A light-hearted episode featuring Click and Clack as they tackle quirky car dilemmas and personal anecdotes. A listener grapples with marital tensions over a caroscope test suggesting incompatible vehicles for him and his wife. The brothers humorously debate the implications of the test while offering advice on a listener's 1992 Thunderbird experiencing a fishtailing issue. They also engage with a caller who creatively repurposes car parts into art, showcasing the blend of automotive knowledge and personal stories that make the show entertaining.
Typically when arbiting marital car disputes, it helps to know what each spouse does for a living. Lawyers, for instance, are always right because lawyers can sue radio hosts. Physicists and other scientists are usually wrong because they’re know-it-alls. And then there are Bryologists -whatever they do. Click and Clack are just as clueless as the rest of us, so let’s all find out together on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.
"...n't know I wasn't supposed to be driving a Toyota Corolla. I didn't know that my karma was off, that I was ..."
The Toyota Corolla is a small car that many people buy because it's reliable and doesn't cost a lot to keep running. It's very popular around the world, and many drivers choose it because it lasts a long time and is easy to drive.
The Toyota Corolla is a compact car known for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and affordability. It has been one of the best-selling cars worldwide for decades, making it a significant player in the automotive market. Its reputation for longevity and low maintenance costs is often why it comes up in discussions about practical vehicle choices.
"My wife took the test. They told her to dump the Corolla, same car, and go for an infinity I-30. We only have one Corolla, and one of us is going to have to be in bad karma."
The Hyundai i30 is a small car that looks good and is easy to drive. It's known for being comfortable and having a lot of features for the price, making it a smart choice for many families.
The Hyundai i30 is a compact hatchback that offers a blend of style, practicality, and advanced technology. It is particularly popular in markets outside the U.S., known for its comfortable ride and strong warranty coverage. The i30 is often discussed for its value proposition compared to other compact cars.
The Infiniti I30 is a fancy car that feels more luxurious than a regular car. It was made a while ago but was popular for being comfortable and stylish.
The Infiniti I30 is a luxury sedan that was produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It is known for its comfort and upscale features, appealing to those looking for a more premium driving experience.
"can an infinity type person find happiness in a dodge cold vista, or do I also have to dump my wife..."
The Dodge Caliber is a small car that looks a bit sporty and has a lot of space inside. It was made for a few years but didn't get the best reviews from critics.
The Dodge Caliber is a compact hatchback that was produced from 2006 to 2012. It was designed to offer a sporty look and versatile interior space, but it received mixed reviews for performance and quality.
"...I have a car that I acquired from my mother-in-law, and it's a 92 Thunderbird, and I've had it for about two weeks."
The Ford Thunderbird is a car made by Ford, known for its unique design and sporty performance. The 1992 version is one of the later models in its long history.
The Ford Thunderbird is a classic American car that was produced by Ford from 1955 to 2005. The 1992 model is part of the ninth generation, known for its distinctive styling and performance features.
"The thing that immediately leapt into my mind was that your alignment was off. Okay. And if they didn't drive it fast enough to get the sensation, then they wouldn't have even suspected that."
Alignment is how the wheels of a car are set up. If they're not aligned properly, it can cause uneven tire wear and make the car harder to control.
Alignment refers to the adjustment of a vehicle's suspension system, ensuring that the wheels are positioned correctly relative to each other and the road. Proper alignment helps improve tire wear and vehicle handling.
"unless the tires were worn out very peculiarly. Okay."
Tire wear is how much the rubber on a tire gets used up as you drive. If the tires wear out unevenly, it can mean there’s something wrong with the car's setup.
Tire wear refers to the gradual reduction of tread on a tire due to contact with the road surface. Uneven or excessive tire wear can indicate alignment issues or other mechanical problems.
"...we've had cars go out of our shop in cases where we've installed struts and haven't aligned the car properly. And it feels you're riding around on bowling balls."
Struts are parts of your car's suspension that help keep it stable and smooth when you drive. They absorb bumps from the road, making your ride more comfortable.
Struts are a crucial part of a vehicle's suspension system, providing support and stability to the vehicle while absorbing shocks from the road. They play a key role in maintaining proper wheel alignment and handling.
"But it does involve an old Chevy and I'll have the answer in just a minute."
Chevy is short for Chevrolet, a popular car brand in the United States that makes many different types of vehicles.
Chevy is a common abbreviation for Chevrolet, an American automobile manufacturer known for producing a wide range of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and SUVs.
A Chevy pickup truck is a type of truck made by the Chevrolet brand. They are often used for carrying heavy loads and are popular for both work and everyday driving.
The term 'Chevy pickup truck' refers to a line of pickup trucks manufactured by Chevrolet, known for their durability and versatility. These trucks have been popular for both work and personal use for decades.
