The "Ask a Mechanic" Thread (merged)

[Capt. Kaos]

Here we go again...

2004 Chevy Impala, overheating at idle and temp dropping when moving. Apparently it happened twice. The first time the coolant level was low (empty), the second time was after she filled the coolant 3/4 of the way full.

BTW: For Sale: 2004 Chevy Impala

[twa]

Chaos, check and see if the electric fan on the radiator is working
and for a leak if it is not boiling over

[Capt. Kaos]

Chaos, check and see if the electric fan on the radiator is working
and for a leak if it is not boiling over

ok, ssems that the mechanic that just did the brakes and installed the horn told my wife that there is a small coolant leak, somewhere.

[HOF44]

Just to be sure, check your oil. make sure the level did not go up, and there is no coolant in the oil.

[OU_skins]

I drive a 2004 Acura TL. Just curious what would happen if I stopped using premium gas?? I don't drive a lot so gas prices don't affect me all that much. I'm just curious what kind of impact switching would have on the car.

[twa]

generally just a bit more sluggish and some pinging under a load imo

from my experience there are a lot of horror stories on burning up the valves with little fact behind it.
If you drive it hard ,high octane is the way to go.....unless ya drive quite a bit it ain't much savings though.

[SpringfieldSkins]

I drive a 2004 Acura TL. Just curious what would happen if I stopped using premium gas?? I don't drive a lot so gas prices don't affect me all that much. I'm just curious what kind of impact switching would have on the car.

A little science lesson on gasoline:

All American gas is rated on an Octane rating. Most gas stations will serve three varieties. There is 87 Octane, 89 Octane and either 91 or 93 Octane. The Octane rating is a rating against spark knock, basically indicating the stability of the gasoline. The higher the number the more stable the gasoline is. Gasoline stability or Octane rating means a lot in high performance engines. High performance engine will have a high compression ratio (meaning the piston tries to squeeze as much air into the cylinder as possible) or will be turbocharged or supercharged. Engines that try to get more air into the cylinder will create much higher temperatures as a natural law of physics. Therefore, gasoline with a lower Octane rating will be more likely to pre-ignition (preignition) which is known as knock or ping. Modern engines have the capability to detect this knock/ping and adjust the ignition timing to compensate. The ignition (spark plug firing) occurs later in the ignition cycle (retarded timing) meaning lower power output.


Simple answer... cars that are designed for Premium should use Premium. Using Regular won't hurt too much and the performance different probably won't be that noticeable. My car requires Premium so that's all that I ever use.

[Drew_Fl]

Can someone tell me if I got royally screwed or not?

I used to have a V6 Audi, so the service prices I was used to were astronomical. Anyways, I have a 2004 Civic now. This is what I got done at the Honda dealer (i had a seatbelt warranty issue so i went there):

-Timing Belt, water pump, etc...
- Tire rotation
-Patch one tire that has been a very annoying slow leak
- Replace both "Compliance Arm Bushings" - apparently these were not even there anymore and made my car fail state inspection
- State inspection (30$)
- Alignment

The total cost was $1184. I can post a detailed breakdown of parts and labor if anyone wants it.

I remember my timing belt job alone on my Audi was $1200 from a trusted mechanic and the dealer wanted $2300 for it, so coming from those prices this seems reasonable.

Also, what do "Compliance Arm Bushings" actually do? They seem to be a common Honda replacement headache. I could've shopped around I guess but I've been sick and had other life stresses going on right now so and I felt comfortable going to the dealership since I don't know a Honda mechanic personally.

[SpringfieldSkins]

Can someone tell me if I got royally screwed or not?

I used to have a V6 Audi, so the service prices I was used to were astronomical. Anyways, I have a 2004 Civic now. This is what I got done at the Honda dealer (i had a seatbelt warranty issue so i went there):

-Timing Belt, water pump, etc...
- Tire rotation
-Patch one tire that has been a very annoying slow leak
- Replace both "Compliance Arm Bushings" - apparently these were not even there anymore and made my car fail state inspection
- State inspection (30$)
- Alignment

The total cost was $1184. I can post a detailed breakdown of parts and labor if anyone wants it.

I remember my timing belt job alone on my Audi was $1200 from a trusted mechanic and the dealer wanted $2300 for it, so coming from those prices this seems reasonable.

Also, what do "Compliance Arm Bushings" actually do? They seem to be a common Honda replacement headache. I could've shopped around I guess but I've been sick and had other life stresses going on right now so and I felt comfortable going to the dealership since I don't know a Honda mechanic personally.

I had something of a long explanation for you but when I hit "submit reply" it erased everything that I wrote.


