car trouble

My last car went up in the flames at the end. It was pretty climactic.

1 and 4 are more problematic...

$300.

Bad luck Pashmina (is anyone else always reminded of that rubbish chatroom thing in the Guardian?).

Also my drivers side and trunk keylocks are useless, the muffler is disintigrating (though it still sounds fine), the A/C still doesn't work (after $2K of repairs in the past two years) and my mileage has fallen 5 mpg in a year.

If the clutch goes whilst you are moving you can go up and down the gears without too much difficulty you have to try and match the road speed with the engine speed. with syncromesh you just coast in idle for half a second or so.

Starting off is a different matter. You have to try and slip the the car into 1st without stalling then giving the accelerator a push to get the car going. I got it right maybe 1 time in 10.

Hmm... what does it mean if you turn the ignition and all the dashboard lights come on as normal but there is no sound at all from the starter motor? The car has been sitting out in the street undriven for almost a month.

I've had that a couple of times over the years. Once it was just a dodgy connection which I learned how to fiddle with and make it work on the rare occasion that it popped out, but the other times it's been the alternator. It would at least try to turn over if it was just the battery, I think.

Yeah, the battery's almost new and the lights are fine. Whereabouts did you fiddle? The alternator sounds like an ominous diagnosis.

Starter Motor or alternator.

Do the headlights work? If so, put em on and see if they start to dim quite quickly. If so, it's the alternator.

If they don't noticeably dim over say 10 mins, it might be the starter motor that's seized. You can often get them to work by hitting the outside of the starter motor casing with a heavy spanner. What sort of car is it?

Do you have a voltmeter?

Just beside the starter motor (xpost re loose connection - Dr C's hitting it plan would probably work too!). Did you have a new battery fitted recently - have you checked all the connections to it?

Did you hear a click or a dull thump when you try and turn the engine over?

Click = starter motor brushes, possibly. Hitting, as above, might work. However the click doesn't rule out alternator.

Dull Thump = possible seized engine. (Unlikely)

Do you have RAC/AA membership? Get them to come and diagnose it!

Agreed. But try and thump the starter motor first - you'll feel so happy if it starts afterwards!

I'm guessing not, as the car wouldn't be lying there for a month if so. If it's still knacked later on, I could come over and ring the RAC for you, I can pretend I was getting a lift home from you as my RAC membership is transferable between any car I am a passenger in.

Cunning :)

My alternator went (well it had gone some time before, but this was the moment when the battery finally died) while in the fast lane of the M4 between Exeter and Bristol. Sudden, total, loss of engine and electrics - it's not great having to try and coast in to the hard shoulder across 3 lanes of traffic and then stop without a brake servo. We got towed to a depot on the outskirts of Exeter, where they unearthed, after about an hour of looking, a Beetle (old style) alternator.

If it is the starter motor I recommend rocking the car (push it back and forward a few inches) in gear to shift the starting motor off the bad spot as hitting it can do more damage - if that fails then by all means whack it with something. Both solutions are temporary and it will jam again at some point and will probably need replaced.

Good advice. I just enjoy whacking things.

Einsturzende NeuAutonen.

haha, I managed to start neil's laguna the other day by shoogling around in the seat to create a sort of rocking motion that jumped it into place. several expensive trips to arnold clark have failed to diagnose a problem, and this is the most effective solution i have found - it's only not started half a dozen times or so, and is used several times a day. as i said, with my old car I just wiggled the wires leading to the starter motor, and that did the trick.

Thanks for the advice. I will test the headlights to see if they start to dim later on. I can't face going outside again at the moment, it's so miserable out there.

The battery is only a few months old.

There is no click or thud when I try to turn the engine. There is no noise at all.

I am with the AA, but don't have the Homestart option.

Oh, it's a Peugeot 205, btw.

I suppose my local garage can organise it to be towed, if I ask them. How much is that likely to cost?

We let our Saturn sit idle for 14 months -- obv. the battery was dead when I tried to start it, but I was kind of amazed that it jump-started right up. I figured it would pop a bunch of belts and hoses.

No click or thud = alternator then, most likely.

