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I
am
breaking from my usual electronic related stories to tell this
horror story that shocked the editor.
This
is
the (still ongoing) saga of the car from hell, or as otherwise known
as, "The money pit" .
It
all
started about September last year.
Our normally reliable 1991 Nissan Pulsar started over heating.
As it only happened while stuck at intersections, I thought that the
cooling fan was the culprit.
When I got home I checked the fan but, as far as I could determine, it
was working O.K.
Still convinced that there was a fault in this part of the car, I
consulted the manual.
The
fan
is controlled by the Engine Management System, and senses when to
turn on by a temperature sensor.
Of course, there was no data on the sensor (presumably an NTC
thermistor).
I
decided
to bypass this system all together and designed and built some
electronics to control the fan.
I used the temperature gauge sender (another NTC thermistor) to control
this, I knew for certain this was working, as the temperature gauge
was functioning.
I also noted that coolant was being lost, as there was a need to top
the coolant up
frequently.
I mentally noted that there was a leak to fix somewhere.
The car still overheated sometimes and the cooling fan did not work on
occasions that I thought it should.
It
was
time to overhaul the cooling system!
I bought a new fan and adapted it to the original mounting system.
I removed the radiator and found a small leak and repaired it with
epoxy resin.
I also found that the thermostat wouldn’t open properly, so I replaced
that as well.
After putting it all back together and replacing the radiator cap, I
declared the job finished…
No more overheating!
All up, approximately $100 was spent.
All
went
well for about a day then coolant started leaking out of the back
of the engine somewhere.
I couldn’t get to that area myself…
Time to call in an expert!
The local mechanic fixed it… It
was a burst pipe.
Another $38 and that should have been the end of it all.
Oh
Yeah!
Towards
the
end of October the car started playing up…
It seemed reluctant to start!
Then one evening (on my partner’s birthday) we decided to go out to
dinner.
The
car
had other ideas of course…
No way could I get it to start!
We
stayed
at home and got a pizza instead.
I tinkered with it over the next few weeks.
I made what tests I could and tried all the suggestions fed to me by
relatives and friends.
This involved replacing parts associated with the fuel system and
ignition system.
I guess $300 was spent all up.
Running
out
of things to try, I called in a mobile mechanic.
He came, he saw and he tinkered.
Success!
The beast roared into life!
He said that it was badly flooded and that the Engine Management System
was probably to blame.
He warned that it would probably need replacing.
Anyway, after I paid up $70 he went on his way.
The
car
had been going for less than a week, when it did the same thing
again.
I got it going by the same trick the mechanic used.
The cables are disconnected from the fuel injectors and, while the
engine is turned over by the starter, they are gradually reconnected.
The engine then runs normally.
The ECM light stayed on indicating a fault.
I rang the mechanic and told him about it.
The car ended up at his workshop and had the Engine Management System
replaced for the paltry sum of $600. (ouch - ed.)
He also advised me to get the timing belt replaced as it was very loose.
The
car
was now back in action.
I noted that it was still flooding after it was left for a couple of
days.
I found the easiest way to start it was to put the Accelerator flat to
the floor whilst turning it over.
This usually did the trick.
An
appointment
was made to get the local mechanic to replace the timing
belt.
He charged $150 and said that the belt was what was causing the
flooding. (?? - ed.)
It was still playing up however and getting rougher and harder to
start.
I decided to replace the fuel injectors with a reconditioned set.
I figured that the original ones were leaking.
I also put in a brand new set of spark plugs.
Right!
It
should
start first time and run as smooth a baby’s bum!
Not a bit of it!
It was just the same!
It also appeared to be running on 3 cylinders.
For want of something better to do, I decided to check the oil level.
I was greeted with a coffee coloured emulsion on the end of the dip
stick.
I knew what that meant!
There was coolant mixed in with the oil!
That also meant the head gasket was blown or the head itself was
cracked!
It has now been sitting there for a month
or so!
The mechanic quoted “About $1000” to fix the head!
We are saving the money up to get it done.
Then.. Just as this bad news had
settled in, someone broke through the back fence and attacked the
car.
They broke the small quarter window on the passenger side and opened
the doors and bonnet.
They rifled through the glove box and ash tray.
There were no valuables to be stolen.
The battery was also safely inside the house but, they still managed to
cause about $100 worth of damage.
To
be
continued……
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