My "Service Engine Soon" light stays on when I start the car now

[GoddessOfGuinness]

There's a loud vibration when I hit speeds of around 30 and 40 which goes away at about 33 and 43.

I fear it is time for another serious repair job... :yoiks:

[okieinpain]

1. new car

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. can't afford...

unfortunately. :(

[Dave Reynolds]

3. Repairs=Bad.

I spent the bulk of last Saturday replacing a fuel pump, which in my vehicle is not fun due to the fact that the fuel pump is inside the gas tank.

Wonderful engineering plan, that.

This was after paying a dealership $300 to diagnose the problem (they didn't).

Hope it doesn't go too badly for you.

[tjdee]

9. Replaced the fuel tank last year....SUCKED.

I couldn't think of anything else I could have spent that money on.
:eyes:
I hate car repairs.

[wellstone dem]

4. That sounds a little like what happened with my car

it needed a tune up.

[Mrs_Beastman]

8. I agree...tune up

If your scared, yet not wanting to go to a mechanic yet(aka spend lots)go to Advance America or the like and they can hook your car up to a computer that will read the error message(for free). It, of course, will be some cryptic message, but you'll have an idea if it is engine, transmission, etc.



Good Luck!

[Nite Owl]

5. Good luck

DU has an auto board so maybe some knowledgeable mechanic over there can help you at least have an idea of what it could be before you bring it in.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=310

Cars and computer, hate em and love em at the same time.

[In_The_Wind]

6. good luck

:scared:

[PsN2Wind]

7. Removing the ground lead

from the battery for a bit will often reset the Check engine light. Have your tire balance and wheel alignment checked before you pay a mechanic to look for the vibration.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Until today, I hadn't driven it for a week...

The day before I left town, the light didn't come on at all; but the day before that, it came on after driving a few minutes and stayed on until I turned the car off.

We had a lot of rain while I was gone. Maybe it'll just be a short somewhere. And yet, there's still the vibration...

[tjdee]

10. Good luck with it...hope it's something cheap.

You never friggin know with cars. Once my car was humming, it needed a fuel pump which was hundreds of dollars. One something kept squealing, they just needed to oil the spring or something.

It's enough to make me want to marry a mechanic, really, LOL.

Good luck.

[skygazer]

11. Have you had a recent oil change?

Sometimes the tech forgets to reset the automatic sensor that sets off that warning light.

I agree that you should have the alignment and your tires checked - a basic balance, rotate and alignment might be the problem there.

Do you have a mechanic that you can trust? I tend to avoid the dealerships repair services - I've had many bad experiences with them.

IMO, the three most important people you need to have trust in are your doctor, your lawyer and your mechanic. Especially women (there's often an assumption that women don't know anything about cars, which is sadly often true, and that men do which is often not true but assumed which means they get ripped off less).

[CatWoman]

13. BINGO!!!!!!

whenever my light comes on, I find that I'm low on oil.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Fortunately, I trust this guy to give accurate info and a fair price

But with 225,000 miles on the engine, I'm afraid I may be in for a big bill.

[MissB]

15. I was going to post something positive

then I noted you had 225,000 miles. :D At some point, mechanical parts do start to fail.

Here's hoping that your car holds together until you can afford to repair it. :toast: