Don't ignore coolant drips

Dear Doctor: I own a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass with 70,000 miles. I noticed a coolant leak dripping onto my driveway so I took the car to the shop. The technician said the leak was at the intake manifold gasket. The cost of repair estimate is $800. Is there another alternative vs. taking on this expense? Bob

Dear Bob: Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for the intake gasket failure. Continued driving with a leaking intake gasket can lead to coolant leaking into the engine and damaging the crankshaft bearings leading to catastrophic failure.

Dear Doctor: I have 1997 Ford Probe with a 2.0 engine. When the "check engine" light came I brought the car to my mechanic. The code came up with a lean condition, bank 1. My mechanic changed the bank 1 02 sensor. That didn't solve the problem. All my other sensors were good (mass air flow and air charge temperature.) He tells me it is a very small vacuum leak, or air leak. He told me to wait until it gets worse, so he can pinpoint the leak. Is there anything else that would cause this condition? Thanks Mike

Dear Mike: My first concern is why did the mechanic sell you an oxygen sensor? A lean condition means the oxygen sensor knows the engine is lean. This can be from a minor vacuum leak, dirty mass air meter, faulty PCV valve on any number of vacuum sources. A few simple tests with propane, or a smoke machine and a look at the Identifix site can point the technician in the right direction very quickly. I see a lot of engines with leaking rubber seals on plastic intake manifold runners. Alldata.com also lists a full troubleshooting procedure on this, as well as all "check engine" issues.

Dear Doctor: I've enjoyed four great years and 60,000 miles of trouble-free ownership with my Toyota Highlander. However, I recently opened the moonroof and was unable to close it after several tries. I drove to the local Toyota service center and received a repair estimate of $2,300. They quoted a motor housing, and control cables. The motor itself is working. I asked if they could close the roof so I could at least drive the car. That cost $105. Please advise. Mike

Dear Mike: Whenever we have problems with a power sunroof, I send the vehicle to a shop that sells and installs power moon or sunroofs. Check the phonebook or ask the dealer sales department for the shops they use.

E-mail questions to info@motormatters.biz

Dear Doctor: I belong to a car club in Fort Myers, Fla. We all pitch in with general repairs on our members' vehicles. We always seem to get stuck on electrical jobs, such as computer fault trouble codes, resetting tire pressure monitors, and even reprogramming new keys and remote key fobs. Is there any one company that sells a manual for what we need? Stephen

Dear Stephen: You and your club members in Fort Myers are not alone. Yes, there is a company that offers a range of books with all the information you requested. The company is called Autodata. They sell trouble fault code books for both domestic and import vehicles, key programming and maintenance reset information. There are also books for tire pressure monitor programming, timing belt replacement intervals and instructions and wiring diagrams for all automotive systems. I have a complete set of these books. You can call Autodata at 1-800-305-0338 or visit www.autodatapubs.com.