The "Ask a Mechanic" Thread (merged)

[Chicken Fried]

I was about to drive down rough terrain and decided to test my 4 wheel drive (1998 Toyota 4Runner). When I shifted, there was a screech and click. Long story short, I never could get it to work and now the shifter is stuck in regular high position. What can I do? Also, does it matter if you have it in park as opposed to neutral when you make the shift?

[FunBunch7]

Hey fellow ESers,

I know nothing about cars. A few months back I did a slide out on a slick road and did a 180 into a dirt ditch in my PT Cruiser. I was able to get out of the ditchby going back and forth a bit and my tires were spinning in the process.

Since then my left front tire squeaks when I turn going slow or fast. The car runs fine but this squeak can't be a good thing.

Is it just that I need to grease it up? Should i take it into the shop? I don't want to get ripped off. Is this common if you get stuck in dirt/mud? How much should I expect to pay at mechanic?

Any help is appreciated.
.
PS. I'm in the Colorado Springs area

[twa]

Funbunch having it checked would be a good idea, could just be a bent shield on the brake rotor(which will be more of a squeal/scraping sound)...or of course ya could have damaged the bearing assembly.


Mick...Yes ,usually at least a couple MPG

[SpringfieldSkins]

Sorry for taking so long to answer all of these.

Could a completely seized wheel bearing blow out the differential in a FWD Automatic Transmission? I grenaded the differential on my transmission about 4 months ago and we rebuilt the transmission but are unable to test it yet. Reverse is fine, the car moves forward on it's own when put in drive but doesn't want to move pressing the gas. It almost feels like the emergency brake is on and it's making scratching noises. The car does go forward but if this is the reason the first transmission blew, we don't want to test until new wheel bearings get here. The seals on both of them are completely gone and even with the axels pulled you cannot turn the tires by hand. Thank You.

Short answer... most likely not.

I have never, ever seen a wheel bearing cause a vehicle to not move at all, especially in just one direction.

My first thought is that there is still something wrong inside the transmission. I'm not a transmission expert though, transmissions are a very specific field and there is a lot to it. Given your symptom, I'd bet what ever is happening is happening inside the transmission.

Does running the AC in a car use more gas ?

Yes. When the AC compressor comes on (which is driven by the belt) it creates more load on the engine. This means that the engine needs to work harder in order to attain the same speeds. Therefore, the laws of physics would determine that you'll use more gas with the AC on. You also won't have as great engine performance either.

I was about to drive down rough terrain and decided to test my 4 wheel drive (1998 Toyota 4Runner). When I shifted, there was a screech and click. Long story short, I never could get it to work and now the shifter is stuck in regular high position. What can I do? Also, does it matter if you have it in park as opposed to neutral when you make the shift?

To me, it sounds like something in the linkage got stuck when you shifted it into 4WD. I'm guessing that you normally don't use 4WD too much. Over time, the cable/linkage to the transfer case (the part that actually sends power to the front wheels) could have seized up.

To your second question, it shouldn't matter as long as you are in park/neutral and the vehicle is completely stopped.

Hey fellow ESers,

I know nothing about cars. A few months back I did a slide out on a slick road and did a 180 into a dirt ditch in my PT Cruiser. I was able to get out of the ditchby going back and forth a bit and my tires were spinning in the process.

Since then my left front tire squeaks when I turn going slow or fast. The car runs fine but this squeak can't be a good thing.

Is it just that I need to grease it up? Should i take it into the shop? I don't want to get ripped off. Is this common if you get stuck in dirt/mud? How much should I expect to pay at mechanic?

Any help is appreciated.
.
PS. I'm in the Colorado Springs area

I'd take it in and have it checked out. It could be anything from a bent brake rotor shield to a bad bearing to a bent control arm (or other suspension part). It's likely that it isn't going to be as simple as "greasing it up".

As far as how much you should expect to pay. It's hard to say on that one. Labor rates, taxes and other variables exist throughout the country. What would cost you $500 here may only cost you $200 in Colorado Spring or vice versa.

Auto repair pricing is a very local thing.

[FunBunch7]

Thanks guys. I'll get it checked out this week. At least I'll have some "terms" to throw at them so maybe they think I have a clue.

[Veretax]

Well after my car stalled on me a few times in traffic, the check Eng lite finally came on so I took it down to advance to read the computer. Computer points to the Crankshaft Position Sensor (or is that ignition sensor?) Amazing the Advance guy guessed it was that a few days ago, but we had no way to prove it.

