Every morning on the way to work, I get the freeze warning alert and the blinking snowflake at 39 degrees. Is there any way to silence the audio on this? It's the same tone you get with low fuel, seat belt or other warnings. I know it's cold out and really find this audio alert annoying.
View 24 RepliesLooking for info on success in silencing their Prius C pedestrian warning system? If so, how? I find it annoying, sounds like something is wrong with my radio. I may be amongst the first to attempt to quiet it.
View 19 RepliesI have a 2010 LEXUS RX350. I followed the instructions to reset the tire low pressure warning light. It blinked three times but did not stay off. I have 34psi in each tire including the spare. Can the sensors in the valves be checked to see if one of them is bad?
View 3 RepliesFor the last several days, most of the times I've started my car I've had the Red "Check Coolant Level" message on the MFD - accompanied by a tone / chime.
The first time it happened, I was a tad below Min, so I added a 'glug' of G13 to push it back up into the normal range. Everytime I've checked it since, the level is in the normal range.
So how is the level "sensed"? I had a new coolant reservoir put in about 18 months ago, so my "hope" is that it's not actually that (though those are really cheap).
Is there something else I should be cleaning / renewing? Maybe as simple as the electrical connection on the reservoir?
I own a 2003 Sierra 1500 SLT Extended (4-Door) Cab which I bought brand new. It currently has 120k+/- miles on it, but the problem I'm about to describe started about 5 years ago. Here's the issue: Whenever I first attempt to start my truck, I know the odds are 50/50 that it will actually start. When I turn the key, it will either crank right up like it's brand new or it will do nothing at all--no cranks, no clicks, just complete silence. When the weather is colder, the chances it will start are slightly better.
Those chances go downhill as the weather improves--the frequency of "non-starts" increases. I have had a whole lot of mechanics--both physical and virtual--try to diagnose this problem. I even left my truck at a GMC dealership for 4 days so they could replicate the problem and diagnose it. Unfortunately, my truck started on every attempt they made which was 2 or 3 times per day. The only hint of where the problem my lie came from an automotive electronics technician. He said he can't be sure unless he replicates the scenario, but he said the factory installed alarm system is most likely the cause.
One channel (FM 90.3) delivers perfect sound for two seconds, then complete silence for a half sec. then two more seconds of perfect reception. No fade, no static, just on and off regular as a clock. This station broadcasts on two other frequencies which are behaving and 90.3 comes in fine on my other vehicle.
View 2 RepliesI recently bought a 2014 Prius v, and I love most things about it, but so far I absolutely despise the way the audio system interacts with my iPhone 4S.
-If I plug the phone into the USB to charge it, the phone speakers will get silenced, and all audio will get sent to the car speakers. This happens even if the car speakers are off, and in that case the phone just goes totally silent. This would not be such a big deal except...
-The car often decides that I am on a call, when I am not on a call, and I am depending on the phone for Google Maps turn by turn voice directions. The screen on the car shows me as being in a call and silences the phone's audio. Occasionally it will play a brief bit of audio that sounds like it was recorded from within the car. If I push the button to hang up on the call nothing happens, and I just have to find my way to my destination without any directions. Or if I have enough battery I can disconnect the USB cable and get there using voice directions played on the phone speaker.
-The same issue sometimes interrupts audio playback when streaming audio from the phone.
-If I answer a call while I have audio playing, the audio keeps playing, and there's no apparent way to turn it off using the car controls. The car's next song and previous song buttons quit working too, so I'm at the mercy of whatever was on the playlist.
-I have to turn the volume up incredibly high to hear people who call me. When I end the call, the car suddenly starts playing a song from my iTunes music at deafening volume, even if I was not playing music before the call started.
I have a 2003 Taurus wagon (a real babe magnet) that has 63K on it. On random occasions recently, I turn the key to start it and there is dead silence--no groans, no clicks, nada. This happened for the second time last week at a tire shop, and the technician had me hold the key in the start position while he tapped the starter with a metal rod, which worked miraculously. He showed me where the starter was and how to perform this miracle. Unfortunately it is a two-person job, and I was stranded the next evening alone at my house, and missed work the next day. Later that day it started right up like nothing had happened.
It stranded me again two days later, and nice lady in the parking lot held the key in start position while I used my cane to tap the starter as I had been shown. I took it to the dealer and explained the problem and my temporary solution, hoping they would know from this exactly how to fix it. After four days, they said they could not duplicate the problem, that the car started right up every time they tried it. Meanwhile the car I had borrowed from a friend broke down in a busy intersection, stranding me again for a short while. I went back to the dealer and brought the Ford home, figuring there isn't much to do but play the odds....Logic suggests that because tapping the starter seems to get it to go, that the problem must be in the starter. Yet the guys at the dealership wouldn't touch anything until the car refused to start for them. Where does one go (or in this case, possibly not go) from here?
On my class C motor home, 1999 with V10 engine when I turn the ignition key to the start position I get absolute silence, when I release the key and turn it to the start position again it always starts. I have fitted a new starter motor, new solenoid and new battery but still the problem persists. I'm scared that one time it will not crank over on the second attempt.
View 10 RepliesWe bought a 2012 Passat from a VW dealer on Thursday, and my wife took it out of town that day. After sitting outside in a hotel parking lot for 2 days, the car would not start. This is Wisconsin, so air temp -10f and windchill -30. When you turn the key, there was a "click", but the engine did not turn over. The battery was not dead (lights, accessories worked), but the tow truck driver did attempt to jump it just in case. He ended up towing it to the shop, and parking it inside. After 2 hours, it started just fine. Needless to say... not the best way to start life with a new car.
