Answers to your car questions
QUESTION
Hi Dennis. It is always interesting and educational to read your weekly columns. Sometimes, there is an entertaining thread like the recent ones related to the Dodge Dart resistor blocks. I owned some early sixties Ramblers that were prone to the same issue of the resistor block failing. Once I was able to help a co-worker, whose car wouldn’t start, just by using a paper clip to bypass the block for her short drive home, which was much cheaper than being towed. Is it correct that the whole purpose of the resistor block was to drop from 12 volts down to 9 volts across the ignition coil? On start-ups, the resistor block was bypassed so a full 12 volts goes to the ignition coil to improve starting. This seemed to be the case with my last 1964 Rambler American. Thanks for your continued efforts to help and educate us with all things automotive.
Best regards.
David from Listowel
ANSWER
You are correct Dave. The resistor lets the car start with twelve volts and then lets it run on 9 volts.
QUESTION
I took my car into a small garage in our area to have the brakes looked at. The problem was that the brakes were very spongy when applied. They checked the car over and said that I would need the front brakes done. I had this done at a cost of over three hundred dollars and everything seemed okay for about four weeks. Going to work one day, I had to stop suddenly and the brakes failed. I had the car towed into a body shop and they found that the brake fluid was contaminated and that is why the brakes failed. I have a lawyer involved with the case but I read in some of your columns that the brake fluid should be changed on a brake job. I told my lawyer that I was going to ask you for your expertise and he wanted to know what your thoughts are.
Larry from Hamilton
ANSWER
Yes, there are some circumstances when the brake fluid should be changed and/or checked on a brake job. It is possible that the brake fluid was contaminated to the point that “vapour lock” occurred but one would need to know if the garage had put brake fluid into the system. One would also need to know how the brake fluid was checked by the body shop and has the sample of brake fluid been stored properly? What part of the braking system did the body shop take the sample from? Has the preservation of the evidence and the chain of custody for the removed brake fluid been properly followed? There are too many unknowing questions for me to comment but you can have your lawyer contact me if you like.
QUESTION
Last week I purchased a used car from a well-known car lot in Hamilton. I had the car for one week and the battery died. I was assured when buying the car that everything was checked out and that I would have years of maintenance free driving. I purchased a new battery and the used car lot will not assist in helping me pay for the battery. Does the battery fall under the mechanical safety and why is the dealer being such a jerk in not helping me out? They knew that I was a student and money was tight. My dad says that you can help me out with this battery cost.
Thanks, Tina
ANSWER
The car you purchased was on the lot for over two months and the battery never at that time failed. A battery can be tested today and fail tomorrow so I do not think that the dealer intentionally sold you a car with a bad battery. They do have a thirty-day warranty on some parts and the battery was one of the warranted parts. You did not call them but went ahead and purchased a battery from Canadian Tire and then expected them to pay for that battery and the cost to install, which they have refused to do. This may have been a different outcome if you were somewhere far away but you were right here in town and you could have called the car lot. The car lot is going to offer you seventy-five dollars towards the cost of the battery, which they would have paid in their own shop.
PS: Do not expect years of maintenance free driving with a car that has over two hundred thousand kilometres.
To my readers: Please indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Be advised that unfortunately not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (including address) by email to: dennis.osullivan665@gmail.com