Dave’s Free Car Repair Advice

Subject:  1996 Ford Fiesta Diesel

Alena asks:  My in-car temperature gauge keeps going up to nearly in the red but not quite. Should I be worried, my local garage doesn’t seem to think so? Also, I?ve been told I’ve got a noisy clutch release bearing, do I need to get anything done to it?

I would first make sure the coolant level is up to par.

If this is a sudden thing happening then maybe there is a bunch of bird feathers in the front of your radiator or dead bugs making the thermal co-efficiency of your radiator way down thereby causing the higher heat levels.

Subject:  1989 Olds

Bill asks: I have a 1989 Olds Cutlass Sierra. Just recently the horn, right turn signal, interior light and radio stopped working.

Bill, don’t turn right or honk at anyone while singing in the car…Kidding of course.

That is an odd combination of items to quit functioning at the same time. Check the fuses and the wire harness under the dash for a possible bad connection. Check behind the fuse block for cracks or loose connections.

That’s all I can think of for now Bill. Good luck…

Dave

Vehicle maintenance intervals are now more broadly spaced, but even the newest cars require scheduled servicing to stay in top condition. Whether your car is the most up-to-the-minute model or you paid it off a long time ago, the key is to give your car the maintenance it is supposed to receive.

Every car is supplied with a maintenance schedule — in the owner’s manual or in a separate maintenance log book — that details that vehicle’s needs. A few minutes learning the requirements for your car will help you steer clear of the following frequent car-maintenance pitfalls.

Subject:  Car died going down the road

Cindy asks:  My car died while driving down the road. It was very low on gas but the gas light hadn’t gone off yet and I was headed to the gas station. I put at least 3 gallons of gas in it and it still didn’t start. It is turning over good just not starting.

Someone came and looked at it and checked the coil packs. He said one was bad but then put the one he thought was bad on the other side and it sparked so now he thinks there is something keeping one side from sparking and thinks both coil packs are good. I drive a Mitsubishi Gallant 2000.

Subject:  Power Windows

Doreen asks: Both front windows went out on my Chevy S-10 Blazer,what’s the problem? What needs to be replaced?  Is it difficult and expensive? HELP

Doreen, check the fuses for the windows if they went out simultaneously.

It could also be the driver’s side window switch panel with all the buttons right there by your left hand. This will most likely need to be replaced. Depending on the year of vehicle will depend on the price of the part.

Subject:  Engine turns over but will not start

Donald ask:  I have an 89 Chevy S-10 with a 4.3 V6. I am having a problem with it running without the vacuum line hooked up to the map sensor but when I hook up the vacuum line to the map sensor it will turn over and attempt to start but will not run. Might you have any ideas what could be causing this and is there anything that I should be looking for?

Donald, this explains what the MAP does… I found this info online: