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Dear Doctor: I own 2009 Nissan Pathfinder. The heat blower motor does not work on lower speeds – only high speeds. The air conditioning compressor does not work on the high speed either. The dealer said it could be an expensive wiring problem and a faulty a/c compressor. Just to check the problem it could be two hours at $115 an hour. Can you help advise me?
James
Dear James: Whenever there is an electrical problem the technician will need time to check the vehicle. I always suggest the owner authorize one hour to check the vehicle. Often, when vehicles only have high speed on the fan blower, a burned out blower resistor, and sometimes the wire harness connector, can be at fault. A look on the professional technician’s web site, Identifix, shows multiple complaints similar to yours.
Dear Doctor: I own a 2005 Toyota Prius with headlight problems. When I turn the lights on, they will work for a short time and then go out. If I shut the lights off, and wait a minute to turn them back on, then neither one works. Another issue is the headlights will sometimes flicker. What should I do?
Mary
Dear Mary: I had this problem on a Prius as well. My first step was to check for these issues on the Identifix web site. Sure enough, I found the information I needed. On vehicles such as yours with HID (high intensity display), bulbs that are near the end of their life may flicker. It may be time for new ones, and be sure you replace the bulbs in pairs.
Dear Doctor: I own a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix that loses the power steering assist at idle. The local shop checked the fluid and said it was clean and full. He then advised that I needed to replace the rack-and-power steering pump at a cost of $1,100. What are your thoughts?
Ben
Dear Ben: I worked on a customer’s vehicle that had a similar problem. When looking at the car I saw the fluid was also clean and full. This car had an EVO (electronic variable orifice) solenoid that regulates the power-assist fluid pressure. The purpose of the EVO is to adjust steering effort to the driver for more drive feedback when steering the car. I disconnected the EVO solenoid wire connection and the power steering worked just like a normal vehicle. The owner road-tested the car and was very happy to leave the EVO disconnected.
Dear Doctor: I love your column; thanks for your advice. I am considering purchasing a retro-styled Ford Thunderbird (2002-2005 model years), and wanted your thoughts on this T-Bird overall, as well as the 3.9-liter V-8 that powers it. I believe it’s a Jaguar engine, so naturally, reliability comes to mind. Look forward to your insight into this vehicle.
Bill
Dear Bill: The T-Bird retro does have the Jaguar driveline, front suspension, and exhaust. Any service part is expensive and could require a wait on getting the needed part. I personally would ask you to take a second look at other cars.
Dear Doctor: I have started noticing that more and more cars, particularly the high-end imports, have yellow- or light-colored stop lights. I was always under the impression that rear taillights should be red.
Bob
Dear Bob: The stop lights are always red in color, as this is a federal mandate. The turn signals can be amber or red in color.
Junior Damato is an ASE-certified Master Technician. E-mail questions for publication to info@motormatters.biz. Mail questions to: Motor Matters, PO Box 3305, Wilmington, DE 19804.