The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: godofthunder on November 05, 2012, 09:22:48 AM
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So the Dodge dealer that replaced the ignition on my van is about to receive my full ire. On 10/23 my van died in the driveway some sort of ignition problem the van was towed to the dealer where the ignition system was replaced. The van was returned on 10/26. on 10/30 the van died while I was driving my daughter to school, the dash went dark and the engine quite. We were locked in the van, no flashers in the pouring rain. I crawled through the back and was able to manually unlock the side door and get my daughter out. The van was then towed back to the dealer where after three days they called me and said come and get it we can't find anything wrong! The van is a trap I can't drive it I certainly won't put my family in it. With so many things going on (father in law in hospice) this has taken the back burner but today I am wide awake, alert and enthusiastic. I filed a case with Dodge and have called my attorney.
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What a pain in the ass!
Find out if the van has fusible links. My '91 Dodge diesel has them along the driver's side fenderwell. Fusible links are not the plug in sort of fuses you think of but rather are certain types of wire fuses soldered inline.
One day I was on the way home the engine just quite and I coasted to a stop in a turn lane. Turns out several of the fusible links had blown. I had the truck towed to my house where I soldered in some new ones.
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You might go to the regional rep on this one. Sounds like the kind of intermittent problem that's a pain to find.
BUT - remember that they replaced the ignition? That's the FIRST place to look. The most recent work done has the greatest potential for having caused a problem by causing a loose connection. Your situation could easily be caused by a loose connector that moves far enough to cut off contact.
This sounds like a total battery disconnect - but the ignition locks on many cars can have that exact effect if they go bad or there's a bad connection at a critical point. Heck, on a mid-60's Chevy a failed dash headlight switch can cause the car to stop running.
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Buy American.
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Sadly I did buy American.
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Subarus are highly recommend.
I'll go stand in a corner and shut up now.........
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Sadly I did buy American.
I was being unfairly caustic! Every brand makes a crap individual car now and then. Ghost in the machine. But I can very well understand that it drives you nuts especially if the fault is not detected amd everyone gives you that doubting look ...
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I'd been off driving a few years so bought a cheap car - read "banger" off my brother - so it would be no big deal if I wrecked it. It cost me over £2500 to keep it going over the next two years. It was a regular at the workshop; one time I was pulled over for not showing brake lights after it had been in to get a new handbrake wire fitted.
I took it to a different workshop nearby to be told that it's brake light fuses were "gone" - not "gone" as in "blown" - just .......... gone!
The only explanation I could think of was that workshop A had taken them out knowing that I'd be straight back - they hadn't reckoned on my being pulled over - they, as Scott so eloquently puts it - received my full ire, a partially trashed workshop and a lot of bad publicity!
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Every brand makes a crap individual car now and then. Ghost in the machine.
Chrysler has been making crap cars since the Seventies. Then in the Eighties they bought AMC Jeep and made them crap too. Obama should have let them go bankrupt again. Chevrolet and Chrysler are not "the American auto industry. Subarus, Hondas, and Toyotas are all made in America now.
And the car that has the most American made content?
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/toyota-camry-recognized-as-most-american-made-car-on-the-road/
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/04/cars-com-reveals-american-made-index-for-2012/
Interesting quote from Missouri Governor Matt Blunt:"Chrysler, Ford and GM – produce more than half the cars assembled here, ... and employ two-thirds of America's autoworkers" So does that mean the the automakers with non-American names employ one-third of America's autoworkers and produce almost half of the cars assembled here?
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Hope you get it sorted out soon.
You might poke around on some of the forums and see if anyone else has experienced similar problems. Found a lot of stuff like this in a quick search:
http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348652
Of course, you shouldn't have to dig around for info when you have it in the hands of the pros, and so I feel your frustration there.
If it's a newer vehicle, check into whatever protection you may or may not have under your State's lemon law.
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The wife has already made this suggestion. To small for my purpose.
Subarus are highly recommend.
I'll go stand in a corner and shut up now.........
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And I bow to you and the Hiwatt Rig good sir!
