Autos
John Paul, AAA Northeast’s Motor vehicle Medical professional, answers a issue from a reader whose pickup has an crisis brake issue.
Q. I have a 2020 Nissan Frontier that just lately unsuccessful condition inspection owing to the emergency brake. Yet another shop afterwards handed it. I introduced it to the dealer, and they said it would get a few times to fix, but because of to elements shortages and technician ailments it has not been fixed nevertheless. The only observation I can explain to is it feels like a wave when it stops. I hauled some gravel through back again roadways the moment and it has felt humorous at any time since. Is it safe and sound to drive even though I wait around for the fix?
A. Primarily based on your description, the rear brakes are likely distorted due to driving with the major load. When the shop is fixing the parking brake, make clear the wave/vibration sense when braking. The store can test whether the rotors are out of spherical and can resurface or change them as required.
Q. We were presented a 2005 Chevrolet Colorado. It operates for a even though then quits. We have experienced it in the shop with no luck. It has been at a friend’s house (a excellent mechanic) for 10 months. He’s gotten it jogging but it shuts down soon soon after. He feels that it is the mind telling the safety program the motor vehicle is staying stolen. He’s been investigating and observed that year’s Colorado experienced a good deal of difficulties.
A. Absolutely, the GM anti-theft system has been a difficulty on these vehicles as they age. Although usually the ignition swap does not identify the critical and the vehicle will not begin. In this scenario, I would start out at the commencing. For any motor to operate, it requirements fuel, spark, and motor compression, and all 3 of these gatherings will need to come about at the suitable time. When the motor dies, what is missing? If it is fuel, examination the gasoline pump circuit, if there is no spark, then search at this place. The notion that the ECM (personal computer) is faulty is doable, but my encounter has been that quite a few vehicles’ personal computers are replaced thanks to frustration instead than an genuine failure of the aspect.
Q. We recently bought a 2021 Mazda Miata. We also purchased snow tires from the dealership. With the snow tires on, the small air force mild has remained lit, even however the tire stress is good. The supplier says there is a production defect in the sensor producing the gentle to keep on.
A. The Miata takes advantage of direct style radio transmitters in just about every wheel that converse the tire pressure to the vehicle’s laptop. If the snow tires were put in on the manufacturing unit wheels, there should not be an issue. If the snow tires have been installed on an additional established of wheels, the sensors would need to have to be programmed. A person chance is that if you use a moveable GPS or EZ Pass, and it is mounted in the vicinity of the middle of the sprint, it could be blocking the TPMS sign to the TPMS receiver antenna.
Q. I have a 2003 Chevy Impala with 90,000 miles on it. I was in a situation that triggered me to idle alongside for two hrs in 90 diploma heat, which I’m frightened damage my car’s motor. When I shut the engine off for 15 minutes, it was challenging to restart, and I understood it was scorching. Driving back again household at freeway speeds it was bucking and kicking. I took it to a neighborhood mechanic who adjusted out the thermostat, flushed the method, checked the head gasket, checked the enthusiasts, put on the diagnostics, and the typical points. Soon after a month he still couldn’t determine out why it was even now overheating and advised I essential a new pc. I took it household and made the decision to do a look for for minor regarded triggers of overheating. The only detail I arrived up with was a sensor that communicates the status of the heat at the motor block to the computer. Any ideas?
A. Idling for extensive periods of time is not a difficulty to a effectively running car or truck. As an case in point, police motor vehicles idle for hrs at the roadside. If the motor cooling supporters are managing as the motor will get hot, the coolant sensor and pc are functioning appropriately. I would go back again to the thought that a cylinder head-gasket has unsuccessful. You can examine the head-gasket with a cylinder block-test package (about $35) or uncover a fix shop with an exhaust gas analyzer. The fuel analyzer and the block examine kit do the similar thing, they glance for combustion gasses in the cooling method The other frequent overheat concern with this vehicle is that the h2o pump impeller fails and doesn’t circulate ample coolant.
John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car or truck Doctor. He has more than 40 decades of working experience in the automotive business enterprise and is an ASE-qualified grasp technician. E-mail your auto query to [email protected] Listen to Car Medical professional on the radio at 10 a.m. every single Saturday on 104.9 FM or on line at northshore1049.com.
E-newsletter Signup
Stay up to day on all the most up-to-date information from Boston.com
