"Dr. Gizmo"
By Phil Arendt
War On Rodents
Question 1|
I live in a
heavily wooded suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Rodents have made my vehicles
their home for decades. I store a 1986 Mazda RX-7 every winter and a
1999 Honda Accord every summer in my driveway. I've learned to stuff
every exhaust and intake with oily cloth to keep acorns and nests out of
these components. I have tried many products to make the car less
hospitable such as poison inside the car after hearing that it makes the
varmints thirsty enough to vacate the area in search of water before dying.
I've stuffed dryer sheets in common nesting areas after hearing that
they were a varmint repellant, but the mice made nests out of them. A tray of mothballs resulted in a nest
leaning against it. I've considered poisoning every critter that dares
to step into the engine compartment, but I know the parade would be endless
and I'm concerned about poisoning animals up the food chain. Still,
every time I revive a car the engine smells like I'm roasting nuts and often
I have a dead critter inside the car and they can be very difficult to
find. I know I could store vehicles in a well-managed storage unit, but
I'm not dealing with classic cars here so I'm trying to improve on what I
have. Do you know of any products or tips that really do work? J.H., North Oaks, Minn
Answer 1
Since you obstruct the engine intake and exhaust systems,
consider obstructing the cowl area. This
area is ripe with ducts to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning
system. It’s a great access point for critters
to use.
Additionally, there are drains in the bottom of doors and rear
quarter panels that critters may squeeze through. Sealing these is not a good option as
water needs to drain from these openings so consider using porous materials
such as window screen to block the opens while allowing water to drain. Obstructing any opening about the size of a
pencil will deter critters from entering the interior.
Steel wool works well in openings in homes so it may work fine
in small openings in a car. Steel wool
is subject to rust so don’t use it in moist areas. Also, remember to remove it when it comes
time to place a vehicle back in service.
Additionally, years ago a reader shared his success with
deterring rodents. He placed incense
of spearmint in the trunk, cabin and engine compartment. Since it worked well for him it might work for
you.
Leak Soaks
Driver
Question 2
Water leaks
from the left rear corner of the sunroof in my 2004 BMW X3 and soaks the back
of the front driver’s seat and rear floor.
I’ve been dowsed with water more than once. It happens only during heavy rain or when
going through a carwash. If snow is on
the roof and melts no water comes in.
The sunroof opens and closes fine and the alignment looks the same as
it did when the car was new.
I called my
dealer about the trouble but the service manager said his mechanic will need
to remove the sunroof in order to fix it.
I’d rather not have the interior disassembled if I can help it. Do you have any suggestions? K.R., email
Answer 2
I guess you
didn’t realize this is an option in your vehicle. All kidding aside, there is nothing more
annoying than a cold shower while driving.
Don’t fret the fix may not require an interior teardown.
There are
water drains at the corners of the sunroof assembly. More than likely the drain at the left rear
is blocked. Ask a technician to clear
all of the drains and the trouble should be cured. If not, a technician may need to follow
procedures in a factory technical service bulletin to correct troubles in
cables that operate the system.
Rolling Idle
May Require Electrical Repair
Question 3
The engine
idle goes up and down in my 1994 Mercedes C280. The car has a 6-cylinder engine and 127,000
miles and it is in like new condition.
Until now, it has not given me any trouble.
I went to my
local repair shop. They have installed
a new sensor for air flow and a temperature sensor. This work did not cure the trouble. After more tests they found code 22. Now they say there likely is a problem in
the wiring but they will need time to find the problem. I have not given them permission to do more
work.
I have owned
the vehicle since it was new. Could
faulty wiring cause the trouble? R.R.,
email
Answer 3
Yes
indeed. Wiring troubles are not
unusual especially in older vehicles.
The diagnostic trouble code indicates a limp mode. This allows you to drive to a repair shop.
Your
description of the trouble might be caused by a wiring problem for the
throttle actuator. Ask your technician
to consider this suggestion when you are ready to authorize further work.
