1st gen issue...HELP!

[Dreeza]

alright, so i sold my '90 LX to my friend in august when i got my new protege, and now, shes having some issues with it....she doesnt wanna take it to the dealer until she has an idea of whats wrong though, cause, they'll prob rip her off...

i havent driven in it at all since i sold it, nor have i experienced what shes talkin about...but heres all the stuff she told me...i was hoping one of you guys could figure out what the prob may possibly be..its an auto...had about 70k on it when i sold it, was in pretty good condition...about 2 years ago, we paid like 2k to get something fixed...i think it had something to do with the radiator (wasnt my car at the time, so i didnt really pay attention)


it did start when it got cold,....but lately its apparently been making a really loud screeching type of sound...usually happens when she turns it on, and when she accelerates....she says it stops after awhile, but she was complain today that it didnt on her way to school, and was making it when she was breaking and accelerating through out the carride


i hope this is enough to get some info...i can talk to her more to see if i can get anything else outta here to help...


thanks guys!

[II-Savy]

Sounds like a slipping fan belt to me. Wax from a candle is the easy temp fix.

[boostisgood]

Belt, or flywheel.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by II-Savy
Sounds like a slipping fan belt to me. Wax from a candle is the easy temp fix.

ok, cool thanks....can you explain how that works?

also...how long can she drive w/out repairing it

[II-Savy]

How what works? The wax deal?

Just take a candle and while the car is running hold the candle to the under inside of the belt. This is very dangerous and I'm not reasponsible for chopped off hands :D . I've done this before and it really works. I would have her take it into a garage and get some new belts. Inspect them before hand, look for cracks, dryness, splitting.

I wouldn't go to long without fixing it, it depends on how bad they are.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by II-Savy
How what works? The wax deal?

Just take a candle and while the <A TITLE="Click for more information about car" STYLE="text-decoration: none; border-bottom: medium solid green;" HREF="http://search.targetwords.com/u.search?x=5977|1||||cars|AA1VDw">car</A> is running hold the candle to the under inside of the belt. This is very dangerous and I'm not reasponsible for chopped off hands :D . I've done this before and it really works. I would have her take it into a garage and get some new belts. Inspect them before hand, look for cracks, dryness, splitting.

I wouldn't go to long without fixing it, it depends on how bad they are.

alright, thanks, i think we'll skip the wax part...


not to sound like a complete dumbass, but any pics or something of what i should be lookin for? theres no way shes gonna do it herself, so i wanna help her out, but, i have no idea what a bad belt looks like

thanks

[II-Savy]

look for cracks, dryness, splitting that's what a bad belt looks like. The wax deal is really easy. I don't want to be responsible if your dumb :D .

[BlueMP5Dave]

Replace belts and insure proper tensions. This whole cost might be 20$ for some good belts at Napa. Install takes maybe a hour if you have experience. I would do it for you guys but I live to far away. Savy is on the right track though check tension on belts and if they dry rotted replace immediately.

[Dreeza]

thanks guys:)

well, i dont have experience, neither does she....if it is only the belts that need to be replaced, how much should she expect the cost to be to get it done at a shop?

thanks

[Dreeza]

bump:p

[hi-perf]

certainly less than 100 dollars. this includes the belt of course, but may be more expensive if you have to like replace all the belts and even hoses.

replacing belts and hoses should happen every 60000 miles.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
less than 100 dollars.

sweet thanks...

she wants me to come to the dealership with her to make sure they dont take advantage of her...i wanna make sure they dont overcharge her some ridiculous amount

[hi-perf]

omg..how many times have we TOLD YOU...do NOT go to the dealership, find a little place that will do it for you. even a place like sears will probably be 4 times cheaper than the dealer.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
omg..how many times have we TOLD YOU...do NOT go to the dealership, find a little place that will do it for you. even a place like sears will probably be 4 times cheaper than the dealer.

lol, well, its up to her really, she said she didnt want to go to some lil shop

ill talk her outta it then...

[hi-perf]

well if shes got the money, let her. it may be worth it to her for her peace of mind.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
well if shes got the money, let her. it may be worth it to her for her peace of mind.


haha she doesnt have the $$, or at least doesnt wanna spend anything more than she absolutely must...this prob has been going on for quite some time now...she just didnt wanna pay....

