Reader Question

Hello, My 1995 blazer would not start.  We took it to the shop they replaced the crank and distributor.  Still would not start.  Now there telling us its the ecm, and they can’t find one.  I called a local chevy dealer, and they have 6.  I told this to the mechanic and he kind of waved me off.  Why is it that I can find a ecm and they can’t or wont go pick one up from where I found it.  It’s like they are dragging ass on purpose.  Could it be because they want to keep the truck so they can charge me more?

Dan

Hey Dan,

I would suspect they want you to go away because they do not have a clue as to the problem.  I would seriously find another mechanic.

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Reader Question:

Hello,

I really need your help. I have a 9 month old baby and my A/C doesn’t work!!!! I have a 2001 Ford explorer sport. When i bought this truck 3 months ago the air would blow but it was all hot air. We thought it just needed charged but its fully charged. Now, its gotten to the point where it won’t blow any air AT ALL.  Where should i start? What should i do?

I am a single mom and know nothing of cars.

Thank you so much,
i hope to hear from you

lisa

Hi Lisa

If no air what so ever comes out of the vent I would start by checking the fuses and the blower motor which is under the hood on the passenger firewall. You should lightly tap on the blower motor with a hammer with the engine running and AC and blower switch on high speed. That can sometime kick start a bad blower motor. I would then check the blower switch in the dashboard but usually the  blower motor is the culprit

Blessings
Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up

Hello!
First, Thank you sOO SOO Much for your help. you are a god send!

Ok got the blower motor working but now its just spitting out hot air instead of cold air. So, i got that device and its all charged and free-on is full….But still hot air…So what would you suggest now?

Thanks again!

Lisa

Hello Again Lisa

I would make sure the AC compressor is coming on and the compressor clutch is engaged and turning the compressor.  Turn on engine, open hood, turn on compressor and you should hear a click and see the compressor clutch start up and turn the compressor.  If it does not come on, you need to check fuses and relays, the dash switch and power to the compressor.

If the compressor is turning, then get a mechanic to hook up the gauges and see what the pressures are in the system, I would bet you have no Freon inside the system due to a leak somewhere.  Adding freon and locating and repairing the leak is the next step.

Austin Davis

Reader Question :

Dear sir,

I would like your honest opinion as in the past your suggestions turned valuable to repair my old Chevy. Yesterday I bought 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320 and as soon as I drove it on the road I got the Yellow Engine Check light ON. Once it did that I could not accelerate the car faster because the rpm would not switch the gear Even though my gear was on D – Drive.

I took the car for the electronic diagnosis and the technician told me that he stored the transmission code but he said your car showed some thing know as Sporadically Rpm sensor n3y3/611 is faulty and advised me to replace them at a mechanic place.  The rmp sensor goes into a loop.

After this check the Engine Check Light does not show any more. I think the technician did update or reset the computer which is why the Engine check light is not coming up again. My question is shall I drive it until the Engine light comes ON again or Shall I take it to repair center and replace the rpm sensor.

The dealer who I bought this car from yesterday told me to just drive it until I get the check engine light comes ON again.

Regards, Habib

Hello there Habib,

My honest opinion would be to take this vehicle back and get a refund immediately.  I would never keep a vehicle that showed signs of trouble on the way home after the sale.

A 9 year old Mercedes……you are just asking to spend lots of money on regular maintenance let alone un-forseen problems like this.

How many 9-10 year old Mercedes do you see on the road on a daily basis vs 1-3 year old Mercedes?

Mercedes is a great vehicle, but once they start to show problems you are better off getting rid of them than dumping tons of cash into them.  I would suspect this vehicle was sold because of this strange problem no one would figure out.

You are going to need to see a Mercedes mechanic who knows these cars inside and out, I am not one of those mechanics.

It does sound like a problem with the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) but that is just a wild guess.

I would NOT guess with this, the parts are too expensive. So spend the extra money and go to the dealer or find a Mercedes specific repair shop.

Maybe, if the dealership wont take the vehicle back for a full refund, they will pay the repair bill.

You can probably get your money back via the lemon law since you had an issue immediately after the sale.

I would much rather see you get out of this vehicle and into a Lexus, which is a much more reliable and economically viable maintenance wise.

Sorry to have burst your bubble.

