Drive it forever: Retrofitting stability control not possible

Dear Mike: I just purchased a 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE. It came standard with traction control and ABS. The one option I hadn’t previously considered until a recent Iowa snow storm was “Vehicle Dynamic Control” — Nissan language for stability control.

Can new cars be retrofitted with stability control? Is it just the engine’s computer software that makes my car different from similar cars with stability control, or does my car lack the proper mechanical hardware to have stability control?

A: Stability control is a really good thing. It should be standard on every car. Unfortunately, retrofitting is not really possible without major upgrades: You’ll need a steering-wheel-position sensor and an inertial-yaw sensor, as well as a different wiring harness and a different engine management computer. And probably a half-dozen other things. It’s not really feasible.

Dear Mike: I have a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander van that I bought new. Both of the rear sliding doors are electronic, opened and closed by pushing a button in the van or on the key fob. About once per week or so, the left door gets about a half-inch from closing, but just as it starts to latch, it springs open again. Most of the time the door shuts when I try a second time, although it can take as many as three tries in a row — and then I get out and force it shut. I had a couple of close calls before I realized I couldn’t trust the door to work properly.

Any ideas why this is happening?

A: The door, like a garage door, is supposed to reverse itself if it closes on a foreign object — your Schnauzer, for example. I suspect there is some foreign material in the door track that is making the door hard to close.

Try cleaning the track. Look for carpeting or a door gasket that’s in the door’s way. Remove any pebbles or popsicle sticks or a Gummi Bears that you find in the track.

Dear Mike: I have 1995 Subaru Legacy Outback with 186,000 miles on it. The car has developed a minor — but extremely annoying — oil leak within the last 40,000 miles or so. The leak appears to come from the rear-passenger side of the engine.

Is the repair major? I am considering replacing my car with a newer Subaru wagon unless this is also common among newer Subaru models.

A: The “rear passenger side of the engine” covers a lot of real estate. Your car might be leaking oil from just about anywhere along the center or right side of the engine. Get a flashlight and look.

OK, you asked me because you didn’t want to get dirty first: Best guess is that it’s a valve cover gasket. You might try tightening up the three valve-cover bolts to about 10 foot.-pounds with a 13-millimeter box wrench.

If that doesn’t dry up the leak, you’ll need to replace the gasket, which the manual says takes about 20 minutes. And if I did one, I’d do both.

Is this common on older Subarus? 186,000 miles is plenty of time for an engine — any engine — to develop leaks from dozens of places.

Dear Mike: As I understand it, hybrid vehicles charge their batteries through regenerative braking or by plugging into an electric outlet. Since hybrids already have generators to produce electricity, why can’t the vehicles also be charged through wind power?

A: This scheme won’t work. It violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Yes, a generator attached to a fan will generate electricity. But not enough to overcome the extra aerodynamic drag of the fan, which will result in a net loss of energy. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

Dear Mike: I have a 2000 Toyota Camry, and the instrument panel light that indicates whether the emergency brake is on keeps flashing on and off while I’m driving the car. The emergency brake is not on, and I have checked the fluid level and the brake linings on the rear wheels for wear — both check out OK.

Are there other components I should check to find the source of the problem?

A: There’s a microswitch on the brake handle that operates this warning light. It’s probably fouled with lint or dirt or even rust. Clean it.