I have a 2002 Lancer with just over 150K miles. So far, he’s been pretty solid. He starts when I want him to and stops when he is supposed to. Last summer his A/C started acting up a bit. When I am in stop-and-go city traffic, everything is fine. As soon as I get on the highway and am cruising at any speed for more than 15 minutes, the A/C stops blowing cold air and just blows as if I just had the fan on, but not the A/C. If I slow down and then accelerate pretty quickly and can make him shift through a few gears, the A/C will kick back in. At first I just thought I was getting some attitude from him (his name is Miles - pretty clever for a car name, huh?) because I moved him from NW Arkansas to the Gulf Coast and he didn’t like the heat and wanted me to know it. I took him in for a standard oil change and had the mechanic run an A/C diagnostic. I didn’t tell him of any problem I was having because I thought it might work itself out (stranger things may have happened). He told me everything looked good: good compression, blowing at 41 degrees, something else I forgot…anyway Miles passed his A/C test. The mechanic did tell me that the battery would need to be changed soon. Well in my highly-trained mechanic mind (I have a degree in Art History; that tells you how vast my knowledge is about all things with engines), I thought, "OK, when I replace this battery, that’ll give the A/C some more power and everything will be hunky dory.? Not quite. He’s still having the same problem. So my next thought was that maybe a fan belt could be slipping or stretching when I’m maintaining a constant speed. Maybe? Occasionally all the backlit instruments lose their lighting. They all come back on, but it doesn’t coincide with the timing of the A/C issues. The “Service Engine Soon” light has been on for a while and the “SRS” light will come on every now and again, but that doesn’t jive with the A/C timing either. But, that’s the story of Miles. Has anyone else had a similar issue? I’d like to keep him for another 150K if possible.
It’s jibe. Miles Spelled Backwards Is Selim. Get It ? Sell’Em. Pretty Clever, Eh ? I’m Not Even An Art History Major !
Maybe you could turn Miles into a mobile. Get it . . . mobile ?
Miles is close to being history at 9 or 10 years-old. Miles is a Senior Citizen in car years. You’ll be chasing down Miles’ aches and pains frequently. Maybe you could pick up a second major in Auto Mechanics. Until then, send Miles to the A/C clinic for a check-up.
" . . . I thought, "OK, when I replace this battery, that’ll give the A/C some more power and everything will be hunky dory.?[/b]
More Cow Bell.
Do the windows open ? There you go.
CSA
I know he’s getting old, and I’m sure when he’s got no Miles left to give he will donate his parts to art, but since I’ve had no serious problems with him yet, I’m not ready to call him history. Other than routine maintenance (and two sets of hubcaps) he’s asked very little of me. And yes, the windows do open, and today is a perfect day for a nice coastal drive home.
And thank you for the correction. I never knew there was a difference between “jibe” and “jive”. I will now forever use the correct one.