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After U-joint repair, 4WD light won't quit
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Q I have a '98 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 truck. The right front universal joint went bad, so I changed it. Now everything runs and works fine -- except that the 4WD light stays on. I never touched any switches, and the truck isn't in four-wheel drive. Where do I start?
A Battery voltage goes through the 4WD lamp to the normally open plunger switch mounted on the front axle disconnect housing. When four-wheel drive is engaged, the vacuum actuator and shift fork that engage the outboard front axle also actuate this plunger to complete the ground circuit and turn on the 4WD lamp.
Try disconnecting this switch at the housing. If the 4WD light goes off, the plunger switch is still grounded, meaning the truck is in four-wheel drive or there's a problem with the switch. If the 4WD light remains on, there's a problem with the lamp circuit.
Q We recently purchased a 2008 Chevy Malibu with about 30,000 miles on it. The "check gas cap" light comes on about 28 miles after each fill-up. The dealer installed a new gas cap and cleared the "check engine" light that also came on for a few miles, but every time we fill the tank the "check gas cap" light comes on about 28 miles later. Any ideas?
A With the sophisticated onboard self-diagnostics for the evaporative emissions system, it would help to know the precise trouble code that triggered the warning light. According to my Alldata automotive database, the "check gas cap" light will illuminate when the system fails its "large leak" self-test. Basically, the evap control module allows engine vacuum into the system, then monitors the fuel tank pressure sensor.
Ask the dealer to check for damage to the evap canister system under the vehicle. According to bulletin 05-06-04-004D, it can be damaged by bad placement of lifting pads when raising the vehicle on a hoist.
Q I have a 2005 Cadillac STS. I live in Wisconsin about six months and Florida the other six months. Each year when I head south, I leave a 1.5-amp trickle charger on the Caddy in Wisconsin -- and every year the battery is dead when I return. My other car is fine, as were my three previous STSes.
The Cadillac service department gives me two stories -- first that the system should "go to sleep" and not kill the battery, but after checking out the vehicle they then say that the car is OK and I simply need a new battery. Do you have any suggestions? Would a 2.0-amp trickle charger work?
A I don't think the issue is the amperage of the charger. Do you leave the battery cables connected when you leave? Or do you disconnect the battery from the vehicle?
Here's my suggestion. Isolate the battery from the car by disconnecting the battery cables. Then connect a battery maintainer. I think your trickle charger may be killing the battery by overcharging it during the six months you're away. A battery maintainer will maintain the battery's state of charge indefinitely.
The alternative might be to connect your trickle charger to an outlet timer that only turns it on for perhaps one hour a day. Or fully charge and disconnect the battery from the vehicle before you leave, and forget about it until you return. A fully charged newer battery should survive six months.
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