Help im really worried

[redsparkie]

Ya all can call me Sparkie, I just decided to buy a vehicle from a pay here buy here car lot since my credit is not all that good and the last vehicle I bough from a private person was junk after 3 mo so I bought a 1996 Ford explorer on March 5th, 2014. I drove it 25 miles ck engine light came on the car lot said this vehicle had been setting a while to put lucas in the gas tank I did light is still on. But im trying to learn to work on my own vehicles so yesterday I cked all fulids and noticed the over flow bucket had rust around the cap and the water/coolant inside was dark dark. So I looked up how to drain the raditor which I proceded to do into a bucket it drained fast and the over flow also But it was very dark almost looked black with a oil looking slim. I refilled thenraditor and bucket with coolant and water I drove it maybe a mile last night. I just went and cked it the over flow was empty and raditor took bout 1/2;gallon of water. Im worried something is serious wrong. It was only coveted for 500 miles I already put that on it last week but didnt check the fulids. Till yesterday. So could some one please help a girl out and tell me GOOD/BAD news. Did I get taken by this car lot. Thank you

 

[Turdle]

Don't worry just yet.
When you drain the coolant, then refill, often an air pocket gets left behind due to the design of the cooling system. In fact it is quite often the case.
It seems like you have burped out most of the air, but you might refill the radiator itself once again when it is cooled off.

Go to an Autozone auto parts store, if there is one in your area, and have them hook the scanner to it to read the trouble codes, write them down and post them here. They will be displayed as such PXXXX where the x's will be digits

do not let them sell you a part until you check here as the code may be "misleading"

I believe o'reilly auto parts will also help with reading the codes, you might check the local parts stores in your area.

 

[Justme63]

If oil mixes with your coolant you will see water on your dip stick or worst case it will turn you oil into a tan sludge. Air tends to trap in the upper radiator hose and can even cause a klunking sound even after the engine is off. It took me a couple times to burp all the air out of my engine after I installed it. One of the things you can do to help is look at the tag on the driver's side door. It will tell you when it was built, 96 changed transmissions mid year, so it will tell which one you have. Advance Auto has a policy where the employee comes out to do the scan, Auto Zone will if you ask and so does O'Reilly. Not sure who is in your area but these checks are for free. I just replaced my engine and transmission so I have gotten to know my 96 rather intimately. This forum was a tremendous help but have patients and just keep looking and you WILL find the info you seek. Have fun and good luck.

 

[lobo411]

Did I get taken by this car lot. Thank you

Yes, you were scammed. There's no such thing as an "honest" pay here buy here car lot. For those who don't know, this is one of the worst scams in the used car industry. Here's how it works:

Car dealer buys a car at auction. They immediately double or triple the price paid, so a $2000 car is listed for $6000.

Person with bad credit shows up at the lot. They don't let you look around and decide what you like. They take you into the sales office and run your credit. Then they tell you what cars you're ALLOWED to buy from their lot.

Their loans start at 20% and go up from there. *IF* you manage to pay off the loan, you'll end up paying double or triple the dealer's already-inflated price. So a car that was listed at $6000 ends up costing the customer $12000. Yep...people are paying $12000 for a $2000 car if they pay it all off.

But that's not the worst part. The worst part is the "pay here" part of the loan. You have to physically go to the dealership to make your payments or even to talk to the loan officer. Why do they do this? Because if you're physically at the dealership with the car, they can and will repossess it for the slightest reason. Then the game starts all over again--they sell the car for $6000 to the next mark.

Often, the cars they sell are absolute junk. They start breaking down, draining the buyer's cash reserves if they have any, and making it difficult/impossible for the buyer to get to work. If the customer gets behind on one payment (maybe because the crap car they were sold is broken), then the dealership wins. They get the buyer's cash + interest + they can resell the car to someone else.

OP--Document EVERYTHING. You were sold a bad car, and the dealership knew it. No honest dealer will sell you a car with a check-engine light on and tell you to just "dump some Lucas into it." The car has a blown head gasket and they knew it.

Don't buy the BS that it's not their problem because your 500 mile warranty is over. What counts is that the car was broken at the time of sale and they knew it. This constitutes fraud, but you'll have to go to court to protect yourself. Start building your small claims case now.

Also, at bare minimum, it's illegal (in most states) to sell a car that a seller knows can't pass smog. It's impossible to pass smog with an illuminated check engine light, so if you can prove that the light was on when you bought the car, you would seem to have a very strong case.

 

[Bobmbx]

First, do what Turdle said.

Are there any drips or puddles under your car? Do you know how to identify fluids by sight/smell?

The check engine light came on because the dealer most likely disconnected the battery or cleared the code with a scanner before you first saw the car. Certain codes are not generated until after about 5 cold starts. Thats why your light came on. You can repeat this sequence by disconnecting the battery for 30 mins. The CE light will be off for a few days then return. Its an old trick, and its illegal in most states.

Don't be alarmed by the CE light. Its yellow for a reason, and that means something needs to be checked. If something disastrous has occurred, another warning light (a red one) will be on. Oil pressure, brakes, temperature. Those are the "SHUT IT OFF NOW!" lights.

Is the car otherwise running ok? Any smoke from the tailpipe or engine compartment? Running rough? Odd sounds as you roll over bumps?

 

[Bobmbx]

Any updates for us?