Update on 1998 Astro with 115,000 miles that had an oil leak at crimp in oil cooler line. Just took it on 1050 mile trip after adding stop leak to oil and coolant. Got home and checked under it and no leaks after about 1/2 hour parked. Just in case, I called and the local NAPA store can get me the Sonoma PS flex hose line for $30. Maybe they can get me the Astro oil line for not much more. The gas mileage was great on the trip. Still need to go top it off but expect the total trip avg. to top 23 mpg. That is within one mpg of my dad's new 4.0 liter 2008 Pacifica recent trip mpg and nearly matches the trip I took in the Astro a month after I first got it, 11 yrs ago.
it is not a bad idea to change tranny fluid after a break-in period. as for metal shavings in the pan or on the plug this is common in all new trannys. sounds like somebody trying to sell a service to me.
California requires at least two VIN numbers to register an out of state vehicle. I have the one on the driver's door. The one on the firewall is illegible. The engine is a swap out, so no VIN there. The one on the right frame rail behind the bumper has been welded over with a bracket. There is no VIN at the bottom of the windshield.
Please help! Is there a VIN on the tranny, transfer case, or differentials? Or somewhere else on the chassis? Where?
Actually, and I don't mean this in any way as a criticism, your vehicle sounds worthy of suspicion. You should have a VIN under the windshield, and that's missing...you should have something on the firewall, and that is "illegible". And the one on the frame rail is "welded over". That's a lot of co-incidences. Are we getting a message here?
Have you owned this vehicle a long time?
You may need to get a bond on this puppy or else California will tell you to take a hike.
I guess they've been out for about 5 years now. Any idea on reliability compared to a regular auto. trans? Are the things rebuilt, overhauled, or just replaced when they breakdown? Cost to rebuild as opposed to a reg. auto trans?
Well, I have had this vehicle about 8 years, and had it registered in Ca before, only last time, they didn't care about the missing VIN. The VIN that was welded over ocurred when a six inch lift was installed and a large spring leaf bracket was installed. The bracket is on top of most of the VIN, although you can still see some of it. It's possible that this vehicle has a shady past, I wouldn't know. I have the title, and I didn't think of VIN numbers back then, I was barely an adult at the time and didn't know anything.
What does it mean to have it "bonded?" How do I do that?
Well if you can see part of the VIN, that should be enough for the inspector. Depends on how much is visible.
Why don't you call California CHP and ask them? They often do these inspections and they know the rules. You can call anonymously on their information line.
Bonding means you take out a bond for the value of the vehicle that guarantees the vehicle is not stolen.
I'm kind of surprised they are hassling you if you have the old title. Sometimes one hand at DMV doesn't know what the other hand is doing or saying.
im planing on fixing my 2001 bmw 330i's front struts by replacing them the heinz repair manual is going to be my guide but i was told i would need some sort of clamp for removing and installing the struts is this true? or is following the manual the ok way of changing them.
If you haven't done it before, I'd suggest just taking it somewhere to do. Lots of garages will do struts, even tire chains like National Tire Discount. I've done struts a number of times for my vehicles over the year, and just paid the last time.
I don't know specifically about BMW, but I assume they're like any other strut, basically a compressed spring over top of a strengthed shock.
The problem with doing it yourself, is even with the strut in a fully extended position (maximum length), the spring is compressed and is putting tension on the strut to extend it out to it's maximum length. If you just start unbolting things, at some point the parts and spring will break loose and send metal parts flying. You'll loose body parts you would rather have kept for a couple more years.
The strut spring tool, allows you to apply compression pressure to the already compressed spring, so you then can unbolt it from the underlying shock. You put in the new shock, align everything properly, bolt the spring back on, and then slowly undo the spring tool. You can do it safely, but take care and make sure you get all the parts put back in exactly the same rotation that they came off in. A number of vehicles have had alignment problems and had to issue TSB's, when the strut was not assembled correctly at the factory.
When I was at NTB getting tires and had the struts done, the guy had a tool bolted on the wall that held the whole strut, and with one movement of the large lever safely compressed the strut hold all the pieces in alignment, so that he could easily replace the shock. Very slick.
