I have a 2000 Hyundai Sonata with 110K miles. It runs well, still quiet, good gas mileage. The problem is that it will not shift from 3rd to 4th gear. This is not constant. When I start it up cold in the morning, it shifts fine. But sometime during the day, when it needs to go from 3rd to 4th (often on the interstate), it refuses to shift. It stays in 3rd, the engine light comes on, and I'll drive about 60 mph and try to keep the RPMs under 3000. It always "fixes" itself when I turn off the ignition. This makes me think the problem is at least partially electrical. A couple more things: it only happens when the car is warmed up -- never when I drive it cold. Also, sometimes this will happen in 1st gear, where it won't shift into 2nd, but jumps straight to 3rd rather violently.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2003 Honda Civic EX. Purchased used with 82,530 on it. Current mileage of about 114,100 on it now. I recently replaced the front and rear brakes. During that process, I was informed that the rear brakes were warped (they were cleaned & adjusted when I replaced the front brakes, but they continued to squeak like a transit bus). I had the rear shoes replaced and there is no more squeaking, but I get a "drag" that is particularly noticeable when riding at highway speeds (55mph or higher). The drag seems to come from the rear right of the car, and it reminds me of what you might feel if you were driving against the emergency brake.
Took the car back to the mechanic that did the rear brakes. He started down the road of it being bad ball bearings. He test drove it with me and experienced the drag, but when he put it on the lift said something was catching and made an adjustment that eliminated this 'drag'. My impression was that the drag came from some oversight when the rear shoes were replaced.
The car rode fine for a few days after that, but now the dragging symptom is back. The mechanic's assumption was that it could be a ball bearing that is on it's way to going bad. I don't hear any noises in relationship to this drag. It feels either like something is holding the car back, or like something is keeping the power from the engine from making it to the wheels.
Is this a wheel bearing/brake issue? Would needing new spark plugs have any impact on this?
When the car is cold it runs fine. After driving for 10-15 minutes the transmission slips, while driving the engine revs and then engages again.I have only noticed the disengaging/engaging as speeds less than 40 MPH. When the car is in neutral and placed into drive it may take several seconds to engage which happens about 60% of the time. Could this be a sensor failure or time for a new transmission?
View 4 Replies94 Saab will not start in the mornings , it cranks but wont fire , runs fine later in day with no problems at all . Than next morning a repeat performance of not starting.
View 10 RepliesI have a 97 pontiac sunfire that will crank, but will only start when I hear the fuel pump running. My mechanict says that the fuel pump is not getting electricity. He is not an electric automotive mechanic, so what needs to be checked when the fuel pump is not getting electrical current. How do i fix it?
View 4 RepliesI rebuilt my turbo 350 transmission. I drove it about two blocks and checked my fluids. Everything was fine. So I drove it down town....two or three miles and I lost all gears forward and reverse. I got a ride home and left the car for about three hours then I went back to get it. The transmission shifted fine as i drove it home. I have parked the car since i cant trust the trans not to break down. As I drove to town I noticed a slight vibration in the trans area.
View 7 RepliesMy extremely used Explorer was driven off the lot, and ran like a champ for 3 months. One morning, I started it up, and noticed a chugging sound. While backing it out of the driveway, the truck felt like it was going to rattle apart. This was a sudden change. When I hit about 40mph, and I'm in 3rd gear, the truck hesitates and chugs along. If I stomp on the accelerator, the truck will kick into 2nd gear, and stops chuging for a second, then the gear changes back to 3rd and the hesitation starts again. If I disconnect the battery for a few minutes, then connect, I can drive normally for about 10 minutes, then back to the surging/hesitation. I've heard this might be a problem with the oxygen sensors or the mass air flow sensor.
View 4 RepliesI have been getting exhaust in my car cabin since last fall. It is worst when I first start up the engine. Once I get driving, it's not so bad. Switching off the heat or recirculating the air does nothing to change things. I used a CO detector in the cabin and the alarm didn't go off, but it still worries me that I might be breathing in carbon monoxide. And none of the shops have been able to diagnose it, let alone fix it. The first shop installed a new 'flex pipe'. The dealer thinks it's coming from a gasket near the flex pipe. The exhaust manifold is not cracked. A muffler shop said there was no leak. Is it possible that exhaust is somehow getting mixed into the air via a faulty valve or vent?
View 6 RepliesI'm kind of up against the clock. I am sure this answer is in a book in the car. But that book looked pretty thick.
My husband just told me that he did not want to take my car to the ball game because he can't stand the cruise control turning off every time it gets even close to a car (yes, I understand what this may mean, but I'm not driving with him and he is a grown man).
Is there a way to disengage the automatic turn off on the safety cruise control feature? He likes to be the one in control I suppose.
it's been parked for about 2 months in my driveway, which slants upwards. I cranked it for a solid 30 minutes (jumped the battery so it wouldn't die). I don't smell gas so I think gas isn't making to the motor.
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