AAA CAR DOCTOR JOHN PAUL 11/30/2001

November Chat Ready for Winter?

Lumpy
My 1992 Ford Crown Victoria has a pretty dramatic failure of the paint or clearcoat. What causes this and do I have any recourse this late in the game?

John Paul
Lumpy, The paint usually fails due to the type of primer used. The paint usually comes off in large pieces mostly on the hood trunk and roof. After nine years I don't belive ford would offer much assistance, but you could always try Ford Cust Assistance is 1-800 392 3673

John Paul
Dave, Have an engine diagnostic cneck performed. The problem could be a sticking EGR valve. Also look for any type of vacuum leak.

Dave
My Jeep stalls. I need to put it into neutral and rev it whenever my foot is off of the gas pedal. If I do not keep it at 1,000 RPM + it drops to zero and stalls out. Any thoughts please?

Dave
Thank you!

Neeraj
Hi John, I have a 95 mazda protege. When I go on high way or in high speed on highway, car wooble, it shakes and I feel mostly on the left side. Although I know it is a light car so in windy condition it happens. But can you think of any thing else. like wheel alignment, or wheel balancing, tire rotation is going to help this..Thanks, Neeraj

John Paul
Neeraj, Have a complete inspection performed of all the steering parts. A worn ball joint or wheel bearing could be the problem.

Michael
Is there any good way to deal with snow building up on your headlights while driving, obscuring illumination?

John Paul
Michael, Try waxing the headlights, the wax may keep the snow from sticking to the lights.

John Paul
Brandon, Your guess is as good as mine. Most have extended 0% to the first of the year. Sales and the economy will determine the answer

Brandon
I'm curious about 0% financing on the Toyota. Will it be extended?

Sue
I have a new car and live in the north end of Boston. As I park on the street, you can imagine my bumber is getting pretty banged/scraped up. Is the best I can do is paint over the scrapes with touch-up paint from the Honda dealer? Cosmetically, it doesn't look great

John Paul
Sue, Touch up as required. Perhaps a front end cover(bra)might help minimize the damage to the front bumper

Bob
He seems to nailing the paint problems but not the real tough issues!

John Paul
Bob, It sounds like the problem might be with the throttle position sensor (TPS) or its wiring. Return to the dealer and have them check for codes. A loose fitting wiring connector could also cause the problem.

Jennifer
Have a 98 Honda Civic. I take excellent care of it - have had every service inspection and change oil at every 3500 miles. Got it inspected yesterday and it failed the CO Emissions part. I don't know how that could be? Can you shed any light? Thanks! Jennifer

John Paul
Jennifer, If the car failed due to high CO (carbon monoxide) the problem is related to the fuel system. A lazy oxygen sensor or temperature sensor slightly out of range could be the problem. but don't over look simple items like a dirty air filter. One last item was the car throughly warmed up before testing -- this could cause a false failure

BlueBenz
Hi John, I have an older (1988) Mercedes Benz 300E. The last time I had the oil changed the mechanic talked me into using synthetic oil. It was the first time I had used it since owning the car. Do you think it is all that great or can I return to using conventional oil again? Regular oil would be my preference.Thanks,

John Paul
BlueBenz, Conventional oil when changed every 3-5000 miles will be fine. Synthetic oil addes a nice margin of safety but for most driver that only keep there cars 100-150,000 conventional oil is fine

John Paul
Kenny, Any car will skid when driven beyond its limits. Skid control will help, but the law of physics will always apply. In winter drive slowly and keep in mind a snow covered road requires twice the distance to stop.

Kenny
My car has skid control build in but I still got skidded in the snow in the winter..What are your recommendation. Oh my car is a rear wheel car...

John Paul
Lisa, Lack of efficienty sounds like you need a new cat. convertor. The factory convertor is nearly $500.00 and requires 1.5 hours labor to install

Lisa
Hi, I recently had the "check engine" light come on in my '97 mazda 626. After having it checked out, I was told that there was a "lack of efficiency in the cadalitic converter" What does that mean and is it going to be real expensive to fix? Thanks, lisa

HomerJ
My windshield fluid keeps freezing what can I add so that it won't?

John Paul
HomerJ, Mix windshield washer concentrate with the blue premix and that should bring the freezing point down.

PK in N Reading
92' Grang Prix GT 3.1 Automatic doesn't always engage when shifter moved from 'park'.i.e. start it, put into gear and engine revs but car doesn't move. Then move shifter back and forth a couple of times and it drops into gear and runs flawlessly. Doesn't sound like a tranny problem does it ? Seems to develop the problem after sitting awhile ... any ideas ? Thanks

John Paul
PK in N Reading, It sounds like the torque convertor is draining out. check the fluid level as soon as you start the car if it is high that is the problem. The repair is a new transmission convertor -- or live with it and allow the fluid to build up in the pump.

Honda Guy
Mr John Paul, I have a 93 Honda Accord EX with the original battery. Car runs pretty good. Should I change the battery or wait for it to fail. Thanks for helping me!

John Paul
HondaGuy, Replace your cars battery now. Most batteries only last 4 or 5 years. Look for a battery with at least the same capasity (CCA) as your old one.

charlie in the control room
John, My 93 del sol has the original battery in it at 130K miles. Should I replace it and what should I look for if I have to in a battery and check other systems. Thanks Charlie

John Paul
Charlie in the control room, yes replace the battery or you will never make it to work. the battery should be at least as powerful as your old one. At the same time check the belts, alternator and any other electrical connections

NickP
John, I have an Acura Integra that makes crackling noises under the car after it is driven. Any ideas?

John Paul
NickP, the clicking crackling noise could be the cat. convertor heat shield cooling off. If this is the problem it is anything to worry about

Rattling Durango
John, Is there an online source for full Technical Service Bulletins? I often have problems that the dealer says are either normal or they can not duplicate. I believe some are covered by TSB. Knowing the cause and the fix would help me deal with the dealer!

John Paul
Rattling Durango, TSB titles are on alldata.com if you have a specific title request send me an email at jpaul@aaasne.com and i will send out the bulliten

Nina
Hi John! I Have a 1997 Hyundai Tiburon... lately when driving it gets rather loud at 40 MPH and 60 MPH... does this sound like a muffler problem to you, or something else (I'm not sure since it gets loud at those two speeds). Thanks so much for any help. =)

John Paul
Nina, take a good technician for a ride to determine the source of the noise. The noise could be a convertor shield, exhaust pipe rattle

Kenny
Should I put like a couple bags of sand in the back of my car to prevent the skid? I have skid control and traction control in my car but it still skidded even when I drive slow...Thanks...

John Paul
Kenny, keep sand bags out of the trunk. Adding weight to the trunk will just take weight of the front wheels. Four snow tires will maximize your traction. The stalling may be due to a lazy idle air control unit, not compensating for the electrical load

CivicChick
my 95 honda civic has 157,000 mi. on it......I've never had a break job.....do you think I need one???

John Paul
CivicChick, 150,000 on original brakes is excellent. At this point it would probably be a good idea to replace the brakes just for maintence. This way you can check all the hydralic components as wheel as the drum and rotors

Terry
I have a 1996 Infinti I-30 with 85K on it. The ride has never been great will replacing shocks and or struts help if they are not necessarily "gone" and what would you recommend?

John Paul
For the I30 owner, replacing the shocks and strut will help improve the handling, but may not improve the ride. A repair shop can easily check the struts for both leaks and wear. Tire pressure can impact ride quality--slightly over inflated tire can be part of the problem

Jim
John -- Any little tricks to keeping that haze from forming on the inside of the windows? Thanks

John Paul
Jim, if the haze has a greasy feel it could be the outgassing of the pastics in the car. Use of silicone based cleaners only seem to make the problem worse. Use a window cleaner with ammonia, this will help

phil
i noticed that every now and then when i'm on the highway if i slow down my 91 nissan sentra refuse to pick up speed and it's became of heated

John Paul
Phil, Have the ignition system checked. If you have an engine miss-fire this could be part of the problem. A faulty ignition coil may also be part of the problem

charlie in the control room
follow up what would be the minimum CCA's I should get?

John Paul
Charlie in the control room, Try at least 650 CCA that should be moe than enough to keep you car going.

LexusGuy
When you turn on the heat inside the car...Are you using up gas or electricity of the car?

John Paul
LexusGuy, The heat is mostly a function of the engine cooling system. The fan uses a little electricity and by default just a little bit of fuel.