Just want to introduce my car real quick...2001 SS...135,000 miles aftermarket wheels and stereo...everything else is factory...

Ok...so I have had the fuel gauge issue for awhile but I think im gonna try the DIY solution after I try the additive...

I put some 20" wheels on my car a few years ago and never had any problems until I had a small leak in one of the tires and had to replace it...got a hole-in-the-wall shop to replace it and ever since then I have had an issue with my "low tire pressure" light coming on...I can reset it as often as I want but if I drive more than 35 miles in a single trip, the light comes back on...what could be causing this and is there a DIY solution for it?

Next...the air bag light came on about a week or two ago and sometimes flashes on and off during a drive but stays on more than off...I read somewhere that I could just mess around with the wires under the drivers seat and that may knock the light off...it makes sense that it could be a wire issue...

Now for the bigger issues...I believe my transmission is going bad on me...when I accelerate quickly there is no problem, but when I accelerate slowly or go up a hill the car will start jerking...the rpms will jump from 2000-2500 back and forth until I accelerate harder or let off the gas...I have heard that its probably an issue with my overdrive since it only occurs after the car makes the next shift and keeps jumping from overdrive to drive...is this a torque converter issue? If not what else could it be? Im not really to keen on any repairs that require me to drop the transmission out...

And finally...I replaced the torque mounts the other week (the ones on top of the radiator) and just a few days ago I noticed a small leak under the front of the car right under the drivers side of the radiator...its leaking the dexcool coolant...is it possible that when I replaced the torque mounts that I may have knocked something loose? In any case, I need to figure out where its leaking? How would I go about diagnosing the leak and fixing it?

Thanks in advance for any help offered...

 

Finding the coolant leak can be tricky. If you can't find it just by visually inspecting, you can have a shop add a dye to your coolant and they use a uv light to find the leak (the dyed coolant will glow under the uv light).

Did the airbag light start coming on when you replaced the torque mounts? There are a few airbag system wires running right around the radiator, you might want to make sure you didn't pinch one or short one out accidentally.

As for the tire pressure light...are you sure that the tire isn't still leaking? If it's losing pressure while you drive, then that would explain the light coming on.

The car surging you're seeing on slow acceleration is either your trans jumping between overdrive and 3rd, or from your torque converter locking and unlocking. Either one of those doesn't neccessarily indicate a bad trans afaik, but you can figure out which if you have access to autotap or something similar to scan what's going on with the trans parameters while you're driving.

Hope that helps,
-Riggs.

 

Its possible that the tire shop broke your tire pressure monitor while changing your tire. If you arent careful when using the tire machine, you can easily brake the monitor.

 

Well...yes the light did come on after I replaced the torque mounts...not immediately after but about a week later, the same time the coolant leak occured...

If I understand correctly, my tire sensor is in my abs system...so im pretty sure the shop didn't do anything to it, but it is pretty ironic that it happened at the same time...the air pressure stays constant in all 4 tires, never losing any air...

Thanks for ur feedback guys...

 

The 00-05 use the old-school tpms. It isn't inside the tire like on the new cars, it just uses the abs system to detect a difference in tire speed to determine a pressure difference.
If the tire is holding pressure and the light is still coming on...well that's unusual. I'll flip through the service manual and see if I can figure something out tonight.


The air bag wires are all bright yellow. Might want to check and see if one of them is kinked or got cut through, or if the coolant you're seeing is possibly leaking onto a connection around there. Could be causing the wire to short out and the light to come on.

-Riggs.

 

..Hi Riggs,
Just wanted 2 thank you for all your posts & contributions helping member's with their problems...It's appreciated 4-Sure. (Sometimes, we 4-get 2 say thanks when someone helps us: ) It's member's like you that keep our forum one of the best on the web....

Wish you & readers a Super Day & New Year 2011

 

my new to me 02 SS has coolant seepage. after reading a bunch of posts here I believe it is one or both of the plastic elbows. When the front seal on the h2o pump goes it usually goe in a big way and they're all close together. I'll probably do all three when the wx improves. Look up the elbows they're cheap.

 

Those elbows are just in below/beside the alternator connecting into the LIM on the passenger side. If he's seeing a leak at the radiator on the drivers side, I doubt it is those coolant elbows. Worth inspecting them once in a while though, as they do get brittle over time. Definitely replace them if you need to do any maintenance that requires you to remove the alt bracket or the LIM. They tend to snap off at the ends when moved, and as mentioned they are cheap.

-Riggs.