Austin Davis

Reader Question :

Hi Austin,

I don’t need any repair -  yet. My question is when.  I have a 1995 Nissan Altima with a metal timing chain on the 2.4L 4-cyl engine.  That engine is great but the upper chain guides get misaligned and cause noise. Nissan eliminated the upper guides in later models, so the usual solution is to remove the upper guides.  That’s a real labor expense, so my question is, what if I just live with the noise?  I’m retired, drive 3k miles a year and the car has 50k miles on it. How much longer can I live dangerously?

Sincerely,

Larry

Larry,

if you are certain that the noise is coming from the timing chain guides….I would replace them. Worst thing that can happen is the chain jumps and causes internal engine damage.   I have not seen of these cars do that but I know they had a serious oil leak from the timing chain seals years ago and it was a big job to replace them. Overhauling this engine because of a timing chain failure would be more money than the car is worth.

This is a sound engine otherwise and will last for years if properly maintained so if you want to keep the vehicle I would recommend the repair now.

Austin Davis

Dear Sir,
My car has a radiator leak.  It has 63,000 miles on it. My mother was the original owner and now I own it.  The radiator won’t hold water.  My mechanic friend tried to find the leak, but can’t.  His equipment isn’t sophisticated.  My supervisor from work told me about Barrs Stop Leak.  The Chevy House said it will cost $90 for a diagnostic test plus the cost of what ever has to be fixed.  I don’t know what to do.  I am alone, up in age and very low in finances.  Can you help ASAP.  Thanks.
Sylvia

Sylvia,

If the radiator is LEAKING you probably just have to replace the radiator with a new one, preferably an aftermarket radiator from your local auto parts store and not the Chevy dealer.  If you have a radiator repair shop in your area they may be able to repair the leak or maybe they have an inexpensive radiator they can install.  I highly suggest you get a radiator shop or even most oil change shops will be able to perform a cooling system pressure test for you to be sure the radiator is the culprit and not something else.  We charge $20 for a pressure test and do it while you wait, so try another mechanic.  Bars leak additive DOES work, but only on small seeps not leaks….in my experience.

Reader Question: I was told I need to replace the timing belt in my car but my question is can I see the timing belt to see if it needs to be replaced and when should I replace it?

Dan
Dan,

No you can not see the timing belt with your naked eye, its inside the plastic timing cover in the front of the engine.  The belt is critical for the engine to run, without it the engine will not run.  You usually suggest to the customer to replace the timing belt every 60,000 miles or so or as your owners manual suggests.

This is a picture of a timing belt, notice the “cog” teeth, unlike a smooth serpentine belt which is visible with your naked eye and drives the accessories like alternator and A/C compressor.

Click picture to enlarge

Reader Question : Hey Austin, I have a 1987 Chevy pickup and the windshield wipers work sometime, sometimes not. I can bang on the windshield wiper motor with my fist when it stops working and it will start working again. I have replaced the wiper motor twice and still having the problem, is it the switch inside the steering column?

Thanks

Paul

Hey Paul,

I would highly suspect you have a bad intermittent wiper pulse board that attaches to the wiper motor itself. You have to resuse the pulse board when you swap out the motor so you are reusing the bad board each time.  Try wiggling the wires that go inside the wiper motor next time and the wipers should start working. I have been able to remove the pulse board and see a crack in the solder and re-solder that crack and the problem is fixed…if not, buy the pulse board from your Chevy dealer.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

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1. How do I know if I have a head gasket leak?

2. How can I sue my mechanic or get my money back for faulty repairs?

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Reader Question

Hi my name is Sandra and I am quite frustrated with my 1992 VW Passat.  Its been having an intermittent problem with starting for awhile now.  there is gas, spark and power on my dash.. the problem seems to be that it thinks its in Drive when its in Park.  Once you turn the key the dashboard indicator goes directly to Drive… skipping everything else… usually I could get it going by pulling the shifter down to 1st then ramming it back up to park and vroom away we go… well that’s stopped working.. please any advise .. I was told maybe the linkage or electrical or the neutral censor switch…any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Stranded in Georgetown ON

Hi Sandra,

Ummm I think I would test the neutral safety switch and the shifter linkage like your suggested I would also try to start it in neutral and see what happens

I would also check the battery and the battery connections to make sure they are clean and tight

Blessings
Austin Davis

Reader Reply,

well the battery cables were cleaned and tight.. the car will not read N.. as as soon as I turn the key the dashboard indicator light switches over from P – r -n and stops in D.  it does read the lower gears!! but does not start… I do not have the manual so I’m not sure where to look for the N safety switch but I will have someone coming by today to have a peek at it.. so with any luck this matter will get resolved.

Thank you for your reply.. Sandra