Brake Job Gone
Haywire
Question 4
I have a 2008
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 5.3-liter engine and automatic
transmission. The brakes needed
replacement. I replaced the rear brake
shoes and drums. I also replaced the
front brake pads and rotors. I did not
replace any hydraulic parts. I didn’t
even open the master cylinder to add fluid.
After replacing all of the parts the brake pedal traveled much lower
than before doing all of the work.
Pumping the pedal does not bring it up.
I rechecked
the adjustment on the rear brakes. I
readjusted them so there is a slight drag but this did not fix the issue. I rechecked the front brakes and everything
looks fine. The brakes operate fine
but the pedal is low. What’s up? N.L.C., email
Answer 4
The trouble
might be due to incorrect parts so make sure that your auto supply store sold
you the correct parts. If this is not
the trouble it is possible air somehow entered the system. Bleeding the system may bring the pedal up
to normal levels. When bleeding the
system it may be necessary for the antilock brake module to be cycled. If a basic bleed procedure does not cure
the trouble, consider taking the vehicle to a repair shop to have an ABS
system bleed procedure performed as a repair shop will have the tools to
perform the operation.
Exhaust System
Modification
Question 5
My wife drives
a 2005 Honda Pilot EX with a 3.5 liter engine. It has 133,000 miles. Recently, the engine began to occasionally
stall and the check engine light turned on.
She went to a repair shop where a mechanic did some tests. According to the invoice he found codes
PO420 and PO430. He determined the
catalytic converters need replacement.
The shop manager would like to install converters from Honda that are expensive. I called my auto parts store. They have converters for much less.
Generally, we
keep cars for eight to 10 years before buying a new vehicle. We intend to keep this one a few more years
as it has never given us any trouble until now. If we have the shop install aftermarket
converters from an auto supply store do you think they will last as long as
we intend to keep the vehicle? T.M.,
email
Answer 5
For those who
may not know what a catalytic converter is it’s the main part in the engine
exhaust system that processes engine exhaust to reduce exhaust emissions so
we breathe clean air. The entire
emission control system is designed around the performance of the catalytic
converter. Once a converter fails
exhaust emissions exceed federal and state standards. Also, when converters fail an engine often
exhibits symptoms such as stalling, poor fuel economy, illuminated check
engine light and lack of engine performance.
The
aftermarket catalytic converters will likely last as long as you intend to own
the vehicle. The original equipment converters
are an exact fit requiring no modification of the factory designed exhaust
system. Generally, aftermarket
catalytic converters such as you describe require some modification to the
system. A technician likely will cut
the old converters from the exhaust pipes.
It is likely he or she will need to use adapters that fit the exhaust
pipes and converters. Then, the parts are
welded in place making sure engine exhaust does not leak from the joints.
Might Need An
Overhaul
Question 6
The
transmission in my 2000 Toyota Camry feels as though it slips or delays when
shifting from second to third gear.
When this started the check engine light turned on. I went to a quick lube where I had the
transmission fluid flushed. The
service man said it was risky to flush the fluid. He said the transmission may not work at
all after the service. With that
understanding I had the fluid flushed anyway.
The service did not cause any further trouble but it did not cure the
shifting problem and it does not seem to be getting any worse.
Do you think
the transmission needs an overhaul? N.,
email
Answer 6
There is a
problem in the transmission. Whether
it needs an overhaul or not is yet to be determined. Since the check engine light is shining a
technician will perform tests to read diagnostic trouble codes stored in the
control module. The codes will help
determine what fault is in the transmission.
The trouble
might be caused by a failing valve in the valve body. There may be an electrical fault. Problems such as these generally do not
lead to an overhaul. Unfortunately, it
is possible there is a failed part deep in the unit that will require
extensive disassembly and overhaul. At
this point until diagnostic work is completed keep your fingers crossed that
an overhaul is not the cure.
|
Thanks for all of your great questions. Dr. Gizmo can’t wait to answer more.
Phil Arendt is a columnist, consultant and A.S.E.-Certified
Master Technician. Readers may send
questions to Dr. Gizmo at P.O. Box 548, Cary, IL. 60013 or e-mail address drgizmo@hotmail.com 04/01/2013 ® DR. GIZMO © 1989-Present
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