Q. I own a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country with a 3.3-liter engine. We bought it used with 80,000 miles.
I love the vehicle. It runs well and it rides like a dream. But, since the day we bought it, it has had a problem starting. It has never failed to start, but it has to work to get there nearly every time.
The starter turns over quickly, as it should, and it cranks for a good four to five seconds - more on bad days - before it finally starts, and when it does the smell of good old unleaded permeates the cab. I've had people tell me that they stopped at a light behind me as we were leaving work and they could smell the fuel from inside their vehicle.
I replaced all of the injector O rings. No help. I've taken the problem to our local shop, and was taken for a fuel pump. No help.
A second shop tried to tell me that there was a recall on it for a cracked fuel rail. Chrysler's website and my local dealer both deny this.
Do you have any clues?
A. From the symptoms, I'd say that it's a leaky fuel injector dripping fuel into the manifold after shutoff.
After the engine has cooled off, start it and run it for a few seconds. Now pull the injectors one at a time and see if any of them has a wet tip. If so, I'd try a fuel-injector cleaning machine.
If you can beg or borrow a fuel-pressure gauge, attach it to the Schrader valve on the fuel rail and see if the system retains pressure after shutoff or if it bleeds down.
Q. I'm wondering if it is possible to attach a fan blade to an ordinary 12-volt automobile alternator, mounted on the roof of my house, so that I can use wind power to charge a battery and save some money on my household electrical bill.
I was also considering attaching one to my wife's exercise bike with a rubber belt.
A. Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: Yes, but it is not a trivial job.
The fan/prop blade needs to spin the alternator at the correct speed, and you'll need some way of protecting the assembly from damage in higher winds, as well as a way to keep the fan pointed into the wind. Be sure to mount the alternator with the rotor level horizontal. Its thrust bearings were never intended to bear the weight of the rotor when mounted vertically.
As far as your wife's exercise bike goes, there should be no problem. Simply use pulleys that will keep the alternator spinning fast enough to charge the battery when your wife is pedaling.
I doubt that your wife can make the power needed to spin the alternator fast enough to reach its normal electrical generating capacity, which typically is around 60 to 100 amps at 12 volts. Sixty amps at 12 volts would be 720 watts, almost one horsepower, which is far more than a human can achieve on a sustained basis.
Don't expect to generate any substantial amount of electricity this way, though, and don't forget the expense of having to store this energy. You'll need some 12-volt, deep-cycle batteries and some sort of charge manager to keep them from overcharging on windy days.
Q. Could you please explain what the difference is between axles? Given the choice of 3.5, 3.7, or 4.1, which is better for gas mileage, towing or long-distance driving?
A. Generally the taller axle ratios, the lower-numbered ones, provide the best economy. An exception would be for a heavily laden truck that can't pull a trailer or weight without downshifting to a lower gear for more power.
I can make a better recommendation if you provide me with more information.
Q. The "washer low" light stays on, even after I fill the wiper-washer reservoir, on my 1994 Jeep Cherokee. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Clean or replace the low-fluid sensor on the tank.
Mike Allen is a senior editor for Popular Mechanics magazine. Questions should be sent via e-mail to driveit@nytimes.com.
