Shadetree Mechanic

clamach

I finally got out under the shadetree this weekend and dismantled my fan ('89 Chevy Silverado PU). Guess What? A field mouse had made a nest in the squirrel cage. She had used undercarpet insulation and had quite a wad in the fan impeller. Everything seems to work fine now, though I may have some blockage yet in the vent circuit--heater and defroster both work fine. Many thanks for all the suggestions and help, especially Opatience for the fine diagram.

0patience

It usually makes it easier when you have a picture to go by.If you need more help,just yell or e-mail me.

jlflemmons

on a 95 Safari? I have determined that the vacuum line to the rear heater control valve is pinched off somewhere. I have vacuum at the control switch, but none at the valve. No hissing from a vacuum leak. I have traced the lines from the control valve inbound and from the control switch outbound and it looks like the vacuum line is mashed somewhere behind the instrument panel. Anybody have any ideas on removing the instruments?

By the way, I took it into the dealer when it was under warranty and was told that the water always ran through the rear heater core. Liars.

Jim

0patience

I'm not sure that these people are gonna be too happy with me if I keep posting images on their site,so if you have a specific problem that you think an image will help,e-mail me and I will give you a URL to where to see about helping you out.To e-mail me,click on my username and it should bring up my e-mail.Hope this helps you out.Let us know.


http://members.onecenter.com/autoworld/truckmech/diagnostics/GM/diagrams/astrohet.GIF">

0patience

Click on the URL to see the vacuum diagram for the heater.Sorry about that.I see what I did wrong though.Live and learn.I'm a mechanic,not a computer expert.ha ha

bobs5

I'm glad to hear that your problem has been fixed. Those pesky mice, its amazing where they can get into.

clamach

Thanks for the suggestions. This site has been a revalation to me. Keep up the good work!

rs_petty

There seems to be a dizzying array of Permatex type gasket sealants. I'm wondering what others use and why. What are advantages over normal cork/rubber type gaskets and when should you use or not use the Permatex.

0patience

There are many different kinds of sealants out now,because some are specific to application.There is Sensor safe sealant,ones that resist fuel and are sensor safe,designed for intakes,high heat ones and regular ones.The best thing to do is look at the application you are using it for.When in doubt,look for the sensor safe one.As far as gaskets go,the rubber or neoprene gaskets are by far the best,but they should be installed dry(no sealant)and only on completely clean surfaces.Cork gaskets tend to bond themselves to the surface and can sometimes be a nightmare to remove.Sealers should only be used in areas where the gaskets may not make full contact,areas like the corners of the intakes on V engines or on oil pan gaskets where the gasket makes a bend or corner.On standard fiber gaskets,such as water pump gaskets or timing cover gaskets I use Hi-Tack spray adhesive/sealer.Just to keep the gasket in place and make things a little easier.The best advice I can give you as far as sealers go,is to read the lkabel thoroughly,it will say what the application is for.On intake and fuel systems on the newer vehicles,always use sensor safe sealant.Hope this helps.

jamesk9

I have a 1993 Dodge Intrepid. The car now has
135,000 miles on the odometer. The factory option
keyless entry system option over time (1-2
month)started failed to work, and now no longer
works at all. I tried a number of avenues to
investigate. I looked for some actual TSB regarding this issue, and tried to locate the keyless entry receiving module using the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manuals. The key-fob has not been damaged, the batteries are good, and the connections do not seem damaged inside. I visually reviewed the circuit board and did not notice any breaks. What is my best approach to diagnosing the problem. Considering the key-fob stopped working over time, my guess is a loose connection, however, as mentioned above, I could not locate the receiving unit. Other thoughts related to failures in the receiving unit antenna, a faulty door sensor, or just a loose connection somewhere? I would greatly appreciate some advice as I just bought a 1998 Plymouth Voyager, and will probably need all my money for its' repairs.

0patience

I'll put a link in thes post.Go there and ask Alan or one of the other guys about the tablets and what you should do.He will be able to get you the info you need to get squared away.BAT Auto Technical click on Forums.

marmot498

I'm looking to purchase an 84 Toyota Land Cruiser and am sending it to a mechanic to have it checked out. I specificlly asked about a compresion test and he said that they don't do that, they use a smog device in conjunction with some electronic tool. I asked how he tests the valves and he said he could hear if there was any problem.
DOES THIS SOUND OK or sould a compression test be done??

THANKS

rea98d

Sorry, but I seriously doubt he could hear if the valves weren't sealing properly. Take it to a different shop, and have a compression test. "Some electronic tool" can make its best prediction as to what's going on inside the engine, but the only way to know for sure you're getting pressure inside the combustion chamber is to measure it.

alcan

Engine compression can be determined a couple of ways. A cranking test measures starter draw (the amount of load placed on the starter) as the engine cranks. A cylinder with low compression has less resistance to cranking over, hence lower starter draw. Then, a cylinder balance test with the engine running kills each cylinder individually. RPM should drop the same amount when each cylinder is shorted out, indicating that each is contributing equally. Simple, fast, accurate. All that's needed is a half-decent engine analyzer and someone who knows how to use it. If the above does indicate a problem then a cylinder leakage test is MUCH more accurate than a compression test.

pitel

Hello Friends!
When i press the brake pedal the radio slightly decreases its volume. Why? What is the problem?
In what direction to look for solution?
P.S. The car is 1984 BMW 528E - very old.

hprickettx

This is probably normal. When you step on the brake, you are generating extra electrical load, thereby nominally reducing the voltage, which means less voltage applied to the amplifier of the radio. The same thing probably happens if you turn your headlights on.

