Help!!!!
#1
07-11-2011, 12:34 PM
Help!!!!
I am a single unemployed mother with a 2000 Monte Carlo, I haven't had a key fob for this car since my divorce and I had to cut keys from the all metal Chevrolet key, that is all I have ever had, now I supposedly am having an ignition problem and my car won’t start. Let me tell you first of all my 17 year old autistic son fixed my flasher relay on Mothers Day, he is not a mechanic but is very smart, but I have had a few issues since then and I would never say anything to him about it, he was trying to be the man of the house. The car is in the shop because it was over heating, and I took it to a shop who told me it was the fan, but they didn’t do that at their shop so I took it to a different shop who pulled it into the garage and showed me where my coolant is all leaking out and that I needed a new radiator, then I walk 2 miles in Texas heat to pick my car up, drive it five miles and it over heats, now they tell me it is the fan and not the radiator after I paid them 400 of my rent money to replace the radiator after they told me the fan was okay. Now they want 300 more to replace the fan and they have also told me that my car is not driveable because it will over heat and blow the engine? If this was an old Chevy I wouldn't be so uneducated about it, but I really am trying. I feel as I have been screwed over and have no where else to turn, I have just been through a VERY traumatic event and I no one other than my children in this world, I tried to explain to the owner of the shop that I was very upset because of what I had just been though and he started yelling at me over the phone, and that just terrified me because of my ordeal I am just scared of men right now. Now they are also telling 600-1100 to replace the ignition and reprogram the security. I just don’t know what to do. I know that these are not transponder keys because I cut them myself when I worked at a hardware store. I would appreciate any help or advice I have been looking everywhere trying to educate myself so I don’t get taken for any more money. I have 3 children and without a car life gets rough there is no public transportation in Arlington Texas, and I have been looking for work. I am just at my wits end.
Thank You
Thank You
#2
07-12-2011, 06:09 AM
You could probably get a fan from a junkyard for cheap and maybe your son can replace it. I haven't done it but I can't believe it would be that hard a replacement. So many things can cause a no-start. Does it turn over or is there nothing at all?
#3
07-12-2011, 02:35 PM
I actually did the turn the key on wait 10 minute thing and it worked, but now I have all the idiot lights coming on and sometimes the turn signals dont work! the guy that I have taken it to now is going to fix the fan in the morning and he will look at this issue as well! I appreciate your help, this car is all we have and without it I can't do the odd jobs and house cleanings to make ends meet
#4
07-12-2011, 02:54 PM
Well, that's progress. If it started you've eliminated paying for ignition or security system work. What idiot lights are coming on? When you mention turn signals not working it reminds me of a problem I had with the turn signal switch that caused my lights to stop working and other wierd things. I know there's a lot of other lights and computer circuits going through this switch and a problem here can look like a lot of things. Here's a link to the thread from a while back:
Click here --> https://montecarloforum.com/forum/si...acement-23567/
It was an interesting repair but I've had no more troubles from it.
Click here --> https://montecarloforum.com/forum/si...acement-23567/
It was an interesting repair but I've had no more troubles from it.
Last edited by 98Z34; 07-12-2011 at 02:56 PM.
#5
07-12-2011, 09:20 PM
Thank you! I have been reading alot in these forums and it makes me feel a lot more confident in seeking help from someone who can repair my car for me.
#7
07-13-2011, 05:44 AM
Well, long post ahead, so brace yourself.....
They may really not be trying to screw you. Although, they should have seen if the radiator was leaking or stopped up... there are ways to test that.
I restored a '74 Ford truck for a guy and it popped up with all kinds of overheating issues. I replaced a radiator, water pump, put anotehr gauge on it, checked all kinds of mess, even tried to see if it was ignition related before we ended up having to just upgrade to a larger radiator... the one hte part store called for wasn't big enough.
The reason I tell this story is that the guy knew I was pretty good at fixing the thigns, and knew I wasn't trying ot screw him.. .if it was a shop, he woudl have been pissed. and that's what I don't do this stuff for strangers. The whole shop may have truly been convinced it was a radiator and then it turns out its the fans.
However, after replacing the radiator, they should have driven your car 20-30 miles to make sure it wasn't going to overheat. I had this other guys truck 4 doors and just told him what all I had done every night and what I was going to try the next day. Sometimes shops get in a hurry, convince themselves they have it fixed, and just let it go.
