What an afternoon--thanking my lucky stars!

[PA Baker]

I ran out over my lunch break yesterday to pick up a couple things I needed for a cake I had to decorate last night. It was a three mile drive up a major highway onto another large thoroughfare. As I turned off the road into the store's parking lot, my steering wheel froze up, the oil light came on and my car died. I was in the middle of an aisle, but at least I wasn't on the highway!

Everything just completely died. I couldn't get the steering wheel to un-freeze or the engine to turn over. I ended up spending the afternoon waiting for AAA (2 hours in the cold!) and then waiting for DH to be able to get out of a meeting to come get me at the garage. The only good thing that came out of it was I didn't make it back to work!

Best part about it is the garage can't find anything wrong with the car! It worked fine just for them!

 

[nicole]

PA, I am glad you are ok. I wonder what happened?

 

[Raine]

They always work when you take it to the shop

 

[middie]

pa glad you're okay. that's the most important thing. i had a car that was always breaking down on me. much like yours did. it would just die for no apparent reason. the steering wheel never locked up though. you know 3 mechanics couldn't figure out what was going on with the car so we got rid of it. good riddance lol.

 

[ronjohn55]

They always work when you take it to the shop

Having been on both sides of that coin, I can attest to the fact that there is nothing more frustrating for either pary.

Dealerships hate it when that happens, too.

John

 

[buckytom]

gald you're ok pab. thank god it didn't die on the highway. it might have been salt-water/ice in the electrical system that eventually dried out, or maybe bad gas. my truck did that last year on the west side highway. fortunately it was just past the light at 57th street on an uphill, and it was saturday morning, so the traffic wasn't bad, and they had enough time to see me (and barely miss like it was a game ). it died, i called for a tow, waited about an hour, and tried to start it and it fired up, just a s a cop arrived. then the cop pulls me over a few hundred feet farther up the road, and wants to know why i was "parked" on the highway. duh. i was just happy it didn't stall again.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

What grade of olive oil did you put in the engine?? Always use EXTRA virgin 5w-30 in the winter. Not of that lite crap!

Glad youre alright. What kind of car is it? Maybe I can research the problem for ya. ;-)

 

[PA Baker]

Thanks everyone!

It's a three-year old Jeep Liberty. I was thinking (hoping) it was something to do with all of the ice and wind we've been having. At least that would make for more affordable repairs!

 

[GB]

What a bad day!!! I am just glad you are home safe and sound!

 

[ronjohn55]

PA - sounds like it could be a concern with the electrical/charging system.

Once the engine dies - that will account for your steering problem (no running engine = no power steering) and also the oil light (again, no running engine = no oil pressure).

If something like the alternator is on the fritz - the car will try to run on the battery alone, once the battery runs out of juice, the car dies out. The car going to the garage and warming up a bit may have given it time to build the battery back up. Contrary to public opinion/urban legend, cold temps don't kill batteries - heat does, cold just slows down the chemical reaction.

In a case like this, it might just be a bad ground wire (Had one on a starter do that to me once - chased it for a month!). A charging system check might know for sure.

Anyways, glad you're OK.

John

 

[nicole]

The story I am about to tell is a really bad Blonde day.( I have those quite a bit). One time I was turning on a green light and my car stalled, Luckly it was a little hill, I coasted in a gas station and stopping with my emergency break. Blocking the way to get in. My car was completly dead, Stearing wheel dead, breaks dead, EVERYTHING dead. I went into the gastation to call my husband. Of course, he wasn't home, After waiting 20 min. I saw him drive by and luckly he saw my car and stopped. I was telling him what happened. He looked under the hood, Nothing. He tried to start my car, Nothing. We pushed it out of the way so people can get by. Ok.... here is the best part. Nothing was wrong with my car except is was completly OUT of GAS. I was so embarassed. My husband never let me live that down.

 

[Alix]

LOL to you Nicole...been there, done that, and I'm NOT blonde!

PA, holy cow! Thank goodness for your guardian angels! I am so glad to hear you are safe. I sure hope they can find the problem and fix it, otherwise you are never going to be at ease in that car again. I think it sounds electrical too...not that I am any kind of expert, but it has happened to me before too.

 

[PA Baker]

I just checked with the garage and they're still looking. The dealership just changed owners and so far we're not too impressed. The service manager told me that he's thinking that "the car just done decided to act up" on me. That makes me feel better!

 

[DampCharcoal]

'The service manager told me that he's thinking that "the car just done decided to act up" on me.'

That sounds really professional!:roll:

 

[crewsk]

Sounds like the guy who told my dad when the the transmission went out on my truck that "the tranny just up and broke"! My dad said "well yeah, I know that but fix it!"


PA, I'm glad you're OK & I hope they'll figure it out soon. I have bad luck with cars, I can be driving & the car start acting up & tell hubby about it & when he goes out to drive it it does just fine. It's annoying to say the least!

 

[mudbug]

PA, glad to hear that you are all right. Shoot that car.

 

[kitchenelf]

Glad you're ok PA - what an ordeal - and in the cold too!!!

 

[mish]

Thanks everyone!

It's a three-year old Jeep Liberty. I was thinking (hoping) it was something to do with all of the ice and wind we've been having. At least that would make for more affordable repairs!

Glad you're okay, PA. Have to chuckle..."Affordable Repairs?" See my oxymoron list. No such thing in Los Angeles.

BT, no prob. Here the cops just pistle whip ya...kidding. I Love a man in uniform.

Middie, think I bought your car, LOL. Mine stalled years back & dealer said was a computer short. Only computer available to match my vehicle was in the Mid West somewhere. To make a long story short, one of my ex boyfriends said, you just paid $1000 to buy your old computer back. I love L.A.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

Maybe you should call a Jeep dealership that is from an area where they get more business. Close to a large city. Hopefully they might be able to give you some good input?
Here is their toll free number:
Jeep of Naperville

3300 Ogden Ave.

60532

888- 866-7251


Hope it helps

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

MSG #00185 November 05, 2004 - Chrysler 2.7 Engine Failure
On Nov 3, 2004, I was driving my two youngest children to school. I was on an interstate highway traveling 55 mph, in light rain when my engine started tapping loudly, the oil light came on and then the engine light and then the car shut down. All of this happened within one minute, at over 50 mph. Luckily there was a wide soft shoulder that I was able to coast on to. I proceeded to bring the car to a stop where I tried to restart the car, unsuccessfully. I called for a tow truck and had the car taken to Chrysler. They told me my engine was sludged and that I would need a replacement for 6500$ I couldn't afford that so I had to roll the remaining loan left on the car, 9,150$ worth into a lease on another car. They only gave me 3000$ trade in on a 2000 luxury Concorde with 56000 miles. That was disgusting. My VIN number was ............... As soon as this lease thing with this jeep liberty is over I will never trust Chrysler again. If my wife was driving when this happened, i am afraid she would not have been able to handle the car in that weather and in that speed. I was told that this damage was my fault because I didn't maintain the car, but my garage is full of equipment that I oil change and maintain my vehicles. I have a 96 Plymouth with 130,000 miles. My last two cars, both Dodge/Chrysler products, had over 120,000 before I moved on to the Concorde and the Plymouth. I think that attests to my maintaining cars and the failure of this 2.7 liter garbage. I hope you can help us.