Car-tastrophe

[figmo]

I've been having trouble starting my car on and off for a while. The starter engages and turns over, but the motor doesn't catch. A jump to the battery alleviates this problem, yet according to Sears, my one-year-old battery is fine. The problem was getting worse, so last Tuesday I went to AAA to try to get it diagnosed. The next available appointment was a week from that day (aka "tomorrow"), so I made it.

Saturday I was driving from Job #2 in Emeryville across to San Francisco to do standup comedy. The traffic getting over the Bay Bridge was very heavy stop-and-go; there was no avoiding it.

In the midst of this traffic I found my car being less and less willing to shift out of first or second gear. I made it over the bridge and onto 5th Street in San Francisco, at which point my car was being temperamental about engaging in first gear. A cop in an SUV suggested I pull over, so I found a parking space on 6th Street near Howard Street and did so. This is not a "nice" neighborhood; when I called AAA and they asked for "anything distinctive," I mentioned the wino throwing up on the sidewalk. I was told a tow was en route "on priority," but I waited for 45 minutes and watched three tow trucks pass me by.

Eventually I tried restarting the car and was able to get it into first gear. I called AAA and cancelled the tow, instead hoping to make it home. Instead, the car stopped accelerating on southbound 101 just before the Sierra Point Parkway exit. I called AAA; they said the CHP would also come to help, but no CHP ever arrived. The tow truck did, and I got towed home. After he dropped off my car, the driver pointed out the car had recharged.

Yesterday I was eventually able to start the car; once I did I got to comedy class with no problems until I was parking. First gear started giving out in the parking lot, but I was able to deposit the car into a space. After class I started the car and began driving home. The car didn't want to shift out of first gear. This time it stopped running on northbound 280 just before the on-ramp to northbound 880. Those of you who are familiar with that interchange know it's one of the most dangerous and poorly designed ones in the area. There's no shoulder where I got stuck. This time I called 911 from my cell phone. As I waited one car rear-ended another immediately behind me. Eeep. About 15 minutes later the CHP and tow truck showed up at the same time. The CHP car pushed me to the shoulder, where the tow truck could hook me up and get me home.

I now have to hope the car will make it to AAA tomorrow. After that I get to hope it'll make it to wherever AAA recommends I get it fixed.

Warren thinks my recently rebuilt transmission is burnt out. The AAA tow guys think the problem is a bad alternator. dimakoi says the regulator could also be bad. I'm hoping the AAA tow guys or dimakoi are right and not Warren. If I had a paid account and a poll feature I'd take that as a poll to see what the rest of you think.

Comments

[jahura.livejournal.com]

A bad transmission wouldn't drain the battery. If the battery recharges it's not alternator. If the car turns over intermittently but starts each time it's not starter. dimakoi could be right and it could be the regulator, or the alternator belt may be loose as well. Just a guess.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

These days, voltage regulators are internal to the alternator, so they'll likely replace the entire alternator.

Automatic transmissions used to be simple affairs operated mostly by hydraulic pressure (the tranny fluid) and a little bit by vacuum (a vacuum line ran to the engine to signal a "kickdown"--when you mash the accelerator to the floor and the trans downshifts.) Then, in the late 80s, they started with the electronic control and lockup torque converters. Nowadays they're complex, electronically-controlled things hooked into the engine computer. If you start running them significantly under-voltage, they start behaving kinda wonky and exhibiting the symptoms you describe.

I *have* seen burned-out, recently-rebuilt transmissions. (The overwhelming majority of shops don't actually rebuild your transmission in-house; they just pull a rebuilt unit off the shelf, pop it into your car, and send yours out somewhere else to be rebuilt aind put into someone else's car.) The quality of the rebuild can vary greatly.

[sfo2lhr.livejournal.com]

Well, my comment would be that I don't see the points of (1) making an appointment with AAA to diagnose your car; and (2) having it towed to anywhere except a place that can actually fix it. Trying to drive a broken car is not a great strategy; you'll waste more time with tow trucks and possible put yourself and others in jeopardy.

IIRC your car is a late-model normal car (Honda Accord? Acura?) in which case the best thing is to just have it towed to your Honda mechanic or a Honda dealer, or else the place that you got the recently-rebuilt transmission (if it is under warranty for that job).

Dickering around with AAA and random opinions from tow drivers is not going to speed your repair.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

The problem is I've been getting ripped off by the mechanic I've been using. This turkey wanted to sell me a new battery to "solve" the problem. I figure if nothing else I won't get further screwed by this guy and may actually get the thing fixed.

[discodj.livejournal.com]

I know bupkis about cars, but please accept some heartfelt hugz.

[cellio]

Is the recently-rebuilt transmission under warranty? If so, there are worse possibilities than Warren being right. :-)

(I don't know enough about cars to comment usefully on this; the combination of symptoms does not seem to point to the transmission or alternator. I don't know what a regulator regulates, exactly, so maybe that. Or maybe it's just a loose belt or wire somewhere.)

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Nope. It was 12k miles or one year, and I've already exceeded the former.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I suspect transmission. Big time. Matter of fact, don't drive it anymore before having it towed in to be looked at.

Frozen transmission is a total loss - partially burnt is salvageable. I'm serious. Been there, done that - and you don't want the t-shirt.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

If it's the transmission, then what would explain a) the car not starting and b) the transmission going out mostly at night when I'm applying power to the headlights?

What would explain it?

[capplor.livejournal.com]

"Starts fine, but only with jump" sounds like a separate problem from "can't get out of 1st gear". The first would be classic "alternator". The 2nd fits the description of a bad transmission. When the car dies could it be because the battery is drained again, from not recharging itself, or not charging efficiently enough to keep up with the load?


If you're lucky then the transmission problem might be some fancy electrically run control system so that fixing the electrical problem will also fix the "transmission".

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Coincidence. You may actually have some electrical issues, but that not wanting to go into gear? Transmission, no doubt about it. Go get that looked at. SERIOUSLY.

[(Anonymous)]

If you have a Honda, take it to Berkeley Minicar. They serviced my Hondas the whole time I had them, including nursing a couple of wounded transmissions.

Have you checked your transmission fluid?

[slfisher.livejournal.com]

If you have a Honda, take it to Berkeley Minicar. I took my Hondas there the whole time I had them and they nursed one through several wounded transmissions.

Have you checked your transmission fluid?

[howeird]

Don't drive this car. Have it towed to your AAA appointment.

Sounds like two separate problems: transmission is gone, and battery-related (could be alternator/voltage regulator, bad battery contacts [clean 'em], electronic controller gone south).

Please be safe - you've already used your three "get out of this alive" cards.