The "Ask a Mechanic" Thread

[BALLz]

33 minutes ago, zskins said:

 

With AS IS there is nothing he can do. Now I would get those extended car warranty (Google car warranty) and hopefully they won't ask a lot questions and then wait a week and file a claim. Sure it is devious but that is all I can think of.

 

I am however surprised the engine blew. What was the cause or what happened to the engine? Timing belt? 

The code it threw was for the cam shaft. When they pulled the sensors out they were covered in metal shavings

[Springfield]

Depending on the laws of the state, as is - is as is. They’re screwed. The aftermarket warranties will likely have a buffer time before it’s in service, so that’s likely a no go as well.

 

You might want to take it elsewhere for a different opinion.

[Malapropismic Depository]

@Springfield or anyone with the answer.

It's a 2002 Saturn LS

Tried looking up answers on the web, but got inconclusive answers.

If your ATF dipstick has bubbles of fluid on it, is that a bad thing, or really bad thing ?

If so, what could it possibly mean, and how can it be narrowed down, what is the actual cause ?

Thank You !

[Springfield]

Just now, Malapropismic Depository said:

@Springfield or anyone with the answer.

It's a 2002 Saturn LS

Tried looking up answers on the web, but got inconclusive answers.

If your ATF dipstick has bubbles of fluid on it, is that a bad thing, or really bad thing ?

If so, what could it possibly mean, and how can it be narrowed down, what is the actual cause ?

Thank You !

are you expecting any transmission symptoms? Bubbles means that there’s air in the fluid which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Also, are you checking with the engine running or off (and what does the owners manual say to do)?

[Malapropismic Depository]

7 minutes ago, Springfield said:

are you expecting any transmission symptoms? Bubbles means that there’s air in the fluid which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Also, are you checking with the engine running or off (and what does the owners manual say to do)?

 

Not experiencing any noticeable symptoms.

I always check it with the engine running.

Years ago, my owner's manual (for a different car) told me to do it that way, so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that all cars should be done that way, and that it was a universal technique, as opposed to being exclusive to that model.

Years ago, I read that the proper way to check ATF, is first run the engine or drive the car at least 15 minutes, so it's hot fluid. Then leave it running while you do the following. Then engage the emergency brake. Then shift the transmission  through all of the gears - park, neutral, drive, reverse, etc, just one time through all the gears, and then leave it in neutral, and running, while you then check the fluid.

Perhaps I should not have assumed that all cars are done this way, so I guess I will be digging up the manual for this car.

Thanks again.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Malapropismic Depository

[zCommander]

3 minutes ago, Malapropismic Depository said:

 

Not experiencing any noticeable symptoms.

I always check it with the engine running.

Years ago, my owner's manual (for a different car) told me to do it that way, so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that all cars should be done that way, and that it was a universal technique, as opposed to being exclusive to that model.

Years ago, I read that the proper way to check ATF, is first run the engine or drive the car at least 15 minutes, so it's hot fluid. Then engage the emergency brake. Then shift the transmission  through all of the gears - park, neutral, drive, reverse, etc, just one time through all the gears, and then leave it in neutral, while you then check the fluid.

Perhaps I should not have assumed that all cars are done this way, so I guess I will be digging up the manual for this car.

Thanks again.

 

Engine running and in neutral is the only way to check. As for the bubble, did you rub the fluid between your fingers to see it is not water or condensation?

[Malapropismic Depository]

3 minutes ago, zskins said:

 

Engine running and in neutral is the only way to check. As for the bubble, did you rub the fluid between your fingers to see it is not water or condensation?

 

I did not. But I will add that to my To Do List, along with re-checking this specific manual. Thanks !

[Springfield]

If you’re not experiencing any symptoms I wouldn’t be too concerned.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Ayyyee, I was looking for this thread bout 3 weeks ago.  Couldn't find it.

 

Battery died, but I was thinking worse.  I don't drive far to work.  Figured the alternator didn't have enough time/work to recharge the battery.

 

I have a remote jumper for V8's, so on my V6 it only took 20% of the battery to jump it.

 

Now I revv the car for a while, in park.  Have only needed to jump it once.

