I wonder if it could be something like an ice dam that can form on the edge of a building's roof. The area where the drains are is cold enough that they freeze and can't drain while the area around the seal is warm enough to melt the water and because it can't drain, it eventually migrates through the seal. If that is the case, I don't really know what you could do to fix it unless you can figure a way to keep the drains de-iced.
That's interesting. If you're right, there probably isn't much I can do about it, which is annoying. The car is older, but I was planning on driving it for another year or two before picking something else up. Maybe it'll just stop snowing in Wisconsin...
I think you're onto something here. It's never leaked during a rain, only after a snow has started to melt. I have a sunroof deflector, which maybe is causing the dam. It's been raining on and off today and I'm about to go to work. I'll give it a look.
Turns out there were two issues... The CEL was on due to the purge valve being completely clogged in the emission system. - $225. The ABS and TCS lights were, in fact, due to a malfunctioning ABS sensor. Mechanic was able to fix it without having to replace it, so $0! Would have been $485 at the stealership if they would have had to replace it... If it acts up again, I'll be hitting up VW Vortex for some replacement instructions.
RAVE: MY TORSEN DIFFERENTIAL CAME IN! NO MORE ONE-WHEEL BURNOUTS! RANT: It's a T-1, not the T2R preloaded model that has a higher torque bias. Still, it's better than nothing. Here's what the T2R's internals look like (note the preload springs in the center):
Back when the Toyota acceleration debacle happened, I was skeptical that either the floormat or the accelerator linkage was the actual cause. NASA may have found the answer: tin whiskers in the pedal position sensors. EE Times NASA paper Interesting reading if you're a little bit geeky.
It is interesting, but the people are still dumb as fucking rocks who are driving thou. Either put the car into neutral or turn the car off, really not that hard.
So true. One of the problems though was that they had the most instances with the push-button start vehicles. Nobody knew how to turn them off when the car wasn't in park. Still, they should have just shifted to neutral. The case that started it all in California with the CHP officer at the wheel still baffles me. Almost all of the rest of the cases were driver error - hit the gas instead of the brake - or people faking it to try to cash in, like the Prius guy in San Diego.
So my dad has an interesting conundrum. He has a 2006 Ford Taurus with 155,000 miles on it. He bought it in 2007 when it was at 10,000 miles. Its been trouble free, aside from leaving him stranded one time when the battery died (obviously not a big deal). But the catalytic converter is bad and needs to be replaced. The inspection is up at the end of the month, and he isn't sure what he wants to do with it. Aside from being a smokers car its in excellent shape, but the cat replacement is expensive. Our local mechanic said it would set him back about $1700, and the dealer was pretty close, at $1800. So is it worth fixing? The car drives amazingly well, and I'm inclined to think it'll hold up past 200k with no problems. His brother passed away recently, and he inherited a 2004 Camry with 43,000 miles. Obviously a young car, with a reputation for reliability to boot. Problem is, we both hate it. Neither of us have any idea why people pan the Ford and praise the Toyota, as we both feel that the engine refinement and smoother transmission of the Camry are not good enough trade offs compared to the superior handling and steering feedback of the Taurus. I'm seeing three scenarios here: 1. Fix the Ford, keep the Camry 2. Sell the Ford, keep the Camry and put up with it 3. Sell both and get something else Thoughts?
According to rockauto.com the direct fit cat ranges from $200-almost$400 depending on brand. Can you install it yourself on the Taurus? That's robbery to charge that much labour.
