Ask Pete

[#1]

I’m on vacation, but feel free to post questions and I will get to them as soon as I can after I return. In the meantime, I trust that all of you will take good care of your vehicles...and Drive Carefully!

Pete

[#2]

My daughter has a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The low beams on the headlights do not work. The bulbs are good. High beams are okay and go off when the low beam lever is activated. Can you help?

[#3]

Pete,

I have a 99 Honda Accord V6 automatic.  While decellerating (without breaking), the car shimmies.  I don't feel it in the steering wheel, or the pedals, it is more in the seats.  

New tires, new brakes, new alignment, checked ball joints, rebuilt transmission, etc. There are no unusual noises at any time while driving, turning, putting the car in gear, etc.

I appreciate the help.  BTW - what did you catch?

Dave

[#4]

Pete,

     I have a 2008 Mercury Sable with climate control. In summer months the blower motor will occasionally stop. The AC is still working, You can feel the cold air at the vents. No amount of control fiddling will turn it back on. The fan speed indicator can be set to show max speed, but still no air. This always occurs at highway speed. Altitude is not a factor. If I pull off the road and turn off the engine, I can immediately restart the engine and have instant cold air at any blower speed I choose. My home town dealer in Tennessee doesn't have a clue. I checked with a dealer in southern Nevada where AC is almost a year round thing. He never heard of a similar problem. Please help!

                                                                                                                    Bob

[#5]

I have a 2004 Toyota Highlander.  I took the car in to a mechanic for routine maintnenace.  The mechanic told me the rear engine seal was damaged and replacing it would be a costly waste of time.  He went on to tell me that it is only a matter of time before the car becomes undrivable,  as a consequence of the damaged seal.   Hence, a replacement vehicle is invetiable.  However, I'm not ready to give up on the car yet.  I'm willing to gamble on the cost of the repair.

My question to you is what do you think about the mechanic's prognosis?

[#6]

ameleo

There are a couple of possibilities and unfortunately it may require a trip to the repair shop. Assuming that all relative fuses and bulbs are good, it could be the multi-function switch or it could be the power control module. It is also possible there is a stored code in the module and clearing the code may help but most of what I am seeing points to module issues.  

[#7]

 DaveInTheCape

Dave, your description of the vibration is interesting! Being as your vehicle is FWD and you describe the vibration being felt in your seat only on deceleration, I suspect an engine or transmission mount to be the cause of the vibration. 

Unfortunately it was too cold to fish but certainly had some great family time during the Holidays! Thanks!  

[#8]

Bob - bobctn

There are really only two things in the circuit that can cause the blower motor to just quit and that is the blower motor speed controller located in the dash or the blower motor relay located under the hood. Just for arguments sake, next time it happens, keep the engine running, locate the blower motor relay in the relay box under the hood and lightly tap on it with your knuckle. If the fans starts working chances are good you have an intermittent relay issue.   

[#9]

 gardnercr

My first reaction is to get another opinion from a different place of repair!!! It is not typical for these vehicles to have rear main seal issues and the mechanics presentation of the facts is suspicious. For some peace of mind it may be worth getting another opinion.   

[#10]

Hi Pete!

I have a '99 Honda Accord 4 valves... I did regular check in PepBoys 3 weeks ago (oil change and filter), I had this car for 4 months and was working fine, some issues like O2 sensor in the engine, oil leaks, A/C leaks that I have to solve but I'm doing them in order of priorities, hoping that sooner than later I'll have my car 100% operative... but those issues came with the car since I got it from the last owner...

Last week (close to new year's eve) my car didn't start, it didn't give me any prior sign from starting problems, not any electrical sign, not a weird noise, just one morning didn't start, it has battery power, I checked my battery, tried with other fully charged battery, and is not a battery problem... the car try to start but don't finish the ignition... I was looking for answers online and got this video from youtube and is the same car and do the exact issue trying to start, if you want to get a better vision see the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neOIdKDvkss

or here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=UWP-DcQJRbk 

The problem is this: HONDA has a Recall for the "IGNITION SWITCH" for the Accord 1999 and it can be fixed for FREE on any Honda dealer, but I have to be sure that "That's the problem" because if not I can move my car to any other car shop that accept my AAA Membership discount and fix it... and if not what's the worst scenario? I have a Premium AAA membership can I tow my car to any AAA car shop to get the diagnosis and if the problem is the Ignition Switch tow it again to the Honda dealer? can I use the towing service as many times my car need it? this is the first time using this services and I don't want to abuse of it...

The other thing is about the service in PepBoys, my car was having some known issues but was working good, is coincidence that I got some mechanical job in my car and 2 weeks later my car stop working regularly as it was working fin for the last months without any external intervention? Do I have to go back to PepBoys and ask for a check arguing that after their work in my car got this issue or is just Murphy's law?

Thank you Pete and hope you got some good family time and Happy New Year!!! Sorry for the longest question but I'm pretty new on this...!

