Car problems - please help

everysince the big snow storm, and me driving at high rpm's getting out of snow and what have u..my car has been f'd up

my battery guage is bad, or a cable is disconnected because they meter is fine then is goes to 9 volts and a red 'check gauges' comes on..but i know the battery is fine..

also my temperatue gauge keeps going really high if not to the red line.....i noticed for some strange reason i didn't have one drop of antifreeze in, so i put some in and i guess the next time i drive it i'll find out if i continue to have this problem

randomly it will be really hard to steer, and then a loud screeching noise will occur for a few seconds and then once it stops it easy to steer

when i rev the engine it seems like after i let off the accelerator, it's taking twice as long to get from that rpm back to idle

what seems to be my radiator, or that area is making a weird noise and smoke is coming out of it

if any of u know about any of the problems and how to fix them or anything please reply, and help is greatly appreciated thank you

Check the drivebelts... seems like it's loose or something, and it's not driving the alternator (low voltage), the water pump (overheating) and the power steering (heavy wheel) as a result. Screeching is classic loose or glazed belt. Open the hood and look should be fairly obvious, and a new belt is only a few dollars.

ok so i dont know if this helps

but my car is already decently warmed up

i turn it on, and the batter meter is between 9 and 12...the heat should be hot but it isn't..i start to cruise along and then i hear the screeching and between the middle of the sounds and when it ends the battery meter goes back to normal and the heat kicks in and kicks in stronger and hotter....then i keep my hands on the vent, and i can feel the air getting weaker and colder and i look and my battery meter and lo and behold it's back between 9 and 12..and agian the schreeching and they both go back to normal


saab..does the belt having to be replaced have to do with the smoke that comes out...and if it's not the belt wat else could it be

Maybe the belt is slipping so much it's started to burn! :lol: Seriously all those things happening at once screams belt... and it's a very simple and easy fix, and if you open the hood when the sun comes up it should be fairly clear that it's messed up (either it's loose or it's loose and it looks in bad shape). Might have something like ice on the tensioner and it's keeping it loose too.

I'm thinking your belts are needing replacing.

low battery voltage? something aint charging
screeching when you accelerate/rev? belt/alternator

I suspect alternator going bad or a pulley is gone.

Seems to me that your poor taste in RD's has inevitably rubbed off on ya. Like how you neglect to maintain your vehicle :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

J/K....do you know a good mechanic? Because i haven't got a clue :?
RR

I'm thinking either your belt(s) are shot, or one of your accessories (A/C, power steering pump, water pump, alternator) is binding and causing the belt to slip.

Do you have a video camera? Maybe videotape under the hood with the engine running while the problems are happening.

Battery warning is due to the alternator not working. Power steering problems due to power steering pump not working. Overheating is due to water pump or the aforementioned lack of coolant. If the belts are slipping, it can cause these symptoms, plus the screeching sound.

The loss of antifreeze concerns me though, maybe it's your water pump that's the root of the problems. Take it to a mechanic, they should be able to sort it out.

while it doesnt explain the voltage issue, high RPM's can create an excess coolant pressure and blow out a weak link in your cooling system, happened twice to me in my wrangler. That would explain the heater being cold, and the empty coolant. Voltage sounds like a toasted alternator or a bad belt, not sure if high RPM can kill an alternator but its possible.

Probably what everyone else says though, the belt that runs the alternator and the water pump are one in the same. Has your power steering started acting up too, then its almost 100% a belt problem. Of the water pump and alternator I am pretty sure the power steering pump will put the most strain on on the belt and is usually a good indicator of a bad serpentine.

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Originally Posted by TheTexan

while it doesnt explain the voltage issue, high RPM's can create an excess coolant pressure and blow out a weak link in your cooling system, happened twice to me in my wrangler. That would explain the heater being cold, and the empty coolant. Voltage sounds like a toasted alternator or a bad belt, not sure if high RPM can kill an alternator but its possible.

