So here's a story for you all! A while back, I got myself a 2000 Isuzo Rodeo, used. Car seemed to be in pretty decent shape, drove well, paid the guy, all seemed well and good. Being the helpless dork that I am, I immediately dubbed it 'Rodeo' (only pronounced Ro-DEY-o, to make fun of the fact that I mispronounce words. A lot.), and a Junkion as well. Because you guys can have all the Autobot and Decepticon cars you want, I dare to be stupid. (Apparently more literally than I first thought.) While out driving, I noticed that, hey! That is odd, the temperature is way up in the red this is not a good thing! I check the fluid levels, antifreeze is -bone dry-. This is after the guy who sold it to me mentioned topping off all the liquids. I figure that there might be a leak that he didn't know about or somesuch, but shell out the cash for antifreeze and voila, temperature is back to normal. 'Sall good, right? Right. Later, I take it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. They mention that the antifreeze is a bit low, but they can't tell if there's a leak. And there's no real sign of a leak, either - no drops when I'm parked, temperature holding fine, no check engine light. I shake my head, and whip out my AWESOME procrastination powers - if the temperature starts messing up again, take it to a mechanic. Otherwi-oh, hey. The check engine light went on. Screw it, I'm going on that 300 mile trip I've been planning for a month or so. Aside from noting that the wheel's a bit bumpy, the driving part of the trip is fine! And, hey, guess what. There's another Jiffy Lube down in Tennessee where I was heading. They top off my oil, I bring up the check engine light, they check it and mention the EGR valve, but that there doesn't seem to be a leak in the radiator. Cool, thanks dudes, time to go ahead for those last 15 miles to my friend's place. About five miles away, there's a LOUD noise, the power steering locks up, the brake light comes on, the battery light comes on, I go "OMGWTFBBQ" and pull over to the side of the road. Thankfully it's not a busy street and it's late at night so I can pretty much just pull into a driveway...that turns out to be into a closed mechanic's lot. (I think Primus was trying to tell me something at this point.) Popping the hood, I start cursing the lack of light until a pair of cops show up and do me the favor of pulling out flashlights. Apparently? A tension/pulley froze. And my drive belt broke. Cue me kicking the wheel of Rodeo. ("JUNKIONS ARE SUPPOSED TO REPAIR THEMSELVES!") I manage the last five miles without power steering, chill with my friend, and on the morrow, go to the auto repair shop. Including a new drive belt, EGR valve cleaning, new alignment, new TIRES (because guess what, that wheel jerkiness? Tires were eated.), everything comes out to over 1k in cost. Here I am back in Ohio, with a now smooth-driving Rodeo. But, still. I'm half tempted to rename this car 'Glitch'...what do you folks think?
I try not to think too often actually.... I'm trying not to laugh because the price and experience really isn't funny but... Well, I am. Sorry guy! How much did you pay for this heap anyway and how many miles?
Ive never had power steering in my pickup, feels like driving a go-truck? Wrists are strong from it, get a good workout shut up
Entertainment, general time wasting, conversation..... I presume at least. Just seemed a rather silly question to ask being that we're on a message board and all.
Please, laugh all you want! XD I am too, in the 'oh god dammit' sort of way. I paid 4k for it, had about 100k miles. You may laugh at that too, if you'd like. Uh...let me put it this way, I could /feel/ the weight of the thing when turning.
I hear you man, I dropped £745 on my car this afternoon, works out to $1098. It needed servicing, a new diff mounting, the nearside rear brake caliper had seized, grinding the disc, and a fuel filter. I've used the same garage for years, owner thinks I'm nuts as my car turned fifteen a few weeks ago. I love it though, puts a huge smile on my face, I'd had it back three minutes and was already very sideways. It's a Suzuki Cappuccino BTW, gotta love those crazy Japanese, car and TF's, got to get my ass to Japan soon!
There's your problem right there! Well, they are slightly better than walmart, I suppose. IDK for sure, I don't like other people touching my vehicles. But stay away from all those quick lube places, they're notorious for ripping people off.