As far as the prices go, it's hard to judge because prices will vary greatly depending on location. More affluent areas have higher labor prices, while more rural areas are lower. Our labor rate here is $99.32 per hour, I've seen labor rates as high as $150 per hour in this area. I've seen rural areas with labor rates as low as $40 per hour. When you get into big jobs that require 5 to 6 hours or more of labor, that can make a huge impact on the final price.

From where I stand, you got a good price. It would easily be close to double the cost here in Northern VA (if not more).


As far as "compliance arm bushings", I"m pretty sure that you mean control arm bushings. Control arms are a part of the suspension and provide an up/down movement of the independent suspension. There are bushings that connect the control arms and as anything else that's made of rubber, it will be come dry rotted. Eventually those bushings will completely wear away and the control arms will have play (the ability to shift that particular part of the suspension without it effecting the rest of the suspension) and can make noise. Yes, worn out control arm bushings are a safety issue.

[Drew_Fl]

I had something of a long explanation for you but when I hit "submit reply" it erased everything that I wrote.


As far as the prices go, it's hard to judge because prices will vary greatly depending on location. More affluent areas have higher labor prices, while more rural areas are lower. Our labor rate here is $99.32 per hour, I've seen labor rates as high as $150 per hour in this area. I've seen rural areas with labor rates as low as $40 per hour. When you get into big jobs that require 5 to 6 hours or more of labor, that can make a huge impact on the final price.

From where I stand, you got a good price. It would easily be close to double the cost here in Northern VA (if not more).


As far as "compliance arm bushings", I"m pretty sure that you mean control arm bushings. Control arms are a part of the suspension and provide an up/down movement of the independent suspension. There are bushings that connect the control arms and as anything else that's made of rubber, it will be come dry rotted. Eventually those bushings will completely wear away and the control arms will have play (the ability to shift that particular part of the suspension without it effecting the rest of the suspension) and can make noise. Yes, worn out control arm bushings are a safety issue.

Ok good deal. Thanks for the info and taking the time to reply.

[Special K]

Well ****. Can a mechanic please tell me the signs of a clutch wearing out?

I just got my car fixed last week. It had a new radiator installed, and some oil pressure plug thing that keeps the oil from leaking (I was leaking oil and antifreeze. He also fixed one of the cigarette lighter thingies.

Anyway, $488 dollars later, the car was fixed. For about 2 days. I was able to put about 100 miles on it with it just being fine. Now today I go to tennis, and I press my clutch down and there is this God awful screeching sound, and the screeching sound continues when I shift gears. Does this sound like a clutch to you? It sure as **** does to me. And I'm pissed this is happening 2 ****ing days after paying nearly $500 for the radiator and other crap. The guy's actually a good mechanic who I trust, I'm just a pissed off person at the moment because my car is a major part of my job (I drive around the state for inspections).

Next question: I have a 1995 V8 5.0L engine Mustang. The engine is fine, but it looks like the clutch has hit the ****s. How the hell much am I going to have to throw down for a new damn clutch?

I apologize for cussing in this thread, but I'm really pissed off.

[twa]

sounds like the throwout bearing(which compresses the clutch)

clutch wearing out usually slips or stutters...but since you have to pull the tranny to do the bearing a clutch might be in your future

[Special K]

sounds like the throwout bearing(which compresses the clutch)

clutch wearing out usually slips or stutters...but since you have to pull the tranny to do the bearing a clutch might be in your future

He did mention something about the bearing when I got the car back from him....

How expensive is the bearing usually? And how long does it take to fix...like, am I going to need to rent a car for like a month while this bullcrap gets fixed?

Also, if the bearing needs to be replaced...doesn't that mean the entire clutch needs to be replaced?

[twa]

Price guess 300 just to replace bearing,might as well do the clutch and pressure plate for a total of about 550?

bearing is probably 25 bucks,pulling the tranny is a bit more...unless hubby wants to do it

time is a few hrs i ya don't goof off

[Special K]

Price guess 300 just to replace bearing,might as well do the clutch and pressure plate for a total of about 550?

bearing is probably 25 bucks,pulling the tranny is a bit more...unless hubby wants to do it

time is a few hrs i ya don't goof off

Okay, that sounds reasonable to me. Fortunately I trust this guy a lot, he's helped me out with stuff he doesn't even charge me for...I think I'm like his prodigal daughter or something, he so nice to me. He's always helping me when I have a meltdown and am crying.

This is also the pricing my dad estimated for me too, maybe a little bit more, but we'll see. I'm okay with that. My husband was saying like $3000. I immediately took had a meltdown and took a xanax, lol. It would probably be $3000 at the Ford Stealership, but this guy I actually trust a lot. He's a good guy. It'll be expensive, but as long as it's not 3 grand, well, I won't need any more xanax