B
Bill ing
1997 SL1
Manual tranny
200,000Km / 120,000Mi
Do alot of my own maintenance and it gets dino oil every 5000Km/3000Mi
Two weekends ago, it wouldn't start after a night of sitting in the driveway
and we got it boosted.
Drove it for 20 minutes and the battery was still dead.
My father in-law hooked up a tester on it and figured the alternator was
indeed charging but the engine stopped when he hit the load button. (first
suspicious clue there)
We got a new battery and things have been great until yesterday.
I was sitting in traffic and I believe the A/C was on for the first time
this season. The gauges, radio and anything except the engine blinked off
for a moment - of about a half a second or less. It happened a second time
a couple of minutes later.
I was pretty much at my destination already and so went in and bought some
computer parts.
I came back out, started the car and made for the parking lot exit. The car
just died. The battery was completely drained as the time on the clock
disappeared but would come back after shutting everything down including
dome light.
My brother came along and gave me a boost. Three starts in total.
First start, the engine got progressively slower until it stopped afrter 5
or so seconds.
Second start, I put my foot on the brake and the engine died.
Third start, I let it go for a bit and it was good enough for a short drive
to drive to my parents' house.
In the evening, I started it and took it for a 10 minute drive around my
parents' neighbourhood and things appeared fine.
I'm thinking the alternator is getting tired and would do well with a
replacement. Anybody agree or have other suggestions?
With the exception of a SSI dealership mechanic and Jiffy Lube place, my
experiences with this car for the last 7 years has been wonderful. Yeah,
it's burning oil but I just noticed the post a month or so back about
pouring GM piston cleaner into the plug holes and letting it sit overnight
and am game to try that.
Mileage has gone down to about 1/2 to 2/3 of what it used to get since
100,000Km and I'd love to hear some ideas to fix that. I used to go about
700 - 900Km per tank of gas depending on how much city or highway driving I
did. Nowadays, it looks like 500 to 700 clicks.
Also of note, the last few weeks, it's taking quite a few turns of the
starter or just letting go of the key for a second and then turning it again
before the engine starts at times.
Any suggestions?
Regards,
Bill Ing
Manual tranny
200,000Km / 120,000Mi
Do alot of my own maintenance and it gets dino oil every 5000Km/3000Mi
Two weekends ago, it wouldn't start after a night of sitting in the driveway
and we got it boosted.
Drove it for 20 minutes and the battery was still dead.
My father in-law hooked up a tester on it and figured the alternator was
indeed charging but the engine stopped when he hit the load button. (first
suspicious clue there)
We got a new battery and things have been great until yesterday.
I was sitting in traffic and I believe the A/C was on for the first time
this season. The gauges, radio and anything except the engine blinked off
for a moment - of about a half a second or less. It happened a second time
a couple of minutes later.
I was pretty much at my destination already and so went in and bought some
computer parts.
I came back out, started the car and made for the parking lot exit. The car
just died. The battery was completely drained as the time on the clock
disappeared but would come back after shutting everything down including
dome light.
My brother came along and gave me a boost. Three starts in total.
First start, the engine got progressively slower until it stopped afrter 5
or so seconds.
Second start, I put my foot on the brake and the engine died.
Third start, I let it go for a bit and it was good enough for a short drive
to drive to my parents' house.
In the evening, I started it and took it for a 10 minute drive around my
parents' neighbourhood and things appeared fine.
I'm thinking the alternator is getting tired and would do well with a
replacement. Anybody agree or have other suggestions?
With the exception of a SSI dealership mechanic and Jiffy Lube place, my
experiences with this car for the last 7 years has been wonderful. Yeah,
it's burning oil but I just noticed the post a month or so back about
pouring GM piston cleaner into the plug holes and letting it sit overnight
and am game to try that.
Mileage has gone down to about 1/2 to 2/3 of what it used to get since
100,000Km and I'd love to hear some ideas to fix that. I used to go about
700 - 900Km per tank of gas depending on how much city or highway driving I
did. Nowadays, it looks like 500 to 700 clicks.
Also of note, the last few weeks, it's taking quite a few turns of the
starter or just letting go of the key for a second and then turning it again
before the engine starts at times.
Any suggestions?
Regards,
Bill Ing