David

[#11]

If all you got at Pep Boys was an oil change I doubt seriously there is a connection between your current problem and their service (aside from the fact the issue occurred two weeks later). Your description of crank/no start is usually caused by only a few things such as lack of fuel to the injectors, lack of spark to the plugs or lack of crank/can synchronization. The fuel scenario can be caused by either a clogged fuel filter or bad fuel pump or pump relay. The lack of spark can be caused by a bad ignition module, crank sensor, etc. The crank/cam synchronization issue could be a broken or slipped timing belt.  

The ignition switch issues with this car usually caused the car to stall but would then restart and the recall mentions nothing about a crank/no-start condition.

I suggest having the vehicle towed to a qualified technician (maybe a AAA Approved Repair facility?) that can formally diagnose your concern. If it is determined to be the switch, AAA will tow you to a Honda dealer so you can get the repairs performed. While the shop may charge you a diagnostic fee, if it is a recall issue, Honda may elect to cover this charge for you. Another option is to just have it towed to the dealer from the onset.  

[#12]

Pete,

Can you settle a disagreement between my hubby and I. He prefers to drive on the highway with the doors locked (to prevent them from flying open in an accident). I prefer to have them unlocked for easy access in the event of accident (especially water). Who is right?

-Natalie

[#13]

I don't know that I can settle this one as it is a controllable personal preference! I guess if I think through potential scenario's I personally would side with your hubby in that I agree with hoping to prevent the doors from flying open during a crash or roll over and depending on where you drive, it could aid in preventing a car jacking at stop lights, etc. Our AAA branch offices sell a neat little tool that is part hammer and part razor blade so in the event of a water submersion incident, a simple tap on the glass while under water will shatter it allowing for an escape and the razor blade is to cut the seat belt if it becomes jammed.

Sorry Natalie! I'm going to have to side with hubby on this one!

[#14]

Nice and fast Answer Pete!!!

Thank you so much... I'll tow my car to a AAA approved repair facility to get the final diagnosis and I'll post it to share the information, I guess it's nothing related to the ignition switch, so can be one of ur 3 prognosis because one of my issues "to be solved" is the timing belt... so I hope you are right about that or something less expensive

After I get my car repaired I'll visit the Honda dealer and get the Ignition switch changed due the recall and avoid future issues concerning that...

This is a great service, thank you so much and congrats to AAA for have you answering our questions as customers!!!

[#15]

I was going to get Natalie's side, but due your explanation of the hammer/razor tool it's very reasonable to think as her husband, but it's hard to get a particular opinion on this thinking on a crash/roll over scenario, I wouldn't know what to do, even with the doors unlocked the doors can get jammed and under water I heard that even with the doors unlocked they won't open due the pressure, so the hammer/razor tool is still the best option, but where is the best location for such a great tool? on the driver side door pocket or in the glove box?

[#16]

I would keep it handy but keep in mind if the vehicle flips over it could become a projectile and cause additional injury.

[#17]

I have a Lexus with 122,000 miles on it.  A few days ago the "check engine light" and "track off" warning lights came on.

The dealer ran diagnostics and says there is an EVAP EMISSION CONTROLSYSTEM MALFUNCTION DUE TO INTERNAL MALFUNCTIONING CANISTER ASSEMBLY

Parts and labor $999. Is this a logical deduction based on testing and warning lights?  Is price appropriate?

1/4/12

[#18]

It is and not an uncommon failure anymore. This is all part of the evaporative emissions control system and it will affect fuel efficiencies.

[#19]

Hi Pete,

I have a 2007 Nissan 350Z that is now 4 years old but only has 15,000 miles. When I bring it in for service should I request the 15,000 service or the 4 year (48,000 mile) or some other level of maintenance? Will your answer apply to futue maintenance visits as well?

Thanks

Bill

[#20]

GREAT Question! In your particular case I would stick with the mileage interval versus time. About the only time I would suggest time I would suggest the time interval is if we were talking about timing belt replacement as rubber deterioration waits for no one! Hope this helps!  

[#21]

Pete - thanks for the reply.  Sorry to hear that you didn't catch any fish - you should try SW FLA in the winter next time.  I caught several the day after Christmas and the temp was about 82 degrees!

I had already visually inspected all of the mounts on the 99 Accord and all look and feel secure.  I also put the car in drive, held the brakes and applied the accelerator to see if there was any movement - solid as a rock...  I'm stumped and so is the mechanic I use.  Any other tests you can recommend?  Dave

[#22]

Thanks for the fishing lead!

On an outside chance, have your tech check the outer bearings of the transaxles. If there is excessive play in those bearings it may cause the CV joints to wobble on deceleration.

[#23]

Hi Pete, What do you think about Electric Cars?

[#24]

I think if it fits your transportation needs it is a very green alternative. I do not however think enough of an infrastructure is in place to overcome "range anxiouty". I like the new technologies and see their place in the market. While consumer acceptance is a little slower than originally anticipated I do believe alternative fuels is the way to go. From a vehicle perspective some are nicer than others. Some are true vehicles with the consumer in mind and some are glorified golf carts. What are your thoughts!