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I went from a Ford van to my 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon. Now I only have enough room for my 4x10, and 2x15, a head, and a couple of basses :mrgreen:
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I think that qualifies as a stage monitor for Scott ;)
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My trusty 1994 Toyota Pickup has treated me very well over the years. It is a long bed xtra cab and I can haul a lot of equipment in the back. My other vehicle is a 2004 Honda Odyssey. Both bought new. Toyota just turned over 84k (yes, 84k) and the Honda 64k.
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Chrysler has been making crap cars since the Seventies. Then in the Eighties they bought AMC Jeep and made them crap too. Obama should have let them go bankrupt again. Chevrolet and Chrysler are not "the American auto industry. Subarus, Hondas, and Toyotas are all made in America now.
And the car that has the most American made content?
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/toyota-camry-recognized-as-most-american-made-car-on-the-road/
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/04/cars-com-reveals-american-made-index-for-2012/
Interesting quote from Missouri Governor Matt Blunt:"Chrysler, Ford and GM – produce more than half the cars assembled here, ... and employ two-thirds of America's autoworkers" So does that mean the the automakers with non-American names employ one-third of America's autoworkers and produce almost half of the cars assembled here?
How many Chrysler products have you owned? I would imagine that the determination that "Chrysler has been making crap cars since the Seventies" must have been prompted by extensive personal experience... right? Likewise, I guess you have owned a fair number of Jeep products as well, having made comparisons between the Jeep vehicles produced before Chrysler bought AMC/Jeep (which was pretty much owned by Renault at the time) and after.
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I know Chrysler has had their weak points; two of them are AC systems (on anything and everything made by Chrysler), and the transmissions in the early minivans. Overall, though, I disagree with the statement that Chrysler makes crap. I specifically disagree with it on the Jeep line. For example, I have never met an owner of a Jeep Cherokee that didn't love it...while driving it to very high mileage.
We could just as easily pan the incredibly awful styling and uncomfortable interiors on GM cars throughout the 1980's and 90's (leading pretty directly to the decline of GM), Audi's silly insistence on putting an automatic used in VW Vanagons into their turbo 5-cylinder sedans, and sundry other mistakes made by manufacturers.
Every manufacturer has had their hits and misses.
I'm still betting that Scott's problem will turn out to be a loose connection or other mistake made while installing the ignition stuff. It's one of the very few places there could be a problem that causes his symptoms.
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I've driven a Caravan for years - about 3K monthly. This one is about ready to be turned in @ 5 years + and 165K. It's been a good one - one AC switch and one power window. It has it share rattles and squeaks but it has held up well to a grueling life. My 03 Liberty has not been as good but still it has been decent - the extended warranty paid off big on this one.
We're planning on a new Subaru Outback in the Spring. My daughter's Forestor has been problem free for the 4 years we have had it - 'nuff said. I'm not spending my money on Chrysler or GM. I applaud Ford on not taking bail out money while still managing to have decent vehicles.
Scott, does NY have a lemon law? TX does - i think 3 tries on one problem and it can be invoked. Regardless a trail of certified letters to very senior personnel works wonders.
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Lots of generalized statements in this thread.
I have a 1991 Dodge turbodiesel and the original AC quit blowing cold 2 years ago. The truck has almost 300,000 miles on it.
I put 265,000 miles on my '89 Dodge Dakota V-6 before I let it go. Transmission needed a rebuilt at almost 100,000 and the warranty transferred from the original owner to me so, the rebuild cost me $100. From 100,000 miles to 265,000 miles the trans never gave me another bit of trouble.
Subarus are great until you need an exhaust system. Those are around $2000. From what I read, Subaru's quality rating as slipped a little in the past few years.
Toyota's quality has slipped a lot in the past 10 years in its quest to become the largest auto manufacturer in the world.
In the early 1990s my boss bitched and moaned about her VW Golf. Sold it and got a Honda Accord but would never bitch about the car even though it went to the shop at least 3 times because the driver's side window kept locking in the up or down position.
A friend of many years knew a guy who worked in the plant where the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser were built. Same assembly line, same people and yet the "American" Eagle and Plymouth garnered 3 times the complaints than the "Japanese" Mitsubishi.