 

Friggin awesome.  I bought the jumper (Schumacher) a couple years ago, and never had to use it until now.  Was $80.

 

[Springfield]

Nice!

[Malapropismic Depository]

Anyone know what could have done this.

 

Went away for a week, and left a car with a cover on it. When I left town, the cover was in very good shape.

When I return just one week later, the top and the rear parts of the cover were shredded.

There's 4 possible causes I can think of : weather, human vandalism, wild animal activity, or just self-rotting, or a combination of one or more.

But no one single cause that makes sense by itself.

 

The only thing I could come up with, is that it became so cold, that a squirrel thought he could seek shelter under the car cover, and chewed it all up.

Strangely, there's no damage to the car. But another thing that points to a squirrel or similar animal, is there's what looks like bite marks on the cover, and bits and pieces of it on the ground with also holes that could be bite marks. Those are seen on the last pic I posted, a close-up of the ground beside it.

 

I thought maybe @Springfield or someone else could tell what happened.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Malapropismic Depository

[PleaseBlitz]

🧐

 

Definitely a velociraptor. 

[Springfield]

I’d almost certainly blame a squirrel, a raccoon, or some random Redditor looking for some extra Gamestop stock.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Springfield

[Malapropismic Depository]

So, we've narrowed down to a Redditor or a Predator. Or a Velociraptor

I'll be on the lookout for anyone or anything that rhymes with Helicoptor !

Edited February 4, 2021 by Malapropismic Depository

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Definitely your ex whos friends struggled to pull her away.

[Elessar78]

Just getting a second opinion...

 

2007 Honda pilot check engine light started flashing (185K miles). Car started up shaky this morning, then heard rattling. Pulled into a garage ASAP and their scan said misfiring cylinder. He said it was safe to drive home (2 miles) (he couldn't get me in until next week). Next drive will be to a garage to drop it off 10 miles away. Just need to check if this is actually safe to do.

 

 

[Springfield]

2 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

Just getting a second opinion...

 

2007 Honda pilot check engine light started flashing (185K miles). Car started up shaky this morning, then heard rattling. Pulled into a garage ASAP and their scan said misfiring cylinder. He said it was safe to drive home (2 miles) (he couldn't get me in until next week). Next drive will be to a garage to drop it off 10 miles away. Just need to check if this is actually safe to do.

 

 

Your misfire should be fixed ASAP. Probably too late for my opinion on the subject but I would drive it VERY carefully. Lots of things can cause misfires, some of which can ruin engines if you drive too far. Most common things are ignition side (such as ignition coils or spark plugs) which will probably be ok. Mechanical issues, internal engine components, can cause misfires.

 

Very common for misifires on those engines to be caused by fouled spark plugs due to oil burning due to failed piston rings.

[Elessar78]

Honestly, it sounds pretty bad. Half tempted to just have it towed to the garage, but then it increases our cost when in reality we will probably just ditch this thing. We were thinking of getting rid of it this summer.

 

As to why I don't just move on... I don't want to be pressured when I go to a dealership. Hard to do that when I pressed to leave with a new (to us) vehicle, because I don't have an alternative. And we need two vehicles.

 

We've  had this run them into the ground philosophy, but we never actually came this close before.

[zCommander]

3 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

Honestly, it sounds pretty bad. Half tempted to just have it towed to the garage, but then it increases our cost when in reality we will probably just ditch this thing. We were thinking of getting rid of it this summer.

 

As to why I don't just move on... I don't want to be pressured when I go to a dealership. Hard to do that when I pressed to leave with a new (to us) vehicle, because I don't have an alternative. And we need two vehicles.

 

We've  had this run them into the ground philosophy, but we never actually came this close before.

 

SELL IT! I got rid of my Odyssey around the same miles. Was going to run it to the ground but the engine had to be replaced around 75K. misfiring was constant. When my rattled it turned out the 4th cylinder valves were gone. The dealer was confused how a metal would just disappear. This was before replacing the engine. After much research it looked like Honda was a bad buy. Should have bought a Toyota Sienna instead. I picked up an 2004 Sienna before having my Honda towed away to a guy who has a garage and fixes cars and sells them. I was happy to take the $800 for my 2006 Honda and run.

