Matt Heath & Tyler Adams AfternoonsMatt Bullen: Mechanic answers car-based questions as part of Ask The Expert
Matt Bullen has 38 years' experience as a mechanic in the automotive industry, he’s worked for pretty much every franchise brand – from the Japanese through the Europeans – you'll find him at Excel Autos in Whakatane, and today he joined the Afternoons team to answer questions.
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So Matt Bullen has thirty eight years experience as a mechanic in the automotive industry. He's worked for pretty much every franchise brand from the Japanese through to the Europeans and you'll find him at Exil Autos and Fakatane and once a month he joins us here at news Talk ZB to answer your questions about vehicles.
Matt get at of you.
Good afternoon guys.
How are you very good?
Let's get him with a text message to start off. Hey, Matt and Tyler, I have a question for your brilliant mechanic expert. Please. I have a twenty sixteen Ford Transit custom van turbo Diesel six SP manual and the engine malfunction warning keeps coming on. It has had a software upgrades and numerous resets by the Ford dealer, but no luck. It's so irritating and I'll never know if there is actually an engine fault. I'm at the end of the road. Thanks Matt. Any thoughts.
To scan it and find out why that the engine light comes on? Because one of the sensors in the engine has detected a figure outside its parameters. Right, Normally the sensors all have certain parameters that they lie within. The common one isn't a oxygen sensor, you get very it's common to have an oxygen sensor code. That may be a faulty oxygen sensor, but it could be an airlak or a block air filter. It's just that the oxygen sensor has detected a reading that it doesn't like, so you need to scan it. Somebody's going to have to scan it, find out what what code is causing that light to come on, and start from there. If you've been to the four dealer, may haven't been able to do it. I'd probably recommend going what electrician?
Yeah, very interesting.
Or you could just put a piece of tape over the area where it flashes up so you can't see it.
Yeah, yeah, they can work for a little while. Mat, Yeah, not a good idea. A hundred eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the number to coo. If you've got a question for Matt, Now is your opportunity sun the show?
You got a question, Yeah.
Just a fairly general question. I took a diesel vehicle to a mechanic with a fuel injection issue which they said that fixed, and when they were testing it or running it to make sure a bearing not developed in the engine, which they said was unrelated to the work that were they they have done for the thing, So what sort of It just seems really bizarre for a vehicle that had done just over one hundred thousand caves to run a bearing whilst they were fixing it for the thing. I'm just wondering if there's any any rights you're entitled to it the Punz.
Yeah, look, it could be coincidental, but I don't like coincidences that that is a bit weird to have that happen while it's being serviced. Bearings generally run because they run out of lubrication. So did they do any other work? Did they drain the or did they change? Did they service it? What was the reason that the injectors were done? Was it was it low on all pressure? Maybe the inject default was due to all pressure as well, a lot of injectors rely on engine oil pressure to operate as well. It may have been the existing condition.
Yep, it was a crack in one of the injector lines which they replaced and when they when the line was cracked and let air into the system. So that's what they were effectively remedying. So they replaced the lines and bled it up, and they they kept they kept the car at quite a period of time to keep running it and bleeding it. And they said, they left it idling for a few hours and what have you to have it go through. And then it developed this knock whilst it was they were doing that.
Based on that, it kind of sounds a little bit suspicious. Well, you know, without actually seeing the vehicle, but if it's developed a bearing knock, it's going to need to be stripped down and have an engineer re condition to tell you why it did it. But it does kind of sound a bit suspicious to replace the injective pipe. Really, it's you know, it's not it's not a day's work. That's it can be a pretty quick job to do. So was it a franchise garage? Was the brand of the vehicle?
Garage was at a Ford and it was with an m A mechanic, But it wasn't a franchise garage, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, okay, thank you call Sean.
That has helped all the best with that one text question here, Matt, I have a Mitzbische per pergio for and for about two days it made a violent bang when starting it up. I was about to take it to my mechanic and it's stopped and hasn't done it since.
Am I in the clear from Dan.
This is a classic.
You taken the mechanic and it stops happening.
Yeah, it is.
Oh heck, I mean when he sees violent bang, that edding violent in there doesn't sound good.
Well, it's a pageiro so it won't have a trunk, so it can't be someone that's been shoved in the trunk in a movie in Yeah.
Yeah, look, yeah you need that. Somebody needs to look at it. But if it's not doing it, it's impossible to find. You know, when noises happen to a customer and then they don't happen to ask, it's really difficult to find. If it's just when you're starting it. It could be a front pulley, a green shaft or something like that, but very difficult to diagnose without actually doing it. You might just have to monitor it and see if it keeps doing it. If it gets worse or gets more regular than get into another garage.