[hi-perf]

well her wanting to go to the dealer made me think she had deep pockets or shes spending money thats not hers (read: parents).

in my position if i had this happen to me and if i didnt have the mechanical knowledge to fix it myself, i would definately be taking it to the good ole shop downtown to let em do it, and still be out on top compared to the dealers.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
well her wanting to go to the dealer made me think she had deep pockets or shes spending money thats not hers (read: parents).

in my position if i had this happen to me and if i didnt have the mechanical knowledge to fix it myself, i would definately be taking it to the good ole shop downtown to let em do it, and still be out on top compared to the dealers.

she bought the car...she has to pay...

and thanks, ill let her know what you brilliant people had to say, especially our wonderful moderator :D

[Liquid_Ag]

being the all powerful first gen mod...i agree with what everyone has said :) she might also have a frozen caliper. I had a rear caliper freeze (brake disc) and it made screeching noises on acceleration and decelleration, and i didnt figure out what it was until a chunk of my brake disc lodged it self in my friends grill :p

[igdrasil]

just replace the belts...its a good start when you buy an used car:

1. replace belts
2. replace timing belt or chain
3. brake pads
4. engine oil
5. coolant
6. spark plugs
7. other usual stuff that needs attention.

[Liquid_Ag]

in general though, first gens dont have many parts that make screeching noises :/. so hopefully its something cheap like a belt, and not something expensive :)

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by igdrasil
just replace the belts...its a good start when you buy an used car:

1. replace belts
2. replace timing belt or chain
3. brake pads
4. engine oil
5. coolant
6. spark plugs
7. other usual stuff that needs attention.

well, i sold it to her, and as far as i know, it wasnt due for anything but an oil change, which i went ahead and got for her, i have every single repair receipt, oil change etc. on record, ill prob pull out all those papers tomorrow and see when the belts were changed...or if they even were....i would assume so since the car had other pretty pricy repairs done....

[dominoy2k1]

just bring it to houston, ill do it for free :D

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by dominoy2k1
just bring it to houston, ill do it for free :D

oh thanks, we'll pack up are stuff and be ready to leave in a few hours:rolleyes:

lol, my mom wouldnt even let me take that car on a 3 hour road trip!!!

[II-Savy]

If you take it to the dealer and they take advantage of her take a camera and maybe video too. :D :D

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by II-Savy
If you take it to the dealer and they take advantage of her take a camera and maybe video too. :D :D

(rofl)


ANYWAYS....i checked it out...the belts looked brand spanking new to me, so, i figure its the tension?? shes going tomorrow to a small repair shop that i used to take the car to, so hopefully they wont try and rip her off

[hi-perf]

if belts are over 100 bucks then its a ripoff.

squealing usually occurs when a belt is too tight.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
if belts are over 100 bucks then its a ripoff.

squealing usually occurs when a belt is too tight.

its gotta be too tight...cause they looked just fine...couldnt see any cracks or anything, they looked like the newest thing under the hood, lol

so, she wont have to get new ones right? they just have to fix the tension? how is that done/how much?

[hi-perf]

there should be tensioning bolt. regardless i would have them check it out anyway, let em give it a once over and see if they can find anything else wrong with the car.

look at it this way - a 10 dollar fix today can prevent a 1000 dollar problem next week.

i mean come on the car is almost 15 years old...im sure theres gotta be problems with it regardless of milage.

it is not time to be cheap about an older used car (over 10yrs old) if you want it to be what you bought it for, a cheap reliable temporary car until it gives up or you buy a new(er) car.

if treated right, it will last you a long time.

[charles]

DON'T try the wax trick! This will only make things worse in the long run. Also, do not try to use any kind of belt dressing. You most likely will not be able to see any damage to the belts without removing them, or looking on the inside part of the belts with a big flashlight.

Adjusting the tension on the A/C / P/S belt is kind of annoying to me, but if it's the alternator bolt it's easy. There is one belt or nut you need to loosen, it's on this semi-U-shaped slider on the alternator. You then slide the alternator around to adjust the tension.

