Springfield

SpringfieldSkins,

I have a 2003 Ford Escape that I bought with 70,000 miles on it. It currently has 80,000 miles on it. There were no service records that came with the car, so I have no idea what kind of scheduled maintenance was done on the car prior.

Anyway, I've changed the oil and oil filter at the recommended 5,000 mile intervals. Ford's maintenance schedule recommends that the automatic transmision fluid be changed (flushed?) at 150,000 miles. This seems like a lot of miles before this is done. Now, the maintenance schedule that I have is for "normal" driving conditions. Not sure what the definition of that is or what kind of condition the previous owners (two of them) drove in.

My question: should I have a transmission flush done before the recommened 150,000 miles? Am I just wasting my money by doing it now?

Thanks.

What I would do?

I would check it out to begin with. See what may or may not be wrong with it both safety and maintenance wise. Prioritize what you see and take it from there. Get the oil changed regularly until you get to 90K miles. At 90K there is probably a rather large maintenance service that will take care of most, if not all, of your maintenance issues.

As far as the transmission fluid. I most certainly think it should be flushed prior to 150K. Check the fluid before you have it flushed though. The fluid should be nice and pink. If it's brown or black it should be flushed. No need to flush a fluid that is in good condition already. If the transmission seems to be slipping or shifting improperly, you'll probably want to see somebody before you have it flushed.

Hope that gives you some insight. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you all.

Bump

SS, my 94 Grand Marquis cuts off when I sit at a light for a long time or if I leave it in drive for about 3 minutes with out moving. I don't no whats wrong, but I do know that if I don't want it to cut off at the light I tap the gas or throw it in park.

Also, when there is somebody sitting on the front passenger side of my car it makes a grinding noise when I turn right. Any help would be gladly appreciated.

Man, I really need to check this thread more often. It dies and then I don't check it for a few weeks. Sorry about the delay.

As far as your cutting off problem, I have a couple of opinions. It's best left to a technician to diagnose of course, but here I go:

First thought would be the ignition module. This is a very common problem for these vehicles whenever stalling occurs. The ignition module is inside of the distributor (if I'm not mistaken) and is what supplies (more or less) the spark so that the distributor will fire the spark plugs. If the ignition module overheats, it may short out and cut off spark causing the vehicle to die.

Second thought would be the MAF (mass air flow) sensor. This is the sensor that detects the amount of air flowing through the intake so that the computer can determine the correct air/fuel mixture. If the sensor suddenly drops out (loses voltage) than you will not have any pulse to the injectors (read fuel supply). This could also cause a stalling condition.

Third thought is the crank sensor. The crank (or crankshaft) sensor is what gives the computer reference as far as where the engine is as far as position. It tells the computer where each piston is so that it knows if it should supply fuel or spark (in essence). This problem is much more prevalent in Chrysler vehicles, so I wouldn't particularly suspect it. Crank sensors do cause random shut off problems though.

As far as your grinding noise. That should be fairly easy to diagnose. My first thought is a tie rod end which is making noise. Tie rod ends are very common failures in these vehicles. If it is a tie rod end failure, the noise isn't usually a safety issue rather than a noise/lubrication issue.

A fender liner could be the cause as twa stated and that is very easy to check. You could, of course, just avoid having people ride on your passenger side though.

Does Cruise Control save gas ?

I drive erratic

Yes it saves gas, but it takes all the fun out of driving. That is if your car is fun to drive and you like driving.

Checked connections, had alternator checked (14.66 - 154 max amps -diode good). Any other suggestions or is it time to get it to a shop?

You do know that I was tempted to ask this question with my super powers!

I would agree with Kool Blue. It could also be a bad ground. I'd start with the negative terminal and find the main ground off of that. Make sure both the battery and ground have good contacts. If that doesn't work, you may need to look for smaller ground wires next.

SS,

This is a great threadthat you started and before asking my question, I just wanted to say thanks to you and the other mechanically knowledgeable folks who've been answering questions.

I think this is a pretty basic question, but it's something I've never understood. When rev matching for a downshift, is it necessary to release the clutch pedal before blipping the throttle? If so, why? If I've got the clutch depressed, the engine and tranny aren't connected, so I'm not putting wear on anything by blipping the throttle then am I?

Rev matching is really something that racers do. It isn't necessary to rev match when down shifting. If you do it right, and well, you don't need to used the clutch at all when rev matching. The gears in the transmission and engine will be moving at approximately the same speed so the transmission will shift gears effortlessly. You can do this both up shifting and down shifting.

I don't rev match though. You could seriously damage something if it's done wrong. Not worth the risk to me.

