Mitsubishi Lancer Battery Drain?
Question:
Kevin,
I have a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer that has a dead battery every time I turn off the car, but also leave the radio or air conditioner on, or leave any devices on whatsoever. This is weird because the radio is no longer playing and looks exactly like its off, but somehow, even with the car completely off and the keys completely removed, if the A/C or radio switches were left in the on position, then the battery will be dead if I return a few hours later, or overnight.
These devices never used to do this before — whenever I used to turn the car off and remove the key, these devices would not only go dead also, but they would also cease to draw power and deaden the battery.
Does anyone here have any ideas what might be going on? Im going to show this message to my brother, so if you have any ideas whats going on, he will be able to understand what youre explaining. Thanks.
- Rebecca
Answer:
I would do a full checkup on the charging system.
1. Remove battery, fully charge and load test it. Most parts stores can test your battery or a mechanic should be able to do it for you.
2. With engine running, check voltage, should be at 14 Volts or above. If not, your alternator is not working properly.
3. Check battery drain with an amp meter between the positive terminal of the battery and the positive cable going to the starter. You should be well below .2 amps. If you are above, then I would start pulling fuses from the fuse panel one at a time to see which circuit in the system is causing the drain. From there you will need to then find the offending electrical item (radio, trunk light etc.) on that circuit and fix/replace it.
Posted: 11th August 2009 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Electrical
Ford Freestar high pitched noise?
Question:
I have a 2004 ford freestar. They replaced the rotors,pads,tires ect..
I replaced the power steering hoses..
my question..
while driving at higher speeds (over 80kms on the freeway) I hear this high pitched squeal sound coming from the front end. It doesnt do it when I drive under 60km p/h or when I stop, just when I go really fast.
My hubby thought it might be a belt, but I dont know..
help..
Answer:
It could be a belt, but you would hear it at upper RPMs as the van goes through the gears and gets up to speed. It could be the air vibrating some of the body work, if something is loose in the front end. Does the van click when turning sharp left or right? A bad CV joint could be the culprit, but it would be a very loud whining. I would have a mechanic look at it ASAP since at high speeds things happen fast and if its a CV joint, you dont want to chance it.
Posted: 11th August 2009 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Body, Suspension
Smoke from A/C vents.
Question:
I have a 2003 dodge neon se, my daughter was driving my car and noticed smoke coming from the vents when the a/c is on. A friend of hers was nice enough to put anti freeze since it was low ( I thought when you get an oil change that also includes topping off the radiator flud?) What exactly does that mean? There is no smell but now I have to put it in the shop.
Answer:
Smoke can mean many things. Was there a sweet coolant smell coming out of the vents? Its possible the low coolant and the smoke are related to a blown heater core. The heater core is basically a radiator, where the hot engine coolant runs through to heat the interior of the car. There is a fan which blows over the heater core and heats the interior air. While she had the A/C on, the heater core could still be bad and leaking coolant, causing the smoke.
If there was no sweet smell, it was more than likely the A/C working so well that it was causing an icy fog which does happen from time to time, depending on the humidity levels outside.
I would keep track of the coolant level, see if you lose anymore and if so, get the heater core checked out.
Posted: 11th August 2009 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Heat & AC
Cash For Clunkers Ending?
Seems like the cash for clunkers program may be ending earlier than many had thought. Many dealers have been having problems getting paid, and there have been stories of people not qualifying after being told they qualified due to changes in EPA mileage ratings. I guess it only stands to reason that a program which takes over 100+ pages to explain would run into a few issues .
Full Story… http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99P2U9G1&show_article=1
Posted: 30th July 2009 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Automotive News, Buying A Car
Nissan Electrical Problems
Question:
Stats: 2002 Nissan Sentra GXE, auto transmission, power locks and windows. No recent work, however I keep all the maintenance up to date.
Yesterday my car suddenly acted funny. While pulling out of my neighborhood, my CD player suddenly turned off, then faded back in as if I had turned it back on. At first I thought it was the CD, but after switching to my radio it did the same thing. The sound would disappear, then fade back in after a few moments. It did this about 6-7 times during a 15 minute trip.
I never lose engine power or the ability to control my car. I did notice the following though: The radio display and pre-sets are kept, for 1:5 sound drops my airbag light would come on, for 1:10 sound drops my odometer and speedometer would shoot up then return to normal, no loss in A/C. No other lights on my dash would light up, nor would any other gauges misread. Finally, I could hear a faint whine when Id shift gears. It sounded very similar to something I heard years ago in a friends car. He installed a radio that was too powerful, so if he ran the A/C and the radio at the same time it would make the same whining noise. It makes me wonder if my problem is a power issue.
On my return trip home, as well as on another ride that day, nothing happened. The second one was about an hour round-trip. At first I thought perhaps some water somehow got in the engine (we had a BAD t-storm the night before), or something like that. However, the problem came up again this morning, although not with the same frequency as the first time it happened.
Ideas?
Answer:
It sounds like an electrical issue in the dash somewhere. The whine you described is interference in the power wire, coming through the radio. It is most likely a symptom of a loose power connection somewhere under the dash. I would trace back the power wire from the radio back to the fuse box. It wont be easy, but you can lay under the dash and try to wiggle every connection you can see while the radio is on, to see if you can reproduce the cut-out of the radio. Once you find the offending connection, you can then determine why its loose. There is the possibility of water getting into a connection, but its more likely to be a bad/loose prong in the connector itself. You could also check the fuses in the fuse box, remove and re-seat the radio fuse to see if there was a bad connection there. Electrical problems are never easy to diagnose, since you cant see electricity and most people dont understand the basic principals involved.
Posted: 30th July 2009 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Electrical
