Automotive repair questions anyone?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

No question to stoopid.

 

will attempt to anwser all to the best of my moronic ability..

[Big_Pete 0]

No question to stoopid.

 

will attempt to anwser all to the best of my moronic ability..

yeah, I live in Denver, my brother lives with me... he threw a rod in his engine, and he needs to take it to Colorado Springs (60 miles away) for an engine swap.... how's he get it there? cause I know I dont have a tow hitch on the back of my car.

TIA

friend was thinking he'd call AAA and tell them to tow the car and pretend he was the one driving it, would that work?

[Baby Jesus 0]

I'll have some questions on Monday (after I find out what's focked up with a jeep I might buy).

 

I hope you'll help me then.

[Brown Eyed Girl 1]

Okay. Here's one for ya Sux. Why does my car make a mild humming sound for about 10 seconds after I kill the motor and have been running the A/C? It only happens after I've been running the A/C though...

 

Took it to the dealer and ran the A/C the entire drive there but when I got there and wanted to show them what it does... wouldn't you focking know? It didn't do it!

 

??? Whatcha got for me Mr. Mechanic man?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Okay. Here's one for ya Sux. Why does my car make a mild humming sound for about 10 seconds after I kill the motor and have been running the A/C? It only happens after I've been running the A/C though...

 

Took it to the dealer and ran the A/C the entire drive there but when I got there and wanted to show them what it does... wouldn't you focking know? It didn't do it!

 

??? Whatcha got for me Mr. Mechanic man?

Year, make and model please

[Guest Black Label Society]

So, because I 'had to', I hard wired my blower motor to a constant 12v supply (couldn't find an easily accessible switchable PS), and used a toggle switch to close the circuit to a ground.

 

It works great, one speed of course, since it's an single pole, single throw switch.

But the wire get's DAMM hot. Like, I think if I let it run, it would melt the casing.

 

So, is it because it's only 16 gauge wire that it heats up so much, or do you think it could be something else?

 

I'm leaning towareds the 16 gauge wire, and as such, just run it for 10 mins or so and shut it off. It's adequate for now.

 

Also, I have a tranny fluid leak that seems to be coming from the transfer case (97 Dakota, v8, 130k).

I've tried tightening the bolts on the case where it splits, but no change. I think it's a bad seal....

Ever hear of this as a common problem with these models? Do I gotta split the case to replace the seal (I'm assuming so, which is why I haven't done it), and is it a bich to get the front/rear driveshaft off, so I can drop the transfer case?

 

It leaks pretty bad. During the summer it was a quart a week or 10 days. Since it's gotten cold, it's been MUCH better...maybe every 3 weeks for a quart.

[SUXBNME 1,340]

yeah, I live in Denver, my brother lives with me... he threw a rod in his engine, and he needs to take it to Colorado Springs (60 miles away) for an engine swap.... how's he get it there? cause I know I dont have a tow hitch on the back of my car.

TIA

[b]friend was thinking he'd call AAA and tell them to tow the car and pretend he was the one driving it, would that work?[/b]

 

Has always worked for me in the past. The tow truck drivers generally don't care whose car it is, as long as they have a valid card

[Big_Pete 0]

Has always worked for me in the past. The tow truck drivers generally don't care whose car it is, as long as they have a valid card

[SUXBNME 1,340]

So, because I 'had to', I hard wired my blower motor to a constant 12v supply (couldn't find an easily accessible switchable PS), and used a toggle switch to close the circuit to a ground.

 

It works great, one speed of course, since it's an single pole, single throw switch.

But the wire get's DAMM hot. Like, I think if I let it run, it would melt the casing.

 

So, is it because it's only 16 gauge wire that it heats up so much, or do you think it could be something else?

 

I'm leaning towareds the 16 gauge wire, and as such, just run it for 10 mins or so and shut it off. It's adequate for now.

 

Also, I have a tranny fluid leak that seems to be coming from the transfer case (97 Dakota, v8, 130k).

I've tried tightening the bolts on the case where it splits, but no change. I think it's a bad seal....

Ever hear of this as a common problem with these models? Do I gotta split the case to replace the seal (I'm assuming so, which is why I haven't done it), and is it a bich to get the front/rear driveshaft off, so I can drop the transfer case?

 

It leaks pretty bad. During the summer it was a quart a week or 10 days. Since it's gotten cold, it's been MUCH better...maybe every 3 weeks for a quart.

 

Question 1 : Are you running an inline fuse? And if so, what size?

Question 2&3 gimme a min..gonna look up TSB's for it.

