Wish I could ask this without the long story but without it I’m not sure what I am even asking, so here goes…
Facts:
Vehicle: Ford Ranger 2003 Edge
Symptoms: Fluid splash on inside driver wheel well, runner and under carriage below driver, Spark when turning ignition on noticeable from driver’s side front fender.
Story: An old shadetree was pulling into a parking space next to me on the driver’s side just as I turned the key to start my truck. It was around 10pm in the midst of Carnival season so it didn’t phase me that he had a little beer buzz going, I mention this because I couldn’t understand quite everything he said…hence the confusion as to what happened next.
He hollered to me something about noticing a spark under the truck ( I’m not sure where the spark was but he was able to see it from his position in the driver’s seat of his truck) Next, he got out and reach under my driver’s side wheel well up to about his bicep and ‘fiddled’ with something saying that “You got this ‘fluid’ backing up, not leaking but backing up” and that " ‘They’ would charge me $500 to replace ‘It’ but ‘it’ don’t need to be replaced." When he was done ‘fiddling’ he said something about getting the truck up to 50 mph and ‘it’ (possibly a different ‘it’) would reset itself, all the while interjecting that ‘…he had to pee real bad…’ so I gave him the last $7 I had on me and my only lighter, it seemed a fair exchange for at least alerting me to an issue if not possibly fixing it,
I did notice the fluid spray he pointed out though I have never seen a spark. Also, the automatic transmission had been shifting hard ( you know when changing gears it would sometimes catch or pop hard especially if accelerating quickly ) however since laying hands on my ‘It’ the trans is much smoother.
I’m concerned what all this means to the longevity of my truck, what did he see, what did he touch and what should I do about it. I thought perhaps I should run this by you folks before I go back to the Walgreens and slam beers until I reach enlightenment.
But you should check your transmission fluid, and perhaps find a good local transmission specialist to give things a once over. Unless you’re saying that you know trans fluid is leaking, in which case you should fix the leak before you run so low that you end up cooking the transmission.
I agree with cigroller that the story makes no sense, and I suspect that the “Drunken Master” was too drunk to be coherent.
As was already recommended, check the level (and color, and odor) of the trans fluid and refill if needed with the correct type of fluid. Exact directions for how to check the trans fluid can be found in the Owner’s Manual, along with the specification for the type of fluid.
And, no matter how the transmission fluid checks-out, if there is ANY suspicion about a spark under the hood or under the truck, then you need to have a qualified (sober) mechanic examine it before you wind up losing the vehicle in a fire.
I have a 1 beer limit if I am driving and a 2 beer limit if I am posting. But I am cold sober and supposedly knowledgeable regarding automobiles and this one leaves me clueless. Maybe I’ll have a few beers later and the answer will come to me. If so please excuse the grammar and punctuation.
I appreciate the replies, as I said he was slurry but there was a noticeable difference in the performance of the vehicle afterwards. I do plan on getting a ‘sober’ pro to look but I was hoping the symptoms would be recognizable to someone so that I might go in the shop with a little idea of what to expect.
I think the responses here would be less if a one beer limit negated a response, self negation imposed at 2 or 3 beers. And yes I have no clue what went on there!
You were, indeed, touched by a Drunken Master! I caution you, however. Beer will not bring you the enlightenment you seek. His was a special gift, reserved to him and a handful of other masters. To find such a benevolent master is a rare treat to be savored and spoken about for years to come.
But, seriously, check your fluids at your first chance. Then, to determine what he did, have a mechanic look around the area he was fiddling with. What ever he fiddled with will have finger and hand prints all over it in the built-up dirt and grime.
My bet is something to do with the chassis ground strap or battery connections. A bad ground can cause electronic modules to act up, and the transmission on this truck is electronically shifted.
Yes, @Bustedknuckles and if the man had dragons on his forearms he wasn’t drunk, but rather in an altered state. The OP would be lucky to have survived the encounter. Grasshopper is getting old but he is still deadly.
I’m gonna say that if a spark was seen when turning the key, that you have a poor electrical connection either at the battery terminals or down by the starter.
I may have been raised in a tougher environment, or maybe it was living in Mexico City in 1998 during the crime wave. But, I would recommend first taking the approach that he sabotaged your car while pretending to help. If you look it over, you can soon eliminate this possibility, but it needs to be eliminated before you assume there is a real problem.
“I would recommend first taking the approach that he sabotaged your car while pretending to help.”
That thought crossed my mind also.
I guess that I am a skeptical person by nature, but I wouldn’t want to trust what a drunken stranger said or did regarding my car.
The OP needs to have his truck checked by a real mechanic sooner, rather than later.
Sober up and then describe your problem with the vehicle… besides the problem that it’s being driven by a drunk who feels free to jeopardize the lives of everyone else on the roads.
I sincerely hope the cops catch you and throw you in the slammer… for weeks. And I hope they confiscate your car.
Sorry, but I absolutely cannot tolerate drunken driving, and am especially aggravated by those who are so arrogant that they feel it’s okay for them to do so.