Some other questions:

Does it change depending on if the A/C is on? Does it occur more when turning? When the headlights are on? Do the headlights dim often? Do they dim when coming to a stop?

[charles]

Originally posted by iwokeupfrmadrea
being the all powerful first gen mod...
Who the hell made you a mod? :'( :bs: :wtf:

[Liquid_Ag]

hahahahhaahah aww charles, im sowwy :)

[enildeR]

Yeah. What's up with that?

I call foul!

:P

[Liquid_Ag]

hey, im pretty well qualified

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by charles
DON'T try the wax trick! This will only make things worse in the long run. Also, do not try to use any kind of belt dressing. You most likely will not be able to see any damage to the belts without removing them, or looking on the inside part of the belts with a big flashlight.

Adjusting the tension on the A/C / P/S belt is kind of annoying to me, but if it's the alternator bolt it's easy. There is one belt or nut you need to loosen, it's on this semi-U-shaped slider on the alternator. You then slide the alternator around to adjust the tension.

Some other questions:

Does it change depending on if the A/C is on? Does it occur more when turning? When the headlights are on? Do the headlights dim often? Do they dim when coming to a stop?

ok, well, she told me her mom had actually gone in and gotten brand new belts....like i had said....i doubted it was cuz they were old cuz when i looked, they looked brand new, lol

so she took it back to the place, and they said theyd fix it for free, she just took it today, so im not sure what the turnout was...

and dude...the A/C??? its fuckin -5bazillion degrees over here...

and the other q's i dont know...is there a reason i should find that out? i think it was just the tension that was the prob....

[hi-perf]

the A/C fan is also the heater fan. when you turn on the AC or heat on, it will turn the fan and tension the belt more, making the belt squeeeeel like a piggy if its too tight already.

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by hi-perf
the A/C fan is also the heater fan. when you turn on the AC or heat on, it will turn the fan and tension the belt more, making the belt squeeeeel like a piggy if its too tight already.

whatev, just hearin the word AC made me cold

anyways, ill find out tomorrow if it was fixed

[charles]

Originally posted by Dreeza
ok, well, she told me her mom had actually gone in and gotten brand new belts....like i had said....i doubted it was cuz they were old cuz when i looked, they looked brand new, lol

so she took it back to the place, and they said theyd fix it for free, she just took it today, so im not sure what the turnout was...

and dude...the A/C??? its fuckin -5bazillion degrees over here...

and the other q's i dont know...is there a reason i should find that out? i think it was just the tension that was the prob.... Well I was just trying to diagnose which belt it is. But if somebody else is doing it, oh well.

As for A/C, don't you ever use it to defrost your windows? :bs:

[Dreeza]

Originally posted by charles
Well I was just trying to diagnose which belt it is. But if somebody else is doing it, oh well.

As for A/C, don't you ever use it to defrost your windows? :bs:

haha, fuck no, its freezing, plus, my car is in the garage....i dunno what she does w/hers...lol

[charles]

you can run A/C with heat you know.... every time you switch the lever to defrost in your car the A/C comes on... or floor mode.

[BlueMonsta]

you can run A/C with heat you know.... every time you switch the lever to defrost in your car the A/C comes on... or floor mode.

Errr...... my A/C doesnt come on when I turn on the defrost or floor mode because I dun feel the power lost. Is there something or not explaining in detail enough?

[charles]

Errr...... my A/C doesnt come on when I turn on the defrost or floor mode because I dun feel the power lost. Is there something or not explaining in detail enough?No I meant Dreeza's car. Hers is newer and does that. Fortunately you have full control of the system in a first gen

[BlueMonsta]

Yo my car stalled after I went through a touchless car wash...
it was fine when idling but once i reved it pass 2000 the car stalled
after like 10 min.. the car was fine... but yah...

did the intake clog with water? the wires got wet??

(there was white smoke... guessing its water)

[BlueMonsta]

o thanx for the reply charles =)
i missed tat.. lol...
i see. but yah ive problems with my first gen...

[Dreeza]

o thanx for the reply charles =)
i missed tat.. lol...
i see. but yah ive problems with my first gen...
you may want to try starting a new thread :p