Abort? Retry? Influence with hammer?

[gemfyre]

Not-Bob has been nothing but trouble lately.

Week and a half ago it was the alternator. The battery was flattening itself. Dad replaced alternator to the tune of about $300... ouch.

Monday I go to fire up the car after visiting Kings Park. Battery light comes on, motor does not. Ring RAC again. Wait. Guy comes around, checks the battery power or whatever he does. Touches something toward the base of the hood and it turns over. Tells me somethingorrather isn't firing properly and I need a tune up. I go on my way.

Today, Anglicare car park (found a baby mermaid pony, up for trade). Turn on car. It starts, but shudders terribly as I back it out of the parking lot before dying right in the middle of it. I push it back into a park and call RAC... Again.

Guy comes, I tell him of the battery problems so he investigates all that. Nothing. He suspects I have no fuel. According to my records (seeing as the fuel gauge is unreliable) I have about another 100k left in the tank. Anyway, I pay him $6 to stick some petrol in and try it. Nope, doesn't work. He tinkers a bit more under the dash, consults a manual... Eventually he proposes that it could be the fuel pump. He instructs me to start the car while he wallops the tank with a mallet. *vroom!* Okay that worked. Gives me a tow note - tells me after this treatment some cars don't get 5 meters down the road, some go for a fortnight - and I go on my way back home.

Dunno what I'm gonna do about getting to uni tonight for dancing, or tomorrow for Mars meeting.

Damn car. I wish things could be reliable!

Comments

[redmalice.livejournal.com]

Cars are never reliable :D
My alternator wasn't replaced too long ago and we had to buy a new battery as well so add on another $100 :/.

o.O

[peppermintrose.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of whapping a tank with a mallet, lol! Does your car crank, but the motor just doesn't catch? If there is no noise at ALL then maybe it's your battery, try tapping on the metal battery connectors with a hammer, they may be dirty or loose and not getting a proper current. If the car moves sometimes, but dies, it's probably not battery (it takes a lot more battery power to actually start the car than to move it). That is either spark plugs needing replaced with a tune-up or a coil that is mis-firing. That would be my guess, at least :)

You too?

[kowren.livejournal.com]

I just found out that I have to repair not only my own car roof but also my bro's car roof. We both have the same model car and it is a common problem.

These beasts of burden are always trying to find something to amuse themselves. You wait, I'll just get the roofs repaired and something else will decide to pack it in.

It's almost always something you can repair for a couple hundred dollars but not enough for you to warrant buying a new car. They want to be kept.

[scali.livejournal.com]

ugh, sounds like the fun i have with lil bastard. lil bastard is the last car i sold to a mate - bad idea - means i still have to fix it!
anyways, i digress; easiest thing to try out - a larger capacity battery - if you're running anything after market - cd changer, radios, aircon on lots, it maybe benifical to boost the amps, seeing as the starter will only use what it needs, you've got that extra bit of power.

Otherwise, if its a brand new alterator, (get someone to run a electrode meter over it, if you're in doubt) , and theres 3 other things what can ause the car no to start, a defective solenoid, defective starter or the starter pionions jammed up.

[shrika.livejournal.com]

Humans as a whole aren't exactly reliable so what on earth makes you think we could make something reliable?