Do fuel injectors really need to be flushed every 20,000 miles on a Mazda Protege (or insert other car).

Every 20K is a bit excessive, at least if you are flushing it right. On most cars, it will be at least 30-45K before a injector flush (or fuel induction service, as I like to call it) would really do much benefit. The fuel induction service is a very beneficial service, however it would be overkill if done too often.

By my experience I'd say anywhere between 30K and 45K is enough time to make a difference.

in a 97 corrolla, how hard is it to change the steering fluid reservoir, or maybe the seal beneath it? Mine has a leak.

~Bang

They aren't too difficult to replace as I recall. I think that it is located up top and have a hose connected to the bottom of it. It's probably the hose connection (which I believe is just a clamp) that is leaking. Hope that helps.

Hey, great thread. I have a quick question for you here.

My Volvo just got its VA inspection and it needs new wiper blades and front brake pads. Not new rotors or anything like that.

The guy just quoted me 180 for the inspection, blades, and pads- it sounds a little on the high side to me but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Man, I didn't see this thread made it back up until just now. Sorry all...

So as far as your Volvo. It sounds like a rather good price being in NoVA and all. I would be almost certain that my shop would charge more. Just a bit of advice, I would recommend Volvo brand brake pads if at all possible. Unless it's an older model and you don't mind squeaking, the Volvo break pads are the best in my opinion.

I nominate THIS for a most "asinine" post

Me too.

I liked the idea of burgundy on burgundy. Key word, liked. After seeing it in real life, I don't like it so much anymore.

I have an '04 Hemi Dodge Ram (2WD) with 3.55 gears. I want a little more low-end power, so I was thinking on getting a set of 4.56s. Would that be a good idea?

I'm not super well versed gearing and how everything will change with it (or at least to what severity). I do know that you will have more low end power and torque but you will sacrifice the top end/top speed. A 4.56 is quite a step up from a 3.55 though, I do know that. It would probably be a very large difference, not the "little more" that you are looking for.

No - unfortunately the light wasn't on when the alternator was checked. Thanks for the info though.

That's probably why it checked out OK. I would suspect that if the light were on, you would find that the alternator wasn't charging at approx. 14 volts like it should. Unfortunately this is one of those cases where "time will tell" and you don't wan't time to tell when dealing with an alternator problem.

I have a problem that I need assistance with as soon as possible.

Ok, I got my 2006 Nissan Altima a year ago or so. And the problem that I am experiencing since I purchased this car is that sometimes when I get in the car and I turn the ignition I get a hard zing like sound. Its the same sound you hear when you try turn the key in your ignition when the car is already running.Well this happens very randomly. It always eventually starts up. Sometime I'll get that zing, and then I turn my key seconds later and it starts up. And sometimes it takes me waiting for about 30 seconds 3-5 different times before it starts. I even watch the way I turn the key, I make sure that I dont turn it too hard or soft, and the problem still exist. I took my car to the my dealership, and they told me they could not see what the problem is because they started my engine over 30 times and it started up fine. Can someone PLEASE help me out, cause I'm not sure what I can do, since I took it to my dealership and they were no help. Can someone tell me what could be cause to do this and what I should do to get it taking care of. Any assistance is very much appreciated.....

Itz gotten to the point that if Im out somewhere and I see a hot chick, Im scared to try to start my car cause Im scared Im going to get that hard zing and the chickz gonna look at me like I have a piece of junk.

Sounds like the starter bendix is bad/out of align, but could be a bad spot in the teeth on the flywheel.(which only effects it when it is in that certain spot)

the bendix gear shoots out and meshes with the flywheel teeth,sounds bad when they don't mesh or out of alignment.

As far as the dealer, it is hard to diagnose problems that are not evident or be replicated....BUT it sounds like they are not looking to hard;)

Perhaps a video with sound and making some noise of your own will convince them to get off their ass and check it out properly....or find another dealer.

ps: the speed you turn the key has no effect

:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy

Thank you so very much. I was thinking that my dealership could put in a much better effort as well. And I KNEW the way I was turning my key had nothing to do with the problem. Someone was trying to tell me that I may be turning the key too hard. Thanks for confirming that. Thanks a million TWA, you really helped me out just now, I wrote down your response and Im going to get this taken care of ASAP.

I agree with twa completely.

I have a random, maybe even pointless, question. I have a Plymouth Acclaim, V6 3.0 L, and I was looking to add a Flow Master Muffler to it. I've heard dual exhaust is pointless for a V6, especially with the way my exhaust is, but would adding the muffler give me any more horse power as advertised? I guess you could say I'm looking for the deep rumbling sound out of it too, anything there?