Man I can sympathize with ya,I just blew the engine in my wife's car with no warning what so ever,was driving down the road,and bam then car just shuttered and died.I get the bitch stopped from 70 miles an hour,get out and there is no smoke,no oil leaking,no water leaking,just nothing. My cousin,who is a mechanic,gets there and guess what?I have a seized crank shaft and blown head gasket.It's gonna cost over $2000.00 to replace the motor.We're still trying to figure out why no lights came on the gauges,a check engine light at least should have came on.
I feel ya, I have a '86 Honda Prelude, loved the damn car when I got it from a friend, but had a few issues, I feel its 2 wheels in the grave though. I call my car "Zombie" cause Hondas won't die
Artoni: Hey man, sorry for your luck. I do want to point out something, though. Keep an eye on that temp gauge. A belt tensioner has nothing to do with coolant loss. Check your oil. If it's milky looking (white or brownish white), get to a mechanic. Also, go behind your truck with it running, does your exhaust have a weird sweet smell to it? EDIT: Apparently I need to clarify this. DO NOT ASPHYXIATE YOURSELF ON EXHAUST. Do not kill yourself. Walk behind the truck, take a breath, walk away. You can smell it. It is very strong. I really hope I'm not jinxing you, but coolant loss with no leaks usually means a head gasket. (or worse, a cracked head or block) I hope I'm wrong. Overhaulimus: As for not getting a light, the only lights that might have given an indication would have been an oil pressure light or a temp light. Usually by the time they come on, it's too late. What kind of car? Also, I can relate to ya. I spun a rod bearing in my wife's old Accord. No warning. Regular oil changes, no knocking or pecking. Went to grab some dinner one night. Made it about 3 blocks from the house, stopped at a stop sign. Hit the gas to pull away, and CLUNK, dead car. Hit the key, wouldn't even turn over. Got it out of the road, and tried again. It crank, but boy what a sound. At that point it was a "phuck it. Get it home" scenario. With that kind of noise, it's toast anyway. Good luck with yours. On top of all that. I can still relate. I'm gonna be putting an engine in my Integra SOON. It's my commuter car. Has bookoo miles, so I knew the day would come. We've been having single digit temps, and it REALLY doesn't like it. Oil just doesn't wanna flow at 5 degrees. Ever priced Integra engines? Damned Civic ricers!! My best advice for both of you, and anyone that owns a car. Learn to work on your own car. Even if it's just the routine maintenance. Learn to "speak" to your car. They give you signs when somethings wrong. Like I told the OP, every issue gives symptoms. You just have to learn what stuff means. (ie: fluid loss, noises, smells, vibrations) I know mechanic work can be intimidating, but not having a clue when you go to one is even worse. Would you get married to a perfect stranger? Then why take the second biggest investment most of us make to a stanger? Just my $.02 and a bit of food for thought.
NotFastEnough, you might want to be careful about recommending people breathe their car's exhaust in order to find out if it has a sweet smell or not. --Moony
I didn't tell him/her to breathe their exhaust. What I told them was to walk behind the vehicle and see if there was a sweet smell. No more than if you walked behind a car in a parking lot of while walking down the street. No more, no less.
Given the fact it was bone dry, I expected the story to end with a blown head gasket, cracked head, or busted block. Those tend to be the outcomes. Given that it doesn't keep water, it's probably burning it. Which means one of the three things I mentioned probably are true.
my god you dont even want to know how bad my car is lol itd make your troubles sound like a friggin cake walk in candy land
^That's what I was expecting as well. My opinion is this regarding buying a used car from a private party...They obviously will talk great about the vehicle to make a sell so 1. It is wise to take along someone who is mechanically inclined to help make the purchase 2. It is a good rule of thumb to have a budget, for example $2000. With 2k I would look for a vehicle priced from $1200-$1500. That leaves room for needed maintenance the seller has not done such as brakes, tires, belts, hoses, etc. Some private seller mask problems to make a sale, plain & simple. If you are loosing coolant, something else is wrong. A 2000 rodeo probably has some miles on it and you may just be a victim of it's age.
