Q: When we brake in our 200 minivan we hear a loud hum, sort of hump-whale-like. At that time it appears that the braking takes a bit more time. Also from the rear transaxle there is a sound like a dog is barking under the car when braking. We have taken it to Midas and the dealer 3 times. They all say the pads/shoes are fine. Today the dealer said that the noise is only a benign noise, normal car sound. The sound appeared at 25,000 miles. Any ideas?
A: Sounds to me like the rear brake shoes are chattering. Not normal and machining the rear drums may correct it. Ed
Q: After driving my wife's minivan there is a noticeable "paraffin" smell that seems to come from it. It does not smell like rotten eggs so I'm guessing it's not the Catalytic converter.
A: If this is the V-6 engine, check the rear valve cover gasket for oil leaking slightly down onto the exhaust manifold.... Ed
Windows / Glass Other Happens sometimes Not applicable
Q: Front wipers will start for no reason once in a while, sometime for one stroke, sometime I have to turn the switch on and off to make them stop. Friend of mine have same problem, dealers have no idea...
A: Have your garage check for a bad ground behind the dash to the left of the steering column.
Q: My voyager has started running with fast idle all the time. The engine seems to run well at speed but will do about 35 mph with no gas applied. I checked and get a 55 code and have no check engine light. The mileage is down about 2 mile/gal.
A: Check your accelerator cable to see if it is binding on a part near your throttle chamber(to the center of the valve cover)
Next ,does your Voyager have cruise contol?
If so,look for your cruise control diaphram,it may be stuck in position.It's easy to find.It will have a bicycle brake looking cable going into it.The diaphram should be on the passenger side under the hood.
If all else fails ,please feel free to e-mail me at gator_wrench@yahoo.com.
Good luck!
Jason
Q: my check engine light is on and i get codes 21 and 52 and i dont know what that is
A: A 21 is oxygen sensor circuit,a 52 is sensor indicating rich,culd be a lot of things ,if you are fixing it yourself you need to get a flow chart which tells you the order in which things are checked,thats the only way to narrow it down.
Q: My 1994 Plymouth Voyager starting getting hard to shift (into reverse) about two+ years ago. This happened in September/October of 1997. It was out of warranty and I took it to a local repairman who had a good reputation. He said that reverse was not usually the problem. He changed the fluid and filter and said he found metal shavings. The problem seemed solved. We had no trouble until one year later. It began to have the same type problem only not as extreme. I took it to the same man. He looked over it and said to drive it, all he could do was rebuild it. A called him back and he said he would get with me to schedule a time, but to not worry about driving it. The problem disappeared for about 8 months. In September it reoccurred. hanic
A: Sounds a lot like you got to hang onto that money for an extra 2+ years. Might be time to rebuild it. Ed
Fuel System Won't Start Not applicable Not applicable
Q: My friend ran off the road over the medium and cut up the electrical under the car. They crawled underneath and fixed the electrial, but when they try to start it nothing happens. Somebody told them about a fuel reset switch or something like. I need to know where it is located.
Q: vehicle did not start, was jumped started. Made it home. Next moring did not start - no pump noise when key is turned on.
Is it a fuel pump relay or fuel pump?
A: More than likely your fuel pump is bad. On this particular vehicle, the fuel pump is located in the tank, and therefore the tank must be removed to replace it.
Drive Train / Driveline Malfunction When driving When warm
Q: The transmission slipps or is hard to go into gear at times it rolls back while in drive and is leaking where the axel inters the transmission on the drivers side.can it be repaired or will it have to be replaced?
A: Drive it to your dealer or mechanics, soon. Because it's a defect of this car(I have one).
It is more expensive repaired than buy one new, well, buy one new and yo hae a new trassmission with warraty and 5 or 10 years more of live ;-)
Electrical / Lighting Systems Malfunction When driving When warm
Q: Needs alternator but need to know which alternator for the vehicle. Has a 3 liter motor with air conditioning and power mirrors.
A: Remove alt and take in to parts shop or you can look on the back for a series of # that will tell you the amps,its hard to read unless its off the vechile.
Q: I ran out of gas and when I put gas back in the tank it would not start and thefuel pump only activates for about 2 - 3 seconds before it shuts off
A: try your fuel filter, usually when you run out of gas, you get all the dirt and crap that settled to the bottom of the tank, up your fuel lines. try that
Drive Train / Driveline Malfunction When driving When warm
Q: When first starting to drive,the tranny downshifts so violently, that it causes the tires to chirp. As the vehicle warms,it downshifts ok for about six or seven stops. After that,it downshifts late,and very rough, AFTER stopping completely.Do you have any suggestions? Some times it won't downshift into low after it's really warm, but it only downshifts into second, then it won't upshift out of second.I have to turn the ignition off then back on to make it shift. Is there a kickdown switch or solenoid that might be bad? If so where would I get one? Thanks for any help.
A: Try unplugging any electrical plugs one at a time to seek improvement but my suspicions are a new or used transmission is in order.... Click the blue buttons on http://all-parts.com ... Ed
Q: It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to start car when its cold. Its like it is not getting the right fuel mixture.
A: That would be correct......... check the engine coolant temperature sensor as this sensor lets the computer know to meter more fuel when cold, etc...... Ed
Q: hesitates when accelerating from stop. Serges at highway speed. Checked all vacuum lines new plugs rotor cap pcv wires air filter fuel filter. Set timing.checked egr. any ideas? Carb has no adjustment. factory set and sealed.Lots of compression. I give up. HELP
Electrical / Lighting Systems Other Not applicable Not applicable
Q: Headlights won't work
A: HAVE YOU CHECKED BOTH FUSE PANELS ONE INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND ONE UNDER THE HOOD CHECK THEM IF NOT TAKE VEHICLE TO A REPUTIBLE REPAIR SHOP FOR AN ELECTRICAL DIAGNOSTIC (APROX$35-75)
This way to the live technicians