Monthly Archives: July 2009

Seems like the cash for clunkers program may be ending earlier than many had thought. Many dealers have been having problems getting paid, and there have been stories of people not qualifying after being told they qualified due to changes in EPA mileage ratings. I guess it only stands to reason that a program which takes over 100+ pages to explain would run into a few issues .

Full Story... http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99P2U9G1&show_article=1

Question:

Stats: 2002 Nissan Sentra GXE, auto transmission, power locks and windows. No recent work, however I keep all the maintenance up to date.

Yesterday my car suddenly acted funny. While pulling out of my neighborhood, my CD player suddenly turned off, then faded back in as if I had turned it back on. At first I thought it was the CD, but after switching to my radio it did the same thing. The sound would disappear, then fade back in after a few moments. It did this about 6-7 times during a 15 minute trip.

I never lose engine power or the ability to control my car. I did notice the following though: The radio display and pre-sets are kept, for 1:5 sound drops my airbag light would come on, for 1:10 sound drops my odometer and speedometer would shoot up then return to normal, no loss in A/C. No other lights on my dash would light up, nor would any other gauges misread. Finally, I could hear a faint whine when Id shift gears. It sounded very similar to something I heard years ago in a friends car. He installed a radio that was too powerful, so if he ran the A/C and the radio at the same time it would make the same whining noise. It makes me wonder if my problem is a power issue.

On my return trip home, as well as on another ride that day, nothing happened. The second one was about an hour round-trip. At first I thought perhaps some water somehow got in the engine (we had a BAD t-storm the night before), or something like that. However, the problem came up again this morning, although not with the same frequency as the first time it happened.

Ideas?

Answer:

It sounds like an electrical issue in the dash somewhere. The whine you described is interference in the power wire, coming through the radio. It is most likely a symptom of a loose power connection somewhere under the dash. I would trace back the power wire from the radio back to the fuse box. It wont be easy, but you can lay under the dash and try to wiggle every connection you can see while the radio is on, to see if you can reproduce the cut-out of the radio. Once you find the offending connection, you can then determine why its loose. There is the possibility of water getting into a connection, but its more likely to be a bad/loose prong in the connector itself. You could also check the fuses in the fuse box, remove and re-seat the radio fuse to see if there was a bad connection there. Electrical problems are never easy to diagnose, since you cant see electricity and most people dont understand the basic principals involved.

As many of you may know, there is a new program out there which will allow you to receive up to $4500 from good ole Uncle Sam for trading in your old inefficient car or truck. Here are a few details of the program, you can read the complete bill here.

Your Trade-In:

1. Must be registered and insured for 1 year.

2. Must be newer than 1984 (Classic car nuts rejoice, nobody will be trading in grandmas 1957 Chevy)

3. Must be rated at 18 MPG or below. (Read bill for calculation formula)

4. Will be destroyed. The dealership MUST disable the engine by removing oil and replacing it with a Sodium Silicate solution which will burn up the bearings and seize the engine plus leave a coating in the block which will make saving the engine for rebuild economically unfeasible. Your car is then taken to the scrap yard and crushed.

5. You will only get scrap value ( -$50 for the dealer to use for administrative costs)

Your New Car or Truck

1. Must be financed (or purchased outright) or leased for a 5yr. or longer lease period.

2. Cars must achieve a rating of 22 MPG or above, trucks are 18 MPG or above.

3. Depending on the difference in MPG between your trade-in and new vehicle you may receive $3500 or $4500. 4 - 9 MPG difference you get $3500, 10 MPG and more you get the full $4500.

4. Must have a base MSRP (before add-ons, options, taxes, tags etc.) of $45,000 or less.

So is this good for the country, the economy, and the environment? I guess its up for debate. Many lower income americans have never had the money to buy a new car, they rely on cheaper vehicles for their transportation needs, this program will reduce the number of older, more affordable vehicles on the road. A bad thing in my opinion.

As for the environment, what is the impact of manufacturing a new vehicle, and scraping an old one? Weigh that with the increased emissions of leaving that old clunker on the road. I dont know the answer to this, but with any environmental question, there are always way to many variables that people do not take into account.

As for the economy, yes more cars will be sold, but now we will have more people with car payments, as well as less older cars on the road for people who can not afford a used car.

I guess the bottom line is that if you were in the market for a new car, and have an older clunker that you are driving, this may be an easy way to get $4,500. Just remember, your car will be destroyed, you will only get scrap value for trade-in (this effects taxes at time of sale) and you probably wont be helping the environment that much.

Question:

Does an air pocket in the coolant system cause a leak?

Three days ago I got a dealership to replace a cracked water pump on my 2007 chevy Impala. They replaced the pump but now there is a very small amount of coolant dripping every hour or so. I took it back to the dealership and told them the problem and they told me there was an air pocket and that I was to drive normally and it would take care of itself.

Answer:

If the coolant is dripping from the overflow tank, I would not be concerned about it, but if its coming from the engine, specifically from the water pump, I would say they need to fix it. Keep watch, and check the coolant level on the overflow tank to see if it drops. If it continues to lose fluid over the weekend, I would take it back and insist on them fixing it.

Question:

How much should it cost with labor and everything to replace a second gear synchronizer on a 2002 jeep wrangler 4.0 litre standard car.

Answer:

I do not have a labor guide in front of me to give you an exact number. The AllData online manuals have labor guides included for most vehicles, but you do have to pay for it. I would imagine the labor rate is around 8 hours and parts would be around $100.

Check Out AllData...
https://sparkcharge.lol/alldata.htm