Reader Quetion Hi I have a 1993 chevy cavalier good condition but I do have a question when I brake it at a stop light it seems to idol high do you know what would cause that and what I need to do to fix it. thank you for any input you may have. Thanks Christine

Hi Christine

I would have your mechanic look at the following:

1. the base idle setting “to make sure the idle speed is not set too high”

2. Make sure there is nothing in the way of the throttle cable that might not let the cable return to the idle position.

3. Check the idle air control motor, sometimes they need to be cleaned of dirt and built up carbon

4. make sure the throttle body is clean and nothing is in the way

5. make sure there is not a vacuum leak somewhere; listen for a hissing noise with the engine running and the hood up. Also look for any rubber vacuum hose that might have broken off its connector. Sometime the big black hard plastic hose from the air cleaner to the engine will get a hole in it and cause a large vacuum leak, especially inspect the bottom side of this hose for leaks.

You will probably need to have your mechanic check these for you or someone who is “mechanical” all of these are easy to do and should be fairly inexpensive to check.

Keep me posted as to what you find out will ya?

Blessings,

Austin C. Davis

Reader Question My 19 yr old has a 2001 Pontiac Firebird. The car stops when she is driving.

It is almost like the timing belt is broken. We took it to a dealer and all he did was replace a fuse and said there was nothing wrong.

The fuse has had to be replaced 2 more times and I am afraid there may be a short in something causing this problem. Do you have any suggestions or
ideas?

Hi there…

If you were at my shop I would perform an electrical test on the vehicle to see if the alternator was overcharging the system or if there was a “drain” on the electrical system.

If the fuse has blown multiple times, that means there is a problem and it is probably in the electrical charging system……battery, alternator, wiring etc. etc.

Just like “tripping a breaker” at your home, there has to be something that either created a large spike in electricity or something sucked or “drained” too much electricity from the engine and the alternator worked its heart out trying to over compensate for the drain.

Questions I would ask your daughter:

1. Have you added any electrical device to the vehicle lately? Radio, amplifier, cell phone charger etc. etc that might be causing an electrical problem?

2. What where you doing when the car died? Were you at a stop sign? Radio was on? Just turned on the headlights? Heard a noise prior to stalling? There is probably a common thread that is happening….”I turned on the _______ and then the engine died” or “I was just plugging in my cell phone charger”

I would also look around and tug on a few of the main battery cables to make sure they are good and tight and not cut or have any visible signs of deterioration that might cause the wire inside to touch something metal under the hood or the engine itself and cause a spark.

Austin

Reader Question Hi Mr. Davis,

I recently bought a 1999 Land Rover Freelander with
44000 miles on it. It has a 1.8 liter gasoline engine
and a 5 speed manual transmission. The motor and
clutch are new, having been replaced by a Land Rover
dealer.

After buying the car I read on the Internet
that this car is prone to blowing head gaskets and
having clutch problems. I would like to head off any
future problems in these areas. Are there any
preventive maintenance procedures that I can take,
besides the normal services, that will help prevent
problems in these areas. Thanks! Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for your email. I don’t have a lot of hands on experience with Land Rover, but I have heard of trouble with head gasket failures in your model. BUT, since the dealership has replaced the engine lately I would call them and ask if the new or rebuilt engine they installed is a newer engine and not susceptible to the same head gasket failures as the original.

Usually the manufacture will make needed updates and modifications to their products after a common failure has been determined. So I would HOPE your newer engine is not going to produce the same failure.

I think the head gasket failure was caused by poor design and product failure which would not be something you as the owner could easily avoid.

The common cause for head gasket failure is overheating. The engine overheats and the driver continues to drive the vehicle and the pressure and heat physically burst the gasket material that is located between the cylinder head and the engine (head gasket).

Watch your temperature gauge, maintain a clean and proper antifreeze to water ratio inside the radiator and pull over and turn off the engine at the first sign of overheating.

I do have some great maintenance schedules you can follow and print out, these should be in addition to what your owners manual recommends. I found my recommendations to be “better” coverage on the items that ACTUALLY wear and break down. Maintaining these expensive items will not only save you money in the long run but will prolong the life of the vehicle and will help reduce breakdowns.

In my opinion, most owners manuals provide only basic maintenance recommendations I.E. lubricate the hood release cable, and don’t really cover the items that take the most wear and tear due to regular driving.

Here is the link to MY 45,000 mile maintenance schedule on my sister site.

45,000 Vehicle Maintenance Schedule

Blessings,
Austin C. Davis

Reader Question I bought a used 2000 Ford Expedition in the beginning of March of 2006. I recently learned that there is a problem w/ the ABS sys and the Kings Auto mall Ford dealer is stating that to repair this issue I will need to get the HCU and ECU replaced.

