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Driver's cushion won't interfere with air bag
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Q I use a seat cushion on the driver's side of my 2003 Alero. This was recommended at a safety check several years ago. No warning light comes on. Do I have a potential problem?
A A question in an earlier column addressed the passenger side restraint system, which recognizes when the passenger seat is unoccupied and switches the air bag off automatically. Driver side air bags do not have such switches and will deploy at the proper energy level in the event of a serious crash. In your case, proper positioning in the seat so that your chest is at least 10 to 12 inches from the air bag cover in the steering wheel is the critical issue.
Q I own a 2002 Chevy Impala V6. While driving, when the temperature reaches the normal level, the low-coolant light will come on. If I reduce speed to between 40 and 50 mph, the light will go out until I drive faster again. The car never overheats and it's not low on coolant. I had the sensor by the radiator replaced and a new thermostat installed. It still happens.
A The coolant-level sensor switch mounted in the radiator will illuminate the "low-coolant" warning light when the sensor is not immersed in coolant. Obviously a low level of coolant in the radiator would trigger this, but bubbles of combustion gases reaching the top of the radiator and displacing the coolant around the sensor could also trigger the warning light. With the dynamics of your vehicle's symptoms, I think it's worthwhile checking the coolant for the presence of exhaust hydrocarbons from a cylinder head gasket leak.
I found another possible explanation in my ALLDATA database. GM service bulletin No. 04-06-02-007 suggests this symptom may be caused by oil contaminating the coolant and coating the temperature level switch with deposits that insulate the sensor from the coolant.
Q The automatic heating/cooling system on my 2001 Acura 3.2TL doesn't seem to work properly. For example, on a 56-degree day it continued to produce cold air, even when the thermostat setting was raised from 68 to 72 degrees. It did seem to work when I turned the thermostat to the max setting and backed off. I've also had problems maintaining a comfortable inside temperature when four people were in the car on near-zero days. After about 10 miles, the temperature would keep climbing, no matter where I set the thermostat -- unless I clicked on 61 degrees and it generated cold air. I mentioned this to the dealer, who started talking about beginning with a series of very expensive pressure checks.
A Start with the simple stuff. Have the dealer check the in-car temperature sensor, mounted in the dash to the right of the steering wheel. The sensor can be tested with a simple ohmmeter, and make sure the connector and air tube are correctly in place.
Q The battery in my sister's 2002 Camry has lots of corrosion on the terminals. I tried cleaning them and putting anti-corrosion grease on them, but it comes back two weeks later. The car starts fine, even in winter. What can be done to stop it?
A Battery terminal corrosion is either caused by high resistance and/or a poor quality connection at the battery, or hydrogen sulfide gases venting from the battery. Minor ''gassing'' and water loss on a nonsealed battery isn't unusual. But excessive gassing may be an indication of overcharging. Have the battery, alternator and charging system tested. If the battery is being overcharged, its life will be shortened dramatically.
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