How do you open the hood of a locked car with a dead battery?
I find it interesting that the answers all say to stick the key in the door and unlock it. It's not that easy. The Volvo V40, and most, if not all post 2000 Volvo autos, as well as most current vw auto group cars, Mercedes, BMW, and several Japanese autos lock and unlock the doors electronically, meaning that they use the power lock solenoid, not linkages to the lock mechanisms. In order to unlock the doors to release the hood latch, one must raise the vehicle and connect a battery charger or jumper cable to the starter + terminal and to the vehicle chassis to activate the electrical system or charge the battery. One must be very careful not to short the positive lead to ground as this may cause damage, and one must also take care to assure that, when the vehicle is raised, it is safely ad properly supported with safety stands and wheel chocks to assure his/her personal safety. It may just be easier/safer to contact a towing company or roadside assistance (if offered through your auto insurance, this is definitely the best way to go) and have them perform the tasks necessary to assist you in releasing the locks to provide you access to the vehicle. Good luck.
How do you use a car cigarette lighter as a charger?
Most modern vehicles have the cigarette lighter socket only live when the ignition is on. It is very simple to change this to a constant fused feed, but make sure that no children could put a cigarette lighter in the socket and start a fire or burn themselves, as this was the primary reason that cigarette lighters in cars were changed to the accessory circuit quite a few years ago. A lot of cars have a ‘power’ socket which is compatible with the same plugs and these are often live all the time as they are great for inspection lamps, vacuum cleaners etc. . To use this method to charge the car battery is simply a matter of wiring your battery charger of whatever type to a cigarette lighter plug, but if your charging source is a high capacity (high current) source such as another car battery or high capacity charger it is essential that you have a fuse in the circuit of no more than 10 amps.Bear in mind that the tip of the plug on your charging lead is now at 12v+ and you would short your charging circuit if you grounded it anywhere, including to the outer part of the socket - so only activate the charging side AFTER the plug is connected.You can’t use this method for an immediate ‘jump start’, but 20 minutes of charge from a good source should enable enough charge to start a car if the battery was low. If you simply want a method of connecting a trickle charger, either mains or solar, there are OBD2 charging connectors available which go into the diagnostic port and in which case you don’t need to modify any wiring.
1989 chevy silverado fuel pump?
If you turn on the ignition, the fuel pump will run only for a few seconds and that is normal. On the fuel-rail in the engine compartment is a schrader-valve like the one that is used on the tire. There you could hook up a fuel pressure gauge. Check for spark on spark plug wire. Test / replace ignition module inside of distributor cap. The next step is to test the pick up coil. Disconnect the pick up coil from the dist module and use a ohm meter to check the resistance on the pick up coil. It should be 800 to 1300 ohms. If this is ok the next step is to set your meter to A/C volts, now with the meter on the pick up coil crank the engine and read the meter. Should show voltage of around .2 to .7 volts. I'm thinking the pick up coil or the mainshaft in the dist is bad. The mainshaft has a magnet in it and this will crack or loose it's strength, now it won't send a signal to the module for spark. If you bought a reman dist assembly this would cover everything. It is way easier to remove the bed, just remove a view bolts and 2 man can carry the bed. Remember when you replace the fuel pump, replace the pre-filter that sits on the fuel-pump. That $10 item has been known to collapse under use because it is clogged up. And this pre-filter / screen will not come with a new fuel-pump. I do not think, that the fuel-pump is the cause of this.
How do you know whether a car is front or a rear-wheel drive?
Come on guys; looking for a driveshaft or differential requires you to get down on the ground. Try these fun tips instead:Your owner’s manual usually says which wheels are driven. Even if it doesn’t, if you see the word “transaxle,” that means FWD. (edit: except for a small number of cases where the transmission sits between the rear wheels, like on Porsches, NSXs, and Corvettes - but if you are buying one of these, you already know you have RWD)Even without looking, odds are that your current production car is a FWD drive car, unless it is a luxury or sports car. European sport sedans (BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar) are generally RWD, as are Cadillac sedans, Corvettes, Camaros, and Dodge Challenger/Chargers. Some Infinitis and Lexuses are RWD. No Volkswagens or Audis are RWD (save the R8). Volvos are FWD, as were Saabs. Pretty much all Hondas/Acuras (aside from the NS-X), Nissans, Peugeots, SEATs, FIATs, and Citroens are FWD.If your engine is smaller than 2L, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you have a FWD drive car. It’s only been very recently that RWD cars in the U.S. have had engines even as small as 2L, and even then, it’s been with a high-pressure turbo (Cadillac ATS; Jaguar XE and XF).You can usually tell by looking at the direction the engine runs in the engine compartment. FWD cars generally have the long axis of the engine running from front wheel to front wheel (“transverse”). That’s because the transmission is essentially under the engine. RWD have the long side of the engine running front to back.RWD cars generally have a transmission/driveshaft tunnel running from the front to the back of the car, which creates a “hump” between the left and right rear seats. FWD cars sometimes have a smaller hump (for structural reasons, not for a driveshaft), but it’s nowhere near the size.If you need snow tires, you might have a RWD car.If your wheels are aligned and the car pulls to the right or left when you accelerate, it’s likely a FWD car.If you see them towing your car with the front wheels up, it’s a FWD car.If the car has a whale-tail spoiler, and its nameplate is Civic, then you have a FWD car - and you might be fronting, since downforce in the back is meaningless to FWD.
