I have an '06 Pontiac Vibe. It's a stick shift that I lovingly refer to as "The Ponticorn," since stick shifts these days are so rare. If I park in my driveway, which has a steep-ish downhill grade, my car starts without a problem every time. If I park in front of my house on the street, which is flatter, the engine won't budge one out of three tries. It behaves as though I am not pushing in the clutch (which you have to do in order to start the car). So I release the clutch and push it in again. Most times, it will then start. Sometimes it takes a third attempt. Why in the world would this be happening? - The Pontiprincess
Ray: Sounds like you've got some Ponti-paranormal activity going on there, Princess.
My guess would be that you’re on the right track in focusing on the clutch pedal. There’s a switch called an “interlock” that prevents the car from starting unless you have the clutch pedal pressed all the way in.
It’s a safety feature. If the car is in first gear, for instance, they don’t want you to turn the key and lurch the car through your garage door. Or worse, over someone standing between the car and the garage door.
The clutch interlock switch itself is not affected by gravity or angle. But you are. And if it’s just starting to fail and not making a good connection, it could be that when the car is angled down the driveway, gravity is working with your body weight to put a little more force on the clutch pedal when you step on it, and that’s enough - right now - to engage the switch. But when you’re on flat ground, on the street, without that extra force, the switch works sometimes and doesn’t work other times.
Before you do anything else, check to make sure nothing is in the way of the clutch pedal. We’ve had customers come in with similar complaints, and sometimes we were able to solve the problem by simply removing a floor mat that had gotten bunched up under the pedals. We only charge $300 for that service.
But if there’s nothing preventing the pedal from reaching the floor, you can ask your mechanic to “jump” the clutch interlock temporarily, as a test. That means, basically, leave it out of the circuit.
Obviously, you need to be careful while the switch is not functioning. But if you remove the interlock switch from the equation and then the car always starts perfectly on level ground, you’ve diagnosed the problem. Then you can have your mechanic put in a new switch.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, these cars are also known for starter-motor solenoids that fail. So if it’s not the clutch interlock, you probably need a starter motor, Your Highness. Good luck.
RV passenger finds herself in the hot seat
Dear Car Talk:
My husband and I own a 2002 Class C Motorhome with a Ford E450 chassis and a V-10 engine. It runs fine, but the problem is that so much heat comes from under the dashboard on the passenger side that it's hard to sit there — even with the air conditioning on. I've been complaining about this since we bought the RV in 2003, but since it doesn't affect my husband's side of the vehicle, nothing has been done about it. This is a problem only on my side (he does almost all of the driving). Can you make any suggestions about what to do about this? Thanks. - Nadine
Ray: I'm guessing the previous owner's wife forced him to sell it, and that's how you guys got it.
My first suggestion is that you start driving, Nadine. Make him sit in the passenger seat for a couple of hours, and I guarantee it’ll be fixed very quickly.
You need to do a little more detective work and figure out where exactly the heat is coming from. If it’s coming from a ventilation duct, then you may have a blend door that’s stuck and needs to be fixed.
More likely, though, on this vehicle, is that the heat is coming through the floor. The right side of the exhaust manifold is very close to the passenger floor where you sit, and it generates a ton of heat. The so-called “doghouse” - the engine cover between the seats - also is a source of heat.
So my suggestion would be to insulate both of those as best you can. Have a mechanic remove the carpeting, and add a couple of layers of insulation between the floor and the carpet. You even might want to try to find something called a heat mat, which is specifically designed to block heat. I’d run that insulation up the outside of the engine cover, too.
My guess is that it will improve the situation. So you can at least switch from halter tops to tank tops, Nadine. Good luck.
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