You could certainly gain horsepower by adding a muffler, I just don't know how much. The stock muffler is almost certainly a restriction in the exhaust. By replacing the muffler you'll let the exhaust escape faster and thus allow more air/fuel mixture to enter the combustion chamber.

Yes, a dual muffler setup would probably be too much, I highly doubt you need that much exhaust flow. As far as the sound, I'm sure it would be louder but I doubt it will be the deep rumble that you would expect. I'll put it to you like this, it won't sound like a Mustang with dual exhaust. It will probably sound like a louder and deeper version of you current exhaust tone.

So yes, you can gain power by adding a muffler. Will it be much? Probably not. Will it sound super cool? Probably not.

Don't make me disagree again;)...That's one

I see what you did there... I can dig it.

I think of it like this when talking about those spark plugs:

The performance difference between the pulstar plugs and standard spark plugs would be similar to the performance difference between worn (but not quite misfiring yet) and brand new spark plugs.

Heh, funny thing though is I'm looking at those couple of HP and thinking that if I add them to the 9 claimed by the cold air kit and and maybe a couple more from a performance muffler....

See, the problem is that my Z4 is almost maxed out for performance from the factory and I'm trying to squeak out what I can to get it's 2.5 liter as close as possible to the faster 3.0 and hopefully gain a little mpg to boot.

Going on claims:

Cold air kit / 9.5 HP @ $350 - about $39 per HP

Pulstar plugs / 9 hp (peak) @ $150 - about $17 per HP

$500 for a grand total of 18 HP. :thud:

Base 2.5 - 184 hp

Base 3.0 - 225 hp

Performance modifications are expensive. It can also be addictive. You spend that $500 to get the extra 10 hp. You can certainly notice a difference when you mash the gas after you get that extra 10 hp. The problem with that though is that you get used to the extra 10 hp. So gues what? You need another 10 hp so you slap on a cat-back exhaust system. You get bored with that additional 10 hp (total 20 hp over stock) and go for more power.

Soon enough, you find yourself invested hundreds if not thousands into your car that is only worth a fraction of what you paid for it. It is addictive and expensive.

Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

(Oh and in my opinion... best bang for the buck... forced induction)

But there is not complete combustion and a significant percentage is wasted and must be burned off in the catalytic system.

I think the fancy spark plug claims are overstated, but there is gain possible....probably not worth the expense though.

I would have to disagree with you.

In most modern ignition systems (distributorless and coil over plug) the combustion is indeed complete. There is almost no air/fuel mixture wasted. Distributor type ignitions, I could certainly agree. Coil over plug ignition systems though, provide the greatest amperage to the plug possible. The implimentation of coil over plug ignition systems into cars explains the number of LEV (low emissions vehicles) and ULEV (ultra low emissions vehicles) on the roads today. The powerful spark provided by coil over plug design burns the hydrocarbons almost completely. The only thing that this creates is increased NoX (Nitrates of Oxygen) due to higher combustion temperatures. That is what the catalytic converter is mainly there for on modern cars, to eliminate NoX.

Now as far as those spark plugs. Sure you can gain horsepower, but 1 or 2 maybe? Nothing that you could actually feel.

It's past due to turn in- oh well, it will be someone elses problem

Will it effect performance/reliability in any way if I ignore?

Thanks

Usually the first sign is the fuel gauge. After that the truck will either become hard to start (cranks won't start) or die while driving due to a lack of fuel. Impossible to say how long it will be before you start encountering more serious problems.

We've had customers that we've noticed their fuel gauges weren't working years before the vehicle started to exhibit any performance problems.

It sounds to me based on your original post that you are already starting to have problems getting fuel pressure when you start with a full tank. Good luck to ya!

My POS Trailblazer, at it again.

Whenever I fill up my gas tank, gas gauge goes to empty. Doesn't go back to full until after I've burned a few gallons. Also, hard to start with a full tank.

Sir your are going to need a fuel sending unit. Comes with the fuel pump, level sensor and all the goodies. Very common problem with those typical symptoms. They aren't too cheap either. Sorry about your news.

I have a 2005 Saturn Relay.

As I drive down the road all of my lights (interior & exterior) flicker. Where should I start looking for a problem?

Thanks.

I'd look for a poor connection or corrosion around the battery cable ends. That would be my first thought. It's certainly possible that your alternator is starting to fail but it sounds to me more like a battery or a battery connection problem.

The check battery light on my '99 Mazda Protege comes on every time now from a cold start. The indicator goes off after about 10-15 minutes of driving. I have had the battery and alternator checked and they tested out ok. I took the battery cables off and made sure the connection wasn't being blocked by any build-up, and also tightened the hell of the cables.