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Sounds like a crappy design, isn't the cap supposed to vent that? :lol:

ok sounds heres the verdict version 1

when i opened the hood today..i dont see a loose or damaged belt..in fact if i look at it there's no like disruption in the cycle...

but what i do see is, my green anti-freeze all over everything and my coolant tank is dead empty..even though i had filled it up to full last night...i think maytbe there is a leak in the line that sens coolant to the radiator and its leaking and its getting in stuff and disrupting this

like earlier in the school year we had a huuuuge rainstorm and when i would be driving and not see puddles or just go through puddles when i was going like 15 or 20 or 25 or something...the water would get into my hood and then i did experience the battery voltage meter being off and also i would experience the stiffness and then the screeching of the belt and then it owuld be easy again

is it possible that yes there is a leak in the line carrying coolant to the radiator and that while it's leaking its getting on the stuff and either
-its getting on the battery and the connectors don'y match with that well

or
just that, its getting on the belt and stuff down there, slowing it down and therefor disrupting the alternator, heat, and whatever else...

cause like the way i see it, when the belt sweaks, it's the belt's heat reacting with the liquid, which is cold?and then once the liquid is gone, the belt stops squeaking and it goes back to it's normal cycle

any thoughts

nevertheless, i will just buy a new belt for the hell of it in the near future..

Well, problem Numero Uno is the coolant leak, fix that before worrying about the belts, alternator, etc.

If you fill up the reservoir again, and run the engine, you should be able to see where it's leaking from. Could be a loose or busted hose, or a bad water pump, or a leak in the radiator.

Coolant getting on the belts or pulleys could be making them slip, causing your other symptoms (squealing, battery light, power steering loss).

yeah i just had it running with the new coolant in and the level didn't go down or there wasn't any splashing..so ill drive around and see if anythign happens

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Originally Posted by richardboy316

yeah i just had it running with the new coolant in and the level didn't go down or there wasn't any splashing..so ill drive around and see if anythign happens

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let it warm up until the thermostat opens and allows coolat to circulate. When I blew the freeze lugs out of the side of my motor on the Jeep it wouldnt come out noticeably until the temp got up to where the thermostat opened and then all the coolant drained out of the bottle and radiator. Although the first time it happened I was already at temp and I spewed coolant out of the driver side fender like a geyser and soaked my friends car who was driving next to me.

And to Saab, yeah it was bad design on the part of Jeep, the 4.0L inline six had several gremlins one of which was loose fitting freeze plugs which wasnt a problem unless dimwitted teenagers like I was when I owned the thing realized that the engine made almost 200hp for a 2800lbs Jeep with a very well matched five speed transmission, it was one hell of a sleeper but if I overrevved it, all the coolant would blow out the side of the motor. Only did that once or twice though.

i was at like bridgestone today because i had to get my tire fixed and i have a road hazard warranty or whatever and he said he things its the water pump

is he just lying or is it a possiblity

tomorrow ill ask my auto teacher about it

yeah it could be the pump...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by richardboy316

i was at like bridgestone today because i had to get my tire fixed and i have a road hazard warranty or whatever and he said he things its the water pump

is he just lying or is it a possiblity

tomorrow ill ask my auto teacher about it

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If you have a mechanical drive fan, give it a tug and see if there is any play or if it rattles while the car is running. Sometimes the front bearing on the water pump will go out and that will cause a coolant leak and if it is worn enough there may be enough play causing slack that may cause the belt problem you are experiencing. If you dont have a mechanical fan try and watch the pulley and see if it moves in any way other than the normal rotation or if you can grab the pulley itself see if there is play.

I would be hesitant to trust a tech at Bridgestone 9 times out of 10 they have the HVAC certification and know how to change oil so they are hired as a mechanic, one tried to convince me once that when i blew up the tranny in my explorer that it was just a clutch problem even though the forward gears worked but reverse made a horrible grinding sound and I could hear metal pieces floating around the gearbox, took it to the trans shop where they popped it open clutch was fine but my gears had literally exploded. If you dont have a good mechanic that you trust take it somewhere that has ASE Master Mechanics and nothing less, you will save yourself a serious headache.

tex, would it be a safer bet to go to the jeep dealership and have it checkout by them

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Originally Posted by richardboy316

tex, would it be a safer bet to go to the jeep dealership and have it checkout by them

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um if you have a jeep then yes... :lol:
Sorry, I didnt ever catch if you said you had a Jeep or not, I was just telling personal experiences with mine, I seemed to be pretty good at finding all the weak links becaused I wheeled the piss out of it and drove pretty hard in my younger more foolish days. But seriously the dealership will probably be able to diagnose the problem best but it will be much more expensive to have it fixed there, if you can find a mechanic you trust and has a good reputation then take it there, especially if you have a Jeep, they are very easy to work on and most good mechanics won screw it up, I just dont trust the guys at Jiffy Screw and places like that. I worked with a real mechanic and we had plenty of headaches sent our way by the improperly or undercertified techs at places like Brake Check and Jiffy Screw and the like, I try to avoid them.