[VikesNation 0]

My '86 Chrysler LeBaron has flame decals on the doors, a chain steering wheel, a gigantic spoiler and El Hombre in huge white goth letters on the windshield. Does that make me a Mexican?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Also, I have a tranny fluid leak that seems to be coming from the transfer case (97 Dakota, v8, 130k).

I've tried tightening the bolts on the case where it splits, but no change. I think it's a bad seal....

Ever hear of this as a common problem with these models?

It's not necessarily a common problem with those vehicles, but all it sounds like you need to do is drop the pan, get a A/T filter and gasket kit for it (approx 25 bones) and re-do it. Try and get a kit that has a rubber gasket, as opposed to cork. Also, if you get rubber, DO NOT use any silicone type sealant with it.

 

 

is it a bich to get the front/rear driveshaft off, so I can drop the transfer case?

 

Nope..depending on if it is conventional or constant velocity style, there should just be 4 bolts on each end holding them on.

 

My '86 Chrysler LeBaron has flame decals on the doors, a chain steering wheel, a gigantic spoiler and El Hombre in huge white goth letters on the windshield. Does that make me a Mexican?

Dork, yes. Messican, not necessarily

 

Okay. Here's one for ya Sux. Why does my car make a mild humming sound for about 10 seconds after I kill the motor and have been running the A/C? It only happens after I've been running the A/C though...

 

Took it to the dealer and ran the A/C the entire drive there but when I got there and wanted to show them what it does... wouldn't you focking know? It didn't do it!

 

??? Whatcha got for me Mr. Mechanic man?

 

Fine, you don't want to tell me what you drive, huh? OK..shot in the dark guess. (which is probably right)

 

The humming noise you are hearing is one of your auxillary fans staying on (which it is supposed to) to help cool the radiator.

 

So, because I 'had to', I hard wired my blower motor to a constant 12v supply (couldn't find an easily accessible switchable PS), and used a toggle switch to close the circuit to a ground.

 

It works great, one speed of course, since it's an single pole, single throw switch.

But the wire get's DAMM hot. Like, I think if I let it run, it would melt the casing.

 

So, is it because it's only 16 gauge wire that it heats up so much, or do you think it could be something else?

 

I'm leaning towareds the 16 gauge wire, and as such, just run it for 10 mins or so and shut it off. It's adequate for now.

 

 

Also, do you know the amp draw?

Drobeski would probably the better person to ask this question to, as far as correct guage wire to use for this.

[Gravely 0]

97 Dodge Grand Caravan. Power steering does not work. Someone suggested that the PS pump was leaking but the resevoir is still full. What is the likely problem?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

97 Dodge Grand Caravan. Power steering does not work. Someone suggested that the PS pump was leaking but the resevoir is still full. What is the likely problem?

Is there any leaking in the system to your knowledge? (drips on your driveway, etc.)

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Ok..We will assume that there are no visible leaks..

Some Possible causes

 

Loose serpentine belt (not turning your pump fast enough to be effective

Blockage in PS pressure hose (not allowing fluid to go through the system properly)

Bad Pump (bad bearing, incorrect fluid not allowing for proper flow)

Bad rack and pinion (gears binding or not meshing correctly..Or main Rack seals blown out and fluid is collecting in bellows boots..Although you would notice a slight drop in fluid level)

Seized ball joint / s . (would not allow for proper turning, thus giving you the feeling of no power assist)

Faulty pressure fitting/flow control valve. (once again limiting flow)

[Brown Eyed Girl 1]

Year, make and model please

 

Sorry. 2001 Pontiac Aztec. (let the ridicule begin)

 

[mmmmm...beer 691]

Sorry... didn't see this thread until after I started a different one. heh.... here you go brutha:

 

1997 Ford Taurus.... Automatic.

 

Check engine light is on.... (sister in law didn't tell me for a week)

 

Car starts/idles fine.... when you go to put it in Drive or Reverse... as soon as your done shifting the engine dies. You don't even have to have your foot off the break.

 

You can start it in neutral... rev it up a bit and slammer in drive and it will go..... and do ok even if you stop at a stop sign and then take off. It's the initial shift to drive or reverse that kills it.

 

Any ideas?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Sorry. 2001 Pontiac Aztec. (let the ridicule begin)

 

 

(just kidding )

 

I'll stand by my previous anwser, assuming that you have electric fans.

ETA: Yes, you do have 2 electric cooling fans..

[Brown Eyed Girl 1]

 

Fine, you don't want to tell me what you drive, huh? OK..shot in the dark guess. (which is probably right)

 

The humming noise you are hearing is one of your auxillary fans staying on (which it is supposed to) to help cool the radiator.

Also, do you know the amp draw?

