Repair and Maintenance

1997 Questions and Answers with Bob Hagin

• Week 1 In Orinda, CA, the owner of a new Toyota is told that her rear brakes are almost worn out. "Are super oil fortifiers really worth $18 per quart?" asks a Plymouth owner in Gloversville, NY. A Lincoln observer in Seattle asks about two different V12 engines he has observed in 1940 Lincolns.
• Week 2 An unlucky Renault owner in Emmett, ID can't find a mechanic to cure her problem. A Cadillac owner in Bakersfield, CA is puzzled by dirty transmission fluid after it was changed. "Is a '66 Ford sedan worth restoring?" asks a reader in Tacoma, WA.
• Week 3 A Ford windshield goes opaque when the defroster is turned on in Eugene, OR. A new Chevy truck is noisy in Boise, ID. "Should I be hearing gasoline sloshing around in my Ford Taurus?" asks the mother of three in San Ramon, CA.
• Week 4 A Nissan owner in Sacramento has had a harrowing experience since her car burned up. An older Acura in Ft. Stockton, TX pings on the highway. In St. Petersburg, FL, a Chevrolet truck vibrates.
• Week 5 In Highland, CA, the paint is disappearing from a '94 Ford. A Mustang in Buffalo, NY is having hesitations in the cold weather. "Do timing chains really break/" asks a Chevrolet owner in Flagstaff, AZ.
• Week 6 A Mitsubishi in Los Angeles, CA pulls to the right is sits low. "Is my '73 Ambassador sedan a collectible car?" asks a reader in Cottage Grove, OR. A Chevrolet owner in New Orleans, LA wants to change to a synthetic oil.
• Week 7 In Pittsburg, CA, a Honda smells bad after every oil change. A Toyota van whistles when it works hard in Aurora, IL. A single mother in Portland, OR, wants to buy her first car on her own.
• Week 9 In Fontana, CA, a new Honda is noisy. An ancient Mustang in Blue River, OR has freeze plug problems. "Where can I buy a copy of "The Vintage Auto Almanac?" asks an enthusiast in Toledo, OH.
• Week 10 A new Toyota owner in Downeyville CA, has some questions about motor oil. An Infiniti may need new spark plugs to cure periodic roughness in Santa Fe NM. In Tulsa OK, an Oldsmobile starts easy when the engine is cold but hard when it's warmed up.
• Week 11 A Jaguar owner in Elizabeth City VA questions a safety factor on a his used sedan. A Pontiac TranSport has a faulty dash cover in Mechamicsville, MD and the seller won't fix it. A Sacramento, CA Toyota smokes and the owner wonders what to do.
• Week 13 What is a '70 Chevy 454 convertible worth in Pleasant Hill, CA? In Norfolk, VA, a Thunderbird stumbles and bucks. A Dodge Caravan in Grand Rapids, MI may well be a dangerous exhaust leak.
• Week 14 "Why does my Toyota pickup vibrate?" asks a reader in Orangeville, CA. Another in Marcellus, MI wonders about using snow tires all year around. An RV owner in Suffolk, VA wants to get its Chevy engine off of its lead-substitute supplement diet.
• Week 15 A Mercury Cougar owner in Grass Valley, CA wants to hose off his engine compartment. Another in Bell Haven, VA can't keep his Oldsmobile out of the shop. "Why don't my mileage figures match those on the window sticker?" queries a Toyota owner in Radnor PA.
• Week 16 An Oldsmobile gets soaked rugs when it's raining in Norfolk, VA. "Is my '93 Indy Pace Truck Chevrolet anything special?" asks an owner in Danville, CA. A Pontiac Sunbird shakes when stopping in Seattle, WA.
• Week 17 An Omni in Sacramento, CA had a problem with disappearing oil. In Chesapeake, VA a Dodge Colt had the same problem but in the transmission. "Is a rusty Sprite worth restoring?" asks a neophyte in Lincoln, NE.
• Week 18 The owner in Cottage Grove, OR wonders if her vintage Chevrolet will make it cross-country and back. In Norfolk, VA, a late model Lincoln is a whiner. "What tools should I buy for my grandson?" asks a female reader in Boise, ID.
