Q & A #69 With The Auto Specialist
Q & A #69 With The Auto Specialist
Welcome back to the Auto Specialist. Before we get started with today’s questions, a quick update on auto sales. At the time of writing, the Big Three automakers are expected to report strong year-over-year earnings for September 2010. General Motors has already released preliminary numbers showing a 10.5% surge in sales over September 2009. Much of this rise is believed to be due to the Cash For Clunkers deal having ended last September. Sales had cratered soon after.
Even given the end of the Cash For Clunkers deal, there seems to be a surge of interest for specific GMC models. For example, the GMC Terrain crossover posted a 258% increase over September 2009 sales. The Acadia posted a 62% increase. Those who counted the domestic automakers out of the game seem to have been mistaken.
Onward to readers’ questions. In today’s installment, we’ll help Tyler determine whether his Endeavor’s shock absorbers are failing. We’ll also help Mabel figure out why the engine in her Lincoln Continental is misfiring. And we’ll help Brad identify the problem that caused his Taurus to die on the freeway. There’s a lot on today’s agenda, so let’s get started.
Question: I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Endeavor with almost 100,000 miles. I was driving out to the beach over the weekend, and heard a loud “crack” when I made a left turn. I didn’t feel anything, but it sounded like a stone had smacked into something under the hood near the right front wheel. After that incident, I’ve noticed that corner of my vehicle keeps moving up and down whenever I drive over a steep bump. It hasn’t effected my ability to steer, but I think something is wrong. Is it my shocks?
Answer: Thanks for writing in, Tyler. From what you have described, it does sound as if the shocks are damaged or have started to fail. It’s also possible the mounts have become damaged, and are no longer securely fastened to the frame. If you’re familiar with the parts of your suspension system, you should be able to identify signs of damage to the shocks and mounts. Otherwise, have a mechanic inspect them.
Question: I own a 1998 Lincoln Continental with about 144,000 on the odometer. For the past few months, my car has been misfiring. It usually happens when I start it on a cold day. After I’ve driven it for awhile, it seems to warm up. The misfires become less frequent (though they still happen). My husband says it’s because the car is old, and I should buy a new one. Is there another reason a misfire like this can happen?
Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Mabel. Your vehicle is actually not that old. The engine has a lot of miles on it, but I’ve worked on engines with twice as many miles. Now, about the misfire. There could be a lot of things causing it. Because your car seems to run fine after the engine is warm, I’ll assume the spark plugs are not the issue. I would start by having a compression check performed on each cylinder. If there are no leaks, have your mechanic test the fuel pump.
Question: I’m driving a 2000 Ford Taurus with 118,000 miles on it. Here’s what happened. Last week, I was driving across state to visit a friend. I was on the freeway, and my car suddenly died. I had it towed to a local garage, and asked the guys working there to check it out. They couldn’t find the problem, though they didn’t seem very experienced. Any idea would might cause my car to die on me like this?
Answer: Thanks for your question, Brad. It’s hard to say without looking under the hood. What you’ve described could be caused by a few things. My first thought is that the problem is in the fuel line. Something is preventing gas from reaching your engine. It’s probably not the injectors since they rarely fail as a group. The fuel filter seldom causes this kind of problem so abruptly. That leaves the fuel pump. My guess is that it failed.
That’s it for this installment of the Auto Specialist. I’d like to thank Tyler, Mabel, and Brad for giving us an opportunity to help with their car problems. Join me next time when I’ll have a new batch of questions. Until then, drive safely.