Drobeski would probably the better person to ask this question to, as far as correct guage wire to use for this.

 

Thank you, Oh Testy one!

 

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Thank you, Oh Testy one!

 

The way to check this for yourself, is before you turn your engine off after you have been using the A/C for a long period of time is:

 

1: open your hood and look at the radiator :there will be 2 fans attached in a plastic schroud (sp?)

2: verify that they are both running

3: have assistant turn off vehicle and watch the fans.

4: probably only one fan will turn off, and the other will stay on for a bit

5: listen for the sound comming from the one fan that is on to verify that that is the sound you are hearing

6: Send Sux beer for saving you a trip to the dealer

 

[TommyGavin 790]

(60 miles away)

friend was thinking he'd call AAA and tell them to tow the car and pretend he was the one driving it, would that work?

WRONG AAA will only tow to an authorized locale within a certain distance and it is ALOT less then 60 miles.

 

Why do I hear a grinding sound everytime I hit the brakes? Flux Capistor is bad ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

:alsonotreallythatstoopid:

[SUXBNME 1,340]

WRONG AAA will only tow to an authorized locale within a certain distance and it is ALOT less then 60 miles.

 

Why do I hear a grinding sound everytime I hit the brakes? Flux Capistor is bad ?

:alsonotreallythatstoopid:

I guess I have never had a car towed that far

 

Sugarbuns Gavin is probably right.

 

I stand corrected

 

Also, the grinding you are hearing is most likely caused by a low blinker fluid condition. HTH

[spottedowl 1]

I keep finding banana peels and poop in my trunk. What gives?

[SUXBNME 1,340]

I keep finding banana peels and poop in my trunk. What gives?

Trunk Monkey

[spottedowl 1]

Trunk Monkey

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Was that the incorrect anwser?

[Brown Eyed Girl 1]

The way to check this for yourself, is before you turn your engine off after you have been using the A/C for a long period of time is:

 

1: open your hood and look at the radiator :there will be 2 fans attached in a plastic schroud (sp?)

2: verify that they are both running

3: have assistant turn off vehicle and watch the fans.

4: probably only one fan will turn off, and the other will stay on for a bit

5: listen for the sound comming from the one fan that is on to verify that that is the sound you are hearing

6: Send Sux beer for saving you a trip to the dealer

 

 

And your beer of choice would be...?

 

[SUXBNME 1,340]

And your beer of choice would be...?

 

Was I correct? :pats self on back:

 

 

One 12oz Coors Light will suffice. You can leave it on my porch when you go to Napa

[Gravely 0]

Ok..We will assume that there are no visible leaks..

Some Possible causes

 

Loose serpentine belt (not turning your pump fast enough to be effective

Blockage in PS pressure hose (not allowing fluid to go through the system properly)

Bad Pump (bad bearing, incorrect fluid not allowing for proper flow)

Bad rack and pinion (gears binding or not meshing correctly..Or main Rack seals blown out and fluid is collecting in bellows boots..Although you would notice a slight drop in fluid level)

Seized ball joint / s . (would not allow for proper turning, thus giving you the feeling of no power assist)

Faulty pressure fitting/flow control valve. (once again limiting flow)

 

 

No fluid leaks that I have noticed. Power steering is bad at very slow speeds. However, in the morning after not driving it for awhile, it works fine at slow speeds for awhile. As it warms up, it gets worse. However, it is fine at 10+ mph.

[Guest Black Label Society]

Question 1 : Are you running an inline fuse? And if so, what size?

Question 2&3 gimme a min..gonna look up TSB's for it.

 

Well...sorta.

I 'patched' into the hot side of a fuse panel, and upped the fuse to 30amp. (15 kept burning out).

Not sure what circuit it's for. I know it's not the right way to do it...but WTF. There's 8 trillion lines under the dash, and for the life of me, couldn't find a switchable hot power without tearing the dash apart.

 

On the tranny, it's NOT the pan. It's gotta be somewhere in the transfer case.

The pan is a good 2 ft forward from the housing the leak is coming from.

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Well...sorta.

I 'patched' into the hot side of a fuse panel, and upped the fuse to 30amp. (15 kept burning out).

Not sure what circuit it's for. I know it's not the right way to do it...but WTF. There's 8 trillion lines under the dash, and for the life of me, couldn't find a switchable hot power without tearing the dash apart.

 

On the tranny, it's NOT the pan. It's gotta be somewhere in the transfer case.

The pan is a good 2 ft forward from the housing the leak is coming from.

 

16 guage does sound kinda small if you are burning out 15 amp fuses, but I could be wrong.

You could just run your hot wire to the positive terminal on the battery.