• Week 19 A Mercury in Virginia Beach VA has a mysterious coolant leak. An Oldsmobile shifts slow and hard in Hertford, NC. "My '84 Toyota vibrates really bad," says a reader in Pittsburg, CA.
• Week 20 "Is a complete Road and Track magazine collection worth anything?" asks a reader in Schenectady, NY. A Horizon owner wants to install a Rampage engine in San Bernardino, CA. In Norfolk, VA a Renault owner needs a new ignition key.
• Week 21 A Pontiac loses coolant in Murrells Inlet, SC. "What causes my RV to use a quart of oil in 300 miles?" asks an owner in Eugene, OR. The brakes on a mini-van feel "funny" in Walnut Creek, CA.
• Week 22 In Virginia Beach, VA a GM engine makes noise in the morning. The owner of a seven year old Ford want the factory to pick up a brake job tab in San Bernardino, CA. A tourist from Hollywood, FL has CV joint problems on the road.
• Week 24 A high-mileage Subaru keeps blowing out turbo gaskets in Hesperia, CA. A Chevy truck "roars" on the highway in Hertford, NC. The ABS brake light stays on and it worries a Plymouth minivan in Eugene, OR.
• Week 25 In Willis Wharf, VA, a Mercury has erratic brakes. A vintage Ford truck crashed into an almost-as-old VW in Elk Grove, CA and a reader wants skid information on the accident. In Tampa, FL, a Honda owner is having performance problems.
• Week 26 A Mercury owner had to make a band-aide repair to get his brakes to work in Lafayette, CA. "Is a Morris worth restoring?" asks a reader in Milton, WA. A Chevrolet a/c unit that worked in Idaho isn't up to snuff in Florida.
• Week 27 A Chrysler owner in Ambler, PA needs information on the Lemon Law. Dry-rot in her tires bothers a motorist in Norfolk, VA. An '87 Camaro in Pleasanton, CA has a hard time getting started.
• Week 28 In Suffolk, VA a reader needs information on two performance cars. The oil pressure on a Datsun drops very low in South Lake Tahoe, CA. A Toyota has cracked two exhaust manifolds in 85,000 miles in Junction City, OR.
• Week 29 A '80 Datsun 210 owner in Athens, GA want to know where to get parts for her aging car. In Seaside, CA a reader is going overseas and needs to store his car. Ford rear tires are wearing unevenly in Seattle, WA.
• Week 30 A Jeep in Edenton, NC makes lots of traveling noise. A Mercury Capri in Boise, ID is in need of engine work. "Is there a magazine for mechanics?" asks a reader in Ventura, CA.
• Week 31 A reader in Sacramento, CA wants to "restore" an older cargo van. A Subaru Legacy had the same piston job done in two years in Eugene, OR. After a top-end overhaul, a Mitsubishi Galant smokes in Chesapeake, VA.
• Week 32 A replacement Chevy engine runs hot in Antioch, CA. A ten year-old Jeep in Suffolk, VA has gone 240,000 miles and its owner want to know how to double that. A Merkur in Bremerton, WA has a low-reading fuel gauge.
• Week 33 A reader in Sacramento, CA is looking for a particular model Studebaker station wagon. A vintage Mercedes won't start after a three-day shut down in Athens, GA. The brakes are squealing after a reline job in Cleveland, OH.
• Week 34 A restored '70 Olds is hard to start in Norfolk, VA. A reader in Bridgeport, CT has to store his convertible outside in the snow. A 10-year old Jeep has noisy rear brakes in Boise, ID.
• Week 35 "Are the claims made for a miraculous auto chemical treatment true?" asks a reader in Yucaipa, CA. Two brothers in Tempe, AZ are concerned about creaks and groans in an old Dodge RV. A Yugo owner in Teaneck, NJ wants to find a supplier of parts.
• Week 36 The paint is coming off a Dodge truck in Byron, CA. In Eugene, OR a Chevrolet RV is dumping brake fluid on the floor mats. "How can I get oil spots off my driveway? asks a reader in Franklin, VA.