You may want to investigate whether a shop would change the shock out of the strut for you at some minimal price, and then you mount the strut in the vehicle if you want to do that piece.
Can anyone tell me when the timing belt should be changed on a Chrysler Cirrus with the Mitsubishi built 2.5L engine (6G73). Owners manual says nothing. Mitsu dealer says 60K on all their engines. Found an internet source that says 90K.
Also, is that engine an interference type or not?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2000/Buick/Century/3.1lt engine/Automatic trans/145,000 miles My cooling fans come on for no reason. The engine is cold and the the fans will come on and run the battery down. I've check the resistance on the cooling sensor. It was about 40 degrees outside and the ohms of res. was about 2500, @ about 140 degree's after running the engine for 10 to 15 minutes, it was 600 to 650 ohms. That is about right (Right)!!!! I pulled the plug to both fans and I have have 12.5 volts on the light blue wire on that harness. Is that part of the AC system. I can't find ant wire on the high side of the drier that is that color.
I can't speak to the specifics of your vehicle, I don't have the electrical schematics.
The cooling circuitry for most vehicles has three parts, the control circuitry that determines when to turn on, a set of relays or even an integrated circuit, and the fan motors themselves.
Your fan motors are turning, so they obviously have power and the motors aren't 'frozen' so those appear okay from your description.
The relays are to there, because of the high current draw of the fan motors. Their contacts(points) are capable of handling the higher current draw and arching that can occur when you turn motors on and off. Usually when a relay is bad, it either never turns the fan on, or the fans are always on and never turn off. It is not abnormal for a relay to go bad. I'm not exactly sure of your symptom, because you say they "come on for no reason". If 'come on for no reason' means that they are off, and then they turn on, then your relay is probably okay. If 'come on for no reason' means that the fans are always running (or always running when the ignition is in ON position), then I would suspect the relays. If your fans are sometimes off and sometimes on, then I suspect that the relays might be okay. They are switching back and forth between on and off. You don't know for sure until you meter them out. But the typical relay failure is either 'never turns on', or 'never turns off'.
For the control circuitry, in older vehicles it used to be that the thermostat controlled the relay. Then they wired in circuitry that when the A/C was turned on, it also turned on the relays to the fans no matter what the temperature. In newer cars the control circuitry is typically the engine computer, monitoring vehicle speed, a/c load, electrical voltage, engine rpm, engine temperature, ambient air temperatures, etc.
If your relays aren't your problem, then you will need to get a set of electrical schematics for your vehicle which detail out what are the 'inputs' to the computer that are being monitored to turn on the relay and fans. You could have one of the 'inputs' bad (always calling for the relay/fans to be on), or your computer itself could be bad (misinterpretting the inputs, and turning the relay/fans on when not needed).
The part about the PMC could be true. One night I went out and the fans where running for no apparent reason. I couldn't get them to shut off and it was late so I unplugged them. Later the next day I went out to check them out and plugged the fans back to the harness and they didn't start runnning again. Strange!! Started the car and took it around the back of the house to the garage to diagnois and shut the car off. they were running again. Engine still cold. Only ran 3 min. tops. With the ign key in the off position Thought of the defrosters and shut everything down inside the car, fans still running with key in off position. Hoping cost of fix was not PMC. Thanks
GM has a service bulletin addressing this issue. It first appeared on the then newly designed Regal back in 1997. You would think that four years after its introduction they would've worked the redesign into the newer models. Then again the more I think about it GM had an intermediate steering shaft issue with their GMT 800 trucks that took 8 years to resolve.
If you haven't found the solution by now, post here and I'll try and look up the final resolution.
I have a 92 ford ranger with the 4.0l that makes a pinging noise under load. What are the possible problems? I have heard that is normal for that engine but I would like to fix it anyway.
Pinging under load is not good. What you are hearing is, literally, the internal parts of your engine rattling around, and, possibly, the walls of your cylinder actually flexing. You can burn a hole right through a piston from pinging.
HOWEVER, there is "pinging" and there is PINGING. A very slight, short burst of this noise under heavy load in a high gear might be pretty normal, but if you are climbing a hill and the ping just keeps on going (in other words, not a short, temporary burst) you are headed for disaster.