So I'm looking around the engine (3.8L 3800) for my Chevy Impala (2000) and I can't for the life of me figure out where it is based on the picture they showed me at the parts store.

Does anyone have any idea whether this is a bottom/top side part or how to locate it?

[Buckets24]

Veretax, I had the same issue with My Monte Carlo 3.8 l 3800. It would hesitate and sometimes stall in the middle of traffic going 50mph +. I did the same thing got the error code and replaced the CPS, but still had the issue. Long story short, replaced MAF (mass airflow sensor) never had the problem again. I would look for one at the junkyard first (pretty common engine) before buying new.

[Veretax]

Veretax, I had the same issue with My Monte Carlo 3.8 l 3800. It would hesitate and sometimes stall in the middle of traffic going 50mph +. I did the same thing got the error code and replaced the CPS, but still had the issue. Long story short, replaced MAF (mass airflow sensor) never had the problem again. I would look for one at the junkyard first (pretty common engine) before buying new.

Mass airflow sensor? No clue where that would be either. What I'm trying to diagnose is whether this is something me and a buddy can do in a couple of hours one weekend. Or am I going to have to take it to a garage because of where the CPS is located.

That and I think its time to change plugs too.

[SpringfieldSkins]

Well after my car stalled on me a few times in traffic, the check Eng lite finally came on so I took it down to advance to read the computer. Computer points to the Crankshaft Position Sensor (or is that ignition sensor?) Amazing the Advance guy guessed it was that a few days ago, but we had no way to prove it.

So I'm looking around the engine (3.8L 3800) for my Chevy Impala (2000) and I can't for the life of me figure out where it is based on the picture they showed me at the parts store.

Does anyone have any idea whether this is a bottom/top side part or how to locate it?

On that engine, I believe that the crankshaft position sensor is located down on the bottom near the crank pulley (aka: harmonic balancer). It's probably not too hard to replace but it may need to be lifted into the air in order to access it.

Generally, the crankshaft position sensor gets its reference off of the crank pulley. Therefore, it would make sense for the crankshaft position sensor to be located directly adjacent to the crank pulley.


The mass air flow (MAF) sensor is located in the intake boot that goes to the throttle body. The top of it should appear like a box and have a wiring harness connected to it.

If you have a crank position sensor code, it's highly unlikely that the MAF sensor is causing it. Figured I'd give you that bit of input.

[Veretax]

On that engine, I believe that the crankshaft position sensor is located down on the bottom near the crank pulley (aka: harmonic balancer). It's probably not too hard to replace but it may need to be lifted into the air in order to access it.

Generally, the crankshaft position sensor gets its reference off of the crank pulley. Therefore, it would make sense for the crankshaft position sensor to be located directly adjacent to the crank pulley.

Yeah the 3.8 L sits sideways with the belts on the passenger side. Something tells me your right about ti being near the bottom, which means I'll probably have to take it to a mechanic as a lift is just not an option on my hillside street lol.

[SpringfieldSkins]

Yeah the 3.8 L sits sideways with the belts on the passenger side. Something tells me your right about ti being near the bottom, which means I'll probably have to take it to a mechanic as a lift is just not an option on my hillside street lol.

You can probably do it without a lift if you have jack stands and don't mind working upside down. Having a lift to raise the car in the air makes things a whole lot easier.

[Buckets24]

Not saying that the MAF is causing the engine code. I relayed what I did with a similiar issue. J/S

[Mickalino]

Hey guys,
My car has been burning about a quart of oil a month. Recently I forgot to check it. I think it went a few days by being quite low.
Yesterday, as I was driving, suddenly the Engine light came on. My immediate thought was I hadn't checked my oil level in a while.
So I pull over, and sure enough, it's between 1.5 and 2 quarts low. I add sufficient oil and get back on the road.
However the Engine light remains on, ever since yesterday. There are no other symptoms - it performs fine, and doesn't make any noises.
But I'm concerned that I might have done damage to the engine by driving on low oil for a while. If I did, could that be a likely cause for the Engine light ? Or would engine damage from low oil not result in the light going on, and perhaps it's most likely something much minor causing the light to stay on ?

[twa]

The check engine light is usually just from the emission sensor

You certainly could have damaged it,but apparently it already had damage/wear

are you using multi weight oil?...if so go to a standard weight 30 or even better 40 if ya are not in the frozen north.

[Mickalino]

I typically use 10W-40 in the summer and 10W-30 in the winter. Should I be using something different ?