"Now, a vacuum leak is a hole somewhere which allows extra air to leak into the engine or get sucked into the engine. And since all the air that enters the engine should get in through the carburetor or the throttle body or some controlled mechanism, any air that comes in anywhere else is a vacuum leak."
A vacuum leak is when extra air gets into the engine from a place it shouldn't, which can cause problems with how the engine runs. It can make the engine work harder and not perform well.
A vacuum leak refers to an unintended opening in the intake system of an engine that allows air to enter without passing through the carburetor or throttle body. This can disrupt the air-fuel mixture, leading to performance issues and engine inefficiency.
"...He's pulling off the spark plug wires and he's putting them back on but on the wrong plugs..."
Spark plug wires connect the ignition system to the spark plugs, which help start the engine. If these wires are damaged or not connected properly, the engine may not run well.
Spark plug wires are essential components that deliver electrical current from the ignition system to the spark plugs, igniting the air-fuel mixture in the engine's cylinders. Proper functioning of these wires is crucial for engine performance and efficiency.
"...by hooking up the spark plug wires incorrectly and running the engine, he made it backfire."
Backfire is when the engine makes a loud popping noise because the fuel ignites at the wrong time or place. It usually happens when there's a problem with how the engine is working.
Backfire occurs when the fuel-air mixture ignites outside of the combustion chamber, often due to incorrect timing or a misfire. This can result in a loud popping sound and can indicate issues with the engine's ignition or fuel system.
"I've got an exhaust manifold that's upended so that the arms look like a ghost raising its arms above its head."
The exhaust manifold is a part of the engine that helps direct the gases produced when fuel is burned. It helps the engine run better and cleaner.
An exhaust manifold is a component of an engine that collects exhaust gases from multiple cylinders and directs them to the exhaust outlet. It plays a crucial role in the engine's performance and efficiency.
A tranny shaft is a part of the car that helps move power from the engine to the wheels, allowing the car to drive. It's an important piece of the car's transmission system.
The term 'tranny shaft' is a colloquial way to refer to the transmission shaft, which transfers power from the engine to the wheels. It's essential for the vehicle's drivetrain functionality.
"...and I noticed that I've got cracks in the frame. Duh."
The frame is like the skeleton of a car. If there are cracks in it, the car might not be safe to drive.
The frame is the structural foundation of a vehicle, providing support for the body and components. Cracks in the frame can compromise the vehicle's integrity and safety.
The Honda Civic is a small car that many people drive because it's dependable and gets good gas mileage. It's been around for a long time and has many different versions.
The Honda Civic is a popular compact car known for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and practicality. It has been in production since 1972 and has gone through multiple generations, each improving on the last.
"what happens is the rest pressure in the system the maintained pressure in the fuel line between the pump"
The fuel line is a tube that carries fuel from the gas tank to the engine. It's important for the engine to get the right amount of fuel to start and run smoothly.
The fuel line is a critical component in a vehicle's fuel system that transports fuel from the tank to the engine. Maintaining proper pressure in the fuel line is essential for optimal engine performance and starting.
"because it just doesn't does a check valve in there but it can hold the pressure indefinitely and over a long period of time like overnight"
A check valve is a part that makes sure fuel only goes one way in the car, so it doesn't flow back when the engine is turned off. This helps keep the fuel system working properly.
A check valve is a mechanical device that allows fluid to flow in one direction only, preventing backflow. In automotive applications, it helps maintain pressure in the fuel system by ensuring that fuel doesn't flow back into the tank when the engine is off.
"to get it to the injectors so they can squirt fuel into the engine right you can you can you can visualize the thing right you got a big long pipe"
Fuel injectors are parts of the engine that spray fuel into the engine's cylinders. They help the engine run smoothly by making sure it gets the right amount of fuel.
Fuel injectors are components in an internal combustion engine that spray fuel into the combustion chamber. They are crucial for the engine's performance, as they ensure the right amount of fuel mixes with air for efficient combustion.
"...a full tank would help fill up the pipe faster because you'd be using what's called the head pressure of the full gas tank to push the fuel down the line by means of gravity in addition to the pump is doing"
Head pressure is the pressure created by the weight of the fuel in the tank. It helps move the fuel to where it needs to go in the car.
Head pressure refers to the pressure exerted by a column of fluid due to gravity. In automotive contexts, it helps push fuel from the tank to the engine, ensuring proper fuel delivery.
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Hey, it's Ray Maliozzi here.
You know, somehow we are almost to the end of 2025.
And there were times when it felt like this year would never end, right?
And I'm not going to lie, it has been a tough year for NPR and for local stations.
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Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio.
With us, click and clack the tappet brothers.
And we're broadcasting this week from the Merritt's Counseling Division
here at Car Talk Plaza.
Marion Haist's office.
