I've been working with my son to get a 92 Honda civic LX running. When finished, it was running fine except for the temp gauge always showing Hot. My son replace the Thermo sensor for the gauge but over tightened an snapped it off. I had to drill out the remaining piece and clean the threads to install another sensor. When we started the car, white smoke was pouring out of the exhaust and when rev'd, coolant came out. I think I may have drilled in too far and created a leak. How can I repair this?
View 3 RepliesI was very surprised after the fact that my VW golf has no stick for checking the transmission fluid under the hood. How to add more fluid into the automatic transmission ?
View 1 RepliesI have a 2005 SEL Freestyle with 114K miles. Cyl #3 missing. Has all the symptoms of a "lean misfire" - reading the code said #3. The indy mechanic already replaced the spark plug and the coil. Misfire still a problem. Tried to put some cleaner in there which did not work. He thinks the head needs to be replaced ....
The a/c is also busted. Needs a compressor. Not to mention I'm probably looking at brakes before much longer.
My 1998 Ford Expedition XLT with V8 5.4L engine has been having issues for about six months. It first started off with a strong gasoline and burnt rubber smell coming from the front of the car within a few minutes of starting the engine. Later, the whole car began vibrating and would intensely shudder every once in a while when idling. The car doesn't accelerate well from a standstill. The RPM will climb up to 3000-4000 while going from 0 MPH to 10 MPH, then it will lurch forward a bit and it pick up a little more speed. It struggles again around 15 MPH until it hit 20 MPH when it will lurch again and pick up normal acceleration. Once I try to go 40 MPH or more, the whole will start shuddering loudly and still struggles with maintaining speed. I have not attempted to drive over 50 MPH.
The best acceleration I can get is when I take 30-45 seconds to slowly press the gas pedal and work my way up to the speed I want.I was also following my father in another car while he drove the Expedition and on the highway, I saw sparks come out from the back of the Expedition's undercarriage when it climbed up an overpass. When driving over roads that aren't smooth, or when I accelerate, there is a sound from the back of the car like jangling chains or metal rods. It still makes the sound while the gas pedal isn't pressed or the gear is in neutral, so I think there is something, but have not seen anything underneath that could jangle around. While looking underneath, I saw that that some areas looked rusty, but not cracked. There is also a black piece under the engine that looked like it was made of plastic. It looked wet and oily and had a 2-3 inch opening in the center. I feel that there was supposed to be some sort of cover there.I now only drive it when it's unavoidable, usually once a week or less, and usually distances of 5 miles or less.I think the problem is with the use of fuel in the engine (fuel gauge fluctuates all the time, especially while driving on hills).
When I start my truck after it has been sitting for a while... I.E. Everything is cold. It takes about 2-3 seconds for the alternator to start putting out voltage (the lights are dim, and the voltmeter on the dash registers about 11 volts). My question is: Am I running on borrowed time and should I change out the alternator, or is there another underlying problem I should be looking for? OR... is this normal; I've never seen this before.
2002 s10 p/u 4cyl stick shift ..
I have a 2001 BMW 330i with 218,000 miles on it. When I am driving it and am slowing down and take it out of gear sometimes the car dips down to 400 or 500 rpm and the car shudders ,not all the time, but often and then bounces back up to 700 or so where the idle should be. I've had the throttle sensor and throttle body replaced. I also had the CATs replaced recently due to the sensor saying they were basically plugged, which I thought might be the problem with the throttle, but didn't cure it.
View 3 RepliesI bought my jeep about a year ago, and have had major problems with the computer system. My car wouldn't start for days on end, and then one day would start right up. I just went ahead and replaced the whole computer, wiring, ect..and it ran fine for about 4-5 months. Once and a while the check engine light would come on, but nothing happened. Then one day my car died right in the middle of the street when I was driving it. All the lights in the dash go off and it just stalls.
Sometimes it starts back up immediately,and others I have to sit for a god 15 minutes. Sometime it'll do this 5-6 times in a day, others it won't do it at all. I noticed it does it more often when it's hotter outside. I got the check engine light checked (it comes on only once in a while) and the code said it was a cylinder 6 misfire. I took it into the shop and the checked my spark plugs and said they were fine, and they couldn't find anything. Could this be related to the new computer? What I should have checked on it?
I've been having issues with my 2000 Toyota Avalon for the past few days. After troubleshooting with my mechanic this morning, we discovered that the front three ignition coils (when looking at the car from the front bumper) do not function when the car idles. However, they seem to work perfectly once the RPM increases past about 2500. I bought some new ignition coils to replace the originals, but no joy with those. The idle is still very rough and one can feel the misfire any time the engine is not revving higher than 2500 RPM. During our tests, we also found that the original coils do not produce a spark when the spark plugs are inserted. I did the same test with the new coils and had the same result, although the middle plug sparked briefly. The fuse for the ignition coils has been checked (it's fine). I know it must be electrical but was wondering where exactly the problem lies?
View 3 RepliesSo I've always been aware of my slight oil leak on my 2003 Hyundai Accent. But it wasn't until I took it to Firestone for a discount oil change that it started getting worse and began to actually smell of burning oil while driving. I've checked the obvious places (ie the oil pan bolt and the newly installed oil filter) and I've determined it's definitely coming from higher up in the engine. Also, when putting cardboard underneath, you can see that it drips from right behind the engine. I figure it is probably that seal that costs but loads of money in labor to replace but when checking it today I noticed that the oil SEEMS to be in the top part of the engine dripping down. I'm attaching pictures of the one spot in particular that appears wet with oil. I'm not sure what it is but I believe it is next to the injectors.
View 53 RepliesI took a long trip this last weekend and before the return trip I checked the oil and realized I need some. I put two quarts which brought the level just about even with the top mark on the dipstick. the return trip was fine. Next morning I started the car and right away notice that the engine was misfiring. I checked the spark plugs and noticed that one of them was loose and had some oil in it. I checked the oil and now it showed the level to be well above the top mark on the dipstick. Could too much oil cause the spark plug to get dirty, get loose and misfire? This car is a 1997 and has 206,000 miles. This is the first time this has happened. Could the same thing happend with a 1999 Honda Civic?
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