I doubt Scott's problem is the ignition switch. It was replaced and it sounds like the same thing happened (although every now and then a new part is bad). Something leading UP TO the ignition switch could be the issue, though I doubt it.
Was the battery replaced recently, Scott?
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Was the battery replaced recently, Scott?
Check the battery cable to battery terminal connections. Looseness or corrosion, especially at the negative connection can cause the symptoms you're having.
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I have had a few fits with my VW. God love them, they keep taking care of the dang thing on their dime. But after a while, and a class action, I grow a bit tired of them. But I like a wagon, and can't justify the Subaru. And don't try to find a Subaru Legacy wagon that isn't loaded up with the Outback package.
Cars are all poop eventually.
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I was gonna say battery connection too...
Take 'em off, wire brush 'em down till they're shiny
(terminals and inside the connectors),
reinstall 'em tight,
then smear 'em with a good coat of Vasoline to keep them from corroding.
I hope it's that easy of a fix for you!
My wife's daily driver 2001 Toyota 4Runner is over 270,000,
my 1993 Toyota Tercel is coming up on 200,000
and I'm still wrenchin' on my Mom's 1984 Toyota Tercel
and I have NO idea how many miles are on that thing
but it's still going.
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The van is a '08 Caravan. I bought is about 12 months ago. What fries me is as I understand it all they did was try and get it to fail again ie starting and shutting off the engine. It doesn't sound to me like they checked their work on the ignition installation, which as someone pointed out should be the first thing they check. What gets me is that they sent me home with this thing. I went straight to Dodge with this I am done talking to the dealer, it is clear they can't be trusted. The case I opened and a letter from my attorney should be enough to get their attention.
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I had the same problem years ago with a VW Rabbit and it was the fuse box. It would start some days, some days not. Lots of electrical bugs and issues and it was only a year old. The problem? Water was leaking into the cabin, under the dash and corroding the fuse box. When it rained, I didn't even want to drive the damn thing. Once they figured it out (after 5 or 6 trips to the dealer!), they sealed the base of the radio antenna where the leak was, replaced the fuse box and the car ran great for years afterward. Just a thought! Best wishes and good luck!
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I actually had the same problem with my Saturn...turned out it was a faulty battery cable. Cheap fix, but it took 4 or 5 tries to find it.
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How many Chrysler products have you owned? I would imagine that the determination that "Chrysler has been making crap cars since the Seventies" must have been prompted by extensive personal experience... right? Likewise, I guess you have owned a fair number of Jeep products as well, having made comparisons between the Jeep vehicles produced before Chrysler bought AMC/Jeep (which was pretty much owned by Renault at the time) and after.
Actually I have never owned a Chrysler product, and likely never will, but I did work at a Toyota/AMC Jeep Eagle dealership for a few years in the Eighties, and there was a huge difference in quality between the two. It wasn't uncommon for the Jeep Cherokees to need repairs before putting them on the lot. The Renault Alliance has got to be worst car ever built in America, they would break on test drives and the resale value was zero.
OTOH my dad had a Chrysler 300 which he liked and it seemed to be a pretty good car, but he kept his '91 Toyota Cressida for the rest of his life.
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I also want to say: Any car that can't unlock the doors from the inside without power has a major design flaw.
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Chinese cars are best. I've never had issues with my Volvos even when they were still Fords. In fact, they became better during the Ford era and they've even improved from that since the Chinese took over a few years ago.