He also checked for transmission problems and indicated that there is a severe problem with the transmission also. and only indicated that the problem was severe enough that he would have to take the trans apart to figure out what the problem was. When I got the car it came with an extended warranty, but they are trying to say the problem is pre-exiting, but I can’t tell when the problem began to happen.

All I know is about a week after I drove it of the lot I called the dealer and he said I would be best to take it to a dealership to have them look at it, and they have them contact the warranty people, but it seems like the warranty people called me for explanation of what the problem was with the trans (As if I would know??) I am really stuck here and in desperate need of some help and answers. Can you help me?

Hi there….

I would DEFINITLY get a second opinion from another Ford dealer in your area or an independent repair shop if you have one you know and trust. At least get a second diagnosis of each problem.

I would be HIGHLY suspicious of this vehicle if there truly is a transmission and an ABS problem only one week after your purchase…sounds fishy to me. BUT, most of the used cars on a new car dealer lot are not checked out before they resell them…they just put them on the lot and see what happens from there.

There could be a common problem; sometimes a problem in the ABS system can cause problems in other areas as well..like the transmission??? I have seen a faulty vehicle speed sensor affect the ABS light, check engine light, cause erratic transmission shifting and engine stalling…just from one faulty sensor.

Not that this is what is happening in your situation, but I want you to be aware of the fact that one problem can cause other problems.

If you did not experience these problems during the first week of your ownership, then you probably did not have an existing problem…as least as far as your extended warranty is concerned.

You buy an extended warranty to protect you from any future breakdowns from the day you sign on the dotted line and take control of the vehicle. The dealer should be able to vouch for you (to the extended warranty company) that the vehicle was not “broken” when you purchased it..correct? Get the dealer to call your warranty company and tell them that.

As far as a potential “vehicle lemon”, you will need to talk to an attorney about that, that is out of my league.

Keep me posted as to what happens please, your reply might be able to assist someone else one day.

Blessings,
Austin

Reader Question I have a 94 Ford Mercury Cougar v6 with 150,000 miles. I had noticed that my negative battery terminal had melted and got stuck to the battery. I had to get it off with a screw driver.i didn’t think nuthin of it.

My car worked for a while but now it wont start. It turned off on me while i was driving. I tried starting it but it would just turn over. I had it towed to my house and now it wont even turn over. the in-car clock wont turn on nor will any of the other electrical stuff. the powerlocks and interior lights still turn on but thats about it. what could be the problem? Thanks AJ

Hi there AJ

You probably have a bad starter motor. I have seen the battery cable melt due to a starter that would NOT shut off, and continued to run even after the engine was running. This drew too much current from the battery and melted the cable to the battery.

If this did not happen to you, you might just replace the starter motor. If you recall the starter motor sticking after the engine was running…you might want to replace the starter motor and the starter solenoid located on the passenger fender well under the hood.

A “shade tree mechanic” test for the starter would be to crawl under the vehicle and lightly tap on the side of the starter motor with a piece of wood or a rubber hammer while someone has the key turned to the start position. If nothing happens, you can also tap on the starter solenoid on the passenger fender well while someone has the key turned to the start position.

You can follow the positive battery cable from the battery to the solenoid.

MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN PARK !!!!!!

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question My 1995 Buick Park Ave has slight cool air coming from the vents like a wisp of air. No air blows through the vent like it should on any adjustment for A/C or heater.

We replaced the fan motor still nothing. Could it be a fuse? Please advise we are fixing to go through a hot Texas summer with no air. Lord help us! LOL Thanks in advance for your help! Valerie

Hello Valerie

I would look to see if your year model has a fan blower relay, which I am pretty sure it does. Call your local Buick dealer and ask them…they will probably give you a diagram of the location if you buy it from them. The best way to test the relay is to replace it…it’s a cheap GUESS. If the relay is ok, you might have a bad control head, but I would get a mechanic to check it out before I guessed at an expensive item like that.

Are you sure the motor is not working? You might also want to check the other vents, heater and defrost to see if you have air blowing out the wrong vents.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question I stumbled over your site looking for some auto advice. As did one of your other questioners, I accidentally put windshield washer fluid in the radiator overflow.

The wrinkle in my problem is that before we realized it, the engine blew a freeze plug. Lots of smoke and yellow and blue stuff running all over the driveway. It’s my 16-year-old daughter’s car (it was her grandpa’s 1983 2 door buick park avenue and she loves it).

It only has 66K miles, but we can’t afford an expensive auto repair. Any suggestions are welcomed. Her brother is a pretty talented backyard mechanic and is willing to help.
Thanks,
Sandy

Hi there Sandy

First thing I highly recommend you do is have your mechanic do a simple and inexpensive cooling system pressure test to determine where the leak is coming from. You might have a leak someplace else, but is running down the freeze plug and on to the ground.

