Dayton Daily News

Q At times, the dome light in my 1998 Ford Taurus will not turn off. The light on the dash indicates that a door is not fully closed, but this is not the case. What causes this? D.W., e-mail

A You might be able to cure this at home. It's likely that one of the door latch switches is sticking. Soak each door latch assembly with copious amounts of a penetrating lubricant. Once each door latch assembly is thoroughly soaked, open and shut the doors several times. This may not free mechanisms within doors right away. Sometimes it takes a couple of days.

If soaking the latch assemblies does not cure the condition, it's time to take the vehicle to an experienced technician for troubleshooting.

Fuel pump is not doing its job

Q Lately it has been difficult to start my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I have to crank the engine for several minutes before it starts. Once it starts, it runs fine until the next time I have to start it. What's the trouble? M.K., e-mail

A A failing fuel pump could cause the condition. Tests will determine if this is true. If the pump has a fault, replacement should cure the trouble.

Have this problem fixed soon. Excessive cranking of the engine can damage the starter and engine flywheel. To replace the flywheel, a technician has to remove the transmission. This is expensive and one repair you can avoid if you have the hard starting condition repaired before any damage occurs.

Keep a close watch on coolant leak

Q My 1997 Pontiac Bonneville was parked for two weeks while I was on a trip. Upon my return, I found engine coolant on my garage floor. I took the car to a mechanic who, after an exhaustive search, found a coolant leak from the intake manifold. He said it was not serious and that it would cost $450 to repair. He suggested that I keep an eye on the leak. He said to repair it when it gets worse.

I drove the car on a business trip. I kept a close watch on the coolant level. I did not need to add any coolant to the reservoir during the entire trip.

Right now, I'm not in the position to spend any money on repairs. Do you think the leak will turn into something more serious? Do you think the mechanic made the correct diagnosis? Are coolant leaks in these engines common? T.J., e-mail

A Apparently, there is a minor leak. The technician probably did make a proper diagnosis. Over time, the leak may become worse. Leaks at intake manifold seals do occur in Pontiac engines. This is not unique to Pontiacs as a leak such as this can occur in any make vehicle.

Since the leak is minor, check the coolant level on a daily basis. Check in the morning when the engine is cold. If the reservoir is low, add a mixture of coolant that protects the system from freezing to minus 45 degrees. Your main concerns should be to protect the engine from freezing and overheating, so make sure the system is always full. Serious damage can occur if the engine overheats. Incidentally, if the cooling system freezes, the engine will overheat, so be sure to use a proper mix of antifreeze and distilled water.

Phil Arendt is an automotive columnist, consultant and ASE-certified master technician. E-mail him on the Web at

www.drgizmo.ws.