SRS light on after installing CD player

Hi,
I recently had a mechanic install a CD player for my 96 Accord DX model
car. After installing it the SRS light stays on and does not go off as it
should after the engine starts to run. I don't want to go to the dealer to
get this checked as i am student i bought this car on a very tight budget.

And also my mechanic says i have a bad transmission fluid and the belts
need to be changed to get higher mileage and he also reported that my left
CV is bad and needs replacement.He is quoting a big figure which i cannot
afford right now, can i stall these things for some time?

I really appreciate what this website is doing and look forward to resolve
my car problems here.
Thanks in advance.

mxm wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I recently had a mechanic install a CD player for my 96 Accord DX model
> car. After installing it the SRS light stays on and does not go off as it
> should after the engine starts to run. I don't want to go to the dealer to
> get this checked as i am student i bought this car on a very tight budget.

I would take it back to the place where they installed the CD-player.
Perhaps they disabled the air bags when they did the work and forgot to
enable them again.

> And also my mechanic says i have a bad transmission fluid and the belts
> need to be changed to get higher mileage and he also reported that my left
> CV is bad and needs replacement.He is quoting a big figure which i cannot
> afford right now, can i stall these things for some time?

Changing the transmission fluid is part of scheduled maintenance, and it
is critical that this is don if you want you transmission to last. If it
is time to replace the timing belt, that is also critical. If your
engine is an interference engine (most Honda engines are) you risk
serious engine damage if the timing belt should break. Was it the CV
joint or the boot for the CV joint that needs replacement?
>
> I really appreciate what this website is doing and look forward to resolve
> my car problems here.
> Thanks in advance.

Thanks for replying.
How do you know exactly that the timing belt is worn out and its time to
replace it?
The transmission fluid is brown in color, should i go ahead and change it.
can u estimate how much it will cost?
The mechanic said the left CV axisle needs to be changed.

On 10/13/04 10:59 PM, in article
, "mxm"
> wrote:

> Thanks for replying.
> How do you know exactly that the timing belt is worn out and its time to
> replace it?

You usually can't tell by looking at them. Go by the mileage and years as
recommended in the owner's manual.

> The transmission fluid is brown in color, should i go ahead and change it.

Absolutely.

> can u estimate how much it will cost?

If you buy the fluid and do it yourself, it will cost about $5 per quart.

> The mechanic said the left CV axisle needs to be changed.

Why? Is the boot torn? Does it make clicking noises when you turn? Usually
the axle itself does not need to be changed. A lot of mechanics like to
change the axle when the boot is torn and/or the CV joint is failing just
because its quicker and easier for them to slap in the whole thing than to
take it apart and replace the bad joint or boot.

The car has 160K miles and its a 96 Accord DX, so i need to change the
timing belt? i dont know if the previous 2 owners changed it.

And yes it makes a clicking noise when i turn, so is it the boot or CV
axle, its kind of difficult to self diagnose since its in a difficult spot
to look at. Any suggestions???
Thanks for the super fast replying!

The car has 160K miles and its a 96 Accord DX, so i need to change the
timing belt? i dont know if the previous 2 owners changed it.

And yes it makes a clicking noise when i turn, so is it the boot or CV
axle, its kind of difficult to self diagnose since its in a difficult spot
to look at. Any suggestions???
Thanks for the super fast replying!

My car is 160k miles old and its a 96 Accord DX.
i am not sure if the previous 2 owners changed the timing belt? do i need
to go dealer or any mechanic can change it?
He is quoting $85 for changing the entire belt system...

And yes it gives a clicking noise while turning so is it the CV joints or
boot? its difficult to check whats wrong exactly.

mxm wrote:
>
> The car has 160K miles and its a 96 Accord DX, so i need to change the
> timing belt? i dont know if the previous 2 owners changed it.
>
> And yes it makes a clicking noise when i turn, so is it the boot or CV
> axle, its kind of difficult to self diagnose since its in a difficult spot
> to look at. Any suggestions???
> Thanks for the super fast replying!

Clicking when you turn is a typical symptom of a worn-out CV joint. It
is possible to replace just the joint, but as other posters have said,
mechanics would rather replace the entire half-shaft (= the axel between
the transmission and the wheel) with a new or rebuilt one. Saves them
quite a bit of labor.

The boot is a protective rubber thing covering the CV joint. All front
wheel drive cars have these, and they do eventually crack. Once they
crack, grease comes out and dirt goes in, quickly ruining the CV joints.
A quick and dirty way to inspect the boots is to reach around the wheel
and feel the inside of the rim. If you feel grease deposits, your boot
has ruptured.