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Sadly, the dealers are often the weak link. The pool of mechanics and service writers does not produce the number of quality candidates that it should, for a variety of reasons. It's not simply technical knowledge - sometimes it's that the tech lacks simple common sense and diagnostic reasoning. These are things you don't get out of a book. They don't know how to trace a problem once their computer diagnostics fail to give them an answer, or if the problem is intermittent. The common sense thing is an issue that dogs our workforce as a whole - I see it everywhere, every day. I can't count how many times I have to follow up on things I really shouldn't need to. Another problem is that sometimes a dealer will give warranty work to the lower echelon techs because they make less money, and they would rather have the "A" tech working on a car for someone who is paying top dollar. (Warranty work is paid at a discounted rate by the manufacturer, IIRC)
Scott did the correct thing in calling Ma Mopar on this one. The dealer bailed out on him. I had a friend that did this (called the number in the back of his owner's manual) and the dealer nearly crapped his pants. He said that when somebody calls that number, Chrysler hammers them big time and will sometimes "punish" them for screwing up on a repair or service. I'm not sure what Scott's original issue was, but the time proximity to that repair, plus the fact that it involved the ignition system makes the work suspect. Scott, could you be more specific than "replaced the ignition system"? That's a pretty large area, encompassing everything from the battery on out. OTOH, sometimes stuff just happens. I once brought a 1999 Voyager to the local guy for an oil change, and when I picked it up the trans was in limp mode (stuck in 2nd gear) and all the dash gauges and LEDs were pegged. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the PTC (powertrain control module) and (TCM transmission control module) under warranty. Pretty odd that it failed just when I had the oil changed.
Every manufacturer designs or builds a clunker here and there. I spent 15 years of my adult life in the automotive aftermarket parts and service business. I sold alot of parts and wrote alot of estimates, and while certain models (engines, transmissions) might be prone to certain problems, I never saw an "across the board" situation with one manufacturer. Volvos ate exhaust systems, GM mid-size cars were prone to drum brake backing plates rotting out in certain areas of the country, Subaru brake calipers were a nightmare. "4-6-8" multiple displacement Cadillac motors were poorly designed, as were the GM diesels that went into the passenger cars. The bodies of Japanese cars from the 70s and early 80s would literally rot away around the their engines (when was the last time you saw a '78 Accord tooling around town?). A simple search will net you hours of fun reading on notorious recalls and premature failures in the automotive arena. BTW, in 2011, the most recalled car brands were... Honda and Toyota.
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I specifically disagree with it on the Jeep line. For example, I have never met an owner of a Jeep Cherokee that didn't love it...while driving it to very high mileage.
I just inherited a '93 Cherokee 2WD with almost 125k on the clock. The Jeep fanatics tell me that they consider that to be barely broken in.
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I was told they replaced the "Win" system or wireless ignition. I used to be pretty good with cars back in the day now I have no idea what the F they are talking about.
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Back in the old days, I was able to haul a full Acoustic 360 rig, my bass (in a BIG flight case), and accessory bag in the back of a '73 Opel station wagon.
If I do ever move my amp now, it fits in the back of the Vue without reclining the seat, and the bass goes in the back seat.
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(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/lowend1/4585660997_e1fa40e2ff_b.jpg)
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I had a '69 Kadett wagon. I could haul a Peavey 215 cab and amp, Fender Rhodes Piano, 2 basses and put the Fender 4x8 PA speakers on the luggage rack. (talk about great German engineering!) Paid $500 for that car in '78 and sold it the next year for the same price when we moved back Stateside. (this was in Panama) You could do a lot of stuff in that car with the back seat folded down. :)
(http://i50.tinypic.com/16s2oj.jpg)
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It's about the same size as my Subie .......I love little wagons!
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One of these was my gear hauler in the late 70s. Driver seat only. 2 SVT cabs, 2 Coliseum heads, 2 basses.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/ME/71_Vega_Panel_Express.jpg)
Replaced it with the wagon version in the early 80s. Cheap, economical and dependable. No rust in SoCal.
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I don't remember the specifics, but didn't Vegas have a major flaw in the motor? I may be wrong here, so edjumacate me!
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I drove a both '75 and '77 Pontiac Astre's (their version of the Vega) The '75 had the problem all aluminum motor and it started to burn oil at a good rate at around 10 years old. I would feel sorry for whomever was behind me at a stop light because it would leave a huge white smoke cloud when I'd take off. The '77 had the Iron Duke engine which is nearly indestructible. Mine had a bad knock and still ran fine for several years. Both cars were inherited from my older sisters who bought them new.