If the decrease in radio volume is only slight, it is probably not worth pursuing. But if you really want to fix it, start with the alternator.

pitel

Thank you Henry for your reply.
You say that "same thing probably happens if you turn your headlights on". No, I checked it. Headlights don't affect the radio - brake pedal does. It happens even when engine is not running, i.e. alternator is out of scope - isn't it.
You right that "decrease in radio volume is only slight". I pursue this because:
I want to learn something about my car internals.

bblaha

...pulling all the bulbs from the brake lights (thereby opening those circuits) and then see if stepping on the brake still causes the volume to decrease. If it doesn't, then it may be a load problem. But if it does, then .... ?

gtt1

Does the car have speed sensitive volume?

michaelsolomon

Dear Mr.Pitel, it sounds to me that you have a bad ground at the b/light circuit,usually due to rear taillamp sockets being rusty.Try to clean them or run a new grd wire.

pitel

thanks to everybody for your help. I agree with michaelsolomon that it is a bad ground. Didn't have enough free time to find where is b/lights ground.
michaelsolomon, what do you mean saying that
"rear taillamp sockets being rusty" is related to bad ground. I am not sure that i understand you.

chevyrog1

hi

I just had an interesting tire rotation
experience. This is the first unibody car I have
ever put up on jackstands and I want to make sure I
did it right....i had a hell of a time figuring
where to put the trolley jack. I decided on using
what look like old style frame rails that run from
front to back on the car in the rear and towards
sort of in the middle to front of the car as the
lifting point for the floor jack. Then I put the
jackstands where you would jack the car for a tire
change. I heard some creaks and want to make sure
that noises like that are normal. I also
unfortunatley dimpled one of the rails because I
think i was too far to the center of the car when I
lifted it. Will that affect anything?PLease email me asap directly if you
have correctly lifted your impala/unibody car with a trolley
jack and put it on jackstands so we can compare
notes. Thanks I really appreciate it folks!
eamil:mhache@rcn.com

pat455

post your experiences with this here so we all benefit!

:-)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

rs_petty

I think you were using what I know to be the subframe connectors. Probably ok for jacking. Either Griot's (griotsgarage.com) or Eastwood Co (eastwoodco.com) offer a unibody adaptor for a floor jack so you can use the factory jack points without pinching the underbody rail. I don't know that I would use the unibody to support the weight on stands. I might be inclined to use suspension pieces (rear axle beam and lower control arm), but it would depend on the car.

rea98d

The one time I had to lift my unibody T-Bird to get under it (disconnecting the driveshaft so I could tow the rwd car with the back wheels on the ground), I placed my support under the rear suspension (no, it wasn't on the axel or the pumpkin, I know you can damage those parts by putting the car's weight there), and I left the jack at the factory points, just in case. Thankfully, nothing happened though.

rs_petty

Well my new compressor doesn't work. The problem started immediately on trying the break-in cycle. The motor would not turn and would cause the circuit breaker to come on. Thought maybe it was cold and had sat for a while on the shelf, so took off shroud and turned the engine by hand a few times. A couple more tries and it finally ran. Did the 15 minute break in run. Closed all the valves and let it build pressure. First time it built all the way to 135 PSI (rating) and seemed fine. When pressure drops though it would try to cut-in and would trip the circuit breaker again. Won't run unless there is about 20 PSI or less in tank. Removed the pressure valve in the tank (procedure in manual) to check that the valve wasn't frozen. Seemed to be ok. Did not lubricate the valve as it moved freely. Problem now is that engine runs and builds pressure, but won't kick in at right pressure without tripping circuit breaker and sometimes will not build to correct pressure (trips circuit breaker at about 90 PSI). Compressor is garage kept (30-35 degrees yesterday). If anybody has some experience with compressors I'd appreciate any tips. I may try moving into warmer basement to see if temperature has an effect otherwise I guess I'll return it, but I hate when machines get the best of me.

bottgers

I'm considering the purchase of a new, or slightly used Passat. I saw a post somewhere in Edmunds, unfortunately I don't remember which topic, but someone had mentioned something about there being some kind of cover, or barrier underneath the engine on the Passat. Do any of you know anything about this? As a person who insists on doing all of my own periodic maintainance, I need to know how much of a pain it is to change oil on the Passat. Any info on this subject would highly appreciated. Thanks.

jgeis

On my new 01 Suburban, the immediate area near instrument panel dimmer switch gets very hot when the lights are on and the dimmer position is anywhere between off and full on. Is this something to be concerned with? Everything else appears to be working fine. Thanks.

JG

bib2

Yes there is a plastic panel under the engine of the Passat. Its easy to remove and install. Just be patient. Also, check out VWvortex website for more info on the Passat (B5 platform).