Posted on 12/06/2012 5:34:39 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Can you beleive both cars towed home within 24 hours! Hers I think has a fuel starvation problem of some kind. It'll turn over but won't start. On my old thing the ignition won't turn with the key in it. Suggestions? I don't know how she'll be going to work until I get one fixed.
! Hers I think has a fuel starvation problem of some kind. It’ll turn over but won’t start.
Jumped timing chain/belt
Actually, does the banging noise when she tries to start it sound like a missfire, or mechanical noise (like hammering on metal). If it sounds like a missfire, it might be something like a bad crank position sensor. If it's mechanical, it could be something broken in the engine (not good).
Does anyone know a good (inexpensive) mechanic in North Dallas/Lewisville/Denton, etc?
Do you have a spare key for the Merc? That would eliminate the key. You might also call around to an auto parts store to see if they can test the key for you.
Your wife’s car sounds like the starter motor is bad. It would be helpful if you could pinpoint the location of the banging noise.
The last time I gave car repair advice, three different fire stations had to respond. Have you looked at those cheap leases with no money down? Your cars have probably reached the age where repairing them is just repairing a car that will have another problem real soon. I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but it seems I saw some kind of lease deals for Volkswagen and Nissan. I don’t like to lease, but if you need reliable transportation for your wife, then a no-down lease with a good warranty might work for you. Or trade in one or both cars. Some guy was on FR claiming he got a no-down lease on a Chevy Volt for like $177 a month. Maybe it would make sense for you. Good luck.
My solution to car problems - a 1957 Bel Air and a 1967 camaro which I can trouble shoot and fix and don’t need smog.
Yes, the original key fell out of the door when the car was unloaded tonight by the tow truck (I had lost it in June in another state!) but it didn’t work, either.
How heavy is the keychain for your car that has the lock problem? A heavy keychain causes excess wear on both the key and the lock, to the point that one day it just stops working. This is usually first seen in the ignition though.
On the wife’s car, could be clogged fuel injectors. Could be debris in the tank or bad gas. Depending upon the age of the car, I’ve had a catalytic converter go bad causing excess back pressure in the exhaust, which caused the engine to die almost as soon as it was started, so it could be that too, I suppose.
Been decades since I’ve experienced any of that. Car trouble these days for me is invariably electronics related. Sensors, reflash ECU, that sort of thing.
Kia - probably fuel filter, but a 99 could be fuel pump. Lot easier to change the filter for first try.
The Benz - try WD-40 into the ignition switch then giggle the key, might free it up.
Are you a mind reader? That is EXACTLY what I was going to post.
TT
Last week a couples Lexus stopped in front of our business and wouldn’t start. They bought a fuel additive for water and put it in the gas tank. They let it set overnight....and bingo the car started the next morning an drove off. Sorry I didn’t get the name of the treatmentt any automotive parts store should know what it is.
Batches of bad fuel have been popping up quite regularly especially in California. Best of luck!
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Had a 1982 280ZX that began running very rough. Good mechanic gave me a tip and I took it. ...Went by a convenience store on way home and bought a pint of rubbing alchohol that I poured into the gas tank. Cost < $1.
After driving about 1-2 miles on the freeway, that engine was humming, as the hotter burning alcohol cleaned my fuel injectors.
Might see if Autozone or one of the other places that sells parts has a diagnostics machine to do a free check on the computer system of the KIA. The Merc sounds like something just got old with the ignition - shouldn’t be too tough/expensive if that’s the only issue.
Is that banging sound like a misfire and does it give a little smoke and bad smell out the exhaust? It may be that it has a rubber timing belt that may have broken or slipped a number of notches - crank turns the pistons, but the cam doesn’t cycle the valves or has the valve timing out of whack.
Look underneath the car at the fuel tank. You will see where the fuel line goes into the tank, that is where the fuel pump is. Take a rubber mallet if you have one, your hand may work if you dont have a mallet, and bang gently on the tank around the pump, just jar it as good as possible. Lots of times this will cause the pump to work long enough to get it home or to the shop.
IF it cranks, it is the fuel pump and will have to be replaced.
As for the mercedes, is the switch such that can be easily removed? If so,unplug the switc, straight wire it and find a junk yard with a used switch to replace it with. Mine quit on a 1966 plymouth once and I had it running in less than 5 minutes.
In my Jetta, a broken timing belt meant it turned over really fast. It was like a high-pitched whine.
I have a car from 1996 that suddenly wouldn’t do anything when I turned the key in the ignition. I also couldn’t open my trunk with the key. Turns out that my key was worn and finally didn’t fit correctly. I had to wait for my wife to return and used her very rarely used key. Things worked just fine so it was off to the hardware store to have duplicates made of her key...
Lubricate padlocks periodically with very light machine oil. Do not use graphite in any form! Your Master padlock is a precision instrument, and graphite may actually cause the mechanism to stick. Apply oil only in shackle openings. A silicone or Teflon® based lubricant is recommended for the keyway.
www.masterlock.com/general/faqs_careandservice.shtml
I was told the same thing when I took a course at Best Locks in CO.
I should have left the "broken" part off - I had one that acted similarly when the tech who changed the timing belt missed by a few notches and the cam timing didn't line up with the crank/pistons.
No such thing........Would you trust your teeth to a cheap dentist?
Take the KIA to your dealer and find a good mechanic for your Mercedes or a dealer
If only I could afford to on $560 a month plus my wife’s hourly pay. 10 years ago I’d have thought nothing of it.
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