Any ideas on what the problem might be?

I'd bet that your alternator is starting to fail, especially when cold. Did you test the alternator when it was cold and the light was on?

What's better for a car. A transmission service or transmission flush? The dealership tells me flush but most private shops tell me service because the flush can do more harm than good and a service basically gets the job done. I don't want my warranty to be voided(doubtful) by my dealership but I believe the private shops are right since they could do a flush do but recommend me to get a transmission service instead as long as I get them when I hit certain overall miles.

I'm sure I've answered this question in this thread at some point in time. I'm at a private shop and I am all for the transmission flush.

Here is my reasoning...

First a little lesson on transmission fluid. Transmission fluid, among all of its other purposes is a detergent. Transmission fluid (ATF) is designed to keep the inside of the transmission as clean as possible. Over time that ATF will break down because of heat and moisture. It will build up sulfuic acid which will eat up seal conditioners, friction modifiers and other additives that keep the inside of the transmission clean and the ATF doing it's job properly.

So, say you have 30K on your car and the ATF is dark. The color of the fluid is an indicator that the fluid has been contaminated with sulfuric acid which is breaking down the ATF. Going unserviced, there is a likely chance that your transmission will fail in the future. I can't say how long your transmission will last (probably no more than 100K) but it will certainly fail sooner with failed fluid in the transmission.

Your options...

You could drain the transmission, replace the filter and fill with new ATF. The problem that I see here is that you will only drain about 30% of the fluid out of the transmission. The new ATF will go in to the transmission and start cleaning all of that old ATF that still remains in the transmission. The transmission fluid will be dark within a few thousand miles after this drain and refill service.

You could flush the transmission. Most flush machines, and the one we use at our shop flush out all of the ATF. This is done by disconnecting the cooler line that goes from the transmission to the radiator and connecting the flush machine in between. If done properly, the transmission fluid will be nice and pink afterwords and will remain that way until it is worn out like normal (probably another 30K).

So in summary, I favor the flush 100%. Hope that sums it up for you a little bit.

I have owned a Mazda Protege and two Honda Civics. Each one ended up with pulsation in the brake pedal when applied, after about 40,000. The pulsation ended up in my paying for new brake pads, rotors, and unevenly worn tires.

Finally found a mechanic who said that brake fluid needs to be flushed every 20,000 miles, especially on small cars. This is because the fluid overheats at the point where it touches the brake system, and water separates out. This causes uneven pressure. Hence, pulsation and big expense.

Do you counsel your clients to flush their brake systems? Why don't the manuals recommend this? It would save alot of money for unsuspecting folks.

Well I had a long drawn out response to your question but somehow it got lost.

Two things:

Brake pulsation... It's caused by several factors but all of them have to do with the brake rotors becoming overheted. Lug nuts torqued unevenly, riding the brakes, emergency braking, sticking brake calipers and rotors that are to thin could all be factors. Brake fluid will not alone cause a brake pulsation.

Brake fluid... Should it be flushed? Yes. Should it be done every 20K? Possibly but likely not. Brake fluid attracts water and water will cause hydraulic failures including a "soft" brake pedal. Brake fluid should be flushed "as needed". There is a "strip test" which basically looks like a litmus test to test for failed brake fluid.

Yes I do counsel my customers on failed brake fluid and yes it is in the owner's manual. It is there in the form of "inspect" or flush after a certain time period.

OK I have a general question.

Has anyone heard of "PulstarTM" spark plugs? They are supposed to have some electronics in the plug to control the spark and the company makes some pretty bold claims about horsepower, Torque and MPG improvements.

I'll be doing a tune up soon and I've got some Bosch plugs I'll be using to get a baseline (pretty cool aircraft style plugs themselves) since it's a used car and I want to get it back to it's stock peak performance. But shortly down the road I plan a few upgrades like a cold air kit and I'm wondering if I should give these things a shot. The problem is they are $24 each and I don't want to do anything that may potentially damage my engine.

http://www.pulstar.com/index.html

http://www.betrmpg.com/PulsedPowerTechnology.htm

I've heard of them. I haven't really seen any "real world" justification that they are any better than the plugs that came in your car originally. The way that they are "supposed" to work is to store energy in the plug to provide a higher spark output. This will then, in theory, provide more complete combustion and thus lower emissions and higher power.

The problem I see here is this... If the ignition system on your vehicle (or a large majority of vehicles out there today) is working properly, then there is already complete combustion and peak power is already realized.

I would hazard to guess that 90% of the vehicles out there would not benefit (or benefit marginally) from these types of spark plugs.