skip to main content

car trouble question

18 years ago

I was hoping someone could give me an idea on what could be wrong with my car? The blinkers work only some time and the gas gauge stops working after about 1/2 full. I own a 2000 chevy Impala.

thanks

Judy

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

earthworm
18 years ago
How old is the 5 year old battery ?
How many miles ?
If, when they do operate,how fast are the directionals ? If they are slow, then the sign is near certain.
Have the battery/charging system serviced.
jemdandy
18 years ago
It's hard to say if you both your problems are related, or are they two different, unrelated problems.

The gas gauge not reading beyond 1/2 full could be a bad float/sending unit in the gasoline tank.

The blinkers not not working all of the time could be nothing more than burned out lamps in the signal lamp housings.

However, if these two maladies are related, it will take more hunting to find the problem. If they are related suspect a loss of ground connection, and unfortunately, it may be a loss of ground connection behind the instrument panel. Does anything weird happen, like a dome lamp that comes on at reduced brightness, when you operate the turn signal to either right or left? This would be an indication of ground loss to the turn signal system. This may also be related to the fuel gauge problem, but without more information, I think the fuel gauge may be a separate problem.
Related Discussions
car sale trouble
Q
Comments (10)
fwiw ... My elderly dad sold a car to a young college aged nice guy. Elderly neighbor sent him by to ask dad if he wanted to sell a car. Friend of the elderly neighbor somehow. Dad had an extra car that he sold him for a few hundred dollars. Maybe 3 Yrs later I changed his car insurance and the insurance guy asks about some lady named something that lives in same house. She'll have access to car too & do I want to include her as a listed driver. I say, No - no other lady is there, ..are you sure, 'not unless she lives in the bushes after dark. He says 'Well lets hope she's not sleeping in the bushes but there is a lady, a driver, with the same address listed as my dads, must be in address only, Somehow. Seemed kind of puzzling to him. Fast forward... about 5 yrs since the car was sold... Phone call from nearby small beach community - Chief of Police. He knows me from my youth on motorcycles going too fast, noisy cars and kidnapping tourist's daughters with them. We have this young lady we've arrested for some troubles she's gotten into, has your dads car tag on her car but the plate and car descriptions don't match. Tell me about your dads car. She was getting annual stickers for the tag every year. Easy to do - I can walk in the tag office here with proof of insurance and renew his registration, no questions asked if this is my car. So gutsy girl, she was using the tag address on auto insurance, which you need proof of insurance to register the car tag annually ,..and get this little sticker that says Expires Sept,05. So her drivers license is probably the same address. Cop said it happens all the time, should always take that tag off any car you sell before letting someone drive off with it. But it was no problem with him other than to set his records straight. Now he needed to figure out where she really lived.
...See More
Car Trouble! WWYD?
Q
Comments (29)
Deeinohio, thanks for the suggestions! Sorry you had such a bad experience, Dee. It's no fun to be stranded. Bumblebeez, thanks so much for sharing that. I appreciate it. Pesky, wow, you are quite informed about cars & auto service issues! That's wonderful. You make a lot of good points that I will keep in mind. Les! Yes! I just discovered what you are talking about last night, after I left GW. I did a Google search--"Blown gasket, Subaru Forester," thinking really, that a search that specific would yield me diddly squat. Guess what? It produced a full page of complaints, chat room discussions, & general angst about serious & frequent Subaru Forester head gasket issues! The 1999 Forester (& 2001) seem to be the most vulnerable to this. Amazing. Never heard anyone talk about this flaw in the system before, but it's evidently been a widespread occurence. Looks like Subaru has responded & NOW builds their Foresters with a completely different sort of head gasket, so newer Subi owners, don't despair! Thanks for sharing this, Les! Oakley, yes... I think so! Again, y'all have been fantastic. So many good points have been raised & I feel so much better about this situation. Armed with your feedback, when I call the service dept. Manager this morning, I will feel confident to inquire about & dig a little deeper into the diagnosis. Also, here is one of (The Many) links about the horrors of Subaru Forester gaskets! It's from a chatroom discussion & the last poster suggests getting a written guarantee on the work. Not a bad idea, either. Here is a link that might be useful: A tisket a tasket, I think I blew my gasket...
...See More
cross-posting...car troubles (pictures)
Q
Comments (11)
Thanks, Steph, I will suggest that as one of the things to check. Linda, I'm starting to think I agree with you. Kind of a bummer, because I really do like the car and I was so proud of myself for negotiating a great deal (I know, I can do the same thing somewhere else, but now some of my thunder's gone :-P) , and also, I'm wondering if I even *can* get my old car back, or if it's already sold at auction? This answer was posted at another forum, I'm crossing my fingers that it's something as easily fixed as this, if I do decide to keep it: "Ready? Guessing from your descriptions of the white towel soaked with apparently clear water without any odor emanating from it, can we assume you're running the air conditioner? Unless you're driving in a part of the country that has the lowest humidity and the dealer decided supplementing the a/c with a home brew humidifier would make you feel comfortable, that soaked towel is condensation being pulled out of the air that's very humid. What hasn't been determined is the reason for stuffing the HVAC box when there should be an outlet drain expressly designed for this purpose. Perhaps the drain is plugged and finding it, near the bottom of the firewall, to stick a pencil or something small into the rubber valve may free it of debris build up preventing drainage of evaporator condensation." I'll keep ya'll posted, the salesman's calling me tomorrow to ensure that there will be a loaner or rental car available to me for Monday morning so that I can drop it off to them.
...See More
Trouble with my old car again....
Q
Comments (2)
Its not a computer problem? or a short? My DS bought an old junker for work, paid very little for it but wants to drive it while he is looking for a good car. He is a mechanic, wish he was close enough to peek at it for you Patti! The car DS drives is really a junker like I said. He took it into the shop cause it was missing so bad, it didn't die tho. All he did was disconnect the computer, to put another one in and it runs like a top. He never did get another computer for it. But his isn't worth sticking much money into. I hope yours is an easy fix! Maybe something didn't get connected just right after you had it repaired?
...See More
Socalinspector
18 years ago
good36,
unfortunately you have been bit by the "Chevy" Gremlin. They had a problem with the switch and it was a part that they used for quite a few model years. As for the Guage, you might want to to consider replacing the Fuel pump, because I believe the Guage/Pump are both the same piece.

