Remote causing SUV owner no end of problems
Question: Please help! Neither my local Mazda dealer nor independents can come up with a solution to the problem with my 2006 Mazda Tribute. Not always, but every so often, the remote will not lock the doors, will not unlock the doors, and then I cannot start the car. After much manipulation of the remote, opening and closing doors, etc., it finally works. I have purchased new remotes, changed batteries in remotes, but nothing helps. Sure hope you can help; it is mighty frustrating.
N.B. Answer: Did either service agency plug in a scan tool to check for fault codes? If not, this is the first step. A search of my automotive database found that if codes B1300 or B2111 are stored in memory, the problem is with the power door lock circuits, possibly a short to ground. B2425 would indicate that the remote keyless entry, or RKE, transmitter is out of sync with the smart junction box, or SJB. This can occur if the RKE button is pushed a number of times when outside the range of the transmitter. To resynchronize the rolling code system, with the key off press any button on the RKE four times within 30 seconds. The SJB or its connections might be at fault.
Q: My 2010 Buick Lacrosse intermittently will not shift from park to reverse. The shifter is on the console. The dealer says he has no clue as to how to fix this. GM, via online computer conversation, had no clues. I am now preventing this problem by always placing the car’s parking brake on before taking my foot off the brake to turn the car off. What is going on?
B.H. A: The most likely cause, and one the dealer should have investigated, is a problem with the shift lock solenoid located in the shift console. This safety system is designed to prevent the vehicle from starting unless the shifter is in park and the driver’s foot is on the brake pedal.
Here’s how it works: With the ignition switch on and the foot brake applied, the body control module, or BCM, supplies voltage to the permanently grounded shift lock solenoid. The solenoid actuates, unlocking the shift lever to allow you to shift out of park.
So, it would seem logical that either the brake pedal switch is not telling the BCM that your foot is on the brake pedal during an attempted start, or the BCM voltage signal to the shift lock solenoid is failing to reach or activate the solenoid.
Q: I read your comment that you change oil more frequently than recommended by the manufacturer. Why? Isn’t it wasteful to change oil more often, wasting both money and oil? On what do you base your recommendation?
B.W. A: Simple answer: it’s MY vehicle, not the manufacturer’s. The cost of this “extra” maintenance is far, far less than the cost of premature engine problems due to sludge from lubricant oxidation, contamination, fuel dilution or additive depletion. Are any of these likely to happen? No. Do they happen? Yes. Who pays for repairs, lost value, etc.? Carmakers? No. Me? Yes.
And the “prematurely” changed oil is not wasted, it is recycled. In fact, I often re-use it in my small-engine equipment.
Q: In the middle of the summer, a friend of mine said his car had suddenly overheated on the highway, and in order to continue driving, he opened all the car’s vents and turned the heater on full blast.
His reasoning was that doing so would deflect the heat from the engine so it would be possible to drive the extra five kilometres to a service station that would replace the car’s broken hose. When he said that, my head nearly exploded since it really didn’t seem to make sense. However, I couldn’t come up with an alternative except to say that I wouldn’t do it. The question is, does it make sense?
D.N.
A: Oh boy! I confess to doing this a couple times during my life but it is not a good idea. Turning on the heater and fan full blast when an engine is overheating can provide some additional heat transfer from the engine. But this would only be helpful if there is enough coolant in the system to reach the heater core, which is often the first component to lose circulation when the coolant level drops.
After seeing more than a few engines tragically damaged from overheating, I would save this manoeuvre only for an emergency situation.