WTH Is Wrong With My Car?

[movingforward]

My car has been doing the strangest thing lately and it is completely random... sometimes when I start my car there is absolutely no air coming out of the vents.  I mean nothing.  Once I get on the highway and it hits around 55 - 60 mpg the air will start flowing.  WTH  As I said, this is totally random and one reason why I haven't taken it in to be looked at.  When this happens it can be quite annoying.  We are still having 100 degree days where I live.  Yesterday afternoon I get into my already hot car (no covered parking at my work) and no air again.  I left at 5pm so traffic was bumper to bumper, which means I wasn't able to get any speed on my car, hence no air coming out of the vents.  Finally about 2 miles from my exit traffic started to loosen up and I picked up speed, which kicked my air on.  Before that though I thought I was going to be sick from the heat.  Since it is 100 degrees out and bumper to bumper traffic there was not even much air flowing with the windows down.  The good news is it should start to get cooler soon and, as I said before, it doesn't happen all the time.  Is this weird or what? 

ETA: Oops, I meant to put this in off-topic.  Please move if needed

[tskeeter]

Almost40, I'm not a mechanic, but I've been servicing my own cars for over 40 years, including building figure eight and hobby stock cars for a friend.

Based on your description, it sounds to me like your blower motor (the fan in the car ventilation system) is not running.  What makes me think that is you have no air flow while sitting still or moving very slowly, but you do have air flow while driving at speed.  At speed, the outside air forces itself through the ventilation system.  While sitting, a fan is required to pull outside air into the ventilation system.

So, why won't the fan run?  First thing, and easiest, to check is the fuse for the fan.  Could be the fuse is blown.  Other potential problems would be a short in the wiring to the blower motor, a blower motor that has become disconnected from it's power supply (wire off or loose), or a blower motor that has failed. 

The intermittent nature of your problem leads me to suspect that there is a short in the wiring or a connector is loose.  The wire moves, the electrical circuit is connected, the fan works.  The wire moves again, the electrical circuit is disconnected, the fan doesn't work.  You hit a small pot hole, the wire moves, the fan works again.  Sorting out a wiring problem is beyond most folks.  So I suggest that you take the car to your favorite mechanic for some TLC.  Note that it is important for the mechanic to understand that the problem comes and goes as well as anything else you can tell them about when and under what conditions the blower works or does not work. 

[movingforward]

Thanks tskeeter!  I was trying to avoid having to take it in since it will be cooling off soon and winters here are mild so not having heat blowing all the time is no biggie. 

[tskeeter]

Yeah, I hear you.  But, if you're planning to keep the car through another hot summer, why not get it fixed so it works and you can avoid some chilly rides this winter.  Maybe you'll get lucky and it's only a loose connector in the wiring harness. 


If the car is at the point where you're ready to drag it to the junk yard, then who cares. 

[movingforward]

Yep, planning to drive it for another 4-5 yrs so should probably have it checked out.  My guess is I will need new brakes soon so will probably have them check both at the same time. 

[iono1]

almost40:  I was driving cars before you were born and there was no air conditioning-And we liked it!

[ZaireinHD]

tskeeter has a good explanation...or sounds right to me.

for my car (thankfully) when a part is breaking it doesn't break at once. for example my sunroof. one day it works then the next it doesn't work, or it kinda works and it's 100% random. so when I bring it to a side mechanic, it works non stop works!! so the mechanic doesn't see what is happening. then few days later, it will close very slowly, like really slowly. then another day will not close at all. so when it didn't close at all I drove straight to the mechanic. as I was driving to the mechanic I would try to close the sunroof and it wouldn't close. UNTIL I GOT 4 TRAFFIC LIGHTS FROM THE FUCKING SHOP!!!
LOL - I was so frustrated I almost cried!!
so yea I need to replace the motor

for you I agree with tskeeter. I was thinking it could be something as simple as replacing your filter. your filter could be so dirty that air is not getting through the dirt until you get to a certain speed. but then I would think you should be seeing that dirty inside the car. so it's probably your motor for the fan which you will need in the winter to blow the heat.

but I am not mechanic myself. and be careful getting the two services done at once time? meaning the price of the breaks AND the price to get the fan trouble fixed may cost A LOT!

