I just went into my garage and noticed pieces of my rear coil spring on the ground. 2000 Chevy Malibu LS. Question is, do I have to replace both rear coil springs? They seem to sell them in pairs.
View 2 RepliesSo, I got my oil changed at the dealer and they said that I have a cracked rear coil spring. They quoted $350. So I took it to my real mechanic and he looked at it, said it's fine for now but I do have inspection next month. He said my struts feel fine. I'm having trouble finding just the spring since the Moog ones are out of stock. I did see Unity quick struts but I don't know if they're any good whatsoever. Whether to just go with springs (and a link to some) or get the complete struts and lend an opinion on good ones. Also, it has 122k miles. A0001 ?
View 9 RepliesConversion from the dana 50 to the newer dana 60 with coil spring? My Dana 50 has called it quits so while my front end is already off the vehicle already why not make improvements. Ford used the 50 for 1999 to 2002 then upgraded to the 60, I'm guessing it was for a reason!
I've read this article on a similar project but the dana 60 had leaf springs as well: Dana 60 Conversion for F250 years 1986-1996 .: Articles I'd prefer coil spring, nothing more then personal preference with a bit of better ride quality. The donor vehicle is a 06 SRW F250 This is not what I'll be getting but just as an example of the parts I would get.
I pinpointed a consistent vibration in the rear L & R pillars! Using a rubber mallet on the tires you can hear the recoil springs vibration s and for me, I hear the back center seat retractor recoil spring vibrating! Going address this with the dealership for updated fixes, or I have to fix this myself. I have taken the rear seat apart and welded reinforcement bracket to stabilize the retractor, but the coil spring vibrates.even w the JBL system turn up I can hear the retractor coil spring vibrating distorting the music!
View 4 RepliesI have a 2000 Chevy Malibu LS 3.1 V6, the car is burning oil, and I want to know your opinion.
The car had thermostat problems and was overheated, after I changed the thermostat the engine started smoking and every body told me it was the head gaskets, but the car is not burning coolant, is actually burning oil.
When I start the car, first is the steam coming up from the tail pipe, then when the car is warm, the oil smoke stars to come out from the tail pipe.
I checked the spark plugs and all six showed a lot of oil on them, so my question is, is this because the piston rings or the engine is getting oil from somwhere else beside the piston rings. There is times when is not smoke at all, and then again a lot of smoke.
In the past I saw cars burning oil from probably one or two piston chambers, but no from all of them at the same time, and on this one when I checked, all the spark plugs were wet in oil.
I was researching about this particular engine, and looks like have some issues with the head gaskets due to overheating and the fact of the heads being made from aluminum. What can I check before taking the engine apart.
The whistling sound is fairly straightforward but there are little details that are weird.
I noticed maybe 1 or 2 weeks ago that the car would make a whistling sound, not a high pitched one but a fairly middle-high sort of tone. It would make this sound when I put the car and drive and maybe just start to gas it but NOT all of the time. By the time I am at a regular speed it has gone.
But sometimes when I slow down the sound will return and go away when the car has come to a complete stop. But this is not a constant pattern. It is on and off. Only recently could I say it has become more frequent but even then I hesitate.
Also the sound seems to definitely be coming from under the hood possibly from the back of the car but I think front may be more likely.
I read briefly on a few car/car repair forums that it could be anything from an AC compressor going out, a vacuum leak, fan belt, bad water pump, among others. I tried turning the AC on, which I have kept off for pretty much the entirety of the Summer and I heard the sound only once when I resumed driving. BUT, when I revved, the engine seemed noticeably louder; almost like it was laboring though the car drove just fine.
One other thing. Before it sounded as if the origin of the whistle was coming from the passenger side of the car. Just as of today it sounded as though it originated from the driver's side. So I'm really confused now. The car seems to drive just fine and the engine the day before sounded good if not great. I'm hoping it is nothing related to the engine.
*Few Notes:The oil was changed in June. The tires were replaced recently. Though the sound started before this. I was however driving on a really bad passenger side tire for a while.There is a short on the panel that contains the left turn signal. The bad bulb was changed and I plan to find a new panel as soon as Monday.
I have a 2002 Chevy Malibu. The passenger rear power window wont go up or down. Other windows are fine. I push the buttons from the rear door and the main control from the drivers door and nothing happens. I don't hear the window motor or anything going on while I push those buttons. I opened up the door panel and window regulator and motor seem fine. Connectors seem fine also.
View 4 RepliesI have a 2000 chevy malibu that has not had a/c the past 2 summers. I'm trying to diagnose what the problem could be. When I start the car and then turn on the a/c by pressing the button in the car nothing seems to happen.
When I went to look at the compressor motor I could see that the clutch is not engage and the middle of the compressor is not turning. What to check without taking to a mechanic??
I've got a Chevy Malibu with roughly 120K miles on it. It runs relatively well - when it starts - which is why I'm here, obviously. The battery is brand new with all the connections seeming to be great, so I doubt it's an electrical issue in that regard.
Furthermore, in cases where the car doesn't start, almost always it's on an incline where the gas tank is lower than the rest of the vehicle.
When it's either level or higher than the rest, it seems to start up fine, which has led me to wonder if it's something to do with the fuel intake (note that the car doesn't stall at all - it simply won't start in the adverse conditions I said here).
Here is my current situation. No cruise, Replaced clock spring because the air bag light was also on. Still no cruise, checked fuses, they are fine, replaced bulb in gauge cluster. Still no light coming on at all, so I can't do the self test. Do you think my steering wheel switches are bad? Is there anything else I can check?
View 14 RepliesSo I have had my FX4 for almost 10 years now. I have an xtra cab, bought new summer 2004 in Connecticut. Bought it had 5 miles on odometer, as of today has almost 117k miles. We just relocated this past weekend from CT to Manatee County, Florida, my wife followed me down in her 2010 Escape. Both trucks ran perfect..easy driving cruise control on 70 most of the way except for VA where there seemed to be a state trooper every 5 miles
anyway so overall I am satisfied with my truck since I've owned it. Changed oil every 4000-4500 miles without fail, 5-20 Motorcraft semi synthetic and FL-820 S filter is all it has ever seen. Engine doesnt burn/leak a drop of oil. As far as maintenace items and repairs, I looked through my records, here's what I've done:
1) rear axle rebuilt under warranty, clutch packs were shot at 60k.
2) brakes/rotors all around at about 50k, they still as of now have plenty of meat left
3) pinion seal went at about 90k
4) fly wheel had to be replaced at about 95k that was an expensive repair
5) replaced both front window regulators
6) replaced sliding rear window, under warranty, was leaking badly.
7) idler pulley replacement
8) exhaust rotted from just in front of muffler to tailpipe, replaced.
Also was told before we left CT that front coil spring was broken? I don't know about that truck suspension seems fine but will have it looked at.
Also normal maintenance did tranny flush 4x so far, fuel filter 4x so far, on 3rd set of tires, came with BFG rugged terrain, replaced at 62k with TOYO open country, they lasted 40k, now have Goodyear Wrangler LT's, so far excellent. Air filters, a light bulb here and there, and replaced battery after 6 years just to do it.
I have NOT changed the plugs yet truck does run great but I know what can and probably will happen, I feel comfortable with a dealer doing it, I'm not mechanically inclined enough to do it. I will have a little bit of a commute to work here, so I will probably get a ford Fiesta or a focus for the drive, but no way am I getting rid of this truck!
The driver's side coil spring broke, but here's the story.
When I found out there was a recall on my 2004, I called the dealership. They told me that they were not replacing the coils springs, they were only going to attach a brace or bracket in case the coil springs would fail.
Well, last night the coil broke and it was in the parking lot and not at 50mph on the road.
What about bracket fix? It was told to me that it would only prevent the coil from cutting into the tire, not fix it.
I am going to call Hyundai HQ this morning, but what should I expect? Is it unreasonable to expect to get a set of springs and have someone local do the work?
Ok I have an f 150 04 fx4. 120k miles. I was checking a drip on the transmission cooler, and noticed my passenger side coil spring is broken 2nd coil from the bottom. Truck rides well, but obviously this needs to be addressed. Break looks old since it is rusted over, I probably relocated from new England to Florida driving this down 95 with this break, scary.
View 6 RepliesSo I went to install a front end leveling kit in my 2003 2WD F250, looked like a simple task, except the bolt that holds the lower coil spring mount won't budge! I tried heating the nut, I soaked it with WD-40, tried a 200lb impact and a 30" breaker bar with all my weight. Is there something I am missing?
View 5 RepliesAir conditioning is serious as a heat stroke, so when my 2000 Beetle started blowing brittle pieces of foam from the A/C vents, moaning at stop lights, and refusing to cool, action was required. That was last summer, and I had the A/C "fixed" – new compressor (a dryer thingy had gone bad), a fresh charge of freon, and gloriously arctic air. There was still foam, but who cares as long as it’s cold? (I know the foam is disintegrating due to age, not rodents.) The shop told me they could fix the foam problem but that it would mean taking off the dash, could cost $900 in labor, and that not fixing it meant nothing worse than flying foam.
Now in the second summer, the air still blows cold but only sometimes, and it spits more foam than ever. When the air isn’t cold, if I twiddle all the knobs, especially the one that directs air from my face to my feet to the defrost and back, eventually the vents belch out more foam and give me cold air. This mainly works at 70+ mph. A recent development is that air blows on my toes as well as my face when I have the dial set for face-air-only. My tootsies love it, but I’m concerned that when all the foam breaks free I’ll have air coming from all vents at once, maybe hot, maybe cold.
So I have two questions:
(1) When all the foam has flown out the windows, will I have reliable temperature control?
(2) If the answer to 1 is no, would it be cheaper to sell my dear Sunshine to CarMax for a lesser price and let them dismantle the dash or pay the shop and keep driving her a while?
Any success story on converting 2003 or 2004 f350 with leaf spring front end to the 2005-2007 f350 coil front end is it possible?
View 8 Replies2000 Camaro, v6 auto, 103000 miles, 2 years ago car started making a roaring noise in the rear. the faster i go the louder it gets. if i let off the gas it almost goes away. at high speed over 90 the rear vibrates. noticed today that if i push on rear fender there is a clunking noise coming from rear wheel. checked lug nuts and they are tight. Is it unsafe to drive?
View 4 RepliesVehicle is a 94 Suburban. The front brakes were done approximately 14K miles ago. Rear about 10K miles ago. Ever since the front brake job (new rotors, pads) there has been a sound, sort of like spring tension being released whenever I (quickly) release the brake pedal. I think I notice it now more than ever because I don't have working ac and the windows are usually down. The thing is, if I slowly release the pedal I hear nothing. When it does happen it is definitely coming from the front and is more predominant (I think) on the right side. So far I have yet to hear this sound coming from any other vehicle stopped beside me in traffic so something must be out of whack.
I mentioned this to the mechanic who did the brakes (only shortly thereafter) and he checked it out and said nothing was amiss. Recently I had new tires installed so I asked the (different) mechanic to check the brakes again (front and rear). Apart from cleaning out the drums and a minor adjustment on the rear they said everything was good. Now I've never had any issues with stopping and I've had a few hard braking episodes without incident but this snapping noise for want of a better description is driving me nuts. One final observation: I cannot get the 'sound' to occur when I am sitting in Park and depress and then quickly release the brake pedal.
I have an '02 malibu that got hot and now won't start I have pulled the plugs and there isn't any water in the cyliders. And none in the oil, what to check next?
View 6 RepliesWhen I take my car in to have an oil change/checkup the garage tells me my wheels need to be balanced. However I do not have any indication that I need wheel balancing. The tires do not show unusual wear, there is no shaking while driving in the city, nor when on an expressway driving from 40 to 70 MPH. Is it possible I really need to balance the wheels?
View 12 RepliesHaving problem with the rear valance being too low? I have a very steep driveway and last week hit the approach at a weird angle, the rear corner caught on the drive and popped the panel out on the lower side. I was able to pop it back into place without any damage but this is something to be aware of... I wonder if the Nissan Leaf will have more ground clearance? That will be the new stable mate for the Prius.
View 8 Replies