Answers your questions
QUESTION
Hello, love your column! My question for you is that I had my AC recharged approximately three weeks ago and now it blows cool but not cold air- no leaking was detected. The fan speed is not too powerful. Would this have anything to do with the AC or could it be the temperature selector switch? Thanks for your time.
Doug from Cayuga
ANSWER
I would first start off by making sure that the blower motor resister is working properly. When it is really hot outside, the heater motor needs to be running at high speed until the inside of the vehicle is cooled down. If the motor is not running at its full potential then the vehicle will not cool down. You may also ask the technician to check the ambient temperature switch to make sure that it is not damaged and is working properly. There are so many simple things that could be going on with your vehicle and it would only take an experienced technician minutes to detect why it is not cooling properly. For this reason, I suggest that you find a good coolant garage specialist to find out why your vehicle is not giving you the air coolant that you want.
QUESTION
I understand that my question was not good enough for the paper but thank you anyway for solving my problem that I have been experiencing for almost six months since I had the rear brakes repaired down East by a mechanic. I went to your garage that you suggested and they found out that the mechanic, who put the back brakes on my truck, had installed them improperly. In the wet weather, the left rear brake would always lock up to the point that it was dangerous. My problem is that I had two garages look at the truck before I came to you for the answer. Why did they not suggest the obvious when you diagnosed the problem without even looking at the truck? You suggested that it might be two things - an oversized wheel drum or the brake shoes were installed wrong. Your garage found that that the shoes on the left rear brakes were not installed properly. I again feel safe when I drive in the wet weather.
Thank you Dave from Port Dover
ANSWER
First, it is not my garage and I think that you might not be fair in your assertion that the two garages, which you mentioned in your comment, did not diagnose your truck’s problem. You only asked them about the problem but neither garage brought your truck into their shop to remove the rear wheels. If they had, I am sure that they would have spotted the problem right away. I also found out that the alleged mechanic, that you referred to down East, who replaced your truck’s brakes, was not a licenced mechanic but in fact, he was your brother. The bottom line is that anyone can tinker with their vehicle on things that are not safety related but when it comes to repairs on your vehicle that can also affect others on the road then I think the best advice, that I can give my readers, is to leave the repairs of safety related items on your vehicle to the professionals.
QUESTION
About one week ago after that last rainstorm, I inadvertently left the passenger’s window open on my car. Needless to say, the passenger’s seat and floor got very wet. The dealer told me that I would have to remove the complete carpet and replace the under pad which is going to cost me well over two hundred dollars. I have since been told that I can lift up the carpet and let it dry out and that the dampness will go away. My immediate problem is that I use the car every day and even with the windows open, the windshield fogs up and I cannot see. How long with this last and is there something that I can do in the meantime to make it safe for driving?
Marlene from Paris
ANSWER
The seat should dry in a couple of good hot days with the windows open but the carpet may take a little longer. Remove the step plate and lift up the carpet and put something under it to keep it lifted up. This should take about one to two weeks to completely dry out. If you have a wet vacuum, vacuum out as much of the dampness as you can. In the meantime, use the AC, which is a dehumidifier to keep the windows clear when driving.
READERS COMMENT
One of my readers is commenting about last week’s column, where a tire that had come off after the garage had just, in the past two weeks, changed his winter tires to summer tires. Calvin is covering some of the steps that one should take to make sure that the change of tires does not result in one or more of the wheel nuts being left loose.
Calvin’s suggestions: Just a short comment on the issue about possible loosening of the wheel nuts. I swap summer alloy wheels for winter steel wheels - either my usual garage or myself. One year, I had done the swap myself to summer wheels on our car and shortly after, I also noticed the clicking sound on turns. I took the car to the garage and the advisor and I went for a short ride. He identified the issue very quickly and we re-torqued the wheels nuts. He advised that often winter steel wheels leave behind a bit of rust on the hubs against which the summer wheels now rest and that needs to be cleaned up first to retain the proper torque. If doing the swap yourself, clean up with a wire brush the hubs and the wheels where they touch. Get a torque wrench and set it to your car’s values (Owners Manual) to confirm the tightness (do not over-torque.) Check the torque again within a week or so of driving. There is a proper method to torque your wheels - ask your service advisor if in doubt or it is not shown in your manual. Thanks for your column. Always interesting. Calvin ??
PS: To my readers: If possible, it would be appreciated if your emails would indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Please be advised that not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (be sure to include your address) by email to:: dennis.osullivan@cogeco.ca