[motherto2]

You might also want to do some internet searches to see if it's a common problem with your vehicle.  I have an 08 Nissan Altima, and it randomly doesn't want to start.  It's a keyless ignition, and you have to have your foot on the pedal to start it.  When this first started happening, I researched it and found out it's common with my car, and how to get it to work (basically keep pumping on the brakes).  It's a sensor under the brake.  So, now it's doing it again, and I have to get it inspected this month.  I know if I take it to get inspected it won't pass if the thing won't turn on, so I have to get it fixed.  I also have a tire sensor that needs to be replaced.  Apparently when I had a new tire put on the guy broke it but either didn't realize it, or was afraid to tell me.  The sensor for the tires has always been jacked up, so I didn't pay too much attention to it until I took it somewhere else to get the tires rotated, and they found it.  So, I have to get that replaced also or the light will be on, and no inspection.  Supposedly when your car is rejected in our state they put a rejection sticker on it but if you get caught driving it, even if it's to take it somewhere to get fixed, you can get a ticket.  So, I'll grumble and make an appointment for after next week (too busy at work right now to take off).  But I'm glad to know what the not starting issue is.  The ex and I had a Ford Contour years and years ago that kept acting up.  It was in the shop tons of times and each time it was a sensor.  I asked how many sensors were in that car that would make the exact same symptoms.  They were just trying to get out of replacing it because the lemon laws had just been enacted.

I hate dealing with car issues, and sensors

[tskeeter]

Sept 8, 2013 20:06:00 GMT -5 motherto2 said:

You might also want to do some internet searches to see if it's a common problem with your vehicle.  I have an 08 Nissan Altima, and it randomly doesn't want to start.  It's a keyless ignition, and you have to have your foot on the pedal to start it.  When this first started happening, I researched it and found out it's common with my car, and how to get it to work (basically keep pumping on the brakes).  It's a sensor under the brake.  So, now it's doing it again, and I have to get it inspected this month.  I know if I take it to get inspected it won't pass if the thing won't turn on, so I have to get it fixed.  I also have a tire sensor that needs to be replaced.  Apparently when I had a new tire put on the guy broke it but either didn't realize it, or was afraid to tell me.  The sensor for the tires has always been jacked up, so I didn't pay too much attention to it until I took it somewhere else to get the tires rotated, and they found it.  So, I have to get that replaced also or the light will be on, and no inspection.  Supposedly when your car is rejected in our state they put a rejection sticker on it but if you get caught driving it, even if it's to take it somewhere to get fixed, you can get a ticket.  So, I'll grumble and make an appointment for after next week (too busy at work right now to take off).  But I'm glad to know what the not starting issue is.  The ex and I had a Ford Contour years and years ago that kept acting up.  It was in the shop tons of times and each time it was a sensor.  I asked how many sensors were in that car that would make the exact same symptoms.  They were just trying to get out of replacing it because the lemon laws had just been enacted.

I hate dealing with car issues, and sensors

Funny how if you put a whole bunch of sensors on a car, you start to have to maintain and repair the sensor.

By the way, your tire pressure sensors have a small, non replacable, battery in each one.  The expected life of the battery is 5 to 7 years or about 100,000 miles, whichever is less.  So your '08 is due to start having the sensors go out.  Might as well replace all the sensors now and avoid repeated trips to the tire shop to replace the sensors one by one.  (I'm not absolutely convinced that the person who mounted the new tire broke the sensor.  Due to the design of many TPMS sensors, I believe the valve stem would probably fall out, and the tire go flat, if the sensor had been broken.)  

[motherto2]

Thanks Tskeeter.  It's actually a little piece in it that broke.  I have it sitting on my counter, and stepdad took it to a couple of local places and they verified it was broken, but they don't do that work.  I absolutely positively hate going to the dealership for repairs.  Nothing but bad experiences there.  I just can't go do it for another week because of work.  Long, sad story there .