Parts and Autos

Q & A #60 With The Auto Specialist

Thanks for joining me for the latest installment of the Auto Specialist. Earlier today, I was reading about Toyota’s plans for their hydrogen-powered vehicles. They’ve been in the works for years, and are planned for release in 2015. Perhaps due to better technology, lower production costs, or a simple bid to earn goodwill, Toyota said they’re slashing the price by a stunning 90% (they’re dropping the planned price to $50,000). I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store.

Today, we’re going to help Joe with his question on the cost of valve jobs for his Infiniti. We’ll also take a look at Stephanie’s “check engine” light problem. We’ll end the round by helping Carlos figure out why his Accord is running rough.

Lots to cover, so let’s get started.

Question: I have a 1998 Infiniti I30 with the original engine. It has 150,000 miles on it. My mechanic said he wants to do a valve job on the engine because of a problem with the compression. The car runs okay, but it seems to miss or hesitate a lot. Anyway, my mechanic quoted me $700 for the job. That sounds expensive. Any idea if that’s accurate?

Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Joe. First, 150,000 miles and you’ve never had a problem with your engine? I’m impressed. Engines can last a long time, but yours seems to be a true workhorse. Regarding the price of a valve job, it’s very hard to say without seeing the valves, cylinder head, and other parts.

A simple job might cost as little as a few hundred dollars. On the other hand, structural damage becomes more expensive. If there are cracks, or the head needs to be straightened, or the springs, guides, and seats need to be replaced, you’re looking at over $1,000 – at least. You didn’t mention if your mechanic was going to refurbish all the valves or just a few. That will, of course, affect the price. Sorry that I’m unable to give you a straightforward answer.

Bottom line: $700 might be perfect or it might be way off. Impossible to tell.

Question: I’m driving a 2005 Mitsubishi Galant with 62,000 miles on it. A few weeks ago, the light that says “check engine” showed up on my dashboard. I don’t know much about cars. What does that light mean and should I take my car to a mechanic? Thanks.

Answer: Thanks for writing in, Stephanie. The “Check Engine” light basically means your car’s computer detected something wrong in the engine or related parts. When this occurs, the computer will usually generate and store a fault code. This code describes the problem, but you need a special tool in order to pull it off the computer. Your mechanic has such a tool.

There’s no way to tell what caused the light to come on until the fault code is pulled. Some problems are relatively harmless. Others are serious. Take your Galant to a mechanic and have him pull the code. If your vehicle is still under warranty, you may want to take it to the dealer.

Question: I own a 2001 Honda Accord with about 115,000 miles on the engine. It’s been riding really rough for the past few weeks. And it’s gotten worse. Occasionally, it will stall if I’m waiting at a stoplight. At first, I thought it was the spark plugs, so I replaced them. No luck. The car is still riding rough and stalling out every once in awhile. Could you give me some advice regarding what to check next?

Answer: Thanks for your question, Carlos. Engines are tricky because problems can be caused by so many different things. That being said, I’d be willing to wager the stalling and rough idle is due to a bad fuel pump. I have a feeling that if you replace the pump (be sure to use an OEM-quality replacement), your rough idle will disappear.

That’s it for today’s installment. I’d like to thank Joe, Stephanie, and Carlos for letting us help them out with their questions. Next time, we’ll have a new round of three automotive problems to address. Until then, drive safely.

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Welcome back to the Auto Specialist. If you’re reading this column for the first time, I invite you to peruse the archives. We’ve managed to create an impressive compendium of automotive knowledge dealing with engines, transmissions, mufflers, alternators, and nearly every other car part or system. This is all based on helping readers troubleshoot and resolve their car problems. If you’re experiencing an issue with your vehicle and are getting the runaround from your dealership or mechanic, send in the details and I’ll try to help.

In today’s segment, we’re going to help Kyle figure out why his Galant seems to be losing power. We’re also going to address Linday’s question about a leak in her transmission. Lastly, we’ll take a look at Michael’s idea of dropping a new, bigger engine into his wife’s Durango. There’s lots to cover, so let’s jump right in.

Question: I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant. It has just under 125,000 miles on it and has always driven really well. Back in January, I was having trouble getting it started. It turns out, the fuel pump was bad. The engine wasn’t getting any gas. So, I replaced the pump with a used one and everything was working fine again.

Two weeks ago, I started having trouble accelerating on the freeway. The car felt sluggish whenever I hit the gas. The problem has gotten steadily worse and now, it’s even sluggish on surface streets. My mechanic thinks the oxygen sensor may have gone bad, but I’m not convinced since I replaced that about eighteen months ago. Any idea why I’m having trouble getting power?

Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Kyle. To recap, here’s what we know: your fuel pump went bad and you replaced it, which resolved the original lack of acceleration problem. Now, the problem is back and it’s not due to the oxygen sensor (I’m speculating here based on your assumption). If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the used fuel pump. If it’s used, it’s unlikely to be OEM-certified. My suggestion is to have it replaced again, but use an OEM unit this time.