Cause? Various. Most common:
1. Fuel octane too low
2. Timing too advanced
3. Heavy carbonization of cylinder head or tops of pistons
4. Defective distributor/advance mechanism (depends on the car).
I was told i would have to pull the heads and clean up the top half of the engine. Knowing the some of the past history of the truck, it has not had the best service intervals. Just thought that I would ask before spending the time to tear it down and rebuild it. Thanks for the reply.
Try to isolate the cause a little, for instance.....check the timing and timing advance, and put in a tankful of higher octane....before you start tearing the engine down.
The 3 Liter motors almost all ping. Not much to do about it but use higher octane fuel.
When a 4 Liter pings, it means the bolts holding the intake down have loosen up. This allow air to be pulled into the intake, leans out the mixture, and this causes ping.
Start in the center and criss-cross tightening up the intake manifold bolts. I think they are about 9mm or so. A 1/4 inch drive with flex connector and extensions of various lengths will also be needed. I don't know the torque needed. Just snug them up, you are going to find several that are loose.
This happened on my 94. I bet it's your problem. Otherwise, 4 Liter Rangers do not ping.
Geo Prism. Says vibrates/shakes for abourt 20 minutes until fully warmed up. Then okay. Took to Autozone, many possiblities they say... she mentions a sensor. Said one mechanic lifted the front left bumper and it stopped shaking. Idle air control sensor?
I'd look for a vacuum leak before guessing about sensors. As the engine warms up, very often a vacuum leak will seal as the metal expands. Or some device could be sucking/leaking vacuum until a certain temp is reached and then shuts itself off.
I am a bit of an test instrument geek (more lab than real world) a friend of mine has a repair shop and is looking to purchase a refrigerant leak tester- he has been looking at the Inficon T-Dek, a Fieldpiece unit and a couple from Bacharach- (H10G and H10PM)...if anyone has a feeling of which of these or even another unit- is the best- i would love some real world input- i can and will do the spec comparison- just tying to understand what works best in real use- THANKS
None of the turn signal bulbs in my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier respond to my turn signal lever (no light-up and no clicking), but all four bulbs do respond to my hazard switch (they light-up and click-click). What could cause this?
Aren't these the same bulbs? Doesn't the same flasher unit operate from the turn-signal lever and from the hazard switch?
Is the flasher unit located where an ordinary mortal can remove it for replacement?
I checked the fuse block and noticed that the turn signals and the hazard warning were separately fused
I went to Wal-Mart and got a new 10 amp mini-fuse (I still have a number of regular-size fuses and didn't realize they don't use those in new cars now)
Changed fuse, turn signals work fine. I wonder what caused that fuse to blow. There was no lightning or any other suspicious event near the time the turn signals stopped working
I will still be sticking my head under the dashboard to see where, and how accessible, the flasher unit is
i have a 1990 chevy k 2500 with a 350 v-8 with a automatic transmission when i apply brakes to slow down or to stop it acts like its diend then the idle smooths back to normal then when i pull into my driveway and right when im about to stop it dies what to do i dont know can you help? i have already replaced the throttle position sensor and the plugs and wires and the egr valve and th idle sensor and had the time set on it and replaced the map sensor and several vaccum lines i need some help please running out of options and money
Bulbs work okay even while car is moving - in hazard mode.
Fuse blew again in turn signal mode.. Since turn signal and hazard circuits use the same flasher module and the same bulbs, I am thinking it must be a connection problem (intermittent short). There are too many wires running around inside the steering column for me to look there. Will take to dealer Wednesday.
Could be any number of things. Try this: when slowing down and it starts to act like its going to die, pop it into neutral. Does that allow the idle to come back to normal and prevent dieing? If so, could be a trans problem.
'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
I own a 2004 C240 4Matic,53,000 miles.The panic alarm doesnt work when i hit panic on my key.The lights do flash on and off though.A friend said it may be the siren but wasnt sure.Any ideas?Also do the light sensors lose sensitivity.When its cloudy or a little dark out the headlights dont come on like they used too.They do come on when its dark (this is in the autolight mode).Is there an adjustment?