• Week 37 A Lincoln Continental is losing its suspension in Amsterdam, NY. A GM Truck buyer in Martinez, CA discovered that his purchase was wrecked before he bought it. An Oldsmobile owner in Hartford, CN needs an owner's manual.
• Week 38 A Ford Ranger has lots of oil leaks in Elk Grove, CA. In Tacoma, WA, a reader needs information on how to get into the used car business. At only five feet tall, a Tempo driver in Creswell, OR is looking for a car that fits her better.
• Week 39 A Nissan Maxima pulls to the right in Chesapeake, VA. A vintage Ford pickup pings badly after an engine change in San Bernardino, CA. Another Nissan in Boise, ID suffers from a one-speed blower motor.
• Week 40 "Where can I get weather stripping for the driver's side window on my '68 Galaxie?" asks a reader in Sacramento, CA. In Onley, VA, the brakes on a Volvo are embarrassingly loud. Does a low mileage Toyota really need a expensive timing belt in Eugene, OR?
• Week 41 In Colton, CA, a first-run Toyota Tacoma has some annoying squeals emanating from the suspension. A Nissan in Germantown, OH vibrates under acceleration. A lady in St. Petersburg, FL wants to do it herself.
• Week 42 A vintage Ford needs a "freshening up" in Norfolk., VA. "What is the best wax for my prized Dodge?" asks a reader in Martinez, CA. A late model Jeep Cherokee binds up in tight turns in Schenectady, NY.
• Week 43 A reader in Milton, WA wants to redirect his 15 year old son's interests from music to auto construction. A Nissan owner in Danville, CA changed over to a synthetic oil and the vehicle started using it up at a fast rate. The owner of a Ford Taurus in Virginia Beach, VA is apprehensive about having his car service and wonders what's "reasonable."
• Week 44 An elderly Ford in Folsom, CA is suffering from a substandard rebuilt engine. The ABS system is out on a Buick in Monticello, KY. A reader in Westbury, NY wants to subscribe to a racing magazine for her 15 year old grandson.
• Week 45 "Is my '74 Pontiac Grand Am a classic?" asks a reader in Norfolk, VA. Another in Junction City, OR wants to know about high-octane gasoline. A Corvette in Battle Creek, MI needs a cleanout of its fuel injectors.
• Week 46 A vintage Olds owner in Fontana, CA can't get his parts store to come up with the right parts. The owner of a '98 Mercury can't get it fixed right in South Mills, SC. A "shopper" in Portland, OR wonders why car price buyer's guides can't get their facts straight.
• Week 47 A "mysterious" '71 Mercedes shows up in Reno, NV and the questioner says her grandmother wants to sell it. In Redlands, CA, a Toyota growls at its owner when she shifts it. A teen-ager in Terre haute, IN wants to buy a fixer-upper Chrysler Corp. muscle car.
• Week 48 A reader in Pioneer, CA wonders if his "alcoholic" Ford can be damaged by using conventional oil. What makes a Nissan run stone-cold in Somerville, NJ? "What is a LaSalle?" asks a curious motorist in Norfolk, VA.
• Week 49 In San Antonio, the brake pedal on an Acura falls to the floor. An amateur stock broker in Palm Springs, CA wants to get into the investment car world. Bob Hagin advises a Ford owner in Elizabeth City, VA to go back to basics.
• Week 50 Grandmother's basement turned up an ancient pedal car in Puyallup, WA. In Phoenix, AZ, a Mitsubishi is hard to shift. "Are junkyard parts legal to use in a wreck repair?" asks a reader in Hollywood, CA.
• Week 51 A new Cadillac uses too much oil in Mukilteo, WA. A noisy, gas-guzzling Oldsmobile bothers its owner in Norfolk, VA. A restored Fiat developed a bad habit of smoking in Walnut Creek, CA
• Week 52 A restorer in Newburg, MD wants a quick history of the uncapitalized jeep. A reader in Vita, OR wonders if it's practical to have a bare-bones van converted into an RV. A low mileage '87 Toyota in Highland, CA puts our some unusual smells.