The problem you face with the way it is now, is that you said that you don't know what you patched into.

If it is something that draws alot of amps, then yes, you will definately have a hot to the touch wire.

 

Honestly, as far as what is the proper guage vs. the amp draw, I don't know for a fact.

Drobeski could tell you instantly I'm sure. I would be willing to bet money, though, if you ran a wire directly to the battery, your problems would be solved

 

No fluid leaks that I have noticed. Power steering is bad at very slow speeds. However, in the morning after not driving it for awhile, it works fine at slow speeds for awhile. As it warms up, it gets worse. However, it is fine at 10+ mph.

When I get back to work tomorrow, I'll look up the TSB's on it. I do recall one describing your specific problem

[Guest Black Label Society]

16 guage does sound kinda small if you are burning out 15 amp fuses, but I could be wrong.

You could just run your hot wire to the positive terminal on the battery.

The problem you face with the way it is now, is that you said that you don't know what you patched into.

If it is something that draws alot of amps, then yes, you will definately have a hot to the touch wire.

 

Honestly, as far as what is the proper guage vs. the amp draw, I don't know for a fact.

Drobeski could tell you instantly I'm sure. I would be willing to bet money, though, if you ran a wire directly to the battery, your problems would be solved

 

Yeah, I thought about that, but then I gotta rerun another line...not that it's a huge deal...just a pain when it's f'ing 2 outside.

 

I probably should change it, because I've noticed with the fan running, at a stop light with a blinker on the delay is VERY slow.

 

I'm sure it's not an ideal connection. I wanted a switchable, so in case I forgot the damn thing running, it wouldn't drain the battery....but maybe I'll just run it to the battery.

 

No answer on the tranny???

[SUXBNME 1,340]

Yeah, I thought about that, but then I gotta rerun another line...not that it's a huge deal...just a pain when it's f'ing 2 outside.

 

I probably should change it, because I've noticed with the fan running, at a stop light with a blinker on the delay is VERY slow.

 

I'm sure it's not an ideal connection. I wanted a switchable, so in case I forgot the damn thing running, it wouldn't drain the battery....but maybe I'll just run it to the battery.

 

No answer on the tranny???

I'll look up an exploded view of all the seals and gadgets related to your transfer case tomorrow at work, and try and determine the most likely cause.

You will probably have to remind me, though

[Riddlen 1]

whats the cheapest I could possibly expect to pay to get a front hub assembly replaced on a 2003 Aztek? I did them on my Alero, but it was warm then

[SUXBNME 1,340]

whats the cheapest I could possibly expect to pay to get a front hub assembly replaced on a 2003 Aztek? I did them on my Alero, but it was warm then

If my memory serves me correct, you just remove the brake caliper and rotor. You should see 3 bolts that hold the hum assembly in (probably 15mm socket) and a large nut in the center. (either a 32 mm or 36mm socket)

There is probably also an ABS wire attached that is easy to remove, and then the whole assembly slides out.

 

As far as pricing on the Hub, I wouldn't know untill tomorrow when I go to work and look it up.

Labor I would guess to be about 1 hour book time, which equivilates to $75.00-$100.00 depending on where you go.

 

Remind me in the morning, and I'll look it up for you.

 

ETA: I just called one of my suppliers (local Napa) and my cost for the Hub assembly is $128.00. So expect to pay around $200.00 or so at the place that will be doing the work

[Blitzen 0]

1997 Ford Taurus.... Automatic.

 

Any ideas?

 

If it's well over 60,000 miles, get rid of it.

 

HTH!

[Riddlen 1]

If my memory serves me correct, you just remove the brake caliper and rotor. You should see 3 bolts that hold the hum assembly in (probably 15mm socket) and a large nut in the center. (either a 32 mm or 36mm socket)

There is probably also an ABS wire attached that is easy to remove, and then the whole assembly slides out.

 

As far as pricing on the Hub, I wouldn't know untill tomorrow when I go to work and look it up.

Labor I would guess to be about 1 hour book time, which equivilates to $75.00-$100.00 depending on where you go.

 

Remind me in the morning, and I'll look it up for you.

 

ETA: I just called one of my suppliers (local Napa) and my cost for the Hub assembly is $128.00. So expect to pay around $200.00 or so at the place that will be doing the work

 

I priced it out @ 115 at Murrays... ouch, 300 total. guess I get my dads propane heater thing and clean out hte garage

[patweisers44 698]

Sorry. 2001 Pontiac Aztec. (let the ridicule begin)

 

dont remember which geek to credit this to, but at one point a geek said that the Aztec looks like a profile of a dog taking a shiot. everytime i see one on the road this is the first thing i think of.