Car won't start...any car know it alls around?

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by WDWFREAK53
Mom,

My car is a volkswagon beetle...and I have a few problems with it.

The doors open automatically sometimes, it can skip across water, it spits out oil (on it's own), the trunk eats people, it gets drunk off of irish coffee, and it's afraid of the highway...and it actually tried to commit suicide by "jumping" off of a bridge...

got any answers for me???

Here's a pic...

 

[The Mom]

Originally posted by Tramp


I hear a thump everytime I make a left turn....

...think you can help me, Mrs. Goodwrench?



:lol:
:lol:
:lol:

Is there a retirement home in your neighborhood? Are they missing any residents? How about any missing pets? :lol:

 

[Tramp]

Originally posted by The Mom


Is there a retirement home in your neighborhood? Are they missing any residents?

LMAO....reminds me of the National Lampoon Vacation movie when they tied the dog to the bumper and then drove away...:lol:


oops!

 

[The Mom]

Originally posted by The Mom


Hmmm...What color is it? :lol:

Nope wrong color...I can't help. Now if it were a green one, that would be different. They have to be in pairs...they get very depressed otherwise.

 

[Lance]

Originally posted by DisJosh
It's fine now. It seems that the battery connections were just loose.

Did you just screw around with the terminals yourself.....or did a mechanic tell you that was the problem???

Cause if you just unhooked the cables, cleaned them and what not, I suggest to take it to Sears anyway, cause it still could be the battery or alternator, and they'll check it out and tell you what exactly is the problem, won't cost you anything, they'll just check everything....of course if you already had it checked, then I just wasted my time, but I'm suggesting to get it checked out if you haven't already, cause it could happen again say tomorrow or down the road. Just to be safe...

I had a similar problem with my bronco just 3 weeks ago, and it was in the end the alternator, pain in my !!!

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by Lance


Did you just screw around with the terminals yourself.....or did a mechanic tell you that was the problem???

Cause if you just unhooked the cables, cleaned them and what not, I suggest to take it to Sears anyway, cause it still could be the battery or alternator, and they'll check it out and tell you what exactly is the problem, won't cost you anything, they'll just check everything....of course if you already had it checked, then I just wasted my time, but I'm suggesting to get it checked out if you haven't already, cause it could happen again say tomorrow or down the road. Just to be safe...

I had a similar problem with my bronco just 3 weeks ago, and it was in the end the alternator, pain in my !!!

I took them off, cleaned and put them back on my self. I took the battery to autozone...it was fully charged, meaning that the altinator is also fine because had the altinater not been working the battery wouldn't have been charged. The problem could have also been the starter but this morning I got it started by tapping on the battery cable connection which was pretty lose. I'm about 99.9% sure that was the problem.

 

[Invero]

Re: Neutral Safety Switch

Originally posted by Talsonic



If I may, I think Tramp was referring to the neutral safety switch. In all modern cars (even older models) the vehicle has a switch that will not allow the car to start unless the car is in neutral, park or (with a manual) the clutch pedal depressed. Sometimes, the switch gets worn and you must "fiddle" with the gear lever in park or neutral to activate the switch. As an example, with the car in park (or neutral), turn the ignition key to start and then "wiggle" the gear lever. Sometimes that will make the neutral safety switch work properly. So, Tramp gave you excellent advice.

Our older busses (27xx series) have that pesky switch... Bus transmissions don't have "Park" but rather just Neutral... With all the use and abuse that these things get, they sometimes get out of whack... and you really have to wiggle and jiggle them to get the bus to realize what gear its in...

Thankfully on all '88 and later busses (47xx and 48xx series), they have a pushbutton transmission... Just press the button, and go.

 

[Herbie53]

Originally posted by Tramp



...hey Mom....the engine light comes on in my Lexus every now and then and sometimes the motor idles rough...and there's some blue smoke coming from the engine compartment, and my rear window doesn't go all the way up, and my tires seem to wear out on the inside first and the brakes squeal a little in hot weather and the moon roof leaks in very hard rain and I hear a thump everytime I make a left turn....

...think you can help me, Mrs. Goodwrench?



:lol:
:lol:
:lol:

Hey Tramp,

I can help you out! You're problem is that you bought a Japanese car when you should have bought a German car. :lol: :lol:

(just kidding, I know Japanese cars are very reliable.)

 

[Tramp]

Originally posted by Herbie53


Hey Tramp,

I can help you out! You're problem is that you bought a Japanese car when you should have bought a German car. :lol: :lol:

(just kidding, I know Japanese cars are very reliable.)

LMAO....I know...it's just a fancy Toyota...but where I live, it has a lot of 'SNOB' value....

...but, my very first car when I got home from nam was a little red Bug...and I've never had more fun than I did in that car...those back seats were so tiny....or is it more like the 'space behind the front seat'?:lol:

 

[Herbie53]

Originally posted by Tramp



LMAO....I know...it's just a fancy Toyota...but where I live, it has a lot of 'SNOB' value....

...but, my very first car when I got home from nam was a little red Bug...and I've never had more fun than I did in that car...those back seats were so tiny....or is it more like the 'space behind the front seat'?:lol:

Well I certainly wouldn't trade my little red bug for all the lexi in the world! :lol: Although, I'm sure the Lexus does have its compensations. (like a working heater, and power anything, and I'm sure I don't need to go on :lol: )

And yes, I would also call it "the space behind the front seat".

 

[tenchu]

Originally posted by Tramp



LMAO....I know...it's just a fancy Toyota...but where I live, it has a lot of 'SNOB' value....

...but, my very first car when I got home from nam was a little red Bug...and I've never had more fun than I did in that car...those back seats were so tiny....or is it more like the 'space behind the front seat'?:lol:

Yeah tramp, and what exactly were you doing in those back seat?

Huh? Huh? :lol:

 

[Herbie53]

Originally posted by tenchu


Yeah tramp, and what exactly were you doing in those back seat?

Huh? Huh? :lol:

What ever he was doing, he must have been by himself! There's not room for two back there. :lol:

 

[tenchu]

Originally posted by Herbie53


What ever he was doing, he must have been by himself! There's not room for two back there. :lol:

Deary me, and i though tramp always had a lady!

:lol:

 

[Fievel]

I think this thread jinxed me...now my car is doing the same thing...I dont' think it's my battery (we tried jumping the car to no avail)...i can turn on headlights, radio, interior lights. When I've had a dead battery in the past i couldn't get any of these.

I turn the key and it clicks and that's it.....the past few days it's been doing this, but i can usually get it to eventually start.....but not tonight..get done with work at 11:30 and it won't start for anything..so i get a ride home....

So I have a dead car on the day i was supposed to run my last minute WDW trip errands....

Grrr...

 

[Fievel]

Well at 2 am, we went out and tried again....it fired up this time, so i drove it home where it will remain until after the trip, when it will get fixed.....


It's just nice to have it in my garage and not some parking lot

 

[Invero]

Im no car expert, but it almost sounds like the starter thing. I remember my fathers car had a simmilar problem... sometimes it would start, other times it would click. Thankfully, he had a 5spd, so he could just roll it down the driveway, and pop the clutch.

Im willing to bet that your battery and everything else is just fine, but that you have a dead spot on your starter.

 

[Fievel]

I'm pretty sure that's what it is too.....it seems to start better in the garage where it's warm, so I can take it out as long as i keep it running

But I'll worry about it after my trip...