Hi, I have a 93 mercury villager with 102,000 miles that seems to bog down when going uphill and sometimes on flat ground when it is warmer. It just loses power on a hill and cuts in and out as if it's gas is being cut off. I can step on it when it is doing this and eventually it might take off faster and other times it just loses its power. Then when I let off the gas for a second while it is doing this, it will pick up again and surge forward. It feels like a real uneven flow of gas is getting through. We just changed the fuel pump so it isn't that. I read about the same problem with the villagers but I don't ever hear what the problem is. Does anyone know anything about this. Thank you.
A reporter is looking to talk with a driver who brought a vehicle in for service and the shop tried to upsell them. Maybe you came in for a scheduled maintenance visit and the service advisor tried to sell you a new set of brakes or a transmission flush. If you have a story to share, please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, May 15, 2009 with a few details and your city and state of residence. Thanks, Jeannine Fallon Corporate Communications Edmunds.com
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
1. Disconnect battery negative and positive terminals, then install short connector on airbags, 2. When replacing left hand side sensor, remove foot rest and door sill moulding, then pull back carpet. 3. When replacing right hand side sensor, remove foot rest and door sill moulding, then pull back carpet. Remove fuel injection ECU. 4. On either sensor, remove sensor mounting bolts, then the sensor. 5. Reverse procedure to install, torquing sensor mounting bolts to 16 ft. lbs.
If you don't know what a short connector is, don't mess with your airbags.
Although I told the service writer at the Chevrolet dealership that my turn signals did not blow out fuse sitting in driveway, but only when car was driven, the mechanic at first told me that they corrected my problem by changing the fuse.
I had not noticed that my backup lamps are on same circuit as the turn signals. Apparently a backup "combination bulb and alarm" (the likes of which I have installed on my cars for many years) was drawing too much amperage and blowing the fuse. They charged me an unconscionable $83 to diagnose and change the bulb back to a standard type.
Then they told me that transmission fluid was leaking at the half-shaft connection. What little oil/grease I saw there was not red and was not dripping. They insisted it was a serious matter they could correct for about $400 (or only $360 if they did the work right then), otherwise I might suddenly lose all my transmission fluid and totally wreck my transmission. I declined that service. And I'll not be returning to that dealer again.
A reporter is looking to speak to owners that have had trouble getting their car repaired because of parts issues. If this has happened to you, please contact ctalati@edmunds.com by Thursday, May 14, 2009.
Year/Make/Model: (1994 Subaru Legacy) Type & Size of Engine: (4 cylinder Transmission Type: (Auto) Mileage: (140k) Problem: Was altenator really bad?
On 5/1, my car wouldn't start. Someone came to jump it, but it started w/out jumpers out of the blue. Took it to Sears. They tested the battery and said it was fine. The battery, a Die Hard gold is less than 6 months old.
Sears then told me the alternator was bad and replaced it. Four days later, my car wouldn't start again. I had it jumped and took it to another mechanic. They load tested the battery and voltage dropped to 4 volts causing no start condition.
They replaced the battery. I have the old battery, but not the old alternator.
Sears maintains that their tests, done by computer, are accurate. What is the likelikehood that the battery test at Sears was bad and that the alternator test was rendered inaccurate by the battery test.
Don't know exactly which tester they used, but typically the device can test both the alternator output (checking both the voltage and current output under maximum load), as well as the current and voltage output of the battery under maximum load.
A bad battery doesn't really effect the results of the alternator testing, if that is what your question is.
i have a 96 geo metro with 185/70r13 tires. according to tire rack, my stock sizes are 155/80-13 OR 175/70-13 . So i'm not sure if they are stock rims, although they appear to be.
can i put the stock size on? how much variation in the profile and section width can i have? there is some 155 80 13's on ebay that i'd like to get, but not if they won't fit! i'm not concerned with speedo readings, etc.
Comments
California requires at least two VIN numbers to register an out of state vehicle. I have the one on the driver's door. The one on the firewall is illegible. The engine is a swap out, so no VIN there. The one on the right frame rail behind the bumper has been welded over with a bracket. There is no VIN at the bottom of the windshield.
Please help! Is there a VIN on the tranny, transfer case, or differentials? Or somewhere else on the chassis? Where?
Any help is appreciated.
William
Have you owned this vehicle a long time?
