by J. B. Griffin III.

Dear JB
I have this weird problem with my car, which is a  1999 Buick Regal.  Sometimes the "Check Engine" light and the ABS warning  light come on at the same time.  Lately, though, a new problem has been

occurring and that is that my miles per gallon display has really been fluctuating wildly. The gas gauge, though, is very stable.  What do you think?  Is my car turning into junk?

Signed,
Bumfuzzled Buick Brake warning thingy

Dear Thingy,
Well look at it this way.  It's the holiday season and the bright lights lit up on your dashboard could be viewed as a way  to add to the festive atmosphere in your car.  On the other hand, I can understand if you would like to have the lights out and put away by the  new year so I will see if I can help you.

Normally, the diagnostic process would start with  an electronic scan of your car's computers, but since you have chosen the non-traditional approach of having your car fixed in the newspaper let's see what we can figure out.  Both the ABS and the Powertrain computers use the same sensors for some of their functions, and one of these sensors is the Vehicle Speed Sensor, or VSS, as we say in the shop.  Ironically,

this same sensor is also needed to calculate miles per gallon by the trip  computer.  I bet if we scanned your vehicle for trouble codes we would find a hand full of VSS codes stored in your various computers.
In the meantime I suggest you enjoy the remainder of the year by treating yourself to a quart of Bi-Lo eggnog and a long drive through the countryside enjoying your well lit dashboard.

Dear JB
1999 Ford Taurus, 3 liter, 150,000 miles.  Here's the problem.  Every day on the way home from

work I have to add some fluid to the power steering pump.  I am careful not to overfill it, yet  when I shut it off at home it slowly, over the next few minutes, pushes fluid out through the top of the reservoir and all over my garage  floor.  When it stops doing this I check the fluid and it is  completely full.  It's as if I never needed to add fluid at all to begin with.  Yet the next day it runs low on the way home from work and the cycle starts all over again.  What in the world?

signed,
Phil Overfull

Dear Phil,
I have seen this problem before.  It has a fairly simple and equally fairly expensive solution.  First of all,  let's address the reason why you are having to add fluid every day.  You  have a leaky rack and pinion unit.  This explains your daily dash into the Quickie-Mart for a bottle of fluid.  The reason it pushes some of the  fluid out after you stop the car is because instead of pressurized fluid leaking out of the rack air is now entering into it.  The inside of  the rack is now filling up with air just like a balloon and pushing the fluid back up the hoses and into the reservoir which makes it spill over into  your garage floor.

To The Reader,
Thank you for another great  year!  I hope you have had as much fun reading this nonsense as I  have had in creating it.  May you all find rich blessings and prosperity in  2006!

JB Griffin is an ASE Certified Master Technician.  He owns and  operates JB's Japanese and American Auto Repair in Evensville, Tennessee.  You may e-mail your car questions to jeepster1515@yahoo.com
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