Auto Fuel Tanks

Mark Goodman holds the fire extinguisher that he displays just for fun with his two 1978 Ford Pintos. He used to have a sign for the car telling motorists to stay back 500 feet.

One is a red 1978 woody station wagon that looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. The sticker, showing a price of $4,389, is in the window. It's got only 68,000 miles on it. Mark bought the car four years ago. Calls it his baby.

The other, a coupe and also red, is more of a beater with a smoking habit. I watched Mark spray starter fluid down the throat of the carburetor to get it going. It, too, is a 1978. Mark learned from the VIN number that it was built the same day as his other one. He sees them as twins.

With most vintage cars, people will comment how cool and retro they are. When folks see Mark's Pinto, they ask how it's possible it hasn't blown up yet. But just as often, they recall the Pinto they or someone they know used to own and maybe even liked.

Beauty is in the eye of the Pinto holder - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Impala, 3.4 v-6 engine with 62,500 km. The problem is that it has the intermittent starting condition. For no reason the starter will not crank. The first action was to have the computer system checked and then replace the battery. One week later the same problem returned. When this occurred I put the key in run position and ran a direct wire to the starter relay, the car started and went for one second, meaning that the fuel system is shut down. After waiting for 10 to12 minutes the car will start, but a week or two later the same problem re occurs. The internet has many hundreds of people with the same symptoms. Complaints to GM fall on deaf ears, they refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem. Some have had the body computer and/or the crankshaft sensor replaced by GM - no change as the symptoms reoccur a few weeks later. A lot of the complaints are directed to the security system and to the oxidation of wire connections.

This condition on your Impala has never been traced to the same cause every time. However there are a few on the 'top ten' list I can suggest. First is the anti-theft system. Each Impala ignition key is implanted with a chip that provides an electronic signature to be read and recognized by the body computer by means of the ignition cylinder/switch before the engine will start. The key to this process is a very fine wire 'halo' that surrounds the ignition cylinder. With age, this component can act up, causing a no-start condition. Some owners have had the system bypassed by getting a tech to wire in a small electrical resistor which can mimic the signature of the key. Body controllers or computers and the wiring harness under the dash can also be causes of this problem. The electrical contact between the computer and the dash wiring is made through very thin pins and even a small about of corrosion can play havoc with the low voltage signals that these systems communicate with.

Working with a shop very familiar with the Impala is key to getting some resolution and piece of mind without breaking the bank. Make sure you let them know of your own direct feed starter test as it has already eliminated the starter motor as the cause. Even though the mileage on your Impala is very low, approaching GM for assistance in this matter is probably a lost cause due to the age of the vehicle.

I enjoy your columns although I don't get to read EMC every week. I bought a new Mazda 3 Sport GS (2.5 L with a 5-speed auto/manual) in February. It's a fine peppy little car but comes nowhere close to achieving the mileage specs in Mazda's ads (9.5 (L/100 km) city, 6.9 hwy). Not achieving those ideal specs doesn't surprise at all. I check after each fill-up and use between 13 and nearly 15 L/100 km.

Many possibilities for Impala's starting problems - EMC West Carleton

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When Should We Issue a Recall? Have Automakers Learned From History? - InjuryBoard.com (blog)

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Skull said student and community consultations on the field should be completed before December but added the former auto dealership will be buried under snow by then and no landscape work can realistically start until the spring.

Skull said student and community consultations on the field should be completed before December but added the former auto dealership will be buried under snow by then and no landscape work can realistically start until the spring. "That's our aim, the fall," of 2011, Skull said for the field to be completed.

Pulses were likely sent racing Tuesday at the sight of heavy equipment working on the one-hectare field but Skull said the machine is only removing contaminated soil discovered through an environmental assessment conducted earlier this year.

No Gordon Bell grass field until autumn of next year - Winnipeg Free Press

If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, please contact alborz at caradvice.com.au and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.

Hyundai ix35 Eco Drive Challenge - CarAdvice (blog)