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Dumb question of the night: I have a 2005 Kia Spectra. Several months ago, I found that if I leaned the weight of my leg against the driver's side door, the interior light on the door would flick on. It's grown increasingly sensitive since that time, with just my knee touching the door being enough to keep that light on. Typically the "door open" light on my dashboard doesn't come on, but it did this past weekend during a couple of sharper turns. At no point did the door actually seem in danger of opening, but I think there must be some faulty sensor in the door or some part of the latch that's gotten warped that's causing this issue. I was kind of ignoring it up to this point because I do almost no night driving and my leg blocks the light from my line of sight anyway, but I left the house to find a dead battery this evening, so the issue must've gotten to the point where the the door light comes on regardless of whether there's pressure on the door. Alternatively, I guess my car battery could just be dead and need replacement and it's just a coincidence, but that seems unlikely. What's the most likely cause (or causes) for the problem and how much am I looking at to get it fixed (or is this so simple that I can fix it myself with really basic tools)? I have to imagine that this is a fairly minor and cheap fix, but clearly I can't push it off anymore. Any help would be appreciated on this, thanks.
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Mar 28, 2015 04:03
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Slavvy posted:It's most probably the dome light switch on the door frame, it's a little black oval thing with one bolt/screw holding it to the car, and a little accordion boot over the button that the door presses when it's shut. These gently caress out all the time so I'd find one from a wrecker or something. It could also be the door sagging on the hinges but if you can't see anything out of alignment or otherwise untoward, it's the switch. Thanks for your help, although it turns out that I was actually wrong on both accounts. It wasn't the door light switch causing the light to flicker on, it was a few loose screws in the door that were preventing it from shutting completely. Fortunately, I found those before taking it in somewhere and looking like an idiot. So, I get a jump from a friend and then bring it over to the auto parts store to get the battery tested. They say it's fine, has another year or two of life left in it, no problems. After heading back home and spending a few hours there, I go out to grab dinner and the car's dead again. After asking around, the common opinion is that there's a short somewhere causing the battery drain. I got the battery tested and I don't see how it could be the starter or the alternator, so that has to be it, right? Is that a long repair, or can I bring it in tomorrow morning and only miss an hour or two of work?
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Mar 29, 2015 15:28
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Sentient Data posted:If you don't have a good multimeter, how about disconnecting the battery and just bringing it in to be tested as-is to see if it's a battery issue rather than just a wiring one? I got the battery tested yesterday, they didn't find anything wrong with it.
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Mar 29, 2015 17:27
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Slavvy posted:It sounds like you were expecting the car to charge the battery up by itself just by driving to the store and back. This is not the case. You need to put it on an actual charger for a few hours/overnight. I mean, I had it charging in the driveway for 30 minutes with my buddy's car and the cables, then I spent more than an hour driving around before going to the store, and their test indicated that the battery was about as fully-charged as a 3 year old battery was going to get. I don't know much about cars or car batteries, but was there something about the battery that they were supposed to be testing other than its charge?
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Mar 29, 2015 19:10
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Alright, so I called a mechanic and he came by this morning. Jumped the car, tested the battery, said the alternator was fine but battery needed replacing. He replaces the battery, car starts up fine, great. I go grab lunch a few hours later, no problems. I go to my car to get groceries about five hours later, and the car's completely loving dead again. What in the gently caress is wrong with my goddamn car?
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Mar 31, 2015 00:17
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Sentient Data posted:Get/borrow a multimeter that can read the DC amp draw and see if there's a load when the key's off. Maybe the ignition switch failed and the accessory circuit is stuck on or some other component is always drawing when it shouldn't I appreciate the advice, but I don't know what you're talking about. I think I'm stuck spending half of my savings account on a tow and another mechanic. Edit: I don't mean to be dismissive, I just don't know how to use a multimeter, or how to diagnose what the specific problem would be even if I had the multimeter, or how to fix or repair whatever specific thing is wrong with it. surf rock fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 00:34
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SCA Enthusiast posted:The short answer is that something is continuing to draw power when it shouldn't, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was related to your original problem with the dome light coming on. Electrical fault finding can be difficult, especially for the beginner, but isn't impossible. That being said, if you'd rather pay a mechanic to figure it out, that's completely reasonable. Thank you for elaborating. Yeah, I'm not even a beginner. I know how to jump a car and that's literally it, I have zero knowledge about electricity or wiring. No shop classes, never got taught a thing from dad. I couldn't replace a fuse or light switch. I guess my last question is, what are reasonable rates for those two scenarios: easy fix (replace fuse) and difficult fix (point-by-point inspection)? I'm assuming that it's probably not an "expensive part" problem, it's a "potentially a whole bunch of labor" problem. I'm already in the hole $150, how bad do I need to be prepared for? Edit: vvv I love goons, so helpful. Best  I ever spent. I don't think I'll actually take you up on that advice, since I think my shiny new battery is stone cold dead (it's not a case where the engine isn't turning over, I put the key in the ignition and absolutely nothing happens whatsoever) and it sounds like there's a decent chance I'd manage to kill myself by pulling the wrong fuse, but still, thank you for the walkthrough.
surf rock fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 01:02
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Motronic posted:You've gotten some good advice, but based on your follow up posts the major problem you have is your mechanic. When you're right, you're right. Last update on my car, folks: had it towed to a different mechanic on Tuesday morning. The dead battery apparently hosed up the alternator, so that and the serpentine belt got replaced and now the car works. Huzzah! Thanks for the help, everyone, much appreciated.
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Apr 2, 2015 22:14
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My check engine light came on with my 2005 Kia Spectra EX yesterday. I tried tightening my gas cap, but that didn't fix it. So, I went and got a new gas cap and swapped it out. At the auto store, they ran a quick diagnostic and said that an EVAP code was appearing. If it matters, the car seems to be running fine, and I just did an 8 hour road trip with it last weekend for Father's Day with no issues. I have a full tank of gas, how much driving do I need to do to get the car's computer to run a new diagnostic? I'd kinda like to do that in case it was just the gas cap before I take it to a mechanic for inspection, but if that means driving the car for a month at the risk of loving up an important part, probably not worth it.
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Jun 25, 2015 03:30
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VelociBacon posted:Did they reset the codes? You might need them reset before doing the new diag. Ah, drat. Not only did they not reset the codes, but the gas tank is full, so I can't run this test. Sounds like I do need to go to the mechanic if I don't want to risk something like the catalytic converter getting hosed up, drat.
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Jun 25, 2015 04:39
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Got an oil change this morning at Midas and asked them to check out a medium-volume rattling noise from my 2005 Kia Spectra's engine that comes on for a couple minutes after start-up and then disappears. They weren't 100% sure what it was, but they figured it had to have something to do with the exhaust and pointed out that the car's flex pipe has a significant leak and needs to be replaced. The mechanic quoted me $150 for that, which seemed reasonable, but added that there was some rust around there and he wanted to do a closer inspection of the area to see if it's just surface rust that could be scraped off for welding, or if they'd need to replace the flange and other stuff too. He said the worst-case scenario is that if there's enough non-surface rust they might need to do something with the catalytic converter, which he indicated would be much more expensive. What are we talking about with something like that? $500, $1,000? More? Also, does his explanation make sense? It seems to me like if the rattling was tied to the exhaust system, then it wouldn't stop after a minute or two, but I don't really know what I'm talking about.
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Mar 3, 2016 20:20
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This is the ultimate stupid question: is there a chart or list somewhere of all the auto manufacturers and which brands are their budget lines and which brands are their luxury lines? For example, I know that Honda's luxury brand is Acura. I just feel like there are a billion car brands and when I try to look up the relationships between them I see poo poo like Hyundai owning a minority share of Kia and get so confused. Thank you!
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May 6, 2021 19:56
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Thank you all! OK, I tried to synthesize this into the chart I had hoped already existed in the universe: How's that? Each row is supposed to be a company, which is why some of the independents have empty columns (since they only or primarily occupy a single category). I imagine some things might need to be moved between columns, but it seems pretty comprehensive for vehicles available in the U.S. at least?
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May 6, 2021 23:17
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:i guess i am wondering what the intent of this is I live near a lot of car dealerships and when I was driving past a few yesterday, I realized that I had no idea what the gently caress Infiniti and Genesis were. When I googled them and realized that they were premium labels for car brands I had heard of, I thought that was interesting and figured a comprehensive list like that would be easy to come by. So, no big plan, just satisfying some curiosity.
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May 7, 2021 02:37
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I just found out that my 2005 Kia Spectra (110k miles) won't start. I took a video of me trying to start it: https://streamable.com/rrphj7 I can turn it on enough to play the radio and AC, but when I try to start the engine there's like zero engine noise. All that happens is the dashboard lights flicker and it sounds like a deck of cards is getting shuffled; I've never heard anything like it. I just had it towed a few weeks ago because of a flat tire and ended up having to replace the rear brakes as well at the time, god loving dammit
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Jul 13, 2021 18:33
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OK, the person who said dead battery was spot-on. Turns out the battery was six years old; at least it was an easy fix. Thanks all!
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Jul 13, 2021 22:33
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This rust conversation has got me wondering if advice I got as a teenager in Midwestern winters was wrong. The advice I got was that rust build-up happens slowest to fastest in the following scenarios: - Don't drive the vehicle during winter, leave it in the garage (no rust) - Drive the vehicle during winter frequently, park it outside (slight rust) - Drive the vehicle during winter frequently, park it inside (moderate rust) - Drive the vehicle during winter infrequently or not at all, park it outside (heavy rust) I never really understood the reasoning for the ordering of #2 and #3 there; it was something about the heat in the garage causing oxidation to happen faster...? Also I have no idea why #4 was supposed to be worst.
