QuestionQUESTION: Hello, A few night ago I was at a drive in movie and had to leave my radio on and the key turned in the "middle" position, not fully turned off but not started. Periodically I started it up for a bit so I wouldn't completely drain the battery. When we left it started fine and we made it back to my friends place and the next evening I drove it for about a hour (it started fine again) but when I was almost home I stopped to get a drink through a drive through since the inside was closed, and as I was sitting with my radio on and lights on obviously with it being at night and my breaks on the car just randomly lost power, I put it in park and restarted and it was fine, it didn't do it for the rest of the drive either (about another 30 mins) Now I think since I left the radio on the battery was low but I guess it wasn't (according to my father) and also the trunk warning light that tells you your trunk is open constantly stays on (even when the key is out) and will only turn off when I apply the breaks, there was one of those e plates that scrolls a MSG hooked up and I'm pretty sure it only turned on when you applied the breaks...i think it has something to do with that but my father thinks the wiring is all correct, also he put in some air conditioning fluid since it was out and the next day it would shoot out my exhaust when ever i turned the climate control on (ie. ac/heat/defroster etc) also when i start reaching speeds of 110+ the car starts to vibrate and at like 120 it gets worse (not crazy but worse :P) So in regards to all my questions how do you think i could fix them ? Why did the car randomly loose power but start right back up ? Why is my trunk light staying on but turning off when I hit the breaks ? Why is the a/c refrigerant/fluid shooting out my exhaust ? and why does my vehicle begin to vibrate when i reach 115+ ? PLEASE HELP !
ANSWER: Hi, Matt.
In regard to your loss of power and the trunk ajar lamp, start by checking all the fuses in the fuse box. What you describe is consistent with one of the fuses being blown-- I cannot remember which one-- perhaps the room lamp fuse? I think what happened was that the fuse blew rather than the battery being discharged. The electrical license plate frame could have some relation to the fuse blowing, depending on exactly how it is wired.
In regard to the a/c refrigerant coming out your exhaust, this simply isn't a realistic possibility. The refrigerant is captured within the a/c system, and even if it were to leak out, it would have no way of getting into the exhaust. Can you describe what is occurring that makes you think refrigerant is coming out of your exhaust?
In regard to the vibration, most likely your wheels/tires are out of balance or the wheel(s) are bent, or the tires are coming apart. These vibrations tend to set in around 60-65 MPH (near 100km/h). Your scenario is close enough to this that I primarily suspect the wheels/tires as the primary cause.
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QUESTION: Hello, Thank you for your answer, The reason I think it is the refrigerant is because it started the next day after we put it in, and i could smell the refrigerant (i know that doesnt mean thats what is shooting out but I thought it too much to be a coincidence) It happened when i turned my heat on and my defroster/defogger.
AnswerR-134a, the refrigerant used in your car, has no odor (although the oil used in the system does).
Can you describe the odor you smell?
Do you see something coming out of the exhaust? If so, describe what you see?
Do you get a film on your windows when the heat/defrost/air conditioning are used?
Can you tell if the odor is originating inside or outside the car?