If you knew what the fuck you were talking about, from rockauto you will realize that there are two cats in this car, walker 50336 - 364 and walker 53349 - 280. So total of 644 dollar, plus shipping. But that is also off the internet. And if you had any idea of how internet shopping works, you will know that you can always find cheap stuff on it. Don't go talking about something you have no idea about. So to answer the original posters question. Yea, if you can install it yourself it will save you a bunch of money, if you order off the internet, but support your local parts store if you can(i am slightly bias here). But i would not consider that a rip off. Mind you i am in Canada, but that 644 about what i would sell it to myself at, at employee discount. I would sell it jobber rate of 420 and 492 and list(close to what you would pay at a shop) 607 and 787. For a total of 912(jobber/shop) and 1394(list). So 1700 seem quite reasonable to me, plus you have a couple of gaskets so doesn't sound to bad. This is what your exhaust system looks like
Plus i love the Taurus, i used to own one 1990 with a 3.0L(U)from 16-25, never broke once. Just got old, and my parents offered me there 02 Civic for one hell of a deal, couldn't say no. edit: I actually may have gone off the handle a little bit, bad day at work. The code U has always been and OHV, if you check the diagram there is a listing for a SOHC. None of my listing for that year say there is a SOHC in that year, but there generally was both. Check the diagram. Sorry.
Really? $400+ for labor installing an exhaust part? Maybe I'm crazy, but I've never been quoted more than 2 hours labor for any piece of the exhaust, and I would expect 2-3 hours to DIY, let alone have it done in a shop with a lift and the proper tools. So you're saying that not only is $400+ for labor a reasonable price, but after your estimated quote of list price at $1394, he's getting quoted an additional $200 on top of that. My Subaru has two cats as well, with a list price of about $900 for parts only. Gaskets + bolts are another $50-60 (list). A direct fit cat, which is what you're paying all this money for, shouldn't take more than an hour or two to bolt on. I think $1700 is f**king nuts. Ask the shop if they'll install a part you bring in.
There's also usually a big difference in price between the cat you get from the OEM, Ford in this case, and an aftermarket cat. When I replaced the cat in my Malibu, the factory replacement from Chevy was ~$700 and I found one for ~$300 from an aftermarket source. It was a direct fit. If your car is still performingnormally and the only reason you need a new cat is the check engine light you can replace your rear oxygen sensor with an oxygen sensor simulator that will give the ECU a signal that says everything is ok. You'll only get away with that if the inspections in your area are not very thorough. I did that for a while when I was in college and couldn't afford to replace my cat. Worked fine until the cat clogged and the car wouldn't run right.
Thanks for the comments guys, but I think I might have mislead all of you. I just got done talking to my dad, and he's telling me its not just the cats that need to be replaced, its also the y pipes and 4 oxygen sensors as well. He also said that both our local mechanic (whom we've been going to for years) and the nearby Ford Dealer (whom we go to occasionally) both said the same thing and were within 100 dollars of each other. So does that make the $1700-$1800 price more rational?
So... at MSRP, probably $900 for the two cats, another $300 for oxygen sensors, $50 for gaskets and bolts... I don't know how much the Y-pipes cost, but it's definitely additional labor AND materials, probably more gaskets and bolts too. That sounds more reasonable. At that mileage, though, it might be worth looking into something other than the OEM cats to save you a few hundred bucks at least.
I bought a 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco. For my first 500 miles of ownership, I'm averaging 43 mpg. It's sweet! Figure I've cut my weekly gas bill in half, AND it's got a warranty and 0 miles, so there's NO fixing shit. I highly recommend it for those who are needing a good commuter car that is good on gas. At one point, I averaged 49.2 mpg for a 50 mile combo city-highway drive.
Can't say enough about the Cruze, I am a GM mechanic and the dealer I work for is selling these like crazy. With a Volt at 40k and sitting on the lot not selling, the Cruze is around 20k and beats the Volt out of the water. When the old lady finally graduates college I will be getting her a a Cruze.
Didn't they also have a recall because their steering wheels were falling off? <a class="postlink" href="http://www.thestar.com/wheels/article/974107--video-chevy-cruze-vehicles-recalled-after-steering-wheel-falls-off" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.thestar.com/wheels/article/9 ... -falls-off</a> I mean, shit.
GMC vs Chevy: All other things being equal, would I be better off looking for an 08-10 GMC Sierra or Chevy Silverado (1500)? I've always heard that GMC's fit and finish is better, but I'm curious to know if it translates to any real differences. Thanks!