Pontiac 2005 - The brakes are squeaking...and more?
Your calipers are what pushes the brake pads onto the rotor. Spraying WD40 only adds a lubricant to it which reduces friction on the brakes which is BAD. You Want friction on your brakes because that is what stops your car. It sounds like the brak fluid is leaking from your calipers according to the place you took it. This will eventually wear down your brake pads and require you to repalce not only the brake pads, but rotors and Calipers if it is not fixed soon. Save the extra expense and fix it now. Good luck!
Pontiac Grand Prix 1997 - Smoke From Left Side Of Engine?
I was driving on my way to school, which is an hour long commute to and from. When I stopped at a stoplight, there was a small plume of smoke coming from the left side of my car, a 97' Pontiac Grand Prix with a 3800 engine. When I popped the hood I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, but the smell was horrible and I couldn't identify it. I find it unusual that smoke would be coming from the left side of an engine only instead of the right. Any idea what it could be?
2002 Pontiac Aztek- Overheating, coolant leaking and mixing with oil (oil not in coolant)?
We have a 2002 Aztek that has been nothing but problematic. About 3 months ago, I was driving it and the temperature gauge just shot up. I immediately pulled over, and had it towed to the shop. Shop says blown head gasket. Had it replaced, and it was ok for about 1.5 months. I was driving it again, and the same thing happened. Took it to the shop. Shop says I need a new oil cooler. About a week after we get it back with the new oil cooler (this was 2 days ago), it starts overheating again. I quickly get it home and put it up on the ramps. I noticed that it was leaking out onto the ground. I checked under the water pump, and it didn't appear to be coming out of the weep hole. There is a hose above the oil filter (I believe this goes to the oil cooler) that had bulged out, and was spraying coolant everywhere. Out of curiosity, I decided to drain the oil out of the car. To my surprise, it looked like it was 50% oil, and 50% coolant! Had the consistency of water, and was translucent. I then looked in the coolant reservoir, and there was no trace of oil. So there's oil in the coolant, but not the other way around. Is it safe to assume that the mechanic did a shoddy job of installing the oil cooler, and that the bulged hose was just a coincidence? Is there any way that coolant could get into the crankcase if it was ONLY the water pump? I appreciate the help. I just want to get this narrowed down before I take it back to the shop. I don't want it to be a coincidence, and have to be charged for something new.
99 Pontiac Grand Am V6 overheating....we have already changed the waterpump,thermostat,head gasket,radiator...?
The 1999 is equipped with the 3.4L The most common cause for overheating/coolant loss is the Head gaskets! Yes, the Intake manifold gaskets were a problem on both the 3.1L and the 3.4L engines until 2003! I don't think that the previous owner did the head gasket job correctly and now the gaskets are leaking again! NOTE; A restricted heater core or heater hoses can cause the engine to overheat on this vehicle (I assumed that you have checked all of this) Running straight water in the cooling system will rust the freeze plugs out of it in no time at all! These are the symptoms; Temperature gauge climbs to full hot while driving, heater goes cold. Radiator is clear, water pump works normally. New thermostat, same! You need to perform a "Block test" on this cooling system with a combustion leak test kit! (that way you will know for sure that the head gaskets are leaking) NOTE; It is not recommended to replace the coolant with dexcool (once the system has been completely out) Dexcool is one of the problems that contributes to the failed intake manifold gaskets on these engines!
01 Grand Prix Oil in Coolant ?
Intake manifold gasket, head gasket. The 3.1L is notorious for intake gaskets and head gaskets. The way they are designed the intake is part of the head. They are bad about getting air locked which makes hot spots in the engine and the rest of the system. Don't keep driving it get it fixed or quit driving it now. What will end up happening is the motor will get hot inside then when you shut it off the coolant will bleed back into the cylinder. This will cause the motor to hydraulic lock this can happen while you are cranking it to start it or can happen at 70 mph. When this happens the engine will come to a complete stop instantly. This will bust a wrist pin in a piston or snap a rod. Best thing to do would be to buy or rent a pressure tester from auto zone. Pump the amount of pressure into it that your cap says like 13 to 15 pounds. Let it sit awhile watch for the pressure to bleed down. Look for leaks if you don't find any but do have a loss of pressure then pull the plugs before trying to start it crank it over a few times with plugs out.The sad part is that what most likely caused this is believe it or not the radiator cap. Sound silly but trust me it is one of the cheapest expensive parts on a car. It may not say on the gage that it is not hot. The sensor measure water temp not steam temp if there is a air pocket in the motor it will not show it to be over heated. Hope this will help.
