Sara P

I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan (3.3L flex fuel engine), 156,000 miles. Once in awhile, I will back it out of my parking spot, then when I shift to drive, it doesn't go into gear (acts like it's in neutral). Other times, it will go into drive, but then I drive about a block and turn the corner, and find that it has gone out of gear again (fortunately, it's not a busy street!). In either situation, I just go back and forth between neutral/park and drive and it will eventually engage. Then it drives fine for the rest of the time. Once it's in drive, it shifts smoothly between gears with no issues there.

I had wanted to get the transmission flushed, but I didn't know the last time it was done, and the shop said that if it hadn't been done for a long time, it could ruin the transmission to do it now, so they opted not to do it. Any ideas what this could be, and inexpensive things to try (we're not going to spend a bunch of money on this car--it's old and has other problems). I am relatively handy and would be willing to do some simple things myself.

I am 5'4" and 110 lbs (size 2). I'm wondering, when/if I am pregnant, how long it will take me to start showing. For other ladies of similar size out there, how long was it before you started showing during your first pregnancy?

I own a rental property in one state, but I live in another (my home and the rental property are about 200 miles apart). I am thinking about refinancing it, but don't know exactly what all has to be done, so I don't know the most convenient way to go about it. Should I use a bank where I live, or where the property is located? Looking for answers from someone in the mortgage/real estate industry, or who has gone through this before. Thanks!

Some models come with lifetime map updates (I have seen this with all the major brands--TomTom, Magellan, Garmin, etc.). If I purchase one of these USED, will I still get these updates? How do these updates work? I'm just wondering if it's something where you get a code when you buy it, and then create an account on their website, which you log into to get your new maps. If this is the case, how would I access this as the 2nd owner? Would the previous owner have to give me their login info?

I have a 1996 Chrysler Concorde and I live in Iowa, if that makes any difference.

I have a 1996 Chrysler Concorde (121k miles). There is a noise when I have the A/C on. It's kind of like a "groaning" type of sound, I guess, or maybe a bit like when you ride a bike around with a baseball card in the spokes. Doesn't sound too loud inside the car, but is pretty noisy outside w/the hood popped. I have narrowed it down to the area of the compressor, but I don't know if it's the compressor itself or just the a/c clutch. If it is the clutch, is it possible to just replace the clutch (w/o replacing the whole compressor)? Here are the clues:

Noise only occurs when the engine is running and the A/C is on (the fan works and it's quiet when I have the key just turned to "on").

Sound "speeds up" and seems to get higher pitched at higher engine RPMs.

Air conditioning seems to work (blows cool air)--it's just noisy. Granted it hasn't really gotten hot here yet, so I don't know just how well it's working.

Clutch does turn when A/C is on.

Another problem (related or not; please diagnose if you can): this winter, the heat sometimes would not work. You could feel heat at the vents, but the fan wasn't blowing. This started after I had left the car parked (without starting it) for around 6 weeks. It was an on and off thing. Also, it sometimes seemed like it was working on the driver's side but not the passenger (which I know makes no sense; FYI the car does not have dual climate control)

Car otherwise seems to run fine.

Please include approx. cost of repairs if you know them. We're trying to decide what to do, as this car is only driven probably 3-4,000 miles per year, and we're considering selling it.

Thanks!

At least I think it's strange. Sometimes the fan works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it seems to work on the driver's side and not on the passenger side or in the back. When it's not working and you try to turn the fan up, you hear a sort of buzzing sound, like the motor is going (or trying to), but no air is being moved. Is something maybe stuck in the fan? Electrical problem? I dunno. It's a 1996 Chrysler Concorde, if that makes any difference. Also, before this started to happen, the car sat outside in very cold weather and was not started for over 6 weeks, and had to be jump-started. What are some simple things I may be able to check myself before I break down and spend money for someone to look at it? I'm pretty handy in general, but have no experience with car heating systems.

I hadn't driven or started the car in over 6 weeks, during which time the weather was very snowy and cold (down to at least -10 F). It had to be jumped in order to start it back up. Now the ABS light is on as well as the light that says "Traction Control Off" (I tried to just switch it back on--no dice). Could sitting in the driveway for a long time (and in cold weather) have anything to do with the lights? Otherwise, what could cause this issue and what would be the approximate cost to fix what's wrong?

I am going to be adding an nVidia geForce 8400 GS graphics card to my new computer so my husband can play Mass Effect (currently it just has integrated graphics). This is my first experience adding/upgrading things to a computer myself.

1. Is this a decent card? He has a PS3 and will basically only be playing Mass Effect on the PC, and we don't have much money to be spending.

2. With the new card, I need to know if I need to upgrade my PSU (I don't even know how many watts the current one has). Here are the rest of the specs for the computer, if it helps:

Compaq cq5210f

AMD Athlon II X2 215 (2.7 gHz)

3 GB RAM

500 GB HD

SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW

Will also be installing a wireless card

Running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit