Cars, a love hate relationship

[Hooked]

I love my car when it runs fine, perhaps I take it for granted sometimes, maybe thats why it decided to put alittle bit of stress in my life now.

First, I got my oil changed, tires rotated, and brakes inspected. I pickup my car and the engine lights comes on, but this time, stays on! I get home and checked the code on it, turns out to be an issue with my Throttle Position Sensor. I swing by Parts Source and replace it in the parking lot there. First it appeared nothing changed, engine light stayed on and my rpm gauge was still erratic and low. After some choice words about cars in general, I try to take it back to get another, no dice, so I put it back in, and voila, everything started working normal again. Finally, something goes right, but not so quick.

The car worked fine that evening, however, when I went to start my car this morning, darn thing wouldn't start! Had a friend come down and give me a jump, still wouldn't start. I checked to make sure all the plugs were in, go to start it again, this time it fired up. Once again, the engine light came on and stayed on. I check the code(s), this time I got a 2 for 1 special, TPS again, and code 42 -- Electronic Spark Timing Circuit. What ever that is. I get to work only 2.5 hours late. But I also noticed now that there is a bit of a spudder when I accelerate from a stopped position, but if I push softly, no spudder, and works fine at normal speeds. I'm on a car forum and someone mentioned he had pretty much the same issue, he replaced his magnetic pickup coil, and it fixed the issue. So I'm gonna go and pickup the part after work.

I just don't understand how these things come in waves, it drives me nuts!! Why can't they invent cars that fix themselves? Anyways, just needed to rant abit.

[bigfish1965]

I've had my engine light on for three weeks now, Ted. "an Evap code' is what the garage says, but they can't find anything wrong. They reset it and it stays off for three days then comes on again. I give up now and ain't paying another $45 to find out again.

I'm hoping for a bit of software that lets me plug my car into my laptop and get my own damm codes.

[Uncle Buck]

you're complaining about that?

 

look what i did to my rear differential a month ago

 

[SBCregal]

Rick, have you tried replacing your gas cap? if its no good it'll toss that code

[tonyb]

LOL! Goran!

[spanky]

I've been chasing that damned EVAP code around my car for 2yrs+ now... can't figure it out, replaced several lines and a gas cap (or was it 2), still throwing the code, just doesn't show up with a check engine light... $50 OBDII reader works as good as the $300. units the garages use, well except when it comes to the scanning/parameter parts lol

[Headhunter]

Hey Rick, a little black electrical tape on the lense of your dashboard should stop that light from bothering you!

HH

[Deano]

"magnetic pickup coil"

That would be my guess.

Had a similar issue about 10 yrs ago, and cost me about $1000 before the real (magnetic pickup coil) thing was fixed.

[Seaweed]

Hi Gang,

 

This is my first post to this great angling forum. Too bad it's about the joy of auto ownership.... but man can I relate to the pain in the butt these great rolling buckets of bolts can be at times.

 

I love my car don't get me wrong. The thing pulls my boat to the water that allows me to enjoy the serenity of being on the water doing what I cherish most in the world... fishing.

 

Last week was a bit much. I was heading home after a nice dinner out with the wife, you know that other person we live with who tolerates and even encourages me to fish, when the car just dies... not so much dead... just running like someone put water in the gas. As I suspected it was the gas pump. But we elect to let the Father-in-law take a look at it. He has saved me lots of money by tinkering with stuff I own so why not. My CAA gets it towed to his place. Next day he changes everything I didn't want to change, you see we were weeks from trading my car in, in fact we have the next vehicle picked out. But new plugs, wires, one ignition coil and a ton of trys and still the thing won't run right. So I get in to try... funny the battery is now dead. No problem out comes the battery from his riding mower... but the car still won't run. OK so now we decide to run it to a garage to have the fuel pump changed because the tank has to come out and we just don't have the capacity to do that properly. But CAA will only tow you once per problem. No problem we tie a rope to her and tug her ten miles away and phone on another membership and get her towed to the garage of choice... Gold Membership... ahhhh.

 

So during all this two days have transpired and the wife is running me to and from work... we are getting on each others nerves... I hate her County music she hates my Rock ... she is sticking me with the tab for the morning Timmies a bit too often. I miss my car..... Another two days go by and finally Friday afternoon we can go pick it up. Over five hundred dollars later... I am following the wife home.... she pulls up at a stop sign I push the pedal for my brake and .... Crap no brakes..... the pedal hits the floor almost... the front disks lock up... and I stop a half a car away from the wife.... the look of terror in her eyes was priceless. Ok now I'm a bit ticked.... but I just got the car back so I am taking it home. I check brake fluid it is empty. I buy a bottle and top it up ... but the brakes are still mushy. We make it home. Phone the Father-in-law.. he says can you see a leak... hmm didn't think to look... I get outside the wife watching and I hit the brake... yep big leak. Too late in the evening to do anything but the next morning the Father-in-law/mechanic shows up at 8 and swaps cars and heads to his brothers farm where there is a hoist. Long story short he gets it fixed. Turns out a clamp holding the brake line up had rusted out and worn a hole in the brake line.

 

Well I am ready to run this puppy in to a trade in value of whatever I can get for her. 96 Bonneville SSEi 230000K and I will miss her. Looking at a nice 2007 Chevy Trailblazer or Buick Rainer... rental returns with minimal mileage and being sold for more than ten grand off sales price. Bring it on!

 

Need new truck to tow my boat to more fishing opportunities so that I can share my results among the great folks of this site. Call me Seaweed.... and keep on fishing and sharing everyone.

 

I just wish I could make it all happen in time for the Lakair get-together. I hit the West-Arm every year... it is a great body of water.... that can sometimes be very gracious... and at other times be a real witch.

[Hooked]

I by no means am good on working on cars. But I bought the pickup coil, but wouldn't ya know it, I took out the distributor, made all the marking necessary, and I couldn't get that dang pin out to pull out the distributor shaft! Good thing is when I put everything back together, the car started. Though still having my rpm's wavering. Guess I gotta take a torch to the pin to get it out?

[OhioFisherman]

We had an !989 GMC Safari (astro) van, I took it to work one day and when I got off work it wouldn`t start. It would crank, was getting fuel but no ignition, I had it towed home( there is a reason for AAA, LOL). Pulled the distributor out, removed the cap, turned it upside down and insulation was falling out, bad pickup coil. After breaking the darn thing trying to get it apart I found out it was cheaper to buy a remanufactured one that came with a new pickup coil and ignition moduale than to buy the parts to repair the old one.

[yellowboat]

I had the engine light on my Jeep on for 2 years spent well over 1000 to get it fixed, and it keep coming on, I finally figured out what it was 2 months ago Shell gas from the station by work haven't been back since.