Evil C

Recently I changed an alternator on a 2004 Nissan Altima 2.5L. When tested, it failed across the board. The puzzling thing is that the car only has 51k miles on it as it is only seldomly driven being it belongs to an older lady with mobility issues. And when it stays parked for a lengthy period of time, she keeps a battery tender on it to keep the battery from being run down. So what would cause the alternator to fail so totally despite being in operation for a fraction of the time as most other vehicles whose alternators last far longer? 

Vehicle in question is a 1999 Toyota Camry 2.2L 4 cylinder with automatic transmission and about 121k miles so far.

No check engine light or pending/historical codes in the computers memory.

The catalyst monitor is refusing to set which is causing the vehicle to not pass emissions.

The engine was replaced about a year ago with a new one after the timing belt broke and caused pistons to crash into valves since it is an interference type, so the engine is obviously not worn or tired yet.

The car also has a new catalytic converter and new oxygen sensors.

The car has been driven several hundred miles and the specific drive cycle process for this car to set the monitors has been repeated several times. So I'm at a loss here.

I guess I could try resetting all the monitors and repeat the drive cycle process yet again, or by any chance does this car have KAM memory that needs to be reset?

Some time ago, my uncle's 2002 Ford F-150 had very strange electrical anomalies occurring. Everything from the starter randomly engaging the engine even with the key off to the lights going crazy and the horn blaring intermittently. When he took it to the shop, they told him his wiring harness was burning up and it needed to be replaced. So he forked out the cash and they replaced it, however he is still having some residual electrical issues. Is it possible he has a bad voltage regulator or rectifier bridge that is wreaking havoc on the electrical system because that's all that comes to mind when craziness like that occurs.

I have to replace the automatic transmission in my 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty 7.3L Powerstroke diesel pickup since it finally took a dump on me at 270k miles. I'm going to do the replacement myself in my driveway, however is there some sort of jack or tool designed to cradle the transmission and lower it to the ground safely other than the jacks used in shops that are meant for vehicles supported up in the air on lifts? If so where can I get one?

Vehicle in question is my 2002 Ford F-250XL super duty crew cab long bed 2WD pickup with the powerstroke 7.3L turbo diesel and 4R100 4 speed automatic transmission with 267k miles as of this post.

I've had this truck for two years and it recently developed this vibration. I had all the U-joints and support bearing replaced in the drive shaft and that diminished the vibration considerably leaving me thinking the drive shaft might have had a small bit of runout and would need to be straightened and balanced at a drive line shop. Well yesterday the vibration started getting worse, so I went underneath the truck to check it out and what I found was where the slip yoke slides in over the output shaft has a lot of lateral play indicating a worn bushing. Can anyone confirm this is more than likely the source of the problem or am I still going to need to take it to the drive line shop?

So back in November last year I got a speeding ticket. Shame on me I know, but I qualified for the city deferral program and all I had to do was pay an administrative fee and basically chill out for 6 months and not get anymore violations.

I work as a commercial driver and the trucks I drive are subject to motor carrier inspections. Well my lucky day came and I got inspected. I m used to them and I know the drill for the most part, but this time I had a bomb drop on me. The company I work for apparently didn t pay the UCR fees and the inspector picked up on it, but wrote the ticket out to ME because "I represent the company by driving their trucks." What a crock!

So now I m worried that if this ticket gets paid, will it go on my record and will it also negate the deferral of my speeding ticket? I mean it s not a traffic or moving violation, more like an administrative violation that s not really my fault.

I'm getting ready to do a transaxle solenoid replacement job in a 2000 Buick Century. It's running an older 4T65-E with the bigger manifold pressure switch than whats found in the newer ones. I'm changing all the solenoids and this pressure switch, and I need to know the torque specs for it. All other sources I've tried looking into are just giving me the runaround so I'm hoping someone here can fill me in. Thanks!

A couple of months ago, I went in for a CDL physical, and while in the process, the physician who examined me suspected I was at risk for sleep apnea because of my weight (I'm about 100 pounds over). So he only renewed my medical certificate for three months and told me I needed to have a sleep study done. Well, I was swamped with work and I couldn't get an appointment for a consultation with a sleep specialist until a month and a half later, and then the specialist scheduled me for the actual study for two months down the road, and on top of that, if its determined I need to use a CPAP machine, I would need to be on that for another month and then go in for a second study before being given a clean bill of health. So that puts me at around the end of February next year before the physician who examined me can legally renew my certificate again. Problem is my certificate expires at the end of this month and so I won't be able to operate a commercial motor vehicle legally for a while, but does this mean I can't even drive my own car or any other non-CMV? If so, then I'll need to take some kind of action because my livelihood depends on it.

