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car car car. ugh.
Apr. 29th, 2009 10:00 amUgh. Bad luck just can't stop.
So, I noticed the Crown Vic was running warmer than usual while we drove up the mountain on Sunday. Now, it was 90F and I was enjoying the Vic's power up the mountain, so it's not like I was crawling along at 30mph or anything. We were on 33, of course, so I wasn't going highway speeds, either.
Anyhow, once we stopped climbing, the temp dropped back a bit, so I just made a mental note to check the coolant before we drove home. We were planning on stopping a couple miles into the park to hike. Entering the picnic area, we did note a weird smell. I told myself that it wasn't coolant, it was obviously some freakishly sweet firestarter. That picnic area is always full of strange smells.
Anyhow, after our hike, I checked the cool engine and the coolant reservoir was empty--I could see coolant at the bottom, in the hose. That was odd. So I added water and kept an eye on the temp as we drove down the mountain. No weird smells, no temp issues. We stopped to do our grocery shopping and I checked the coolant before starting the car again--the reservoir was still full.
Didn't drive Monday. Yesterday morning, I checked it again--empty reservoir. This time, I noticed the reservoir was cracked along the top. Crap. Added some more water. That evening, it was still full, so we drove it to the garage and left it with our keys. Today . . . the reservoir, of course. Intake manifold, which I was hoping was just my imagination.
And since the problems are all time intensive due to location, they said that doing the spark plugs/wires and PCV valve now would save us a couple hours labor in the future. I asked if they needed to be done and the mechanic told me that the wires are original. Well, that's probably true and the car is 12 years old, so may as well get it done before I have to drive a couple thousand miles this summer.
So, I noticed the Crown Vic was running warmer than usual while we drove up the mountain on Sunday. Now, it was 90F and I was enjoying the Vic's power up the mountain, so it's not like I was crawling along at 30mph or anything. We were on 33, of course, so I wasn't going highway speeds, either.
Anyhow, once we stopped climbing, the temp dropped back a bit, so I just made a mental note to check the coolant before we drove home. We were planning on stopping a couple miles into the park to hike. Entering the picnic area, we did note a weird smell. I told myself that it wasn't coolant, it was obviously some freakishly sweet firestarter. That picnic area is always full of strange smells.
Anyhow, after our hike, I checked the cool engine and the coolant reservoir was empty--I could see coolant at the bottom, in the hose. That was odd. So I added water and kept an eye on the temp as we drove down the mountain. No weird smells, no temp issues. We stopped to do our grocery shopping and I checked the coolant before starting the car again--the reservoir was still full.
Didn't drive Monday. Yesterday morning, I checked it again--empty reservoir. This time, I noticed the reservoir was cracked along the top. Crap. Added some more water. That evening, it was still full, so we drove it to the garage and left it with our keys. Today . . . the reservoir, of course. Intake manifold, which I was hoping was just my imagination.
And since the problems are all time intensive due to location, they said that doing the spark plugs/wires and PCV valve now would save us a couple hours labor in the future. I asked if they needed to be done and the mechanic told me that the wires are original. Well, that's probably true and the car is 12 years old, so may as well get it done before I have to drive a couple thousand miles this summer.
