Car trouble

[Papa Elf]

Tuesday morning I was driving to work on 93 S at 75Mph in my 1997 Dodge Stratus with almost 185,000 miles on it. Then my car started shaking and the tac was all over the place. Check engine light was flashing. I slowed down to 60 and the shaking stopped. Good I hope I make it to work, which is right off exit one.

Within a half mile of the exit, my engine suddenly died. With no power steering and breaks, I pulled over into the new lane that was under construction. I make a couple calls and get my car towed the mile or so to work. After work, my Dad and I worked on the car for about 2 hours trying to find the problem. We determined that its probabily a speed sensor went, and in a crysler, the computer shuts down the engine when the car moves forward when that sensor is gone. Car runs fine in reverse.

Well, the car is in the shop now and they said the cable for the sensor was rubbing against the chassie and it finally wore thru the insulator, shorting the sensor out, and eventually frying it. Out $150 for towing, staying at my parents, and looks like $200 - $250 for the repair. Well, at least it did not prevent me from going to the Collusium for my 10 year anniversary lunch with Target

 

[RangerStl]

Dude, you are getting off cheap.

I'm really glad that was the only problem. I was in a big Chevy truck with a bad speed sensor (less than 25000 miles). They don't shut the engine down when that happens, they just let the engine race and transmission slip and thunk all over the place.

Everything in the drive train is electrically synchronized now. That little $25 (to make) part can mess up a lot.

N

 

[CharlaineC]

I have had that happen to me a cpl times and its a pain. Contact your local gm dealer and look it up on the recall list if its their then they can make a deal for less. even if its an old recall.

 

[Pippen]

Dude, you are getting off cheap.

Tell me about it. We had almost $2000 in vehicle repairs a few weeks ago. Brakes on one vehicle and the AC compressor and a bunch of misc stuff on the other.

I'm prettty disgusted with my Ford Freestar van as a lot of the inside (non-engine) switches and components are breaking down. Besides the AC, the sliding door switch, the mirror switch, the switch for the dash info panel, the switch for the cruise control all have gone bad. The heated seat went out this year but I'm not forking out to repair that even though it's nice for those quick trips to school. Last year we had to replace the control board for the digital dash display (about $400). We wouldn't have bought one with all this fuss but we needed the model with the tow package.

I never had any problems like this back in the simpler days of my Toyota pick-up...it just rusted out and fell apart on the outside.

 

[H_Rocket]

...the sliding door switch, the mirror switch, the switch for the dash info panel, the switch for the cruise control all have gone bad.

How about the switch that switches all the other switches?

The heated seat went out this year

That would cause me to scrap it.


:neener:

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Oops, nevermind.

 

[sandman]

My wife's 13 year old Jeep Cherokee with 185,000 miles on it has been having a series of "mini strokes".

Every so often everything electrical on the right side, power windows on both right doors, power door locks on the right and the right electric mirror quit working then start up again.

She still knows who we are and she knows we care.

We just try to make her comfortable and feel loved, she's old.

 

[spacecadet]

Blasted computers. They've got no business being in cars.

 

[sandman]

Blasted computers. They've got no business being in cars.

I was a mechanic for 15 years and left the business in 1985.

I think I timed that about right!

I feel like I dodged a bullet.

 

[Bazookadale]

Tuesday morning I was driving to work on 93 S at 75Mph in my 1997 Dodge Stratus with almost 185,000 miles on it.

<Snip>

Out $150 for towing, staying at my parents, and looks like $200 - $250 for the repair. Well, at least it did not prevent me from going to the Collusium for my 10 year anniversary lunch with Target

My wife's 13 year old Jeep Cherokee with 185,000 miles on it has been having a series of "mini strokes".

Hey guys, how did your cars treat you the first 184K ? $400 in repairs once in a while beats $400 payments every month for 4 years!

Edit: 2004 Subaru, 119K cost me 2 sets of tires, 1 Brake job and rear struts in 5 years and its PAID OFF!

 

[Handeman]

I just got rid of a '99 Durango SLT with a 160,000 mi that had issues. It had the 5.9L and largest tow capacity, we tow our travel trailer with it. The heater didn't work, needed a new core, the AC leaked, needed a new evaporator. Both are under the dash and it's $800 labor to remove/install the dash to access the parts, plus the repairs to the systems. The windshield had a crack across the top that wouldn't pass the safety inspection coming up in August and the rear axle whined like a banshee.

I bought that Durango used in 2001, still under the 3 yr/36k mi warranty for $19K. Last month I got a 2006 Durango Adventurer with the 5.7L Hemi and largest tow capacity still under the 3yr/36K mi., for $15K. 8 years later and $4K cheaper for essentially the same thing. If you're looking for a "gas guzzler" right now, they are practically giving them away.

 

[Papa Elf]

Got the car back, my estimate was off by $100 but the guy there is honest and besides sometimes taking to long to fix things, he has the best prices anywhere I ever taken my car. My Dad was kind enough to take care of the bill, since he knows money is tight for me, and I just sunk $400 in breaks not even two month ago. (You know when money is tight when I don't show up to rocket launchs O.O)

 

[Papa Elf]

My wife's 13 year old Jeep Cherokee with 185,000 miles on it has been having a series of "mini strokes".

Every so often everything electrical on the right side, power windows on both right doors, power door locks on the right and the right electric mirror quit working then start up again.

My left door is like that sometimes lol.

 

[sandman]

Hey guys, how did your cars treat you the first 184K ? $400 in repairs once in a while beats $400 payments every month for 4 years!

Edit: 2004 Subaru, 119K cost me 2 sets of tires, 1 Brake job and rear struts in 5 years and its PAID OFF!

The Jeep, we bought it at 80,000 miles for cheap!

Paid cash.

Since then, one set of tires,
one exhaust system,
one battery,
one set of spark plugs,
one starter
and recharge the freon maybe 3 times in 100,000 miles
(2 maybe 3 cans a charge).

Probably spent a lot more for car washes than anything else.