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The '75 had the problem all aluminum motor and it started to burn oil at a good rate at around 10 years old. I would feel sorry for whomever was behind me at a stop light because it would leave a huge white smoke cloud when I'd take off.
My Opel built Vauxhall Vectra went the same way. The head buckled and it was drinking coolant; which made the white smoke. On the last day I drove it, it drove 11 miles home from work & stopped permanently 20 yards from my door.
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I don't remember the specifics, but didn't Vegas have a major flaw in the motor? I may be wrong here, so edjumacate me!
All aluminum engine with plated walls caused the early ones to burn oil prematurely. In SoCal you could get a new short block with iron sleeved cylinders for around $200. Problem solved. The new technology wasn't up to the application in 1970 but it's fairly common today.
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(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/lowend1/4585660997_e1fa40e2ff_b.jpg)
Yep! That's the one! Mine was yellow.
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I just inherited a '93 Cherokee 2WD with almost 125k on the clock. The Jeep fanatics tell me that they consider that to be barely broken in.
My daughter's experience with her '99 Cherokee at more than 150K miles bears that out. The Cherokee was one of those vehicles that owners swore by but it wasn't flashy enough to get press. But there are tons of Cherokees still on the road even though their last year of production was 2001. IMO a vehicle that Jeep should still be producing.
I don't remember the specifics, but didn't Vegas have a major flaw in the motor? I may be wrong here, so edjumacate me!
IIRC, the flaw was that GM saved a very few bucks on the casting for the head or block - I don't remember which - but the result was an engine that was quite prone to overheating. The result was a high number of engine failures. The Vega was a really low-end economy car, but the engine problems were what doomed it.
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My cousin had a bright lime green mid 70s Vega that he drove from upstate NY to northern NJ every day. One day he pulled into the repair shop because the car was handling funny. The rear end seemed to be wallowing around and he figured he had probably blown out a shock absorber or something. Turns out that the rear section of the frame / unibody had rotted away and separated from the rest, with the car essentially being held together by the body panels. Wallowing indeed.
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At 204K miles the Subie is my Highway Star ;)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/2011%20vacation/2011vacation094.jpg)
That's how you get Ritchie Blackmore into the thread ;)
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:mrgreen: But when I hit the biturbo of my Volvo V-70 and its 300 hp it's more like Stormbringers's comin' ...
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Sorry guys. Nobody writes "car songs" about Subarus and Volvos.
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Sorry guys. Nobody writes "car songs" about Subarus and Volvos.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
That said, my 2002 Saturn Vue, at 194K miles, is actually getting better gas mileage than when I bought it. I've done all the routine maintenance, along with standard replacement over time, but the powertrain has been the best vehicle I've owned, and I've owned a LOT of cars.
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I don't remember the specifics, but didn't Vegas have a major flaw in the motor? I may be wrong here, so edjumacate me!
The regular Vegas didn't have much of an engine problem because the block was cast iron, but the COSWORTH Vegas had issues because they used aluminum blocks. If the overheated they were done
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosworth_Vega.
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It's been so long since I owned that '75 Astre I'd forgotten. The heads were aluminum and thus the big clouds of white smoke trailing behind the car. That happened only when it was at temp. I was lucky to sell that car but I sure loved driving it. Mine had the 4 speed and I broke a few clutch cables on that car and was still able to get it home.
And what's this nonsense about no songs that mention a Subaru? ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_RZ82aZ6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIRG0QOEkyM
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Sorry guys. Nobody writes "car songs" about Subarus and Volvos.
Au contraire! This was played on Dr. Demento back when Subarus were small.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLQbd1YNMY
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Sorry guys. Nobody writes "car songs" about Subarus and Volvos.
Much like Gary's Saturn mine gets way better milage now that my commute has changed, I now have a 21 mile drive each way every day, 19 of which are freeway miles I put the car into Cruise Control at 67mph and let it go. I used to get 290 miles to a tank, now I'm at 345 easily. Subies aren't glamourus, they're just quietly great cars - at least for me ;)
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Au contraire! This was played on Dr. Demento back when Subarus were small.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLQbd1YNMY
I can attest to my '73 Opel on that...
