G
Guest
·Alright, there are a couple minor problems with my wife's car that I want to fix.
The first is that the check engine light is on all the dang time. I reset it and it will come back on in a few miles. It is the code for the low voltage thing. I put a new battery in (Optima red top) and it is still doing it. I don't think the alternator is bad but maybe malfunctioning, or possibly the voltage regulator. What do you guys think? The stupid light is just annoying the crap out of me. I would cover it up with tape but then if something really bad happens I would feel stupid.
Her car also makes this chirping noise at an idle. It idles at 800 RPM and if I put my foot on the gas and raise the idle to 1k then the chirp goes away. It sounds like a squirrel is trapped in the fan belt and screaming it's lungs out. I have not replaced the fan belt yet but do you think that is what it is? I figure it is either that, a loose pulley, or just a pulley that needs to be sprayed down heavily with some WD40.
I've also tossed around the idea of doing some performance upgrades. Do those short ram air intakes help with a stock exhaust? I thought about doing that and then gutting the precats up front. I don't want a fart pipe on there, I don't even want the car to make any noise at all like most ricers, but I do want some extra power if it is readily available. Some cars have a lot of untapped power and others are already maxed out. What is it in this case with a 99 Cougar with the "big" V6? It's a 5 speed so it already moves pretty good. Thanks for your help.
The first is that the check engine light is on all the dang time. I reset it and it will come back on in a few miles. It is the code for the low voltage thing. I put a new battery in (Optima red top) and it is still doing it. I don't think the alternator is bad but maybe malfunctioning, or possibly the voltage regulator. What do you guys think? The stupid light is just annoying the crap out of me. I would cover it up with tape but then if something really bad happens I would feel stupid.
Her car also makes this chirping noise at an idle. It idles at 800 RPM and if I put my foot on the gas and raise the idle to 1k then the chirp goes away. It sounds like a squirrel is trapped in the fan belt and screaming it's lungs out. I have not replaced the fan belt yet but do you think that is what it is? I figure it is either that, a loose pulley, or just a pulley that needs to be sprayed down heavily with some WD40.
I've also tossed around the idea of doing some performance upgrades. Do those short ram air intakes help with a stock exhaust? I thought about doing that and then gutting the precats up front. I don't want a fart pipe on there, I don't even want the car to make any noise at all like most ricers, but I do want some extra power if it is readily available. Some cars have a lot of untapped power and others are already maxed out. What is it in this case with a 99 Cougar with the "big" V6? It's a 5 speed so it already moves pretty good. Thanks for your help.