 

BTW: The misfiring was seen on the replaced engine as well. Bad computer programming or computer which the dealer swore up and down was not the issue. As an IT guy I knew better. 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by zskins

[Elessar78]

37 minutes ago, zskins said:

 

SELL IT! I got rid of my Odyssey around the same miles. Was going to run it to the ground but the engine had to be replaced around 75K. misfiring was constant. When my rattled it turned out the 4th cylinder valves were gone. The dealer was confused how a metal would just disappear. This was before replacing the engine. After much research it looked like Honda was a bad buy. Should have bought a Toyota Sienna instead. I picked up an 2004 Sienna before having my Honda towed away to a guy who has a garage and fixes cars and sells them. I was happy to take the $800 for my 2006 Honda and run.

 

BTW: The misfiring was seen on the replaced engine as well. Bad computer programming or computer which the dealer swore up and down was not the issue. As an IT guy I knew better. 

 

 

 

It's a feature, not a bug.

Yeah, we're selling it. But I want to be in a position to be selective and not rushed. I think my cut bait point is $300.

I've had a 2002 Honda Accord. The engine died. There was probably an oil leak that was undetected, the piston crushed the spark plug.

I've had 2004 Honda Ody. It started to give us problems too.

Now the 2006 Honda Pilot—it was going strong. Just drove it back to DC this past weekend (8 hour round  trip) and it was fine, felt fine. Wasn't till I got back to daily driving that I started to get the shakes.

 

I may be done with Hondas. The Korean brands seem to be doing MUCH better now.

 

Toyotas, because of their reliability, can be "overpriced". Our other car is a Sienna. 80K miles and we are happy with it.

[Elessar78]

20 hours ago, Springfield said:

Your misfire should be fixed ASAP. Probably too late for my opinion on the subject but I would drive it VERY carefully. Lots of things can cause misfires, some of which can ruin engines if you drive too far. Most common things are ignition side (such as ignition coils or spark plugs) which will probably be ok. Mechanical issues, internal engine components, can cause misfires.

 

Very common for misifires on those engines to be caused by fouled spark plugs due to oil burning due to failed piston rings.

So mechanic said something about the spark plug melted, damaged the coil. Could be a simple fix UNLESS the threads are damaged in that spark plug bay.

 

I looked it up, so it's a damaged ignition coil. What caused the spark plug to melt? Is it the damaged ignition coil? Or did the damaged spark plug

[China]

Fiat Chrysler recalls big Ram trucks; wheels could fall off

 

Fiat Chrysler said Friday that it is recalling more than a half-million heavy-duty Ram trucks to fix a problem that can cause the wheels to fall off.

 

The recall covers certain 2012 through 2021 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickups, and Ram 4500 and 5500 cab-chassis vehicles, mainly in North America. The trucks have dual rear wheels and flanged lug nuts.

 

Fiat Chrysler, now owned by Stellantis, said some service and owner's manuals had the wrong torque specifications for tightening the lug nuts that hold the wheels to the hubs. If the nuts were tightened too much, the wheel studs could be damaged and wheels could come off.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[CrypticVillain]

Can anyone help me with my Chrysler 200 again?

 

My front driver side window stopped working.

Then, the front passenger side window stopped working.

Now, the mirrors and locks aren't working.

 

But the back windows are working perfectly!

 

I thought my BCM may have been jacked up based on some Google searches but I switched the fuse and they're still not working.

 

I'm missing something that's probably right in front of me. 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

[skinsmarydu]

Fuse? I've got the same issue with my truck, (back seat windows don't go down) but there's never anyone back  there so I don't care. 

[The Evil Genius]

I have a 2010 Honda who's nav system/radio started resetting the date & time every time the car is started. It won't even let let adjust them when it's running. 

 

None of the other presets (saved stations, addresses) are affected. 

 

Any chance it's something as simple as the battery going bad?

 

Called Honda tech support and it's apparently a known software issue. Honda engineers are saying it will fix itself in August. 

 

That's a weird 2022 bug. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by The Evil Genius