Will a diesel engine boost a pickup’s performance or just the price?
Q. I have heard about a new diesel engine that is going to be put into the Ram 1500 pickup truck. Do you know anything about this engine and the truck?
A. The 2014 Ram 1500 can now be ordered with a low emissions 3.0 liter V-6 diesel engine. The model that I drove was a four-door Laramie, with four-wheel-drive. The diesel engine adds $2,850 to the price of the truck. This latest engine is connected to Chrysler’s newest transmission, a smooth shifting, eight-speed automatic. This new engine develops 400 ft.-lb. of torque and 240 horsepower. There is a bit of diesel clatter at idle, which just about completely disappears when under way. The most flattering thing I can say about this latest diesel is that it drives like a powerful V-8 gas engine—very smooth, never giving any indication it is a diesel. The ride is quiet and smooth and overall fuel economy during my limited test drive was a very commendable 27 miles per gallon.
Q. I drive a 2004 Honda Civic EX. I have around 90,000 miles on it. Starting about two months ago, the car would overheat once I had been driving for 45 to 50 minutes. I took the car to a local dealership and they replaced the water pump. When this didn’t fix the problem, I went back to the dealer and they suggested it was the cylinder head gasket. When I asked how much it would cost to fix I was told $720 to $2,000. What do you think?
A. It is entirely possible that your car needs a cylinder head gasket. Testing for an internal coolant leak is relatively easy. The shop either needs to use an infrared exhaust gas analyzer or a kit that measures exhaust gas in the coolant. If the shop has an exhaust gas analyzer, they can determine within minutes if the engine has a problem. If they don’t have this tester, they may use a block-check kit. The reusable kit costs about $50. Regarding the prices to perform the repair; if the engine just needs a new gasket, then $700 is about right; if the cylinder head was damaged, the price could run $2,000.
Q. I have a 2007 Toyota Camry with a six-cylinder engine and would like to know at what mileage I should consider replacing the timing belt.
A. The V-6 engine in your 2007 Camry doesn’t use a timing belt; it uses a timing chain. Timing chains are generally designed to last the life of the car. Going from timing belts, which need to be replaced every 60,00 to 105,000 miles, to timing chains that don’t need any maintenance is a trend we are seeing more often.
Q. I have a 2003 Saturn Ion. When it the temperature is 35 degrees or less, the car starts right up in the morning, but when the temperature rises in the afternoon, and I go to start it again, the engine will not crank over (but everything else works). I have to wait up to 15 minutes before the engine starts. What can I do?
A. Intermittent problems are always the most difficult to diagnose and repair. Historically, the most common problem is that the ignition switch malfunctions. The ignition switch incorporates part of the anti-theft system. When the switch wears, the anti-theft system interprets this as an attempted theft and prevents the car from starting.
Q. You once mentioned a good window cleaner to clean the film off the inside of car windows, but I misplaced the article. What was the product, and where does this greasy film on my windows come from?
A. The film on the inside of the windows comes from the “out-gassing’’ of the plastics and foam that are part of a car’s interior. The products that I have tested and have been verified by my wife’s approval are Invisible Glass by Stoner Inc. and Sprayway glass cleaner, with Sprayway having a slight edge.
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