Car gauges dip down after power-off.

Sounds a bit like a cap discharging after turn off.

Might be some kind of stepper motor reset ?

Greg

Those gauges are usually electromagnetic type, two coils, one for field. Th is makes them self regulate with system voltage changes. Many of the at typ e simply float anywhere in the absence of any power applied, but different designs of course may act differently.

It is possible that the reading voltage is removed before the field voltage , which would cause this.

In many cars, the ACC voltage is not directly controlled by the ignition sw itch. There may be a slight delay in the computer turning off that voltage.

Actually I prefer cars the old way. When you turn the switch on the light g oes on, when you turn it off the light goes off. i don't need the radio and windows to work after the key is off before a door is opened. One day I wi ll buy a car and it will be an old one. The older the better, to a point. by about 1970 they got the suspension pretty right and they ran right. newe r cars are detuned to keep O2 in the catalytic. If they ran at stoichometry the light would go on.

I had to get rid of a couple of cars because of wiring/electrical problems. It is ridiculous.

I also had one car in which sometimes the tach would run backwards. it was a Dodge, which I usually don't buy. It wasn't mine I just drove it. We used to just grab whatever was last in the driveway. Another thing they changed , we had bonds and were covered on any car period, now you have to pay extr a for that. Another thing that is new and improved.

But I am pretty sure about those gauges, I am pretty sure if you leave that car sit for a few days especially on a sideways grade those needles would float into another position. But don't try it, the wheels might fall off. LOL

Yes, my car does this.

Also, when I said "If a door is open, that's about how long the interior lights take to start dimming." is inaccurate. It should be:

If a door is opened, the interior lights turn on. If the door is subsequently closed, there is a delay of several seconds until the lights start to dim, eventually fading out.

And yesterday, the engine 'indicator' came on. I made a garage appointment for this afternoon, during which I expect to spend time & money. The last time the light came on was a major repair (cheap part, but lots of labour) to something deep inside the engine that adjusted valve timing based on load, etc.

The engine warranty was still in effect, but they tried to tell me that it was not part of the engine despite being completely surrounded by engine. I asked them to clarify this with management and they made a "squeaky wheel" exception for me because I am such a loyal client. (I.e. all oil & tire changes I always have done at the dealer.) Apparently, the garage paid the bill, not Ford.

No. Those gauges are certainly stepper motors. You're seeing them find "home". There is no position feedback, so there has to be a regular process of resetting the pointers.

Part of my job is managing component warranty returns for my employer, a ve hicle OEM. I see this regularly, I can say with high certainty that the man ufacturer paid for the repairs. If the dealer did this, he'd go broke. They work on razor thin service margins and are under constant pressure from th e OEM to reduce repair times.

The dealer may have left you the impression that he paid the bill, but they typically won't even start the repair until they have approval for the rep air work from the OEM. A large percentage of claims are just like yours, wh ere the coverage is contested and the goodwill is taken care of by the OEM.

They were not very explicit, and I was subject to the minor language barrier of speaking to them in Quebec French.

Everything you say is consistent with what was related to me, except why would they imply at first that I would have to pay for the repair if they already had prior approval from Ford to cover it under warranty?

I balked at first when his computer told him that the $800+ repair was not covered by warranty, and waited until he had cleared up the matter with the service manager.

Well the dealer makes more money/hour on out of warranty service than in wa rranty service, so that is the probable reason they would rather you paid t han the OEM. Also it takes some time to contact the OEM and get approval, a nd you were there waiting. Their initial quote was pre-contact.

they wanted your money by any chance?

Maybe thay alwys say "It's probably not covered" before they check. It's not really lying, but it's not really honest. I seem to recall that they did not, in fact have the time do the repairs that day. They were trying to set up an appointment to do the reair.

t for this afternoon, during which I expect to spend time & money."

You know many auto parts stores, at least around here, will run the codes f or you. One time they ran them and it was rear O2 sensor slow to respond an d they suggested cleaning it. I did and it worked, never a problem after th at.

time the light came on was a major repair (cheap part, but lots of labour)t o something deep inside the engine that adjusted valve timing based on load , etc. "

So you have variable valve timing. Yup, a bit expensive to implement but is really great for performance. I experimented with it before Porsche even came out with it I think. I had this Pinto and found when I timed it one wa y it had oodles of low end torque, I mean you could slip your foot off the clutch at idle and it would go. However, no matter what gear it was in it w ould only do about 45 MPH.

Timed the other way is seemed like a gutless wonder and feather the clutch or it would stall. However when it hit a certain RPM it really started to m ove. I mean really move. It went faster in first gear than ever before. Luc kily I did not blow the engine.

I was lucky the way the (BMW built) engine was, the cam gear was at the top and the tensioner was easy to get to without removing anything as I had le ft the cover off for this purpose, being the experimenter I was. I was able to change the vale timing in a minute without disturbing anything else, ev en the ignition timing.

Good, everything is expensive now. And as far as I am concerned it is part of the engine, I would have considered a suit or mediation with a consumer affairs arbiter. To claim otherwise would be like saying speakers are not p art of a stereo.

Not in my experience but I stopped working on cars quite a while ago. So I will take your word for it.

warranty service, so that is the probable reason they would rather you paid than the OEM. Also it takes some time to contact the OEM and get approval, and you were there waiting. Their initial quote was pre-contact.

I think that was pretty shitty of them. Some manufacturers might not like t hat and it could jeopardize their ASC status. I have done warranty work in brownwares and some of them are ridiculous. But this concerns their public relations.

Brownwares?

Stereos, TVs, VCRs, DVD players and such.

Whitewares are washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves etc.