Car in question is a 2004 Chrysler Concorde 3.5L V6 with 92k miles.

The power steering system is completely inoperable and the car feels like an old manual steering vehicle. The system is full of fluid and when you turn the wheel, the pump makes no noise whatsoever. Does that mean the pump is bad or bad seals in the rack?

Car in question is a 2000 Buick Century 3.1L V6 and a 4T65-E automatic transmission. No idea how many miles because the odometer doesn't light up.

A little back story... car had said problem before, however it was because the transmission failed internally. I'm told the used transmission that replaced it only had 51k miles on its clock from the previous vehicle it was salvaged from.

Well, the owner of the car tells me that about a month after the transmission was replaced, the car started exhibiting the same problems again and the check engine light came on. I pulled trouble code P0742 (Torque converter clutch solenoid circuit stuck on). Knowing the transmission was recently replaced, I focused my attention on the external circuitry between the PCM and the transmission connector harness. I performed the tests for the involved circuits by the book and found no faults or issues.

I should also note that the problem is intermittent, and during my attempt to diagnose the problem, I wasn't able to reproduce the symptoms. I am aware that these transmissions are known to have the line pressure control solenoids go bad, however my scan tool is not showing any codes for that. I was also told that the only thing that was done to the replacement transmission was adding the fluid. I'm wondering if its possible that the filter is clogged up or something, or it just maybe I should bank on having to change the possibly defective solenoids. What avenue should I try?

I have a 2002 Ford F-250 XL crew cab long bed 2WD automatic 7.3 powerstroke turbo diesel pickup. For the second time I find myself having to replace the water pump and it's been less than 6 months since the first one.

The pump is not leaking. What's happening is the pump shaft is working its way forward over time and this causes the pulley to become misaligned and makes the belt squeal like crazy. This also causes the impeller to start carving away at the housing, which puts metal shavings all throughout the system. I flushed out the system thoroughly before installing everything, thinking the new pump was going to last me a few years, but what else could possibly cause my pump to go bad so fast?! I've never heard of such a thing.

I know that ultimately it depends on the vehicle, but it seems that the term is more biased and opinionated than anything else. For example, I recently read a news article about the latest ford explorer police vehicles and how they compared to the crown vics from not long ago, and the article said the crown vic got "poor gas mileage." Sure, the crown vic is a big, full size body-on-frame, rwd car weighing in at around 4200 lbs, but you could manage 24 mpg on the highway. For a car of those dimensions, I consider that to be pretty good mileage compared to the old boxy chevy caprices used throughout the 80s to early 90s which got maybe 18-19 mpg on the highway on a good day and they weren't that much heavier. When the Ford Pinto debuted way back before I was born, I remember watching a clip of the commercial for the car and it said it could get up to 25 mpg. Back then, that was considered phenomenal fuel economy and the pinto was smaller and lighter than the last generation of crown vic. I'm willing to bet that in the future, if vehicles are still running on fossil fuels, anything that gets less than 60 mpg is probably gonna be considered "poor gas mileage." Its just the way the times are I guess. I dunno. What are your thoughts?

My truck is a 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty XL crew cab long bed with a 7.3L powerstroke turbo diesel and an E40D 4 speed automatic currently with 236k miles.

For a while now I've been dealing with a stubborn vibration problem it exhibits between 40-50 mph. At first I thought I needed u-joints and a support bearing for the 2 piece drive shaft. So I had all that replaced because I confirmed that the u-joints were worn due to play when you wiggle the shaft. However, the vibration persisted. Then just recently, I changed the front pads, rotors, and wheel bearings and that made the vibration diminish drastically (since the rotors were warped and the bearings were worn out too), but there is still some residual vibration at the same speed range. I wonder if maybe it has to do with the steering box and one of my tie rods being slightly worn that is still making the truck vibrate. If so, then changing those out will be my next move. I'm just wondering if anyone out there concurs with me or should I be looking elsewhere for my problem?

My said car has this peculiar cooling system issue that has baffled me for a while.

What happens is after warming up, the cooling fan will come on but then will stay on and run at a high speed because it struggles to keep the system cool after some stop and go driving, which is evident by the temperature gauge reading closer to H rather than staying in the middle.. However when it sits at idle, it stays stable more or less, but the cooling fan still runs non-stop at a lower speed and it's pretty much the same way driving on the highway.

A few other things to note is when completely warmed up, I feel no pressure in the hoses, the upper plumbing is super hot while the lower plumbing is considerably cooler and the temperature differential is on opposite sides of the thermostat housing (on this car, the housing is a remote part from the engine and is only connected via the hoses themselves), and inside the expansion tank, the coolant is ice cold even when the system is completely warmed up.

