A Chevy Impala and a Dodge Truck
How To Do an Oil Change & Fix a Chevrolet that Won't Start.
Aug 7, 2007
This weekly Q&A session answers your questions about cars and trucks. This week explores a 2000 Chevy Impala that won't start at times, how to do an oil change, and a 1979 Dodge half-ton truck with master cylinder issues.
Question: 1979 Dodge Half-ton
I'm grateful for any help you may be able to offer. I'm trying to bleed a master cylinder from a 1979 Dodge half-ton with manual brakes. It's an aluminum housing with a plastic reserve on the top.
I bench-bled it before installing it with the hose kit. The front brakes bled okay but the back brakes will not pump fluid. I used the hose kit and bled again until there were no air bubbles. Once the line was hooked up, again it wouldn't build up pressure. Took the line off completely and gave it a pump and no fluid at all. I seem to have an air lock in the cylinder that I can't get rid off. I'm stumped on this one, I've never come across this problem before.
Thanks for your time,
Terry
Answer:
If you are bleeding the brake master cylinder and you don't get fluid pressure from either the front or rear chambers, you have a bad master cylinder. They can't get "air bound". If it's a new brake master cylinder, then it's defective.
Question: How to Change Your Oil
I need to know how to change the oil and where the oil filter is on a 2003 Chevy Cavalier?
Answer:
There is an excellent article on How to Change Your Oil.
The oil filter is located on the right side of the engine, towards the front. You will see a round cover with a 32 mm (1¼") hex on top of the oil filter cap. Remove the oil filter cap and remove the old oil filter. Replace with a new filter and "O" ring and tighten to no more than 18 foot pounds, a little more than hand tight.
Do NOT use an open end wrench to remove the cover, use a socket or you have a very good chance or damaging the cover.
Question: 2000 Chevy Impala
My daughter has a 2000 Chevy Impala that won't start sometimes. It started last fall and is very unpredictable, going for months without a problem and then three or four times in a week. When you go to start it there are no noises at all. The lights on the dash alternate between battery and security. After about 20 minutes or so it normally will start, about the time the tow truck comes. My mechanic can't diagnose it unless it happens while he is there and it always starts before then. I did replace the battery when it first happened but that didn't seem to make an impact. All accessories work even if the car doesn't start so I think the battery is good but I am going to have Sears check it again to be sure. Any thoughts?
Answer:
It sounds like you may have a bad ignition switch. There are two very small wires that read the security pellet on the key. These wires break after a while and the security system can't read the key. The security system will reset itself after 20 minutes and allow the vehicle to be started. It's based on the assumption that a car thief will not wait around for almost half an hour to steal a car.
There was a recall on some of these ignition switches so check with your Chevy Dealer and see if yours was involved in the recall.
That's all for this week. Feel free to browse the archives for past topics. And, as always, if you are stuck and need an immediate answer you can always call Vince on the phone.