You may need to get a bond on this puppy or else California will tell you to take a hike.
a regular auto. trans? Are the things rebuilt, overhauled, or just replaced when they breakdown? Cost to rebuild as opposed to a reg. auto trans?
What does it mean to have it "bonded?" How do I do that?
Why don't you call California CHP and ask them? They often do these inspections and they know the rules. You can call anonymously on their information line.
Bonding means you take out a bond for the value of the vehicle that guarantees the vehicle is not stolen.
I'm kind of surprised they are hassling you if you have the old title. Sometimes one hand at DMV doesn't know what the other hand is doing or saying.
or is following the manual the ok way of changing them.
I don't know specifically about BMW, but I assume they're like any other strut, basically a compressed spring over top of a strengthed shock.
The problem with doing it yourself, is even with the strut in a fully extended position (maximum length), the spring is compressed and is putting tension on the strut to extend it out to it's maximum length. If you just start unbolting things, at some point the parts and spring will break loose and send metal parts flying. You'll loose body parts you would rather have kept for a couple more years.
The strut spring tool, allows you to apply compression pressure to the already compressed spring, so you then can unbolt it from the underlying shock. You put in the new shock, align everything properly, bolt the spring back on, and then slowly undo the spring tool. You can do it safely, but take care and make sure you get all the parts put back in exactly the same rotation that they came off in. A number of vehicles have had alignment problems and had to issue TSB's, when the strut was not assembled correctly at the factory.
When I was at NTB getting tires and had the struts done, the guy had a tool bolted on the wall that held the whole strut, and with one movement of the large lever safely compressed the strut hold all the pieces in alignment, so that he could easily replace the shock. Very slick.
You may want to investigate whether a shop would change the shock out of the strut for you at some minimal price, and then you mount the strut in the vehicle if you want to do that piece.
Also, is that engine an interference type or not?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Chain usually do not have change intervals given, they are good for the life of the motor.
My cooling fans come on for no reason. The engine is cold and the the fans will come on and run the battery down. I've check the resistance on the cooling sensor. It was about 40 degrees outside and the ohms of res. was about 2500, @ about 140 degree's after running the engine for 10 to 15 minutes, it was 600 to 650 ohms. That is about right (Right)!!!! I pulled the plug to both fans and I have have 12.5 volts on the light blue wire on that harness. Is that part of the AC system. I can't find ant wire on the high side of the drier that is that color.
The cooling circuitry for most vehicles has three parts, the control circuitry that determines when to turn on, a set of relays or even an integrated circuit, and the fan motors themselves.
Your fan motors are turning, so they obviously have power and the motors aren't 'frozen' so those appear okay from your description.
The relays are to there, because of the high current draw of the fan motors. Their contacts(points) are capable of handling the higher current draw and arching that can occur when you turn motors on and off. Usually when a relay is bad, it either never turns the fan on, or the fans are always on and never turn off. It is not abnormal for a relay to go bad. I'm not exactly sure of your symptom, because you say they "come on for no reason". If 'come on for no reason' means that they are off, and then they turn on, then your relay is probably okay. If 'come on for no reason' means that the fans are always running (or always running when the ignition is in ON position), then I would suspect the relays. If your fans are sometimes off and sometimes on, then I suspect that the relays might be okay. They are switching back and forth between on and off. You don't know for sure until you meter them out. But the typical relay failure is either 'never turns on', or 'never turns off'.
For the control circuitry, in older vehicles it used to be that the thermostat controlled the relay. Then they wired in circuitry that when the A/C was turned on, it also turned on the relays to the fans no matter what the temperature. In newer cars the control circuitry is typically the engine computer, monitoring vehicle speed, a/c load, electrical voltage, engine rpm, engine temperature, ambient air temperatures, etc.
If your relays aren't your problem, then you will need to get a set of electrical schematics for your vehicle which detail out what are the 'inputs' to the computer that are being monitored to turn on the relay and fans. You could have one of the 'inputs' bad (always calling for the relay/fans to be on), or your computer itself could be bad (misinterpretting the inputs, and turning the relay/fans on when not needed).
Good luck.
