Q: For approximately three years my dash has displayed the message "battery not charging." The battery is new, and the prior battery was only 3 years old. I have had a mechanic check with his computer software to locate the problem and nothing shows. The alternator and belts are all fine. When the information screen is displayed, it shows it is charging. My husband has even tried to change fuses. The car runs fine, it is just bothersome to see. Do you have any suggestions?
A: After consulting the All Data information system technical service bulletins and coming up empty-handed, I decided to take a look at the wiring schematics for your system. It seems very evident you would have this kind of failure if the resistance was high in the gray wire that goes from the alternator to "F" terminal input of the under hood computer. Also the results would be the same if there were corrosion on the smaller of the two red wires coming off the alternator to the "L" terminal input at the dashboard. I would check the resistance on both of these wires first before I went any further. Either one will cause the exact same problem you are having.
Q: Last year my car started a high-pitch noise that I noticed one evening driving home from work. I parked my car, went home and didn't pay much attention to the noise as I had thought it went away. I have come to understand more about this noise in terms of when it starts and how to alleviate the noise for a period of time. Additionally, I had a couple of mechanics check it out, but they had not a clue. My car will start up fine in the morning (or evening) when I turn it on. It will drive flawlessly without any noises for roughly 30 minutes (which is around the same time that the car seems to heat up). Once my car hits what I call a "heated up" stage, my car will "kick" into its phase. This "phase" has the following results: When I accelerate (either from stop — gear 1 to gear 2 — or while I am moving from 20 mph to 30 mph when my gears shift, my car seems to hard shift into the next gear, giving a slight push or bump feeling. Additionally, if I park my car without turning the engine off I can also hear a consistent "high-pitched" noise that seems to be coming from the engine. If I give a bit of gas while parked, that high-pitched noise will become a bit louder.
A: Before I can pass judgment I would like to see a recorded video of a computer scanner from when the car is having the problem. When this problem is happening, we need to look at line pressures of the transmission as well as coolant temperatures. By no means would I suggest you go through the expense of replacing the transmission just by virtue of a hunch. Your technician should be able to plug a recording scanner into your computer and make the movie I am referring to. Only after analyzing all that data can a determination be made.
Car Care Tip: Having your brakes relined when they are 85 percent to 90 percent worn rather than when they start grinding can save you a lot of money in repairs versus replacement of parts.
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Larry Rubenstein is a master technician who owns a North Shore service station. His column appears Tuesday in BizNorth. Write to Larry c/o BizNorth, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915, or send e-mail to scanauto@aol.com.