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I've got 160K on my Saturn SC2...uses a little oil, but not much...maybe a quart between changes. cost $5700 maybe 8 years ago, and was worth every penny. I've put 80K of the mileage on it, a previous owner put on another 80. Probably needs a clutch, but that's about it.
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The regular Vegas didn't have much of an engine problem because the block was cast iron, but the COSWORTH Vegas had issues because they used aluminum blocks. If the overheated they were done
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosworth_Vega.
ALL Vega engine blocks were aluminum with 16% silicon content, the heads were cast iron. The cylinder walls were pure silicon plated. The Cosworth was a twin cam variant with 16 valve aluminum heads. Oil and temp control were more important to keeping the engines from failing than in a cast iron block.
I used to know this by heart but had to look it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_2300_engine
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My cousin had a bright lime green mid 70s Vega that he drove from upstate NY to northern NJ every day. One day he pulled into the repair shop because the car was handling funny. The rear end seemed to be wallowing around and he figured he had probably blown out a shock absorber or something. Turns out that the rear section of the frame / unibody had rotted away and separated from the rest, with the car essentially being held together by the body panels. Wallowing indeed.
Yup, the unibody on the Vega was not robust, and its other major downfall was rust.
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My first keyboard player had a Vega. He bought cheap oil by the case, and kept it in the back. He was burning a quart of oil about every couple hundred miles. He was so cheap, that he'd "draft" behind the semis on the interstate when he drove them.
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ALL Vega engine blocks were aluminum with 16% silicon content, the heads were cast iron. The cylinder walls were pure silicon plated. The Cosworth was a twin cam variant with 16 valve aluminum heads. Oil and temp control were more important to keeping the engines from failing than in a cast iron block.
I used to know this by heart but had to look it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_2300_engine
my older sister had one. biggest POS i have ever seen. major engine issues. always in the shop. She traded it in to get a Datsun B210 which ran forever and ever....except the rust of course
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My dad had a rough B210 - the fenders had holes you could stick a finger through and one door was roped shut, but it ran great.
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Oooooh.... was it a Honey Bee? ;D
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We (The Smokin' Crocs) have a song that includes Volvo's and Subaru's and just about every other major car company. Its called the Door Handle Blues. Its about the 80's Aussie Ford Falcons and how their door handle used to always break.
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drafting does not work unless you are right on the guys rear bumper. i can't imagine my vega going that fast. at the end it used a quart a day! did not burn it or drip it, don't know where it went. :P
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We (The Smokin' Crocs) have a song that includes Volvo's and Subaru's and just about every other major car company. Its called the Door Handle Blues. Its about the 80's Aussie Ford Falcons and how their door handle used to always break.
The Audi type 44 chassis (5000 - 100 - 200 series) were fantastic cars but their front door handles broke a LOT. The problem was complex lock linkage inside the door. Resistance built up as the pivot points got dry, resulting in people pulling so hard on the handles that they broke. The fix was to take off the door panel every 2-3 years and use white lithium or similar to grease each pivot point. If you did that, you could open the doors with two fingertips and never break a handle.
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Hmm... screwy neutral faults...
I recently changed the radio in my wife's car - all audio died - plugged in the replacement (s/h as she wanted it compatible with the steering wheel switches) and no change - gutted... then she mentioned that the rear drivers side window had also stopped working... did some online searches and it turns out there is a dodgy wiring conduit between the chassis and that door, which causes the radio to lose all four speakers... still got to rewire that area but all I had to do for a "quick-fix" was to "adjust" the flexy conduit...
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Alrighty...
Speaking of gig-wagons...has anyone found a fix for old aluminum wheels that leak air? my Saturn aluminum rims are driving me nuts...
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That sounds a bit like the issue with alloys... once the protective coating gives way (chips etc) air seeps out from beneath the chips - strip and re-coat should do it - check out an alloys specialist...
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Alrighty...
Speaking of gig-wagons...has anyone found a fix for old aluminum wheels that leak air? my Saturn aluminum rims are driving me nuts...