Thought of the defrosters and shut everything down inside the car, fans still running with key in off position. Hoping cost of fix was not PMC. Thanks
If you haven't found the solution by now, post here and I'll try and look up the final resolution.
HOWEVER, there is "pinging" and there is PINGING. A very slight, short burst of this noise under heavy load in a high gear might be pretty normal, but if you are climbing a hill and the ping just keeps on going (in other words, not a short, temporary burst) you are headed for disaster.
Cause? Various. Most common:
1. Fuel octane too low
2. Timing too advanced
3. Heavy carbonization of cylinder head or tops of pistons
4. Defective distributor/advance mechanism (depends on the car).
When a 4 Liter pings, it means the bolts holding the intake down have loosen up. This allow air to be pulled into the intake, leans out the mixture, and this causes ping.
Start in the center and criss-cross tightening up the intake manifold bolts. I think they are about 9mm or so. A 1/4 inch drive with flex connector and extensions of various lengths will also be needed. I don't know the torque needed. Just snug them up, you are going to find several that are loose.
This happened on my 94. I bet it's your problem. Otherwise, 4 Liter Rangers do not ping.
You might also scan the car for trouble codes.
Aren't these the same bulbs? Doesn't the same flasher unit operate from the turn-signal lever and from the hazard switch?
Is the flasher unit located where an ordinary mortal can remove it for replacement?
I went to Wal-Mart and got a new 10 amp mini-fuse (I still have a number of regular-size fuses and didn't realize they don't use those in new cars now)
Changed fuse, turn signals work fine. I wonder what caused that fuse to blow. There was no lightning or any other suspicious event near the time the turn signals stopped working
I will still be sticking my head under the dashboard to see where, and how accessible, the flasher unit is
Fuse blew again in turn signal mode.. Since turn signal and hazard circuits use the same flasher module and the same bulbs, I am thinking it must be a connection problem (intermittent short). There are too many wires running around inside the steering column for me to look there. Will take to dealer Wednesday.
'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
If you have a story to share, please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, May 15, 2009 with a few details and your city and state of residence.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
2. When replacing left hand side sensor, remove foot rest and door sill moulding, then pull back carpet.
3. When replacing right hand side sensor, remove foot rest and door sill moulding, then pull back carpet. Remove fuel injection ECU.
4. On either sensor, remove sensor mounting bolts, then the sensor.
5. Reverse procedure to install, torquing sensor mounting bolts to 16 ft. lbs.
If you don't know what a short connector is, don't mess with your airbags.
secondary (high scale) -- 5k - 25k ohms
I had not noticed that my backup lamps are on same circuit as the turn signals. Apparently a backup "combination bulb and alarm" (the likes of which I have installed on my cars for many years) was drawing too much amperage and blowing the fuse. They charged me an unconscionable $83 to diagnose and change the bulb back to a standard type.
Then they told me that transmission fluid was leaking at the half-shaft connection. What little oil/grease I saw there was not red and was not dripping. They insisted it was a serious matter they could correct for about $400 (or only $360 if they did the work right then), otherwise I might suddenly lose all my transmission fluid and totally wreck my transmission. I declined that service. And I'll not be returning to that dealer again.
Type & Size of Engine: (4 cylinder
Transmission Type: (Auto)
Mileage: (140k)
Problem: Was altenator really bad?
On 5/1, my car wouldn't start. Someone came to jump it, but it started w/out jumpers out of the blue. Took it to Sears. They tested the battery and said it was fine. The battery, a Die Hard gold is less than 6 months old.
Sears then told me the alternator was bad and replaced it. Four days later, my car wouldn't start again. I had it jumped and took it to another mechanic. They load tested the battery and voltage dropped to 4 volts causing no start condition.
They replaced the battery. I have the old battery, but not the old alternator.
Sears maintains that their tests, done by computer, are accurate. What is the likelikehood that the battery test at Sears was bad and that the alternator test was rendered inaccurate by the battery test.
How should I proceed w/Sears?
A bad battery doesn't really effect the results of the alternator testing, if that is what your question is.
It's all pretty simple.
can i put the stock size on? how much variation in the profile and section width can i have? there is some 155 80 13's on ebay that i'd like to get, but not if they won't fit! i'm not concerned with speedo readings, etc.
thanks, jerry