Q & A #43 With The Auto Specialist
Q & A #43 With The Auto Specialist
Welcome back to the Auto Specialist. We have a new round of car problems that I’ll help diagnose for readers. However, before we get started, I’d like to mention something. Last week, I was speaking to a family friend about his car. He had mentioned that his water pump had failed and he had gotten a bargain by buying a replacement from a salvage yard.
I’ll tell you the same thing I told him: buying replacement car parts from a salvage yard is a bad idea. There’s no way you can tell whether defects are present. You may save a few dollars, but pinching your pennies could lead to more expensive problems later. If your budget can handle it, I always recommend OEM replacements. That way, you know exactly what you’re buying.
In today’s installment, we’ll help Louise figure out what her mechanic is saying about her car’s brakes. We’ll also answer Tom’s question about his Taurus’s fuel injectors. Let’s jump in.
Question: I have a 2000 Nissan Maxima with 150,000 miles. This past July, I had the mechanic at a local repair garage replace all four of my brake pads (they were having a special). The problem is, even since I got my car back, there has been a pulsing feeling whenever I apply the brakes. It almost feels as if something is warped. I went back to the repair garage and they told me that I needed to have the pads replaced. I mentioned the new pads from July and the mechanics changed their tune. Now, they claim they don’t have a clue about the problem.
Yesterday, I took my car to the dealership. The technician said my rotors have been thinned out too far. What does that mean? And what should I do?
Answer: Thanks for writing, Louise. While replacing the brake pads, the mechanic at the repair garage probably thinned the rotors to eliminate some of the imperfections. Each rotor can only be thinned so far before problems form (the minimal thinness is stamped on the rotor). I’m guessing that he thinned them too far. The bad news is that they’ll need to be replaced.
Question: I bought a 2002 Ford Taurus a couple of years ago. It has 86,200 miles on it. Awhile back, the fuel injectors became clogged, so I had them replaced. Recently, I’ve been having other troubles with my car, so I took it back the dealership. The mechanic mentioned that my first two injectors were clogged again. This is frustrating because replacing them is expensive. I have always used good gas and I’m trying to figure out why this is happening. What do you think is causing the problem?
Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Tom. Given that you’re using high-quality gasoline, I’d be willing to bet the culprit is your fuel filter. It’s probably letting particles get past that are building up in your injectors and causing the blockage. I’d ask the mechanic to swap out the filter. That should help prevent further clogging.
That’s it for today’s installment. Thanks again to Louise and Tom for sharing their car questions with us. Next time, we’ll help a reader named Jackie with her car’s water pump. I’ll also cover your engine’s 4-stroke combustion process. Until then, drive safely.
