Dear Tom and Ray:
I have a 1979 AMC Concord which I towed from El Paso to Florida. I disconnected the drive shaft before starting out. After arriving, I reconnected it. Now, when starting with a cold engine, it shifts out of gear like it's going into neutral. This happens about six times or so, and then it engages. It does this for about five or 10 minutes, then works perfectly for as long as it's driven. I hesitate to take it to a transmission shop for fear they'll tell me it's going to cost a bundle. Could you give me your opinion? - AlbertTOM: I can see that moving to the beaches of Florida has already had an effect on you, Albert. You've obviously learned how to bury your head in the sand.
RAY: You shouldn't be afraid to find out what's wrong with it. I made a similar mistake a few years ago when I had a cavity. I didn't go to the dentist, because I was afraid. After eating mashed peas and carrots for six months, I finally broke down and made an appointment. But by that time, I didn't just need a filling. I needed a root canal.
TOM: And you're in a similar situation, Albert. It sounds like you've got a transmission problem, which, by the way, probably has nothing to do with towing the car to Florida. So don't hide your head in the sand. If you act right away and change the fluid and filter, you might be able to solve this problem and get another year out of this heap.
RAY: But if you keep driving around with that dirty fluid pumping through the transmission, you're going to make it worse and worse every day. And when you finally do take it to a transmission shop, your worst fears will be realized.
TOM: So take it in tomorrow and try a fluid and filter change. When that doesn't work, you can start searching the Florida junkyards for another transmission. But when you go to the junkyards, be careful not to leave that AMC unattended for more than a few minutes - it could easily be mistaken for incoming merchandise.
Dear Tom and Ray:
Are C-V joints ever supposed to click and clack? When I turn the wheel of my car full left or full right at very low speeds, forward or reverse, we hear "click-click-click" (or "clack-clack-clack") from the front end. The car is a 1987 Chevy Nova with a manual transmission. - Mark
RAY: It's really not OK for C-V joints to click and clack, Mark. C-V (constant velocity) joints are actually ball-and-socket-type joints that transmit power from the transmission to the front wheels of this car.
TOM: And when they start to go bad, they make the clacking noise you describe - usually while accelerating through turns.
RAY: It's not really a dangerous situation. The wheel won't fall off, even if the joints fail completely. But the car will stop moving. Of course, if that happens while you're trying to make a left turn in front of an oncoming 18-wheeler full of Eskimo Pies, it could be a very chilling experience.
The Magliozzi brothers' radio show "Car Talk" can be heard each Saturday at 10 a.m. on KUER FM 90.1 If you have a question about cars, write to Click and Clack Talk Cars c/o King Features Syndicate, 235 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017.