Why does my check engine light come on after getting gas?
As many have mentioned, it's not simple to answer without more information. There are a number of emmisions fault codes that can occur when fueling for a variety of reasons. Heres a few-Various leak codes. The fuel tank isn't just a can with a pipe in from the filler neck and a pipe out to the fuel line to the motor. There is also also ventilation system that corrects for tank pressure changes allowing air to enter when needed while keeping fuel vapor from escaping, and can pull that fuel vapor into the intake system of the engine.The most common leak issue is a loose or misplaced filler cap that causes a major leak code. Next is a failed seal on the fuel filler cap causing a minor lack code. After that you have the charcoal canister shutoff valve sticking open due to a mechanical failure or due to debris from the charcoal canister caused by impact, consistent over filling, or age. Next would be the purge valve sticking open or closed. Finally hard system leaks such as a cracked hose or seal at the level sensor assembly.Overfilling can affect the charcoal canister by degrading the charcoal filter and causing the valve to stick. This system was only designed for vapor and not liquid fuel.As the fuel tank is semi flexible, the weight of the fuel will normally distort the tank and allow for some leaks due to dried or failed seals to be fuel level dependent.Finally there are the weird ones… found a low-jack transmitter installation gone awry. The installer screwed the mount through the floor under the seat into the fuel tank. Once he realized fuel was leaking on the ground he pulled the screw out, out some sealant on it and screwed it back in the hole. The customer only got a minor leak code when they had a full tank and the weight pulled the tank down off the screw.Found couple plastic tanks cracked at a seam. Also found issues due to distortion and swelling of the plastic tank from E85 and MTBE. There were a few metal tanks with braised hose junctions that separated. One tank actually collapsed and crushed due to a stuck shutoff valve and a bad sensor.Good luck.
How much does a car transmission weigh?
Around 100kg typically as per this article How much does a transmission weigh?
What's wrong with my car if I can smell gas while I am driving?
Presuming a fuel injected car, I'd guess the answer is that you have a fuel leak. It would most likely be from a hose or hose fitting in the engine compartment. A strong smell of gas would indicate that it's leaking in the engine compartment, and being vaproized. Perhaps a drop hitting the exhaust, or a tiny spray from a small hole that leaks when you hit a bump that hits the engine block. This vapor would get sucked in the air intakes at the base of the windshield and into the cabin for your sniffing pleasure.Most of the fuel system other than the fuel lines is behind the driver, and less likely to be sucked into the cabin to be smelled. Unless you are smelling it when you stop, not while driving. In that case, it'd more likely be from the back of the car, not a fuel line. Though, when I say "fuel line" I should note that the fuel filter is usually in-line in the fuel line in the engine bay. A leak in the "fuel line" would include the possibility of a leak in the fuel filter, or the connectors around it.So it's important to note whether the smell is only while driving, only while stopped, or primarily one or the other, as well as the car make and model.If you are smelling gas while driving a VW Bug, the opposite of what I said would apply. The tank is in the front, and the engine and fuel filter in the back for the VW.
What are the effects of driving a car with a misfiring cylinder?
OK. I am a gear head who loves working on cars and has done so since the 1960’s.If a cylinder is misfiring because of an ignition problem you will, in the short term, just experience a loss of power increase your fuel consumption. In the longer term, continuing to drive it that way could destroy a coil and cost you more money.If, however, the misfire is caused by an injector problem, you could seriously damage your engine. Running that cylinder too lean will cause it to overheat and potentially damage the valve or the piston. If it is running excessively rich the unburned fuel could be washing the lubrication off of the cylinder walls leading to severe wear. In either case, repairing the damage will be expensive.NEVER drive a car that has a problem. NEVER drive a car in which the Check Engine light is on. If the Check Engine light begins to flash, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, NOW! A problem that to you seems small, if not repaired, can cause a lot of damage that will be very expensive to fix.Read your car’s manual. Do exactly what it recommends. Find a mechanic you trust. Doing preventive maintenance will cost you a lot less than repairing the damage caused by neglecting to keep your car serviced.