View 5 RepliesI'm a new Prius III owner and have diligently been reading the manual. There is a note in there not to use the parking brake in winter because it might 'freeze up.' I am in the habit of always setting the parking brake for safety reasons.
View 12 RepliesWhen I use the "scan" feature of my Scangauge II, sometimes the DTC code and/or freeze frame data will change on me. That is, I check it and it says "1 stored code" (without clearing it), then go back to "Gauge" and then check the scanning function again, sometimes the code has changed to something else! With the freeze frame data, sometimes it will even change as I'm scrolling through the different data fields. Very disconcerting....
View 3 RepliesSoon after buying my new 2011 Elantra, I smelled that pungent anti-freeze smell when the engine gets hot. When I brought the car in for its first oil change, the Dealership did a pressure test but did not find any problems. During the next oil change (4 months since purchase) I noticed the fluid level below the Low level. The dealership did a second pressure test but nothing unusual. I thought it was odd that the anti-freeze level would be low after just 4 months, but the dealer was not concerned because it was a hot summer. However, he did inform me that I was the second Elantra owner that had the same complaint that same day. The smell continues when I run the engine through rush hour traffic (stop and go). I purchased florescent leak detector fluid with the UV light. It looks great when I shine the light on the coolant reservoir but I have yet to see any florescent leaks even though I still smell the anti-freeze.
View 39 Replies2000 Dodge Neon having issues with freeze plugs falling out. Have replaced at least four freeze plugs over the last year and a half. Is there a solution to avoid constant replacement? Neon has about 135,000 miles. There is no warning when a plug is about to fall. Research shows freeze plug issues are not isolated to the Neon and perhaps copper plugs are the answer.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2013 ES300h with Lexus Navigation Display. is it possible to have on display during driving climate or radio active? It now changes automatically to navigation.
View 4 RepliesIs this normal for the GS300 to loose anti-freeze coolant in its reservoir? My 2006 GS300 had little coolant in the reservoir on Monday and I took it to my local Toyota dealer to check it out. They recommended me to do a flushing instead of draining and filling for the coolant since the previous owner never changed it. I did the flushing and they put it Toyota SLLC (pink) coolant as well as filling up the reservoir to full mark. Today I check the reservoir again and it is 1" lower. Is this normal? I check the radiator, engine, hoses but I did not see any leak. The temperature is fine, no overheating or anything.
View 14 RepliesI am wondering why my 2000 Ford Taurus experiences gas line freeze on a handful of occasions each winter, when our other vehicles never have this problem during our winters. It doesn't get extremely cold here, I live 50 mi south of Indianapolis, IN. Last winter I had this problem on a few occasions, and basically just waited for the temp to warm up above freezing, and the car started. Now it has happened again this year, with temps down in the high teens/low 20's. Car is parked under a carport at night - my battery is cranking strong, my fuel pump is doing it's humming noise when the key is turned 'on', tank was filled a day or two before this happened, and our other vehicles are starting just fine. We do use Heet in our gas tanks during the winter, but I hadn't gotten around to adding any to my tank before this incident. I have lived in northern Wisconsin and the Chicago area, and never had this happen to my old beaters back in those days....what is the big problem with the Taurus?
View 19 RepliesSo I am working on my 5.4 I pulled and discovered that is is very oily behind the freeze plugs. The motor is on a stand and has been upside down a few times. There was still a little oil in it as I can see a decent puddle under it where I didn't tighten the drain plug entirely. Why would there be oil built up there? I have the two from the back of the heads out and the two on either side closest to the rear of the block. What kind of issue am I looking at? Here is the build thread that I am doing about the truck and this motor.
DH-Rear of Driver Head
PH-Rear of Passenger Head
PRBS-Passenger Rear Block Side
PMBS-Passenger Middle Block Side
DRBS-Driver Rear Block Side
DMBS-Driver Middle Block Side
I have a 94 Camry left to me by my father inlaw when he died a year ago. I notice antifreeze coming from a weep hole just above one of the alternator mounting brackets. Whats involved with replacing the water pump and timing belt? Im guessing thats what it is and while I am in there I will replace the timing belt as I dont believe either have been replaced. The car has about 160,000 miles on it. I kept my Windstar going for about 250,000 miles before my daughter wrapped it around a tree so Im sure its something I can handle. The problem is time as we are getting into winter. Is it a major job or something that can be done in a few hours?
View 5 Replies91 Dodge D150 1/2 ton truck with a 318 (5.2L). Approx. 135K miles. Noticed a leaking freeze plug right behind the starter. Removed the starter & replaced the offending plug. I've also replaced other plugs on the block as needed in the past. While I had the starter out, I went ahead and replaced it as it was getting old & tired. After buttoning everything up while adding coolant, I got a major waterfall coming out between the trans and the engine block.
My project for today is to remove the transmission so I can get to the rear plugs and replace. How many plugs are back there? I'm obviously changing all the plugs back there along with the rear main seal. Is there any advantage going with the brass plugs or should I just stick with the regular ones?
It seems that whenever it drops below 20 degrees, my windshield washer fluid lines freeze up on my '03, even though the blue stuff is proported to go down to minus 20 (the jug in my garage is still nice and liquid, even at these colder temps).
Is this a fixable problem? Should I switch over to a different type of juice? I don't remember this happening as frequently in previous years as it has this year.