Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with 1997

Junk it or Fix it?

timsteil — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:25:12 -0800

DeadVanFilter: I know you are not my mechanic but... 97 Ford Aerostar, parked in my driveway for three Chicago years. The google-fu tells me the basics (new gas/oil etc), but I am just wondering if anyone in the hive has experience with such things. (i.e.) is this multiple hundreds I figure it's going to cost to get it running again going to turn into thousands etc. Any major structural issues I ought to be worried about after not moving for years? Only about 60K miles, no major rust/never been in a collison sort of stuff. Should I just have every damned belt etc replaced and suck it up? There are some good mechs I trust nearby, but this is the sort of thing they seem to hate taking on just for the PITA factor. Any specific Aerostar experience/blue book knowledge greatly appreciated. Thanks

It looks like either a king-sized beverage spill or small pools of dried blood, and neither are upholstery colors.

fujiko — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:24:34 -0800

The rear seat belts on a 1997 Honda Accord bleed onto the upholstery. Is there any way to stop this? I have a 1997 Honda Accord that I use to transport animals sometimes. The upholstery has to be cleaned every couple of months, but I just now figured out that the rear seat belts bleed a chestnut brown dye anytime they get moist (dog drool) or wet (upholstery cleaner). Unfortunately, the upholstery itself is a pale beige color and so it often looks like someone has spilled a king sized, dark-colored beverage in my car. Right now, I have the seat belts covered by plastic umbrella bags so that the upholstery can dry.

Is there any way to seal the dye into the seatbelt? Scotch Guard? Other fabric protectors? Any ideas?

Where can I buy reasonably cheap, reliable air filters for my 1997 Saturn SL2?

RobotHeart — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:10:25 -0800

Where can I buy reasonably cheap, reliable air filters for my 1997 Saturn SL2? I would prefer to walk into a store where I can talk to someone. I live on the border of Cuyahoga and Lake County near Cleveland, Ohio, if anyone wants to give region-specific advice. My car drinks oil a bit because the seals on the engine are getting old. I used to get my air filter checked every time I went for an oil change, but now I find it needs oil every 2k miles or so and the oil doesn't seem to be thickening, so now I top off the oil myself and go for professional changes a little less often. So I figure I should have a couple of filters around, too. But I don't know much else about cars. I can tell you I recently had to have my muffler, muffler strap and catalytic converter replaced (in a really good experience at Rainbow Muffler in Willoughby Hills -- seriously, ask for Ed, you'll love him), so I'm betting my air filter is pretty disgusting by now.

How much does a catalytic converter cost?

headspace — Mon, 24 May 2004 17:14:18 -0800

The catalytic converter on my 97 Ford Escort blew out today, and I suspect it ruptured part of the exhaust works in front of the muffler. I can find out how much parts cost on my own, but I'm not going to be doing the service myself, so could someone knowledgeable in the realm of automotive repair hazard a ballpark guesstimate as to how much this might cost me to fix? I just need a general idea so I can figure out how much blood to sell to pay for the repairs.