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.
How do I bypass power steering pump and completely get rid of it?
What do you mean when you say that the pump can't be repaired or replaced? If it's a matter of not being able to afford to fix it or you can't get the parts, then you are probably going to be without a truck for a while until you can get it fixed properly. While it may technically be possible to do away with the power steering, it is most likely going to be more difficult and more expensive than making repairs (if you want it to be safe at all).Vehicles that have power steering simply aren't designed to be driven without it. You will cause damage to other steering components such as the rack or gearbox. Not only that, but vehicles are geared differently now. The steering on a non powered vehicle was designed to function without hydraulics. Without power, a modern system's steering radius is affected greatly, they literally can't turn as far without power.The heavier the vehicle, the harder it is to steer without power. In particular, I would not attempt to drive any pickup(or larger vehicle) on the road without power steering. There's simply to much risk.There are only two times when I would even consider driving a vehicle with failed power steering:In an emergency. Either I need to get the vehicle home, or I need to get someone to a hospital and have no other options.It's a farm vehicle, the only thing I use it for is moving a few tools around a field.I've had to move two modern vehicles with failed power steering. The first was a Honda Civic that wouldn't run. We dragged it about ten miles with me steering the car. It was really hard to turn at all, and that was with a fairly lightweight car. Afterwards it felt like I'd spent the entire day weightlifting, just from a short drive.The other vehicle was my friend's Dakota pickup. I went out with him to get the truck. The pump had failed and we needed to get it back to his house so that we had space and tools to work with. We got it started, he hopped in to drive, and I followed in my car. I followed him right up until he plowed into a tree on a particularly sharp turn. He simply couldn't make the turn without power steering. He ended up with a tow bill, body shop bill, the repair bill for the pump, and a hospital visit on top. That's why I will never recommend doing away with power steering on a vehicle.
Why does the steering wheel lock up while driving?
What Causes the Steering Wheel to Lock Up? | eHow Losing control of your car's steering is a terrifying experience, one that can lead to a crash with horrific consequences. If this happens to you, then you must try to bring your vehicle to a stop at once and determine the cause of steering wheel lock-up before you drive your car again. There are a number of reasons why your car's steering has suddenly locked up including:Key MechanismNot every steering wheel problem occurs when you have the transmission engaged and are heading down the road. Sometimes, drivers report that their steering wheel stays locked even after inserting the key into the ignition. When that happens, the car probably cannot be started let alone driven. More than likely the key assembly has worn out and needs to be replaced. However, before calling your auto mechanic, try to move the wheels to the left and to the right as sometimes the steering column "catches," a problem that can be resolved if you jiggle the wheel.Lock PinGeneral Motors issued a pair of recalls for the C5 Chevrolet Corvette (1997-2004 models) due to problems with locked steering. In addition to being locked while starting, owners complained that in some cases their cars could be driven but with no control of steering. This problem is due to a lock pin that fails to withdraw fully, allowing contact between the pin and lock plate. Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) website (see Resources) for information about recalls #04006B and #04006C or call your Chevrolet dealer.ConclusionWhile the three causes mentioned here are among the top reasons why a steering wheel may lock up, there could be other reasons. Contact an auto mechanic for assistance, or if you are handy with repairs, consult a Haynes or Chilton repair manual (or anything similar) for guidance.
My car is running low on coolant, would just adding the right coolant without flushing it hurt my car?
No…adding coolant is what you need to do.If you are loosing coolant externally either from the waterpump, radiator, feed (lower) or return (upper) hoses, overflow reservoir, heater hoses or thermostat the leak will be visible.If there are no visible leaks and the coolant level is low then you may have a leaking cylinder head gasket and the coolant is essentially burning off as it leaks into the engine.Remember… The overflow bottles purpose is for hot coolant to have a place to go when it expands and when the engine is hot is not where you check your coolant level.
Is it okay to drive your car without thermostats?
If you take out the thermostat then the coolant will just flow 100% by the water pump. Assuming that your system is properly sized so that cutting off flow with the thermostat will result in the proper operating temperature being met then running without a thermostat will always result in a lower than intended operating temperature.Here are some things that will happen:Your engine will run cooler than the desired temperature most all of the time andit will pollute more since it is tuned to run at the designed temperatureYour heater will take longer to become effective since the coolant is used to warm the heater core heat exchanger so you may, on cold days take longer to warm the cabin andmore importantly, it will take much longer to defrost the windshield using the defroster function.Probably it won’t hurt short term to the car engine itself, I don’t think. But in the long term operating it significantly below the designed temperature could have a number of effects, perhaps on lube viscosity, various carbon buildups that lead to other engine performance problems and possibly permanent damage.I once had a mechanic shop replace the thermostat and flush the coolant. When I get it back the car took forever to warm up the heater and get the engine to the temperature. I eventually took off the thermostat housing and found he had placed it about half way off and clamped it down with the housing out of position- it didn’t leak but the gap on one side pretty much made it free flowing.
