It's finally done...

freestyler · 03-21-2002, 09:25 AM

I finally got the lcd nicely in the dash by moving the 4x4 controls and removing a vent, got the keypower 250w atx supply hooked up no more speaker hum/buzz, computer is running perfectly, and then this has to happen:

I'm driving up to Duluth to go do some snowboarding with a roommate when the rear hatch area fills up with smoke, worried that it might be the power supply i shut everything off, we pull into a rest area and it's coming off of the muffler, I thought I just kicked up something onto it from the road, we continue driving and it starts back up. So we decided to turn around and head back to the cities, I made it within 50 miles of where I live and I lost any gear above 2. My tranny sprung a leak somewhere and well I screwed my tranny driving it for so long so now I'm out of a vehicle after I had gotten the computer working perfectly, isn't that just how it works out?

ZanGManN · 03-21-2002, 10:34 AM

yes

smaug · 03-21-2002, 11:19 AM

heh, man, i feel bad for people that know nothing about cars/trucks, there should be like a basic course.

massive amounts of smoke, is either tranny fluid or oil leaking, if its tranny fluid and you drive without fluid, your just grinding metal. therefor destroying your transmission.

freestyler · 03-21-2002, 11:30 AM

who said i don't know anything about cars? i'm a mechanic, i know what i was doing, i knew it was a fluid oil based of some sort, seen as it was a white blue smoke it is oil based, we looked underneath and the tranny wasn't leaking, when we started to notice it was when we were on a hill, so just sitting still it was fine, but i have a feeling it was on the top cooler line where the leak was hence why it was only on the incline did we notice it.

so in other words...don't assume anything and try to play it off as i didn't know what i was doing

there should be a book about people jumping to conclusions and how that's not a good thing

wizardPC · 03-21-2002, 09:22 PM

well, just hope what's been happening to me lately doesn't happen to you.

Last summer, I put bigger tires on my truck. The tires aren't much bigger than the originals, only about an inch taller or so. This of course throws off my speedometer reading by about 5%, but not enough to be dangerous, so I decided to wait on getting it fixed

As I was driving back to school last august, my A/C went out. I didnt have the time or money to fix it then, so I decided to wait on getting it fixed

At some point in between, my fuel guage stopped functioning completely. I know I can get about 300 miles to a tank, so I wasn't worried and decided to wait on getting it fixed (notice a pattern?)

the point is coming, I promise....

I purchased a 3rd party extended warranty when I bought my truck, which means that neither GM, the dealership/service center, or myself is out any money when I take it in for repairs.

I installed my computer on september 10th, fully a month after the latest thing on my list of complaints began. Knowing that a 10 inch screen would probably freak out the mechanics around here (mississippi, where the nearest interstate is 3 hours away), I removed all of my computer equipment.

Now, in the gaping hole behind where my LCD should be, is the brain to my car alarm. It's got all kinds of sensors and outputs, so there are about 112 wires back there--now completely visible.

I take it to the local dealership (who has treated me very well in the past) and they agree to work on it. FOUR DAYS LATER I called to see how things were going. At this point they tell me that all of those problems are related to "all them wars (wires) you gots back there." What bugs me the most about it is they would not even think about checking anything else, like if the fuel sender is bad or I am just out of A/C coolant.

And then they tried to tell me that the alarm was causing my speedometer to be off by 5%. When I assured them that the larger tires were the more likely cause, they tried to tell me that "them new trucks like yourn have computers in 'em, and they automatically know when you put them bigger tars (tires) on to change the speedometer."

I screamed, then ran, then called them and screamed at them again.

freestyler · 03-22-2002, 12:15 AM

yeah larger tires would easily do the speedo, my step dad has the same issue on one of his trucks. my gas gauge stopped working too, just the sensor, but who needs that if u know the mileage. i'm looking at 97 and up wranglers and dakotas right now, if i go the wrangler route i'm gonna be done with the mp3car stuff for awhile unless i get a tuffy box for the computer.

crazyshaxs · 03-22-2002, 02:39 AM

I wont even get into the story aobut my falcon... its been in the shop for a good 2 years now, 12k later, I still dont have a car. Many many people ripped me off...

PatO · 03-22-2002, 08:46 PM

Aww shoot....
I'm sorry to hear that.
After all the work you went through to get the ps working, too! At least it didn't blow up on you when you were in Duluth. That'd be one nasty towing bill!

Good luck,
-Pat

freestyler · 03-22-2002, 09:24 PM

Yeah no kidding Pat!! I got $75 for it from a salvage yard after the towing bill.

Still sucks big time though not having a car.