accessory outlet wasn't fused. when the accessory developed a short, the weakest part of the electrical link, perhaps the socket, but perhaps the wiring to it would start to heat, melt and could start a fire, or just plain create a open circuit, and it would be very problematic to report that to you insurance, or find the location of the burned wiring. so the fuse protects you from yourself and your accessory.
i hope this clarifys the situation.
i think lots of people end up blowing fuses for the accessories circuit because they plug and unplug stuff with the ignition on. there's just too much room to angle the plug improperly when inserting it into the recepticle and short the socket with the tip of the accessory plug.
there, that's better.
But don't use your finger to dig around in the socket checking for a lost dime. Get a flashlight and shine it in there.
How flexable is the 60K timing belt change, any problem going to around 63K.
So going 3k extra miles may not hurt it.
But then again, it could go any time.
Good solid,versatile & comfortable car.
Power steering started leaking, then lost power too. my amigo put in new ps pump unit and do have good power but when engine is turned off the ps fluid is pressured out the top of pump cap area ? drove car for 2or3 short errands, whine detected on 2nd day and had to add alittle fluid. obvious leaked fluid on top of cap. no pressure valve that I can see on new ps pump ?? any suggestions or diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.
eboy ATx
2. More likely, there's air in the lines causing the fluid foam up and spill out the top of the pump. That would also explain the "whining" and the fact that you had to add fluid after some use.
I don't know about a 99 3.0L, but the Taurus 3.8 I had back in the 80's had extremely long lines which took some time to bleed the air out after replacing them. Could be similiar with a pump replacement.
Excessive heat, like say the brilliant people who put the battery right next to the turbo outlet (I will NOT mention Saab at this point)--excessive heat probably (never cut one open) warps the plates inside, and shorts them out PERMANENTLY.
So, IMO, cold is just putting them gently to sleep but excessive heat is a hammer to their heads.
Good analogy shifty. My cold cranking amps are low on my Buick (per dealership). Dealership highly recommended a new one at $170 installed. Like you noted, getting it started is like doing push-ups with one arm. It struggles a tad... but turns over. The low end battery in it now isn't even 2 years old. I'm guessing if this battery makes it thru the winter it will be okay till the following winter. I'm cheap... but wouldn't want to be stranded in no mans land either.
Now that it is colder, I have noticed that the car's back right hand side is acting up. The car has no excessive swaying, and the shock dampening still works fine, so it appears as though the strut is still working fine. What is happening is that the car, when passing over any type of bump at all, will make a very loud thump as it (the bump) passes under the back right tire. It almost seems as though the shock is not working, and that the whole maybe fifth of the weight of the car is just dropping. This is not the case, however, as the typical "bounce" is still there. My best guess is that some of the hydraulic fluid has leaked, and that the remaining amount has been having problems with freezing. To give an idea, if the temp is around 15F or less, then this happens. Above this temp, this doesn't happen.
Also, I (gently) went over a bump both forwards and backwards, and the same thing has happened.
Is this correct: The strut needs replacement? If so, what is a typical cost for replacement? Thanks a bunch.
~~Dan N.
$170 Geesh
I went over to AutoZone late yesterday. They have the Duralast batteries which are suppose to be pretty good. The sales guy there said he couldn't install the battery because it would mean taking out the fuse box and removing a metal bar, something they aren't allowed to do. So, I'll probably pull it out and exchange them in the next day or so.
Neighbor changed his Gran Prix battery and had to work to get it out. I don't think he had to remove a fuse box!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The spring will always provide the bounce, they rarely go bad if ever.
The shock has hydraulic fluid inside, and it's purpose is to dampen (or slow) the movement. In the first stage of going bad, the fluid leaks out and it fails to work as a shock any more and doesn't slow any up and down movement. In the second stage of going bad, the shock mechanically fails and brakes. In the case of a car with a strut that is a huge problem, since the strut is actually one of the suspension pieces keeping the wheel in place.
If you know it has leaked fluid, replace it. If it was mine with a bad rear strut, I'd replace all four and be sure to get it aligned since the struts are part of the suspension and effect alignment. They're probably original and 18 years old now,
and all the struts have been over the same number of bumps. This is assuming that the car doesn't have any other major mechanical problems that is forcing you to have to swap it out.
Almost all reasonably decent tire or repair shops do this type of work. I've even done it myself a number of times on vehicles over the years. It's just a little dangerous when you are taking the strut apart, you need to have the right tool to hold the spring compression. Care not taken, you'll have some spring or metal parts flying across the garage and if it hits a body part, toast.
Ha, Reminds me of trip many many years ago to VT in the winter. Guy that traveled with us had an issues with the little wire on cable and had to run with either lights or heater on, not nice . In the AM when his car wouldn't start (at around -26F) we opened the hood and covers on battery were propped up on incn or 2 stalagmites (or is that stalagtites sp chk). We had to take it out and let it thaw inside the house on the heater vents for a few hours till everything melted back down into battery.
However, the halogen light made a round spot on Stoneguard from heat.
How can I get it off, and replace it with new lens protector?
Thanks, :sick:
What exactly did it fail for? (meaning, which emissions and how far off were they)
could be a vacuum leak, could be O2 sensor(s), could be cat converter, could be ... well, alot of things.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ummmm... uhhhh... ahhhh...
Ok, how about this ... when the car is running, can you FEEL the exhaust coming out the tailpipe? Is the car REALLY loud?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Or has it been on in the last few hundred miles?
this document describes generically why a vehicle may not be ready and a generic "drive cycle" to put the vehicle in a ready state if the cel is not on:
http://www.nysdmv.com/broch/c114.pdf