judithcircle@ymail.com

This is probably not going to be for amateurs. First a little about me. I have over 50 years experience repairing cars of all kinds. Unfortunately I stopped working on cars for living about the time computer started controlling everything.

I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana with a V-6 and about 130,000 miles. Most of the time it runs very well. Three times in the last week it has failed to start. All three times was under about the same condition. The van had been running for about 5 min. it was then shut off and it sat for less than an hour. When trying to started it with turnover very well. Every time I turned it on I could hear the fuel pump running and it shut off when reached pressure. But absolutely did not even try to start. I went inside and had a cup of coffee and it sat for another 30 min. when I went back out it started up as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Weather conditions all three times were a little different. The first time it was snowing and cold but the car sat in a 55° heated garage. The second time it was about 25° and the car sat outside in the parking lot. Today the temperature is about 50° and sunny. All three times the engine did not completely warm up before I shut it off and he did not sit long enough to completely cool off. I am assuming from the way it acts it has no spark. I have tried turning the key on waiting for the fuel pump to stop turning it off and then repeating that process five or six timings thinking that maybe if it's fuel filter was plugged I did force enough fuel through it to at least make and tried to start, it does not. Once I give it the extra half an hour to cool off it starts up and runs like a clock no problems running at highway speeds or anywhere in between it runs smooth it does not hesitate. Does his is vehicle have a low oil level safety switch that would shut it off at the oil level was low? The only thing I can find is that it is almost a quart low on oil. My thought was if the oil and engine were cold it would remove enough oil from the pan and it would take a while to return and that safety switch would think it didn't have enough oil in it. Can anybody out there help?

My MIL has been in the same apartment for over 40 yrs. The carpet in the bedrooms has never been replaced. The rest of the house was replaced over 20 yrs ago. She keeps the place very clean. Because of her longevity and cleanliness nothing else has been replaced unless it quits. Her landlord has other places where people leave every 5 or 6 years and they are redone before each new tenant moves in. Is a landlord, in Illinois, legally responsible to periodically remodel?

I bought several new refrigerators that need various types of repairs. This unit is new but does not run. There is a plug on the wiring harness by the compressor that is not connected to anything. It is not the one that connects to the compressor or condenser fan. I am trying to determine if it is a diagnostic connector or should it be connected to something that I cannot see. There is no power to the compressor. I can read a diagram if I can find one.

My wife and I had what I thought was a good relationship with her step-mother and her husband. (My wife's dad died 15 yrs ago and SM remarried) We had them over for meals on holidays, birthdays, anniversary. Visited them in the hospital, took them meals when they were ill and helped with other things. Bottom line is they were never reluctant to call us♠ for help with anything.

My wife died last year not unexpectedly but a little sooner than we thought. I called her SM the day she died to let her know. Her obit was in the local paper for 3 days before the visitation or funeral. With funeral details, arranging to pick my family up at 2 airports and put them up in my home and a local hotel I was busy the next 3 days. I didn't hear from her SM. That was OK not really anything they could do and I would rather not have talked about it. I was a little surprised when they did not come to the funeral home. I understand not wanting to come to a visitation. In fact I had written permission from my wife to miss her's. Not coming to her memorial service I thought was wrong. It was a celebration of the life of an incredible woman but even that I could understand. They sent no flowers, no contributions to a charity we put in the obit in lieu of flowers. I never received a card a phone call or anything that would indicate they cared. They ran into my wife's mother several weeks later and told her they didn't get a paper so they did not know the date and time of the funeral. (Other members of his family were there) i live in a small enough town that I am going to run into them some day. How do I react?