Monthly Archives: August 2010

Question:

     I have a 2003 Ford Taurus 3.0L V6 Engine, when I have my car in idle it runs rough and the RPM's stay at 700, when I put it into drive it hesitates, if I put the a/c on the RPM's vary between 300-700 and then stalls out. I had routine maintance done recently, (oil change, air filter replaced,and tires rotated).The backpressure sensor was replaced,less than a year ago I had a tune up done.

Answer:

     Most idle problems are due to the throttle body or idle air control, which is located in the throttle body.  I would recommend a good throttle body cleaning by your mechanic and possible replacement of the IAC if it tests bad. 

     I have also heard of vacuum issues and even spark plug boots improperly installed causing misfires when water get's into the spark plug area.  These should be checked if your mechanic checks out the throttle body and finds no issues.

Question:

Hi Kevin,
     My 1999 Mitsubishi Montero is acting strange:
draining the brand new battery in two days even when just parking in the garage.

     Remote key does not open the locks, only clicking noise generated. Engine starts and runs while battery is still charged.
Is it possible that this condition is coming from faulty alternator?

Answer:

     Alternator is possible, but it is probably an accessory inside the vehicle. 
The first thing I would check is the alternator charging voltage.  With the vehicle running, measure the voltage at the battery with a voltmeter.  It should be between 13.5 and 14.5 Volts.  If it's below that, I would suspect the alternator.

     I would also fully charge the battery and have a garage perform a load test.  It's not unheard of to get a bad new battery.

Once those two checks are done it's time to find the drain...

     The best way to check for drain is to use an ammeter, hooked inline with the negative cable at the battery.  With everything off, and no key in the ignition, start pulling fuses until you find the circuit causing the drain.  Your radio and ecu will probably cause a slight drain, and 50mA is not uncommon so don't think you have to get the drain down to 0.  You are looking for a circuit causing over 500mA to drain your battery that fast.

Once you find the circuit causing the drain, you need to determine what component in that circuit is causing the problem.  Damaged light sockets, bad solenoids and motors have been known to cause issues.  It's always an adventure finding electrical problems, and don't forget a bad wire can also leak to ground and cause a drain.
Good Luck,
Kevin

Yes that is a house Air Conditioning unit in the window with a gasoline powered generator powering it !!!

So when the guy goes to the gas station, he has to fill the gas tank on the car, and the generator.  I think if you take a step back and look at this scenario, you could sell the generator and A/C unit and have more than enough to fix your A/C. 

Thanks to my friend Randy for posting this picture on Facebook.  It was taken in Reading PA, at a Walmart of all places… go figure !