I wouldn't expect towing fee to be much. £20-30? Alternators are cheap, you might need a new battery and an hour's labour. Best to go for a small garage with a towtruck, rather than a main dealer.

I have a nice local garage who I trust. I've just never seen a towtruck there. I'll give them a call if that rocking and thwacking brings no joy.

For some reason, I thought alternators were really expensive. I must have been thinking of something else.

Thanks again!

My car was idling like crap the other day so I figured since I just got it, it may have been awhile since anyone changed the oil out. I decided to go ahead and change the oil. I used Mobile 1 synthentic oil like I was reccomended on here. Anyways, I drain out the oil and noticed it was extremely dark and even after 10 minutes of draining, it was still coming out. I decided to go ahead and flush it to make sure all the bad stuff got out. I hooked up the hose, ran water through the engine, started it up and was waiting for the water to come out clean (The engine never went above idle so I was told this would be ok). Anyways, About 3 minutes into this, then engine starts shaking and shuts off. I figured it was all cleaned out so I plugged it up, added the oil and figured I was ready to go. WRONG! The car won't freaking start now. This car has been nothing but trouble for me, I think I am done with it.

Add more water, you can boil it off if there's too much.

I took my van to the shop today because I have a suspicion that my transmission is going to go.

They called me later the same afternoon to say, "you're transmission is going to go. Drive it til it drops".

:(

Driving a stick-shifter doesn't make you a transmission, FYI.

I don't like getting a call of "the car repair place called - please call them - they need to talk to you". I hope its just "do you want red wiper blades or blue?"

ah - luckily just like 250$ more for dome damb shit on the exhaust

for the first time in my life i actually did some home mechanical repairs on my car a few weeks ago after researching that it was going to cost $300 to fix. It took me 10 minutes and it cost me nothing.

ya did the same a few times lately. Recessions can be fun, kids.

Can't get my radio to work, tho

everytime i pumped gas, fuel came spilling out the damn tank. apparently some apparatus was jammed, i unhooked it, WD-40 it and it was good to go.

I think if I change a fuse my blower will work right but I am too scared to do it

seriously?

yes

haha...come on man.

well in the booklet it was lik e" be careful when you put the cover to the fuse box back on becuase if you dont do it right and water gets in there your whoel electrical system is fuckjed!hahaha!"

never happen.

well, if you say so - but I still very scared

So...car leaking radiator coolant: I see the drip under the car. How much will this set me back? I've gone a couple weeks by keeping spare coolant in trunk and refilling every morning.

throw a raw egg in there (not kidding)

http://www.wikihow.com/Seal-a-Leaking-Radiator

that might last you another few weeks, I'm not enough of a car person to give u an estimate on a real fix though

radiator replacement is like 400 bucks iirc.

Pep boys sells like 1600 different products to seal a radiator

Have also heard black pepper works

Also start listening to car talk

black pepper was one of the methods mentioned in that link, I had not heard of that one before

Dunno if it's the radiator or something simple like a loose gasket or a worn hose.

so I opened the car today with the key to the bike lock

eh?

just don't try again, this is like those fictional stories where someone walks through the idling prop arc of an aeroplane unscathed, then turns back and gets splatted

yeh but cmere I live in a tough enough area and they'll have seen

reminds me, i haven't seen a car with a steering clamp in years. get one of the ones that electrocutes you imo

the fuck good would that be. surely u want one that electrocutes the other fella

lol

Any one have any experience with 2004 era Honda Odysseys? Thinking of buying one.

you could not pay me to drive around in a 13 year old minivan

Miles and price biggest deal breakers.

really? What if I paid you 13,000$ a day to minivan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWAAXrlt43s

Any one have any experience with 2004 era Honda Odysseys? Thinking of buying one.

Ha I've been driving a 2006 for 11 years and almost zero complaints. It has been super reliable. 165K miles. Not winning any style points tho.

That said, I have seen what can go on in a minivan (kids, spills, bodily fluids), and would be a bit leery of buying such an old one. Mine smells.

thanks. honestly all I want is a car that is not a money drain and serves the purpose of getting from point a to be safely - I wouldnt care if it looked like a radioactive racoon doctor