Gas leaking slowly underneath my 1999 grand am .?
That system has 3 gas lines going to the top part of the tank one of those lines could be leaking or the fuel filter which is mounted close by the tank might be leaking.Otherwise the tank could be leaking usually they rust out and leak around the centre of the tank by the edges.There are is the filler neck hose and another hose that attaches to the tank. If it's one of those 3 fuel lines it may be cheaper to fix but the tank may have to be dropped this would require a 90-120 mins of work or more all depending on how rusted things are etc.The line could be made up or purchased but I'd estimate a good 50-100 bucks or more then about 70-100 bucks an hr for the labour.Now if you need a new gas tank the amount of time is about the same but then you may want to purchase a new float/fuel pump assembly for about 150-200 bucks then the tank is 100-200 bucks. Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way it be good to have someone you know handy with cars to take a look at it for you asap.Remember if you do drive it to a shop or different shops for quotes be sure to have them show you and explain exactly what is what.Be careful bec it sounds like you've a bad gas leak that should be fixed asap.
If your radiator has a leak and you drive without any coolant, how long before engine damage typically occurs? If you only drive short distances around town (~10-15 mins per day), will any damage still occur?
A lot of answers in here, not all accurate.The most common symptom on an overheated engine is either seized pistons in cylinders or a blown head gasket due to excessive expansion at the head/block interface.Having dealt with many overheated vehicles over the years, I can say that most cars will, if driven without coolant, score the cylinder walls due to expansion of the pistons relative to the block/cylinder walls. Aluminum expands further than iron at the same temperature. At normal engine operating temperatures, this difference is minimal, so nothing happens. When temperatures in the engine are uncontrolled, the pistons are usually the first part to get to an excessive temperature and expand too far. This will take up too much of the normal piston to bore clearance and in many cases seize up the engine due to the piston(s) getting stuck in the bore.Allowing the engine to cool down will usually free the stuck piston(s), but by then the damage is done and the cylinder is usually scored.This is also the reason many head gaskets (or heads) are damaged due to an overheat. Almost all modern cylinder heads are made from aluminum, and many engine blocks are still iron. Heat the head too far, and the expansion will damage the head, the head gasket, or both. Heads can expand in some designs and develop a crack.In short, don’t chance it.
What happens if you drive your car with no power steering fluid?
Contrary to the other answers, steering a car with failed power steering is quite possible. It is difficult at low speed, and extremely difficult when stopped, but it can be done. You'll build your arm and chest muscles doing it for any extended period of time.My '87 Mercury leaked power steering fluid like a seive, and I was still able to drive it - even pulling a trailer - without the hydraulic boost.But the other answers are correct that doing so can and eventually will cause the power steering pump to fail. That in and of itself is bad, but it's not the worst thing, especially if you are far from home when it happens.Most modern cars use what's called a serpentine belt to run the engine accessories: the air conditioning compressor, alternator, power steering pump, and radiator fan are all run by the same belt. If one of these fails, the belt can snap, leaving you with an engine that will quickly fail due to either overheating or lack of electrical power.In short, keep at least enough fluid in the pump to keep the shaft lubricated, even if it's not enough to make the system work.
Is it safe to drive a vehicle without power steering fluid?
No it’s not. While you CAN drive without it, the potential failure could result in stranding you on the side of the road. Anything built in the last 15 years most likely has a serpentine belt system that powers all your accessories.When you run out of power steering fluid, the bearings in your power steering pump no longer have lubrication available to keep them cool. Those bearings will fail, the pump will seize and that will result in your serpentine belt to fight against one accessory that is no longer moving. The belt will fly off the engine and all other accessories, water pump, A/C, alternator etc will be powerless and your vehicle will shortly cease to run from overheating or dead battery.