On an older car when something like this happens, you end up pouring money into it until you find the problem. And when I go to fix somethign like this for anyone, I try to talk to them about that first too... I tell them what I think the issue is, and that it may very well not fix it if I do whatever I'm about to do. I tell them I'm certain I can fix it, but there are multiple possibilities and sometimes it's hard to place your finger on one thing. Usually, this makes whoever wanted me to fix their vehicle take it somewhere else to have it done... fine by me, I've got better things to do anyhow. I prefer paint/body work. One time, a neighbor had an issue like this and ended up cursing about how sorry this shop was.... well, if I ahd taken on the job, she would have fussed at me.
My conclusion, you really need better communication with the shop... I'm just trying to point out the shops side of things. They could be working hard trying to fix the car and you're getting mad at them. Or, they could be trying to screw you.... could go either way. But if you want to go back to them, I'd drop the car off and insist that it not be given back until they are certain it is fixed... tell them you want the car driven 50 miles.... around town, highway, all kinds of driving, and make sure it isn't going to overheat on you.
Plus, if you know your'e having ignition issues, teh thing could break and they have to replace it while driving your car trying to see if it's overheating. I had this happen once... I did agree to fix a power window for the aforementioned neighbor.... well they tend to wear out evenly. The right window wouldn't work at all. I replaced the motor... then while on the drivers side of hte car I accidently let the drivers window down, and then it wouldn't go back up.... would go down, but not up. So I ended up replacing the little nylon things in that motor and she was pissed off about it. Anotehr reason to hate being a mechanic if you ask me.
With two things wrong with the car, I don't know what your mileage is, but you may be reaching the point where the hood comes up every other week. At this point, it's easy to convince yourself the shop is screwing you by trying to get you to visit more often. The thing is, a lot of times these things wear down evenly. On a '95 Suburban once, my dad and I ahd to replace the a/c, alternator, fan and fan clutch, and an idler pully inside of a year. We drove the car about 4 more years after all these events without much issue, but still....
Depending on what the money is like, you may want to consider upgrading to another car. As someone in education, I know that autistic children can sometimes be very mechanically minded.... some of the smartest kids you'll ever meet, and no one believes you when you tell them that. Him replacing the flasher relay is completely unrelated to all of these issues you are having right now. Maybe if you explain to your son what the shop told you, he can figure out how to replace that fan for you. If you can get it stop overheating but runing decently at all, maybe you guys can go trade to another car if this one is starting to give you trouble....
And about the ignition... if the turn signals are intermittant, could have been a bad relay... those things are such simple fixes... unplug one, plug in another. It could be the computer going bad. That's why I hate working on these things for other people... hate to switch out a $500 ignition system just for it to turn out to be an $1000 computer or something... and if the shop fixes the ignition for you and this turns out to be the case, you'll be mad at them again and they'll be frustrated that you're yelling at them when they're doing their job.
But good luck with the whole situation. I hope you can find some peace in your life and that these car issues won't bog you down for much longer.
They may really not be trying to screw you. Although, they should have seen if the radiator was leaking or stopped up... there are ways to test that.
I restored a '74 Ford truck for a guy and it popped up with all kinds of overheating issues. I replaced a radiator, water pump, put anotehr gauge on it, checked all kinds of mess, even tried to see if it was ignition related before we ended up having to just upgrade to a larger radiator... the one hte part store called for wasn't big enough.
The reason I tell this story is that the guy knew I was pretty good at fixing the thigns, and knew I wasn't trying ot screw him.. .if it was a shop, he woudl have been pissed. and that's what I don't do this stuff for strangers. The whole shop may have truly been convinced it was a radiator and then it turns out its the fans.
However, after replacing the radiator, they should have driven your car 20-30 miles to make sure it wasn't going to overheat. I had this other guys truck 4 doors and just told him what all I had done every night and what I was going to try the next day. Sometimes shops get in a hurry, convince themselves they have it fixed, and just let it go.
On an older car when something like this happens, you end up pouring money into it until you find the problem. And when I go to fix somethign like this for anyone, I try to talk to them about that first too... I tell them what I think the issue is, and that it may very well not fix it if I do whatever I'm about to do. I tell them I'm certain I can fix it, but there are multiple possibilities and sometimes it's hard to place your finger on one thing. Usually, this makes whoever wanted me to fix their vehicle take it somewhere else to have it done... fine by me, I've got better things to do anyhow. I prefer paint/body work. One time, a neighbor had an issue like this and ended up cursing about how sorry this shop was.... well, if I ahd taken on the job, she would have fussed at me.
My conclusion, you really need better communication with the shop... I'm just trying to point out the shops side of things. They could be working hard trying to fix the car and you're getting mad at them. Or, they could be trying to screw you.... could go either way. But if you want to go back to them, I'd drop the car off and insist that it not be given back until they are certain it is fixed... tell them you want the car driven 50 miles.... around town, highway, all kinds of driving, and make sure it isn't going to overheat on you.