If the freeze plug is leaking or has a hole in it…you are going to have to replace it. The part is CHEAP, but getting the old one out and the new one in…..can be a HUGE pain in the butt. You just hammer in the new plug…..but getting to the hole, and getting a hammer in there is the tricky part. Cant be much more help…you need a new freeze plug.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader follow up

Austin,

Thanks so much for responding. To tell the truth, I really didn’t expect a response – but you really came through.

After my son did a little more inspecting through the smoke, it turned out that it wasn’t a freeze plug, but a very old (probably original equipment) heater hose that was gushing washer fluid directly over a freeze plug.

It probably drew it’s last breath when the bubbles from the windshield washer fluid hit it. Anyway, we replaced the heater hose, the ‘tank’ is better, and my daughter and her friends (who LOVE this car) breathed easier. Thanks again.

Sandy

Reader Question Hi, I have a freak of nature problem going on with my car, and I was wondering if you could please help me…

To start, I have a ’95 lincoln towncar and it’s electrical system is acting up. I live at school and come home on weekends periodically, like maybe every 2 weeks or so. I know when you let a car sit it’s not exactly good for the battery. So I went to start it up after having it sit for 2 weeks and it didn’t have the kick, so my old man jumped it and it was working fine from there. I know it wasn’t the alternator cuz we checked it. I drove it around the whole day after we jumped it just fine.

But ever since it was jumped, when the driver’s side of the car was opened and the engine is turned off, it would constantly beep as if a light was on or some kind of current was flowing. It never did that before, but I didn’t think much of it, but the next day the battery was completely dead and I couldn’t start it at all. So I get the battery replaced and installed it myself (the battery did have a dead cell), but there’s still some kind of current flowing even when the car is turned off.

My old man was looking around the inside of the car, and apparently a penny or metal gumwrapper in the garbage or cigarette lighter was draining it, but we don’t know…when we tried cleaning it out, there was sparks as if there’s some sort of short going on.

I know electrical problems are difficult to troubleshoot, but if you have any idea what’s going on here, your insight would be much appreciated. Thanks for listening.

Hello my troubled college student

If you had a penny or something like that in the cig lighter, and you made a spark….you probably blew a fuse, so check the fuse panel for a blown fuse. The door chime thing, you might have a problem with the “key reminder” which tells you the key is still in the ignition…I THINK there is a fuse and or relay for it as well, I do not have a wiring diagram here with me for your year model.

I would also check to make sure all the hood and trunk lights are not on, or the antennae motor or electric seat motor is not running with the key off which would cause a drain in the battery system.

Let me know what you find.

Blessings,
Austin C. Davis

Reader Question
Hi Austin, I have a 1998 C230 Merceades. I had a serpitine belt replaced and a belt tensioner replaced on 9/30/04. I am a flight attandent and my car sits at an airport 4 days out f the week. I just had it in the shop for ball joints, a suspension spring that rusted out and they another belt tensioner! I did not catch this untill after work was done and paid for.

I am angry that I would be taken advantage of since I am single and female. Could the belt tensioner go bad this quick? Its only been 16 months and less than 10,000 miles. I found the past receipt and found out it is indeed the same part number listed on both receipts. How should I approach this?

Janet

Come down out of the clouds Janet

I would call the shop and tell them you were charged for the belt tensioner and had it replaced there not to long ago. They SHOULD be able to defect the part, but they might charge you for the labor??? It is not uncommon for the service write to get lazy and not look through the service history.

I any case, they probably did not do this to take advantage of you…I would say it was laziness or oversight on their end. Call them up, be nice and state the facts. If they give you any slack, I would mention that their competition has a 1 year or 12,000 mile warranty on all parts and labor..you would hate to start taking your vehicle there..hint hint hint

Let me know how you come out, or if you need me to beat them up!! hahahah

Austin C. Davis

Reader Question Austin,
I live in Iowa, and in Iowa there are serious thunderstorms. I drove my car through a puddle (really, it was as big as a pond in the road) only to have it shut off and stop. I pushed it out of the puddle, but it still would not start.

Do you think there is water in my intake? If so, will just drying it out be OK or do I need to do something more? Is there anything else that I should have checked out because of the water in the engine area?

I am a medical student, and I don’t have much money. I don’t want to take my car in unless I have to. I would be so grateful if you responded to this email. I really appreciate your time and talents on my behalf.
Brandon

Hello there Brandon,

Water can do serious damage to a running engine if the engine consumed water through the intake system. Inspect your air filter, and see if it is wet or has signs of having been. If you find a wet air filter, that means that water went into the engine while it was running, and it might have serious problems. You should get it looked at as soon as possible.

If the air filter is dry, I would make sure there is no water on the distributor cap and spark plug wires. Dry off any electrical wires you can get to.

High water can also cause numerous other problems. Water usually gets inside the transmission, inside the brakes, and inside the trunk. You really should consider contacting your insurance company and let them know what happened–flood damage can be very expensive. The longer you leave that water inside, the more damage will be done.

Blessings,
Austin