Question: I’m driving a 2002 Toyota 4Runner with 122,000 miles on it. I was looking through your archives and awhile back you mentioned checking under the transmission for leaks. So, that’s what I did with my 4Runner. The bad news is, I can see reddish fluid on the ground, so I’m going to assume there’s a small leak. I’ve put more fluid in the reservoir like you suggested to avoid running low. I wanted to ask you, how expensive is it to fix transmission leaks?

Answer: Thanks for writing in, Lindsay. The cost to fix a leak in your transmission depends on where the leak is located. If it’s coming from one of the outside seals, your mechanic should be able to fix it without lifting the tranny from your truck. If the leak is coming from the front seal, however, the transmission will need to be lifted out. That makes the job far more expensive. I can’t give you a cost estimate since this particular job can range over a wide span.

Question: My wife owns a 1999 Dodge Durango with nearly 150,000 on the engine. For some reason, she loves the thing and doesn’t want to get rid of it, even though it has a lot of miles on the engine. I suggested having the engine replaced, which she was open to doing. But she wants a V8 put in. There’s only a V6 in there right now. How would I go about doing this?

Answer: Thanks for your question, Michael. First, I recommend against the V8. Replacing a V6 with a V8 is a major job. It’s very complex and something that even a trained technician can easily get wrong. What’s more, even if you get the bigger engine in, it may not pass your state’s smog test. There are a lot of modifications to make. Missing one could cause major issues. I’d revisit this with your wife and suggest sticking with a replacement V6.

That’s it for this installment of the Auto Specialist. I’d like to thank Kyle, Lindsay, and Michael again for sending their questions in and letting us help out. Be sure to come back next time when we have a new batch of interesting automotive problems to go through. Until then, drive safely.

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Q & A #58 With The Auto Specialist

Thanks for joining me for the latest installment of the Auto Specialist. From looking at our numbers, this column is receiving a healthy stream of new readers. For those of you who have recently started reading this regular feature, I’d like to encourage you to explore our archives when you get a chance. I’ve been diagnosing car problems for readers for the past several months. During that time, we’ve amassed an impressive library of automotive knowledge.

Today, we’re going to answer Gerri’s question about oxygen sensors and spark plugs. We’ll also help Tom with his Infiniti’s fuel injectors. Lastly, we’ll take a look at whether replacing the water pump in Jack’s Dodge Ram is necessary.

Let’s get started.

Question: My car is a 2001 Toyota Camry with almost 117,000 miles. I took it in for a basic oil change last week. The mechanic said my spark plugs were fouled and needed to be replaced. He also said I should have the oxygen sensor replaced since that was fouling up the plugs. Honestly, I don’t know much about cars. Does his advice sound right to you. Or, is he just trying to get me to agree to more repairs? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Gerri. Regarding whether your oxygen sensor can foul your spark plugs, yes. It can. The sensor’s job is to monitor the exhaust coming out of the combustion chambers. It sends that data back to the computer, so the computer can adjust the amount of fuel that enters the chambers. If the oxygen sensor fails, or sends bad data to the computer, it can set the stage for a rich air-fuel mixture. Over time, the rich mixture can produce deposits on the spark plugs. These deposits can foul the plugs.

Whether the oxygen sensor is actually fouling your plugs is the question. Fouled plugs can occur for many reasons. I recommend have a couple of mechanics run a diagnostic test to see whether the sensor is working properly.

Question: I’m driving a 2003 Infiniti G35 with 86,400 miles on it. I had some routine maintenance done a few days ago at the dealership. The technician on duty told me that my fuel injectors were clogged and needed to be replaced. This news isn’t surprising to me because I’ve been noticing a sporadic loss in power during acceleration. Even so, I wanted to ask you whether this sounds legitimate and whether I should run a cleaner through the injectors.

Answer: Thanks for your question, Tom. With the mileage on your vehicle, clogged fuel injectors are common. So, no surprise there. If you’re not already doing so, I suggest using a good-quality gas and swapping out the fuel filter every 30,000 miles. Brand name fuels already have cleaners in them, so there’s no need for an additional cleaner. If your injectors are already clogged, you’ll need to replace them.

Question: I have a 2004 Dodge Ram with the mileage at 73,000. My mechanic wants to change the timing belt in my truck and suggested that I replace the water pump, too. At the moment, the water pump is fine (though the timing belt is on its last legs). Given that, why is there a need to replace it? It seems like a waste of money to me.

Answer: Thanks for writing in, Jack. You’re mechanic is actually doing you a favor. In a lot of vehicles, the water pump is nearly impossible to reach without first removing the timing belt. If you were to have your mechanic replace the belt, but not the pump, he would need to remove the belt later when the pump eventually fails. In the long run, it’s less expensive to simply replace both at the same time, even if the water pump is still working fine.

That’s it for today’s installment. I’d like to say thanks again to Gerri, Tom, and Jack for letting us help with their car problems. We’ll have another batch of questions ready in the near future. Until then, drive safely.

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