Plus, if you know your'e having ignition issues, teh thing could break and they have to replace it while driving your car trying to see if it's overheating. I had this happen once... I did agree to fix a power window for the aforementioned neighbor.... well they tend to wear out evenly. The right window wouldn't work at all. I replaced the motor... then while on the drivers side of hte car I accidently let the drivers window down, and then it wouldn't go back up.... would go down, but not up. So I ended up replacing the little nylon things in that motor and she was pissed off about it. Anotehr reason to hate being a mechanic if you ask me.
With two things wrong with the car, I don't know what your mileage is, but you may be reaching the point where the hood comes up every other week. At this point, it's easy to convince yourself the shop is screwing you by trying to get you to visit more often. The thing is, a lot of times these things wear down evenly. On a '95 Suburban once, my dad and I ahd to replace the a/c, alternator, fan and fan clutch, and an idler pully inside of a year. We drove the car about 4 more years after all these events without much issue, but still....
Depending on what the money is like, you may want to consider upgrading to another car. As someone in education, I know that autistic children can sometimes be very mechanically minded.... some of the smartest kids you'll ever meet, and no one believes you when you tell them that. Him replacing the flasher relay is completely unrelated to all of these issues you are having right now. Maybe if you explain to your son what the shop told you, he can figure out how to replace that fan for you. If you can get it stop overheating but runing decently at all, maybe you guys can go trade to another car if this one is starting to give you trouble....
And about the ignition... if the turn signals are intermittant, could have been a bad relay... those things are such simple fixes... unplug one, plug in another. It could be the computer going bad. That's why I hate working on these things for other people... hate to switch out a $500 ignition system just for it to turn out to be an $1000 computer or something... and if the shop fixes the ignition for you and this turns out to be the case, you'll be mad at them again and they'll be frustrated that you're yelling at them when they're doing their job.
But good luck with the whole situation. I hope you can find some peace in your life and that these car issues won't bog you down for much longer.
Last edited by Cowboy6622; 07-13-2011 at 05:51 AM.
#8
07-14-2011, 01:04 AM
well the fan is fixed, not an issue so far, but still having the passlock and idiot light issue.
#9
07-14-2011, 07:56 AM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 12,163
From what I understand, Passlock has a communication between the ignition key cylinder, and two modules the BCM and PCM. You were correct, the keys are flat stock metal (no chip).
I'm not that swift at diagnosing a Passlock issue other then suggesting the PCM re-learn. Otherwise, it may require going to a shop (typically a dealer ship) with a GM Tech II scan tool to correct this issue.
Sorry to hear about the situation with the shop about the radiator and the fan. Best advise I can give you, find a shop/mechanic you trust! I tell people who know little about cars, treat this like a doctor, most people don't shop for the cheapest doctor, they shop for one that they feel is good and honest. You should treat your mechanic the same.
Cowboy had some good points. Sadly, resolving some issues are trial and error, limited by experience. The only part I feel this shop did wrong was they may not have properly tested the fans (hence telling you the problem was only the radiator and telling you the fans are fine). Had it been BOTH the radiator and the fans, I'm sure the labor charges for it all would have been a little less (you have to remove the fans to get to the radiator, why not replace them at that time too).
Best of luck. Feel free to shoot questions. We have a LOT of helpful people here. There are a lot of simple problems that can pop up.
BTW - Welcome to the forum, just wish it was under better curcumstances.
I'm not that swift at diagnosing a Passlock issue other then suggesting the PCM re-learn. Otherwise, it may require going to a shop (typically a dealer ship) with a GM Tech II scan tool to correct this issue.
Sorry to hear about the situation with the shop about the radiator and the fan. Best advise I can give you, find a shop/mechanic you trust! I tell people who know little about cars, treat this like a doctor, most people don't shop for the cheapest doctor, they shop for one that they feel is good and honest. You should treat your mechanic the same.
Cowboy had some good points. Sadly, resolving some issues are trial and error, limited by experience. The only part I feel this shop did wrong was they may not have properly tested the fans (hence telling you the problem was only the radiator and telling you the fans are fine). Had it been BOTH the radiator and the fans, I'm sure the labor charges for it all would have been a little less (you have to remove the fans to get to the radiator, why not replace them at that time too).
Best of luck. Feel free to shoot questions. We have a LOT of helpful people here. There are a lot of simple problems that can pop up.
BTW - Welcome to the forum, just wish it was under better curcumstances.
#10
07-15-2011, 05:07 AM
before I spend another 200 bucks... thoughts input comments
How to disable and remove VATS, PASSKey and Passlock Security Systems in GM cars
How to disable and remove VATS, PASSKey and Passlock Security Systems in GM cars