Reader offers suggestion for transmission problem
Dear Bob: Regarding a reader’s transmission problem after the car had set a while — it wouldn’t shift into reverse — I have the following suggestion: He should put the transmission into neutral for 30 seconds to a minute before trying to shift into reverse. My own Chrysler product had the same problem until I started doing this.
It makes sense to me that this is necessary in order to get the fluid circulating, especially after the car has set for a long time. I don’t know if my thinking is correct here, but all I can say is, it works.
Your column is great.
R.B., Spokane, Wash.
A: Someone with this problem can either do as you suggest or move the shift lever through the gears, being sure to allow time for the torque converter to fill with transmission fluid so that power can be sent to the wheels.
Dear Bob: I recently had to purchase a new oil pan for my vehicle because, at my last oil change, the attendant put the drain plug in cross-threaded and then overtightened it to compensate.
When I later went to have the oil changed, they could not get the plug to move. No matter how hard they tried, it would not come out.
They did manage to remove it after removing the oil pan and having better access to the drain plug, but advised me to go with a new oil pan, because it would be risky either to try to correctly rethread the plug or to tap out a new set of threads in the pan.
Was there a better way to do this? And did I spend money needlessly?
Love your column. Sincerely,
J.M., via e-mail
A: There are a number of things the shop could have tried, one of which has worked nicely for me in the past.
Self-tapping bolts are available and, depending on the size of the drain hole, the mechanic could have tried one to see if it threaded into the old hole and sealed properly.
Another method is to have the hole tapped out to a size slightly wider than the original. Of course, before tapping out the hole to a larger diameter, you should see if a plug is available in the new size.
I have successfully used a pipe-thread tap in the bungled drain hole. After the hole is tapped out and cleaned, a pipe-thread bolt — the kind used to plug the end of a pipe — of proper diameter is inserted into the newly tapped hole.
Because pipe thread is narrower at one end and wider at the other, it snugs and seals as it winds into the hole. The bolt has a small, square protrusion on the wide end over which a standard crescent wrench fits nicely, and one can tighten it snugly and remove it without any problem.
For a little extra insurance, I use a bit of pipe dope — a lubricating grease — on the threads before I insert the pipe-thread bolt.
AMERICAN DRIVERS FIGHT BACK
Here’s a tip that will help you get better gas mileage while fighting terrorism and cutting our nation’s dependence on Mideastern oil:
Dear Bob: I too would like to see drivers try harder to conserve gasoline, and one way my husband and I do it is to make a list of errands, and try to get to three or four places each time we go out.
We cut down on unnecessary trips and therefore save fuel. We go to the post office, service station, barber shop and bank on one trip and so forth.
Fortunately most of our errands are relatively close because we live in a small town, but since there are shopping malls, banks and post offices all over larger cities, this method could be used by anyone.
Here’s to better mileage and to more high-mpg vehicles in the future!
M.K., Williamsport, Md.
A: Common sense is one of the greatest fuel savers around. It makes good sense to do what you say, yet many drivers persist in making multiple trips to accomplish what you and your husband do in one.
Here’s hoping that those drivers will see the light and realize that they are simply wasting gas and money, and that it’s just plain smart to combine errands into one trip.