Now I have flushed the coolant several times due to having to replace several major components (radiator, water pump, thermostat) on different occasions. And each time I did the burping procedure, but despite it all, I'm still having these issues. I'm pretty sure there's not a problem with the head gaskets because the engine isn't running rough or thick white smoke pouring out of the exhaust or anything like that. So, what might I be up against? Faulty thermostat? A more thorough burp maybe?

I notice so many car questions are asked in which people could easily find the answer they're looking for in their owners manuals. Why is that?

I have a 2003 Mercury Marauder (high performance Grand Marquis) 4.6L Modular DOHC V8. For the second time, I have to replace the rear axles. I tried a pair of Dorman axles because I was lead to believe they were made to be properly hardened so that the bearings wouldn't dig into and grind away at them, but obviously I was duped because I'm having that same problem again 30k miles later. I want to know of some manufacturers who make good, properly hardened axles for my car so I don't have this problem again. I already know of Moser, but I just want to know of any others on that kind of level so I have more options. Thanks.

I have a 2003 Mercury Marauder (high performance Grand Marquis) 4.6L DOHC V8. On a recent trip to Florida, I was at about 3/4 of a tank when the fuel gauge needle suddenly shot up to Full and stayed there. After a while, the MIL (check engine light) came on and when I scanned it, I got code P0460 - fuel level sensor A circuit malfunction. I just want to know what is normally the culprit here... the sending unit or the connection between the sending unit and PCM? For now, I have left it the way it is and I've just been going by mileage to see when to fill up again. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Okay. A few months ago, I took a greyhound from Laredo to San Antonio. I was the only white passenger in a bus full of Mexicans. While on the bus, I was also on the phone with a friend. During the course of our conversation, he asked me what I was doing and I said "riding the bus with my favorite kind of people." I didn't think anything of it. Well, then suddenly I noticed this Mexican kid turning around and looking at me a few times, but I still wasn't thinking anything of it. Just trying to mind my own business. Then out of nowhere, he turns around and decks me in the face. His sister who was sitting next to me, gets up and starts screaming at him at the top of her lungs. Then she apologizes to me saying he thought I was talking bad about Mexicans. It left me irritated more than anything.

So fast forward to today. I get into a heated argument with my cousin over it. She works at a beauty salon and I went there a few weeks ago to get my hair done by her. While we were talking, I told her about the Mexican on the bus and she says "Don't talk about Mexicans "like that." I got mad and yelled "What's so wrong about saying MEXICAN." And I elaborated on my experience and why I don't think I was in the wrong. Apparently I offended her co-workers (who were also Mexican) and according to her, I showed disrespect in her workplace. Then she has the nerve to ask me what entitlement do I have to say things like that, and that I'm a fool and I need therapy. She won't talk to me anymore.

My question is, why is calling Mexicans "Mexican" so offensive? Are people REALLY THAT IGNORANT?

I have a couple of friends with a kid who are on the verge of getting thrown out of their apartment and living on the street if they can't find a place to stay for a while. They were robbed of their money so they couldn't pay the rent, and were screwed over at every other turn and have exhausted almost every option they have. I can't help them because I have too many burdens of my own to handle, or else I would gladly let them stay with me for a while, and everybody else they know won't let them stay with them for whatever reason. I'm only reaching out to see of anybody has suggestions. FYI, they do have a source of income, but because of their recent streak of hardship and bad luck, they are in this predicament. I just want to see of anybody can think of something I haven't thought of yet.

Preferably from the 1999-2002 era. I've driven them, but I've never actually owned one before and I've been doing my research as always on them, however I was wondering if I could get some testimonials from other 7.3 powerstroke owners about their trucks and if there are any key points to keep in mind when owning them.

I don't plan on doing much towing, just mainly to haul my crap around and get rid of stuff I don't want anymore, and maybe cruise around sometimes. I also don't plan on lifting the truck because I think that's retarded. All I'm really looking for is just a long bed of some kind. Don't really care for the trim package, type of cab, or if its 2 or 4 wheel drive. It would be neat if I could find it in a stick shift, but I noticed those are hard to come by. And why the 7.3? Because I heard they are super tough and reliable and will last virtually forever if taken care of properly. The 6.0s with the defective EGR coolers and TTY head bolts... no thanks (though I like the VGT turbo). The 6.4s with that troublesome DPF system... screw that. I can't afford a 6.7 right now either, even though I hear thats a triumphant motor. Like I said, I just wanna hear testimonials and maybe get some pointers about what to watch out for with those 7.3s from current, or past owners. Thanks.

Note: I don't want to hear from fundamental Duramax or Cummins fanboys. I went with Ford, I'm sticking with it. Thanks.