Yeah, very good.
Oh one hundred and eighty ten eighty is the number to call, and now is your opportunity to chat to Matt.
Yeah, you've got a question for Matt.
Oh, Kim here, Yeah, I haven't. Oh yeah, I have a ninety one is in primere. It's an automatic, and when I put it into drive, it doesn't get mobile, you know, for about ten seconds, and then it'll go. That's just from a cold start.
When it's and when you're dry, haven't it.
Can you feel the gears changing? Can you feel it going through the gears?
Yeah?
Not not that smooth though.
Just a little.
You go, Mat, Yeah, it might be an auto. It might be an automatic problem. It may also be a command problem, maybe stuck in third years. Sometimes it might be in limp mode. But you're really probably gonna have to get to an auto transmission specialist.
Hopefully that helps.
Kim. There's no lights on, there's no lights on the dash. It's probably not an engine problem. It might be an automatic transmission problem.
Yeh yeah, good luck with that, Kim.
Connie, how are you you're on with me?
Yeah?
Hello, Matt, My daughter has had a had a tea. There can keep squeaking every time you start. That's the noos and tita is it?
Yeah?
Yeah, and it just squeaks when she starts it.
Yeah, there's squeaking noise.
So she doesn't replaced recently the belts replaced. Yeah, yeah, okay, it does sound like a belt noise. You could try when she starts it, if it's squeaking, turn the air conditioning on and off and see if that makes a difference. That will load up one of the belts. But if it just squeaks when it starts, it does sound like if it's worse when it's wet or is it? Does it do it all the time or just when it's cold?
Stick?
Yeah. Sometimes when you get your belts replaced, sometimes they stretch a little bit and you might need to go back and have them readjusted.
A Yeah, it could be a rodent sleeping in there as well.
Yeah, yeah, it could be a little little mice. Yeah. Yeah, you know, mate, you're on with Matt. What's your question?
Oh yeah, yeah, mate, Yeah, Hey, I've got to twenty seventeen holding Colorado. It'll turn over. But what fire? I just wondered if you got the idea, just won't it'll turn, you know, crank, crank, but it won't fire diesel diesel. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeas.
How long since it's been serviced, has head has had a fuel filter?
Yeah you have changed, You've changed all the filters.
Okay, you've done that, You've done it yourself.
Yeah yeah, yeah, I'll bleed and I'll bleed the problem started. Yeah, No, it's actually sort of ah well yeah, it's just sort of come on, I just wonder deliver it was a you know, the electronic or the fuel pumping the tank or whatever. But but yeah, it's a bit.
Of a just trying to what a Colorado system looks like. But you're probably going to have to prime the fuel. If it's gone electric pump, you can do it by cycling the key, turn the key on and off a few times.
Yeah, yeah, it hasn't.
It hasn't got a mechanical lift pump that you can pump by hand.
No, no, no it's not. It's not not my older one's got but this one, the new one that has not got to sort.
Of yeah, yeah, sounds like a fuel issue. But you're gonna have to get somebody You're gonna have to get somebody to have a look at that one. Probably Diesel specialis store holding specially.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, No, I thought i'd just see if you if you knew.
Well that it's very common to have them trap here and sometimes they can be hard to start. Rangers can be really hard to start after you've changed the fuel folter. So yeah, I try cycling it a few times and get that fuel pumped up. But yeah, you might have to get somebody to have a look at that one.
Good luck, Kevin Nick.
You're on with with Matt now and you've got a question tobut your subari.
Yeah, I've got a two thousand and five outback and the driver's door and the passenger jaw on the driver's side. We use a key for lock and unlock that clicks, but it doesn't lock it unlocked. The other two doors do. They're fine, and I've tried to turn the child lock on off, but they make the noise. They just don't lock or unlock them meanly.
So the driver's door doesn't unlock.
In the back door, yeah, the driver's door and the back door on the driver's side, but they have a two one.
But the other side. Yeah, probably a weak actuator in the door.
Do I protect the doors to bit sweat your water?
Yeah, yeah, it's probably a weak actor. They I mean they can't get dirty and just sticky and just really hard to move. And they're not they're not just not powerful enough to move them if they're too dirty. But probably a weak actuator. It's a bit odd that it's both doors.
Though, Yes, weird that came ba at the same time.
Who is that.
Unless you're confidence pulling the pulling the door panels off, you could try pulling the panels off and trying it and see if it works with the door panels off.
Yeah, I mean that that feels like a pretty big job for a layman.
Mat.
I mean, would you if you don't know what you're doing, it's probably not the one to give a crack.
