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+1 on moderators and linked video explaining how to submit videos for the FATR and introducing new members to the forum.
UPDATE
i just got my car back from the shop today. my oil leak has now been hopefully taken care of. my oil pressure sending unit was leaking, the compression line on my PS rack was leaking and i had a small leak coming from my transmission pan. the sending unit has been replaced and the lines were switched out and i got a much needed trans service. The mechanic did say that i do need to keep an eye on my power steering pump. while he was under there he saw fluid all round where the hose enters the pump. he said might just have been from the leaking line dripping onto the hose from above or the pump its self could also have a leak. but for now i can focus my attention back on my suspension and steering.i need some part advice. i found a complete strut assembly from Leacree http://autoshepherd.com/product/Monroe-Quick-Strut/1307?v=158996 i haven’t heard much about this brand either but supposedly there suppose have one the best quick struts on the market. there about $120 each which is just slightly outside my price range. should i take the Leacree’s , the Monroe’s, or instead of quick struts should i just buy the struts and bearings separately and have a shop switch them out? both sets of quick struts have a full one year manufactures warranty. any advice would greatly appreciated.
if you have a local junk yard in the area try getting the latch and/or cable there you might just get lucky and find for cheap and in decent condition.
ill be replacing the struts soon. but as showed in the pics i have a pretty bad oil leak that i need to address then ill focus on the suspension. but i don’t think the struts are the problem. they need to be replaced and may have been the cause of the problem but their not the source of the noise. the popping is coming from the center of the car I’m thinking PS rack or steering column. the rattling is coming from the passenger side tie rod or is at least traveling through it. ill keep you guys updated on the situation.
1998 town and country front strut replacement. after removing the front strut i let the wheel hub just drop resulting in the axel being ripped out of the transmission with all the fluid draining out all over the parking lot.
1997 Chevy cavalier top radiator hose replacement. i was having trouble removing the hose clamp due to limited place and the clamp was facing down. i climbed under the car to get a better angle on the clamp. i meant to just remove the clamp and then climb out from under the car to remove the hose but when i removed the clamp the whole hose came off as a result i took a face full antifreeze. not a very pleasant day.
1992 Chevy beretta cylinder head removal. as i was removing one of the bolts out of the side of the block (cant remember the exact bolt i think it might have been water pump.) i ended up rounded to the head of the bolt with a 6 pt socket. i was using a 15mm when i should have been using a 14mm.
I don’t know much about the vehicle your talking about or fords in generally but with some older model vehicles the cruise is controlled by a cable attached to the throttle body. the cable moves freely with the throttle body until the cruise control is engaged. once its engaged the cable holds the throttle in place. if the referenced vehicle has a similar set up then that where i would look first. check to make sure the cable is still attached and not frayed. if the cables is broken then you will need to replace it.
+1 on the above post.
Make sure you actually have PLENTY of fuel in the tank and that the filter is installed correctly. then double check the fuse box making sure the relay is in the right spot. also make sure to check your fuel lines for leaks and if p
I finally have the video edited and uploaded to YouTube
Heres the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGUdP6kges
Its a little long i apologize for that i tried to keep it short as possible. i originally had about 45 min of footage but edited it down to 17 min.
The quick guide through the video if you don’t want to or have the time to watch it all
the first 30 sec has the noise from just turning the steering wheel left and right.
0:30-3:50 is driving to the garage here you’ll be able to hear the rattling its faint but you should be able to hear it with good speakers
3:50-4:20 i was jacking up the car and my struts were making a noise that they have never made before when ive jacked it up in the past
4:20-12:46 i going over the car checking oil pan, transmission pan, engine mount, control arms, tie rods, ball joints, wheel hubs, struts, etc pretty much everything in the pictures i posted.
12:46-13:18 i made a new observation that the popping noise coming from the steering wheel only happened when turning it to the right.
13:19-14:43 i had someone turning the steering wheel while i filmed the driver and passenger side wheel. here you can really hear the popping noise good
14:44-17:22 i performed the road simulation test on my tire with a hammer as Eric demonstrated in the finding suspension noises video.
so overall the few things i learned and/or observed during this inspection is
1. the popping noise seems to be coming more from the center than any one side.
2. the rattling is coming from the passenger side
3. the popping noise can be heard when turning the steering wheel to the right and not so much when turning it to the left
4. control arm seems solid so i think we can rule out the source of the rattling coming from the control arm banging against the sub frame due to a failed bushing.
5. the rattling seems to be coming from the tie rod. it starts at the outer tie rod end and goes all the way down to the rackso what do u guys think? i know the struts have to be replaced but what i don’t know is if ill also need to replace my springs and strut mounts. my outer tie rods ends were replaced last February so there still under warranty so ill defiantly be replacing the driver side. should i still just replace both inner and outer tie rod on both sides?