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Jul 14, 2021 02:52
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Deteriorata posted:Winter, in and of itself, doesn't really matter. The killer is road salt. Driving it in the winter and then parking it without washing off the salt is the recipe for destructive rust. This feels like an intensely dumb follow-up question, but: how do you really wash off a car during winter time? I can't run the hose outside, and if I tried to run it inside somehow I would end up creating an insanely dangerous ice patch in my garage. I could go through a car wash, but wouldn't I just be reintroducing the problem between the car wash and home? Or is the idea just that I'd have less road salt and therefore slower rust accumulation as a result of going through the car wash?
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Jul 14, 2021 03:48
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So, the "lock" and "trunk release" buttons on the key fob for 2005 Kia Spectra haven't worked in like three years. I have no idea why I've never wondered whether this is a solvable problem before now, but, here we are. I found a replacement key fob on eBay for $30; is it right that I can buy that and bring it to a dealership to get it programmed?
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Jul 17, 2021 02:17
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I've got a 2005 Kia Spectra with 120k miles on it; I've owned it for about a decade now. I've been hoping to make it last another 1-3 years; I'd like to upgrade but car prices are crazy and have been crazy for a while now. Recently, I noticed that if I leaned my leg against the driver side door and exerted any meaningful pressure on it, the open-door alarm would go off and dashboard light would turn on. A couple of days ago, I found that the same thing is now happening when I make a sharp right turn. As far as I can tell, the door itself is actually shut, though. I guess I'm wondering what the range of scenarios are for what could be happening, and a rough idea of likely cost for fixing each of them. It doesn't seem like a critical issue, but it sure is annoying. Any insight appreciated, thank you!
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Nov 6, 2022 19:54
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Thank you Hadlock!PainterofCrap posted:The same exact thing happens when I drive my wife's '08 Kia Soul. The door plunger switch is not being depressed far enough, so that when my left knee leans into the door panel, or I am turning right (which causes my body to lean a little against the door), the dome light & chime go on. Oh wow, I did not expect someone to have had so similar an experience with so similar a car. Weird! I have three questions: - What's the contact pad? I just tried googling it and everything I'm seeing is about not kicking your door or armrests or something. - Tape like this and just one layer? - Did the tape work 100% or did it just reduce the frequency of this issue occurring? Even if it's just a reduction, that would be terrific news. Thank you! surf rock fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Nov 7, 2022 |
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Nov 7, 2022 03:43
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PainterofCrap posted:Now you have me wondering how the doorjamb switch is mounted on your Kia. OK, I went out and took a couple of pictures. I think you're saying to put the tape (or something else like it) over this thing I circled in red?  Or is it this second thing I circled in red?  If it's a third different thing, let me know and I'll take more extensive pictures. Thank you!
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Nov 7, 2022 14:38
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skipdogg posted:It's somewhere else. Oh poo poo, I really was off. Sorry Painter! OK, I found this part on there! I'm going to go ahead and replace it; can't beat that price. I unscrewed the current one and saw that it was wired in, but I think the wiring is in a plug that I can just unplug from the old switch and plug into the new one. Thanks all!
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Nov 7, 2022 18:39
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Over the past 1 month or so, I've noticed a kind of... whirring? rotating? sound while driving, especially when I'm not going in a straight line. It's a 2005 Kia Spectra with about 130,000 miles on it. I think the tires are in good shape (I had them checked a couple of weeks ago after hitting a pot hole, but the noise precedes that), and I haven't noticed any performance issues. Sorry, I'm really struggling to describe the sound. It's kind of like when your dryer is running and you can hear the stuff tumbling around inside in a very rhythmic way, like a constant whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whuim. I think it's coming from the sides of the car rather than the engine area. Any ideas before I bring it to a mechanic? What's killing me is that I want to replace the car in like 3-4 months so I'm very tempted to just keep ignoring this, but I've got a couple of 8-hour drives between now and then that maybe makes "do nothing" a bad idea.
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Feb 26, 2024 03:42
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IOwnCalculus posted:CV axles usually click, and they get louder at harder steering angles when the joint is getting flexed more. My money is on a wheel bearing. I still can't think of a good way to describe the sound, but I can confirm it's not a clicking at least.
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Feb 26, 2024 05:35
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Thanks all, I dropped it off at the shop this morning! Hopefully it is just a wheel bearing.
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Feb 26, 2024 16:37
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Rexxed posted:I'd guess wheel bearing or something with a brake rotor maybe. I had a once per wheel rotation sound on my car that I assumed was wheel bearings because it got louder turning left and quieter going right, or maybe the other way around, but essentially when you load the wheel bearing in one direction it may get louder if it's failing (was the rear passenger wheel). I got all the stuff to do the wheel bearing but on further investigation it was still pretty smooth and even. On the back of the rotor there was a pitted rust spot that had eaten the brake shoe way down and was causing it to rub. OK, you win the prize: the front brake rotors/calipers need replacing. I was looking at my records before bringing it in this morning and saw that they were last done eight years ago, so I guess that makes sense. edit: correction, they also had to replace the wheel bearing so almost everyone wins, prizes are in the mail (ty for the advice!) surf rock fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Feb 27, 2024 |
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Feb 26, 2024 17:47
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