Possibly something. I'll go to Anuto electrician four as well.
Yeah, no, very good.
One hundred and eighty eighty is the number to call if you've got a question for Matt.
Now is your chance?
This person says they've got a toyet of wits that has a pair of testicles hanging off the toe bar. They are now getting a bit of gravel rash. What can I do about that?
Perhaps give them a saucer of milk?
Yeah, exact, Yeah, very good, good answer. That's that, Kevin. You've got an issue with your clutch.
Yeah, it's two thousand and seven ra Yeah, HS three. It's a six leader six speed manual. When you drive it real hard, the clutch can drop straight to the floor and that won't lift back up. Yes, to lift it up would yeah, not all the time, but sometimes when you're driving at half.
Yep. The last one I saw doing that, The last one I saw doing that, and it wasn't an HSV. Well, I can't remember what vehicle was, but the the firewall had cracked and the whole assembly, the mount point for the clutch pedal was loose. But it also could more likely probably just the hydraulic problem. It could be a master cylinder or a slave cylinder.
I've replaced both of them.
Okay, does and the clutch doesn't slip when you're driving it normally pull the carpets, pull the carpets back, get in there with a torch and just make sure there's no cracks around. Whether whether clutch assembly has bolted to the mask to the firewall. Make sure the whole thing's not.
Moving all the best with that, Kevin, That sounds like it potentially could be serious. Text question Yeah, text questionnaire for your map and this stixes. It's a tough one for you, holding VT. You get a lot of holding questions today with a random misfire has good compression, new plugs, leads, coil pack sensors.
Et cetera, et cetera. What am I missing?
Oh? Yeah, if it's common common plugs and leads on those, Yeah, you need to I need to drive it. Well, somebody needs to drive it. You can tell a plug miss from a surge or maybe clean the throttle body. But yeah, it's yeah, I'd need to drive somebody would need to drive that.
Yep, very good, Rich, it's you got some problems with you in this in Yeah.
I bought a Bran new in this in extrail DPO one in July twenty three from after driving it for ten minutes to get home, there was black smoke pouring out from under the dish. Ever since then, as I've had mirrors, windscreen, wipers, breaks, jamming on, so many things go wrong with it. And had it for four months, said it's.
All because it was very new and twenty three. It's all under warrant. You can take it back to the scene.
Yeah, well they're doing it under warranty, but it keeps coming back. Say there's nothing wrong with it, and I'm sure having breaks gemming on.
Yeah.
The latest one is the three three folks came up on the screen, took photos of them and the car stopped in the middle of the road and said, do not get back into the car. They out of the car and they're replacing the ulph nator on it, but the brakes are still jamming on and this they're out of the two not quite two years I've had. It's spent five months the workshop, but they're refusing to really do much about it, supposedly changing.
Yep. I'd be going back to the sales department telling them that you are not heavy with it, and then you either want a refund or another car. Now I can't give you legal advice, but that's where i'd be going.
Yeah, very good to your old car.
Should not be doing that. Yes, a misachief I dealer principal or the sales department.
Yeah, someone phoned in apparently met and they said the consumer guarantees that not that for purpose. Get a lawyer about he's so, yeah, yep, potential there.
Go back to the dealer principle, and so this car needs to come back on another one or all my money back.
Hey this six, and met says looking up Gavin Dater's car from a two thousand and seven Mesda. Alex Alexa, can you recommend any hatchbacks that are reliable and good mechanically please? Tota Coroler that's the best one.
Yep, I got two?
Okay, okay, right?
Is it all?
You've had a Corolla?
Fantastic? I think we've got time.
Well, as long as you're quick and it metal just have to be a short answer, but we'll go for it.
Yeah, get it, guys. I love what you're doing here, great odear. I bought a fencing business, and I know the truck's been absolutely abused and I've abused it for about the last twenty thousand. K's just home big loads Dmax twenty. There's a time to get rid of it.
What do you reckon?
There's a few things creeping in, like clutches against sticky. Other than that, it's been pretty good. But do you reckon it can keep trying to.
All right, Matte, big question.
They went great to begin with.
Very good, well all the best mate.
You're accountant a new vehicle.
Yeah, very good, Matt. We'll run out of time.
Definitive answer again.
Yeah, get rid of the DMX.
Matt.
Thank you very much again mate, Always enjoy having you on. So we'll check again in about a month's time.
May It was awesome.
Yeah, all right, that is Matt Bollin met the mechanic of course, part of our US the Expert series, and there's always advice offered on the segment has done in good faith and should always be confirmed by a physical inspection of your vehicle.
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