1) Clean up the rims so the beads can seal.
2) Replace valves.
3) If no joy, install tubes.
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had a gas station tear down this particular rim and clean...didn't really do any good. I was told that tubes were "unsafe", because if they failed, it would be all-at-once, as in a blowout. Odd thing is...it's only the two rims on the driver's side. I had tubes in an old volkswagon, and they seemed to work fine.
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Any update, Scott?
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had a gas station tear down this particular rim and clean...didn't really do any good. I was told that tubes were "unsafe", because if they failed, it would be all-at-once, as in a blowout. Odd thing is...it's only the two rims on the driver's side. I had tubes in an old volkswagon, and they seemed to work fine.
Shoot some slime into that puppy!!
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Shoot some slime into that puppy!!
:rimshot:
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With all that is going on with the family I have had zero time to devote to this. I have been using a borrowed vehicle. Today I need my van to pick up some work so I figured I should take a look under the hood, even though the dealer had it for THREE days and could find nothing wrong.The first thing I check are the battery connections. The grounds is lose........................not just lose but so lose I can pull it right off! f***ing morons and I'm kicking myself for not checking this sooner. Keeping my fingers crossed I have about a hour round trip this afternoon.
Any update, Scott?
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my rule for working on vehicles...figure out the simplest thing that could cause the problem and start there. you did good.
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The Audi type 44 chassis (5000 - 100 - 200 series) were fantastic cars but their front door handles broke a LOT. The problem was complex lock linkage inside the door. Resistance built up as the pivot points got dry, resulting in people pulling so hard on the handles that they broke. The fix was to take off the door panel every 2-3 years and use white lithium or similar to grease each pivot point. If you did that, you could open the doors with two fingertips and never break a handle.
I had an 84 5000 and i can attest to replacing the door handle every 2 years.... window motor lasted not more longer
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The wife has already made this suggestion. To small for my purpose.
tribeca is pretty large. i fit a lot of stuff, you just need to plan it out the first few times...
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At one point in my life I was a pretty good shade tree mechanic. I worked on my cars when I was a teen. At the old house I had two Farmall H tractors to twist a wrench on. It's rare these days that I look under the hood. Nice to know i haven't lost my touch :rolleyes:
my rule for working on vehicles...figure out the simplest thing that could cause the problem and start there. you did good.
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Check the battery cable to battery terminal connections. Looseness or corrosion, especially at the negative connection can cause the symptoms you're having.
The dealer should have disconnected the battery ground before they did any ignition work. While doing that they would have seen there was an iffy connection and realized that was the problem.
Obviously they didn't follow procedure and installed parts that weren't needed. They owe you money for unnecessary work. They are both lazy AND stupid.
Spend a little time and clean up the battery terminals. You can buy a tool but fine sandpaper works fine.
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It is possible that the mechanic did disconnect the battery ground before working on it, and when replacing it got distracted and forgot to tighten it up.
I have found wrenches under the hood of my car. Once after an oil change I noticed a little leak under the car and found a loose drain plug with the wrench socket still on it.
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At one point in my life I was a pretty good shade tree mechanic. I worked on my cars when I was a teen. At the old house I had two Farmall H tractors to twist a wrench on. It's rare these days that I look under the hood. Nice to know i haven't lost my touch :rolleyes:
Hey, when YOU find the problem, and it's that simple, you are 1000% entitled to be pissed that they missed it. I do understand that such things can be missed - and I've done it myself - but that's what you pay them NOT to miss.
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Hey, when YOU find the problem, and it's that simple, you are 1000% entitled to be pissed that they missed it. I do understand that such things can be missed - and I've done it myself - but that's what you pay them NOT to miss.
For sure...I took my van to a shop to have a leaking heater hose installed because I knew I didn't want to spend the time to remove all the necessary items it had to thread through.
Got it back and found they had CUT the new $125.00 hose and clamped it back together to make the job easier for themselves. There was a time I would have done the same thing myself but I wasn't about to pay someone to do it. I cancelled my check and told the shop owner to take me to court when he wanted to know why I hadn't called him before doing that. He let it drop.