MACS
  • MACS
  • Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter
21 years ago
So i'm driving my car the other night... and a warning lights up on the instrument panel that looks something like this: (!)... except under the exclamation point is a wavy line...

Of course there is an associated 'ding' with this light and I am completely confused as to what the hell is wrong with my car...

I turn off the radio and i'm listening intently... nothing seems to be wrong...

I pull off to the side of the road and bust out the owner's manual and look under "Instruments and Controls"... flip to the "warnings" section and BAM!!!

Turns out one of my tires was underinflated... WTF?!?
usahog
21 years ago
LMAO!!!!!!!! know what this one is ('?') ???

Hog
cigarbidwidow
21 years ago
LMAO. I actually knew what that meant. My car (Toyota) does that too---it drives me nuts. Even after you fill the tires, it will still come back on. Make sure you look up how to reset it or it will drive you crazy.

Lauren
EI
  • EI
  • Herf-A-Holic
21 years ago
I have a light on my dash that goes on when the air filter is clogged
it looks something like ::::~~ with lines under the dots
There are a lot of wierd light on the dash of a diesel truck
Like a gas pump with water drops next to it for water in the fuel line
and the pigtail for the glowplugs

I even have one that looks like a radioactive warning symbol but it only lights up when I drive up I-83 near Three Mile Island
briguy151
21 years ago
I dont even know how to begin. My wife calls me up and it seems that she cannot turn the key in the keyhole. I am like WTF. So I go over to her work and look at it thinking I'll be there for 10 minutes and done. But Nooooooo!!!!! The damn key wont turn. So I think shake the wheel nothing, rattle the gear shifter Nothing, Start the car with remote starter Car starts cannot turn that damn key. Call AAA and guy comes and Nothing. Cant tow it cause ya cant get the car in Neutral. He say call a lock smith. All said and done I am meeting the lock smith at 9 am at the van and pray that what he does works. Oh and got the wife a rent a car for work. There goes any cigar orders I had planned for the rest of the month. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😮
briguy151
21 years ago
sorry for the thread jack but it was on the brain 😞
usahog
21 years ago
briguy151,

check the wheels are not turned in either direction two hard and or up against a parking block? (concrete tire barrier) allot of times this has happened to me in the past with different vehicles and the key would fit it just would not allow the ignition to turn??? why I don't know... but I reckon it has something to do with the force or pressure pushing against the steering wheel??? to hold pressure on the steering wheel away from the force against the steering colum and this has allowed me to turn the key and work???

only thing I can think would have caused this problem...

Hog

briguy151
21 years ago
Thanks for the advice Hog, unfortunately I tried that and it didn't work. 😞

When I start the car with the remote start the steering wheel is free to move. My problem is with the technology they use in these new vans. It all lies in that key cylinder(not sure of the right name for it) Locksmith told me earlier that this aint the first van that this poop happened on.

Thanks for the advice though. I really wish that would have worked. Would be much less stress for me.
0patience
21 years ago
Ha ha, you guys are lucky. I have to spend thousands of dollars for scanners and information systems to fix problems that those systems have.

On some vehicles, when changing a tire, the scanner has to be hooked up and the system reset.

Now we are dealing with vehicles that have wireless systems and have problems when 2 similar vehicles are side by side. Now some Lexus vehicles are succeptable to computer viruses, because of the bluetooth systems that the computer uses.
http://www.infosecnews.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsDetails&newsUID=bc5789cf-e448-4a6e-bee9-a5dd291405ed&newsType=News 

Repairing some of the systems is getting expensive and a royal pain. Fibre-optic wiring is the worst to deal with and more vehicles are going to it, the wireless systems and the bluetooth systems.
0patience
21 years ago
briguy151,
What is the year, make and model?
I can look up to see how that system is and see if there is anything that is a common problem with that vehicle. Usually if there is a common problem, the manufacturer releases a service bulletin for the mechanic and I have access to the manufacturer's information systems.

If I can't answer it, then www.batauto.com is the site that I have a mechanic's membership at. There are enough mechanics there, that there should be a dealer mechanic there that could help you.
MACS
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  • Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter
21 years ago
cigarbidwidow - I filled my tires to the proper pressure (yup, I carry a tire pressure gauge in all my cars) and the light went out. The 'maintenance' light is the one that needs to be reset and it's real easy to do.
cigarbidwidow
21 years ago
I keep one in my car too. Never leave home without it. But anyway, mine doesn't reset itself. I wish it did. It isn't hard to do it, I just can never remember so I always have to get the book out. 🙂
briguy151
21 years ago
0patience,

Its a 2003 Dodge Caravan Se

Thanks for any info you could get.

RICKAMAVEN
21 years ago
the only warning signal my little scion has is when it is raining the windshiled gets drops of water on it to tell me to turn on the windshield wipers.
MACS
  • MACS
  • Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter
21 years ago
I got a '95 pick-up that runs great but the power steering belt has started to warn me it needs to be changed... with a high pitched squeal.
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