What can happen to your vehicle when your brake fluid is too low?
Hey Sharon,When your brake fluid is too low you may be in trouble because your car won’t slow down or stop as well as before. You see brake fluid is kind of like a “steel rod” connecting your foot to the brakes. I say steel because brake fluid doesn’t compress so when you press on it it moves just like it is a solid.Brake fluid is incompressible and used to transmit your foot pressure on the brake pedal through the master cylinder to the brake calipers in order to press the pads against the discs. Your foot pressure is multiplied by the mechanical advantage from the pedal (ratio) and the hydraulic ratio of the master cylinders, power booster and caliper pistons (where the brake pads live).Image: BrakesHow does brake fluid get low?It canBrake system uses more fluid volume as pads wearFluid boils, getting bubbles in the line.Lines, master cylinder, or calipers leakSince you said too low, if your brakes are working okay add the DOT brake fluid your manufacturer recommends and take your car to a brake shop to have them checked. A little low is maintenance, too low is not and needs some professional TLC.Regards and take care.
How much should it cost to replace a gas tank? How do you know if you are being overcharged?
The tank itself isn't all that expensive. The lion's share of the cost will be the labor involved. If you know the shop's labor rate ...I'm guessing in the neighborhood of $85/hr or so ...and it will probably take at least 3 hours to do ...doing the math (3 x 85) ...brings labor in the $300 range. Add the new tank, for which you'll pay at least double (maybe more) the listed retail price for the part (this upcharging for parts is standard practice at *any* shop), and you're looking to lighten your wallet by at least $500 ...probably closer to $700 when "rag charges", "environmental charges" and taxes are added.To do the job, the first thing done is to empty the fuel tank of gasoline. The shop may suggest you conssider replacing the fuel pump ...especially if this is an older/high mileage vehicle. Labor to replace the fuel pump ...which livesinside your gas tank ...will essentially be the same as replacing the gas tank. If the tank is being replaced because it's rusting internally and rusting through, then there's a very good chance the fuel filter ...which is integral with the fuel pump, will be clogged with rust particles. If you have an older vehicle with a sepearate fuel filter then consider having the fuel filter replaced as part of the gas tank swap. Cars with fuel injection will have an electric fuel pump inside the gas tank. When the fuel pump dies, the car dies ...engine quits ...right there ...boom. Dead. Hopefully that doesn't happen while merging onto, or driving on, the Freeway. But when it happens it won't be good. You'll need a tow.And why do you think the shop is trying to overcharge you? You have *ZERO* idea what's involved in getting your car back into good health. You are paying for the *expertise* and skill of the mechanic working on your car to make a repair you, yourself, are incapable of doing ...nor do you fully grasp the ramifications of the job. But you think the shop is gonna rip you off. So go around and get second opinions ...from other shops in your area. But do yourself a *big* favor and do not select the cheapest shop ...better to find a highly reputable shop that does exceptionally competent work ...and pay a little more for this. You want the repair done right the first time and you don't want to come back; pay the extra money. A wise car owner will have a "maintenance fund" on hand ...funded with about $1000 ...in order to address major repairs.
How long can I drive my car with bad coil packs?
It is not a question of how long you can do it. It is more a question if you should.The answer is you should not. You can drive the car until it breaks down completely (and it will). While doing so you will, as pointed out by other answers, run the risk of damaging the converter but you also run the risk of fire.If the coil is faulty very bad things can happen. Car fires are usually related to causes associated with fuel, and/or electrical. Once a fuel part starts leaking while a car is running, a fuel drip can be the formula for fire if you get sparks from a spark plug wire or an ignition coil that is faulty. Something like this could be the end result. (the image is from the web, I am just using it to illustrate a possible scenario, I do not know what happened with the beamer) But I have seen a Lancia catch fire from a faulty ignition coil.So, why risk it? Yes, they are not cheap, but you really should get a new one. By trying to "save" a few bucks you may end up having to spend a lot more.