Odds n' Ends

[vonVeezelsnider]

Some problems on our cars I thought I'd ask about...

The first is on my Granddad's 2007 Impala LS (Optioned out just like ours except it's black).

(as he describes it to me)

When the car is warmed up and has been running for a bit, and the air conditioner is off, there is a a Rotten Egg smell coming through the vents with the air. When the air conditioner is on (recirc) or when the fan is off, the smell isn't there.

The next few are on my G5:

-When the car is off for a bit the gauges have a tendency to move up and down all by themselves for a while every once in a while. The best way to describe it is that the gauges are having siezures.

-The car makes a buzzy, vibrating scrubbing noise sometimes during deceleration and coasting could my brakes be worn out/out of alignment, or is it the tires? I know I need tires soon.

-The LR window occasionally stops working and I have to hold the button down and slam the door to make it work, and then it'll work for a while and then jam/stop rolling down.

-A couple of times the RR window will roll down by itself if the window lock isn't on

Any ideas on this guys?

[Oracle of Delphi]

Sounds like you have mold built up in the ventilation system, dealer can clean it or you can do it yourself if you have the time.

[ocnblu]

Rotten Egg, or a sulphur smell, is usually an indication of a catalytic converter issue, the metals inside can produce that smell. With the a/c in "recirc" mode, you are shutting out outside air from coming through the vents, recirculating the air that's inside the car, essentially blocking the smell from entering the cabin. The air intake for the climate control system is at the cowl vent at the base of the windshield. It's possible there is a failed seal somewhere, or an open seam down further on the firewall, allowing the sulphur smell into the car. His car probably has catalytic converters right at the engine, which could explain why exhaust smell is coming through the dash vents.

I sometimes smell sulphur if I have run my truck extra hard for some reason. If your smell is a mold/mildew smell, then Borger's probably right.

On your G5, are you trying your windows from all possible switches? If the window stops working from the driver's door switch, are you then trying it from the switch at that door? If not, do that (if they work at their own switches, you know it's not the motors, it's gotta be the switch), your whole problem could be either the connection to the driver's door switch or the switch itself. A bad connection there could cause other electrical issues, including your instrument cluster problem.

The noise in your wheels could be a bad wheel bearing, among other things. See if you can isolate the noise to a single wheel, could be front or rear. I would check it by driving in an area where a good noise bounceback is possible with your windows down, such as next to a jersey wall, this will hold the noise in, amplifying it, allowing you to pinpoint the source.

All these issues sound like warranty concerns to me, why not let the dealer find and correct these things?

[Camino LS6]

Excellent coverage of those issues, Mr. Blu!

I agree on all points.

[vonVeezelsnider]

On your G5, are you trying your windows from all possible switches? If the window stops working from the driver's door switch, are you then trying it from the switch at that door? If not, do that (if they work at their own switches, you know it's not the motors, it's gotta be the switch), your whole problem could be either the connection to the driver's door switch or the switch itself. A bad connection there could cause other electrical issues, including your instrument cluster problem.

The noise in your wheels could be a bad wheel bearing, among other things. See if you can isolate the noise to a single wheel, could be front or rear. I would check it by driving in an area where a good noise bounceback is possible with your windows down, such as next to a jersey wall, this will hold the noise in, amplifying it, allowing you to pinpoint the source.

All these issues sound like warranty concerns to me, why not let the dealer find and correct these things?

It's a problem whichever switch is used...

I appreciate your explanation, I always like to get a good explanation before I take it to the dealer as I don't have full confidence in their diagnostic procedure lately.

[76ChevyTrucker]

Sounds like the window motor has a dead spot in it and when you slam the door, you're knocking it out of that dead spot and allowing the motor to work. As far as the wheel noise, sounds like it might be a wheel bearing, easy way to check, jack up each individual wheel, and check for play at the wheel, if you've got play, then there's your culprit. The A/C smell is probably either a cat clogging up and melting itself, OR you've got a crapped out cabin air filter. If you remove the cowl on the passenger's side more or less under the windshield wiper and the cabin air filter will be right inside. If its black, and cruddy looking, then THERE is your culprit.