Tried posting in the regional forums but didn't get much of a response - and I know there's a large group of Dallas FI guys - so I'm posting here.



Hey there guys - here's my story.

My sister, Kathleen, lives in Mesquite TX and has a 1996 Maroon SE.

She recently noticed coolant leaking from the front of the car, and had a mechanic look at it. The mechanic told her it was the radiator, and then replaced it. After replacing it, they noticed more coolant leaking from the passenger side.

She called me for help today. I had her look at the thermostat area and water pump. She knows VERY little about cars, and is unable to really tell me where the leak is coming from. She also said her "Pulley was wobbling" but I wasn't able to get a better description than that. I think she's talking about the idler pulley, which wobbles a little bit naturally anyway....but unless I can see it, I can't tell her if there's a problem there or not.

So what I need is a nice TX person to go out there soon and have a look at the car. I really wish I was there to help, but plane tickets from Seattle to Dallas are pretty pricey.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated in diagnosing or even repairing the car. (just diagnosing would be a godsend)

Basically I think this mechanic is either misdiagnosing or plain trying to rip her off. I know the maxima.org guys when they work on Maxes don't screw around with people.

Thanks in advance

IanS