Quoted From dreamer2355:
Do you have a rear main seal oil leak on that car?
Also, did you source out why the drivers side CV axle and ball joint are covered in oil? Is that from a previous repair?
I could not see any obvious signs of damage but without seeing the vehicle close up on a lift, its hard to say what your issue is. Did you check all the previous suggestions from other forums members such as bushing and so forth?
Ill double check you pictures again when im back from work so i can spend more time studying them.
I’m not sure where all that oil came from. i had a small leak for a while but it looks like its gotten a lot bigger. it wasn’t there during my last inspection which was about a month ago. i hope its not my rear main seal. my transmission pan is also dirty and a mechanic told me i needed a new gasket. but i didnt pay much attention to the gasket on the transmission pan while i was under there. i was mainly focused on the source from the oil. i wasnt able to pin point it but it des seem to be above the oil pan.
I didn’t source out the oil on the CV Axel and ball joint but if i had to guess i would say my strut. my driver side strut has been leaking hydraulic fluid for while now. its for most part completely shot. when i do my repairs ill be replacing both struts. could that be the source of the oil?
I did check my control arm bushings but they looked solid to me. there was barely any movement or squeaking when i pulled on them by hand and with a pry bar.
Heres some pictures of the car i took this weekend while it was on jack stands. i would greatly appreciate it if you guys could take a look at the photos and see if anything looks bad or stands out. the two main things are my passenger side ball joint and what i believe to be a lower engine mount.
Heres the link: http://s1091.photobucket.com/albums/i389/380gb/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ24
I was having trouble posting on here directly. which is why i had to use Photobucket
I’ll be posting a video soon. i just need to edit it.
Thanks
I use Carb cleaner and a rag. when i did a valve cover gasket replacement i just sprayed down the whole the cover and wiped it up with the rag and then let it dry before removing the cover. i would strongly recommend not spraying down your engine with water at all. if your still determined to then use a garden hose with low pressure as mentioned above. theres so many wires, connectors, sensors, and harnesses that could be shorted out. then you’ll be left with the huge headache of going back through and finding the short and then replacing it. but with a rag and a little elbow grease you can get your engine pretty dam clean it just takes time and work. plus your far less likely of ruining something.
your not guaranteed to ruin anything by spraying it down but i just wouldn’t risk if it were my car.
when you pull on the handle is there a lot of resistance or is it really loose. if theres alot of resistance to the point it where it wont budge then its probably just jammed. you can try to hit with some WD-40 and then try sticking a screwdriver in there if theres enough room and pry back on the latch. but if its really loose then the cable is probably broken. if it broke at the handle then just grab a pair of pliers and pull on the release. if it broke somewhere else than you’ll have to try and find it and see if you can gain access with a pair of pliers,
you can try gaining access to the latch from underneath the car, depending on the car there might just be a plastic shield blocking your way that can be easily removed.
Hope this helps.
one last thing i forgot to add. you try can hitting the hood right above the latch with your hand. don’t hit it so hard that you dent it . just hit the hood and then pull up on it hard and hit it again. this might help if the latch is loaded with crud.
another thing to consider is engine compression, fuel pressure, and vacuum. i had a similar problem with my 92 beretta. every time my RPMs would drop to idle my car would die. i had to keep my foot on the gas at every stop sign and stop light. i ended up having worn piston rings which caused low compression and a misfire in more than one cylinder. plus a vacuum leak which i think was the biggest factor to my poor idle.
hopefully its something as simple as a loose vacuum line.
Are sure that the fuel system is good as new? just because he replaced the pump doesn’t mean the system as whole is good. even if he went through and checked the system the fact that he replaced a perfectly good fuel pump means one of two things he’s incompetent or just wanted screw your friend over. so just don’t go ruling out the fuel system so fast. at least not until you’ve gotten it checked by a competent and trust worthy technician. there’s a number of things within the system that could be at fault such as the pump relay, fuel pressure regulator, injectors, etc. next time it happens tell your friend to cycle the key a few times and listen for the pump to make sure it is priming the system.
the way you described it im thinking something within in the system whether its in the fuel or ignition system is over heating due to the fact that he can run it for hour and its fine but then suddenly stops working and then doesn’t work again until everything has had a chance to cool down
+1 to what dreamer said. the best way your going to diagnose this problem is when it stalls. your not going to get very far in between stalls because from what i understand from reading your post is that the problem what ever it might be is not present all the time. therefore your only going to be able to diagnose it when its present.