As far as EARTHWORM asking you,

"How old is the 5 year old battery ? "

Pay him no attention. He like to complicate matters that are generally answered with ease. If you Ask him what time it is, He would probably attempt to build you a Watch.
good36
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks, I will check it out.
Judy
john_g
18 years ago
Hey Socal. Do you want to try again to help?

First, a fuel gage problem can indeed be a fuel pump module issue. Test and find out before anyone starts replacing parts!

The first step in doing ANY electrical diagnostic is to verify proper system voltage, and while the earthworm didn't say it exactly the way we would like to see it, he is actually correct! The correct system voltage is essential to having evey circuit operate correctly. Whats more, a battery that is failing, or especially noted with a failing alternator, or bad cable connections is the AC voltage produced by the alternator which can and does cause erratic operation of many of the computer controlled components. Which BTW includes the dash on this car!

As far as her problems go, if she wants to try a silver bullet, the 4-way flasher switch includes the flasher relay inside it for the turn signals as well as the 4-ways. I've seen a number of these fail. But again, test first, and replace it if it's confirmed bad.

The fuel gage though is something that needs to be diagnosed while the gage is confirmed to be innacurate due to how much fuel should be in the tank. At the same time when I read what she wrote, I'm not sure if the gage works fine when the tank is full and then stops at about 1/2 while the fuel is being used, or if it wont go above 1/2 when the tank gets filled. Believe it or not this is also an emissions control problem. The PCM (fuel injection computer) needs to know how much fuel is in the tank in order to run the evaportative emissions monitor. With the readings faulty, the PCM could attempt to run the monitor when it should not. Which BTW, if she takes this to a properly equipped technician, he/she will have a scan tool that will display the fuel sender input voltage for both the PCM, and instrument panel, and allow for the diagnostics to progress much faster.
GMC_ASE_TECH
18 years ago
Posted by: John_G (My Page) on Wed, Oct 26, 05 at 9:04

Hey Socal. Do you want to try again to help?

*************************************************************

#1
John_G: If you look at Socals post, you'll see he did answer the question.

#2
Good36: Socalinspector gave you sound advice. The switch he is referring to is the "Combination switch" and is located inside the Steering wheel Column. GM put these switches in thousands of Vehicles and have since done recalls as well as numerous TSB. You can take it to your Mechanic and they can fix it in about 2 hours.

Take care

Related Stories

ORGANIZING Pre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store

By Laura Gaskill

Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?

DREAM SPACES A Car Lover's Man Cave Kicks Into High-Luxury Gear

By Vanessa Brunner

Fast cars, fine wines and a high-tech bathroom elevate this backyard outpost to the realm of dream space

5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Help Your Fellow Houzzers Solve Their Home Design Dilemmas!

EXTERIORS Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider

By Becky Harris

Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you

KITCHEN DESIGN 9 Questions to Ask When Planning a Kitchen Pantry

By Susan Redman

Avoid blunders and get the storage space and layout you need by asking these questions before you begin

REMODELING GUIDES Considering a Fixer-Upper? 15 Questions to Ask First

By Sarah Phipps Design

Learn about the hidden costs and treasures of older homes to avoid budget surprises and accidentally tossing valuable features

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 15 Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Real Estate Agent

By Laura Gaskill

Here’s what you should find out before selecting an agent to sell your home

REMODELING GUIDES 9 Hard Questions to Ask When Shopping for Stone

By Ventana Construction LLC

Learn all about stone sizes, cracks, color issues and more so problems don't chip away at your design happiness later

DOORS 5 Questions to Ask Before Installing a Barn Door

By Apartment 46 for the Home

Find out whether that barn door you love is the right solution for your space

WORKING WITH PROS 12 Questions Your Interior Designer Should Ask You

By Mike Dietrich

The best decorators aren’t dictators — and they’re not mind readers either. To understand your tastes, they need this essential info

Sponsored

M&Z Home Services LLC

1 Review

Franklin County's Established Home Remodeling Expert Since 2012