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Water under car 08/16/2009
 
The water under the car situation. I see this every summer. As most of us know when you run your cars ac in the summer the condensation is released under the automobile.

When you park the vehicle after running the air conditioner a puddle of this condensation will collect underneath.

Some new drivers will see this water under the car and think a problem has developed. This next post is from a visitor that got sucked into this situation and how they got out of it.

I had water under my car

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puddle under car
I wish to thank you for your E-book regarding auto repair scams. I wish I had come across your work years ago.

I have a long commute, and I read the entire book in 2 sittings. I'll read it again just so some of your wisdom will rub off on me.

The book is very informative, and though I'm not a good negotiator, I would hope that I would be able to use some of your advice.

I recently heard some intermittent sounds in my car (sounds like screeching brakes?) When I looked under the car, I saw some water dripping.
 
Car ac repair 08/09/2009
 
Car ac specialty shops are popping up all over the country.

Automotive service retailers are realizing the pure profit involved in repairing automotive air conditioning systems. 
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car ac compressor
Car ac repair is also one of the commonly overcharged repairs on cars and trucks today.

It is also very common for automotive ac repair bills to reach well over $1100.

It is possible that an air-conditioning repair shop may overcharge the automotive consumer for simple a/c repairs unless they are savvy.

Many times the a/c repair shop will replace additional parts in the air conditioning system that may not need to be replaced.

When a car ac system stops putting out cold air, a very common cause of this is that the Freon leaked out.

This is where the diy car mechanic can jump into action, and actually locate where the refrigerant leak is.

Finding car ac system leaks

 
 

Fuel pumps can be considered high up on the list of common auto repairs. But if your engine does not start and you think it is not getting any gas the first thing to check is your dash mounted fuel gauge.

Just because the gas gauge on your dash is over half a tank does not mean that there is actually fuel in the tank.

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fuel sender
A defective sending unit or a gauge that is not calibrated right may be giving a false reading. Probing the tank with a flexible wire or dowel rod down the fuel filler tube will let you know if there is actually liquid gas in the tank.

If there is lots of good quality fuel in the vehicle the next step would be to listen for the fuel pump operation noise. When the key is turned on the pump should buzz like a hornet for a couple of seconds to build up system pressure of about 60 PSI.

The pump is usually energized through a relay and the oil pressure switch. Protecting against internal engine damage is the reason for this. For obvious reasons the car makers have decided to not let the engine run with no oil pressure present.

This is also a safety feature. If the automobile has been damaged in a collision the engine stalls, the oil pressure goes to 0 and the gas pump stops running automatically.
 
Brake surging 05/17/2009
 

This brake surging problem is one of the common auto repairs questions I receive often. See what it took to solve this issue on a 1997 Lincoln Town Car.

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Dave writes in about a brake pulse: Hi Mark, David here: I have problem with mothers Lincoln 97 town car that has a brake surge. I turned the rotors a while back and new pads installed also about 2 months ago.

When we go to brake the car surges on and off, can’t explain it. It feels like it hesitates, but we stop fine. I took off the front tires and checked the rotors and shoes. The rotors were smooth with no bluing and plenty of shoes remaining.

I don't have an idea what the brake pulse is all about? Could there be air in lines causing this surging or what? Is the booster going bad? Maybe the calipers are hanging up? Should I try relubricating the caliper slides? They have not been greased since the front pad replacement.

Let me know what you think. I do not feel it at the brake pedal as the pedal does not jump. It feels like something is out of round. This is the best I can explain without you driving the car. But again the car stops fine. More brake surge action happens at higher speeds it seems, but we stop fine.

Thanks from David
 
 

Another common auto repairs question would be about the replacement of a Chevrolet fuel pump. Here is a question and answer submitted recently from a visitor.

Chevrolet fuel pump replacement

Hey Mark I have a Chevrolet fuel pump question for you. I have a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina four door sedan.  It has only 85k miles on it.  The body is in fairly good shape, but it has given me much trouble. Last Thursday it cranked but would not start, when I tried to leave a doctor's office about 10 miles from home.  

I had it towed to a auto repair shop. They replaced the in-tank fuel pump and fuel filter.  The cost was $833.  The delco pump alone was $499.  When I priced a replacement pump at Advanced Auto parts, it was $292.  There is real savings in do it yourself auto repair.

My lovely wife was furious. She's Irish, and gets furious often.

 
 

Taurus coolant leaks are very common on the 1996 and 1997 Ford Taurus. This was the first 2 years of the newer bubble body style. Here is a question I fielded about 96 Taurus coolant leaks. 

Mark a common auto repairs question for you. I have a 96 Ford Taurus with a slow coolant leak. The engine is dry and I smell some coolant when I put on the air conditioning. Is it the heater core leaking? Also note that this 96 Taurus has problems with brown coolant since we got it used some time ago. We have flushed the coolant system very often until the brown was gone.

Thanks Ken

Hello Kenneth : Yes the 96 and 97 Taurus had there issues with coolant system problems. It sounds like you did a good job trying to keep it at bay with your frequent flushes. But if it was contaminated at one time it most likely weakened the heater core.

If this is the original heater core this would most likely be your problem. Yes the heater core is a huge job on that model. You have to take the dash loose from the firewall I believe.

A head-gasket is also possible but with the amount of coolant your loosing you should be able to see signs of coolant in the oil, if it was leaking in the engine. Milkshake looking deposits on the oil fill cap would be a tell tail sign as well as elevated oil fill level.