Yeah, her office is right around the corner.
And she sent me this as a matter of fact.
She's our, what is she?
A wedding planner?
Marriage counselor.
There you go.
A marriage counselor, Marion Haist.
Oh, Marion Haist.
Yeah, Marion Haist.
Here's a letter from...
March in O'Vara.
What's his name?
You didn't tell us his name.
Here it is.
Dear knuckleheads, I hope you're satisfied with yourselves.
Oops.
You're almost breaking up my marriage after 26 blissful years.
I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be driving a Toyota Corolla.
I didn't know that my karma was off, that I was a cheapskate, a wuss and a snob.
And neither did my wife.
I recently took your caroscope test.
It's not a test, it's just a little, a simple little psychographic battery of questions.
Battery?
Simple.
And I recently took your caroscope test and my wife got into my email and now we both know.
She suggested we go to a marriage counselor, but I'm too cheap to spend the money.
So I decided to email you guys.
You see, the real dilemma is that my caroscope suggested that I dump the Corolla and get,
of all things, a dodge cold vista.
My wife took the test.
Now get this.
Two different people.
The same car, though.
Same household.
Same car.
They drive the same car.
She thought she owned it.
He thought he owned it.
My wife took the test.
They told her to dump the Corolla, same car, and go for an infinity I-30.
We only have one Corolla, and one of us is going to have to be in bad karma.
The question is, can an infinity type person find happiness in a dodge cold vista, or
do I also have to dump my wife, or does she have to dump you?
What a dilemma.
Isn't that interesting?
Two people who clearly are not meant for each other.
He can't possibly have had 26 blissful years of marriage.
He might not know.
A dodge cold vista person as opposed to an I-30 person.
Don't forget, the caroscope never makes a mistake.
Never.
People are always surprised, are frequently surprised, only because they have hidden
issues.
Right.
And the caroscope has had its many detractors.
It has.
It certainly has.
Tons of males saying this is absolutely wrong.
Vitriolic male.
We got one letter from a guy who owned a Porsche, and the caroscope told him the Porsche was
not for him.
He went nuts.
This is the love of my life.
It went on and on and on.
Little does he know that it isn't for him.
No, he's trying to be something that he shouldn't be.
That he isn't.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So do we answer this guy?
Well, maybe the caroscope will enlighten him with the Porsche.
I don't know what to do with these folks.
These folks.
This is tough, man.
Well, I think she has to dump them.
I think she has to dump him.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what I think.
Yeah.
And 26 years ain't bad.
It's a lot of years.
Oh, plenty.
It is plenty.
Sure.
Maybe too many.
I've never had a marriage last 26 years.
Well, not yet.
Anyway, if you want your very own caroscopes, you can break up your own marriage.
You can go to the cartalksessionofcars.com and you can answer a few simple, innocuous,
harmless little questions and make the rest of your life miserable.
If you'd like to be miserable right now, you can call us at 1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 8-888-227-8255.
Hello, your aunt, Car Talk.
Hello, this is Diane Young with Cordova, Tennessee.
Diane?
Yes.
Cordova, huh?
Uh-huh.
Tennessee.
Outside of Memphis, Tennessee.
In the deep southwest corner of Tennessee.
That is correct.
What's up?
Well, I have a car that I acquired from my mother-in-law, and it's a 92 Thunderbird, and I've had it
for about two weeks.
Now, even before I got the car from her, I knew it had this problem, but it was still
such a deal.
You know, it was being from my mother-in-law and all.
We had to get the car.
Yeah.
You were in the pressure, in some ways.
Well, not necessarily.
I don't want to get you into any trouble with the old MIL.
There you go.
Okay, but I understand.
I'm reading between the lines here, Diane, and I'm with...
That you couldn't have said no to this car for a variety of reasons.
Whatever they may have been, and we won't discuss that.
We won't discuss that.
Okay.
Okay.
She's a great mother-in-law.
Oh, I'm sure.
It's almost redundant, isn't it, to say great and mother-in-law in the same sense.
It's not even necessary.
No.
Perhaps it isn't oxymoron for people.
Perhaps it is.
All right.
What I have is, if I'm taking the car on an interstate, smooth road, interstate, go on
anywhere from like 60 miles an hour, 65 miles an hour, up to whatever, 75, how fast you can
drive around here.
What it feels like is the back end is doing a real soft, subtle fishtail, almost all
on its own.
It kind of swings to the left, and it swings back to the right, and it'll swing back to
the left.
What's the rhythm?
Yeah, what is the rhythm?
There is no specific rhythm.
But is it at a high frequency or a low?
So if you're doing 60, is it...
Or is it more...
Well, it's not making any noise.
No, no.
I mean, is that the rhythm?
Oh, okay.
Is it more like a tango or a samba?
Right.
I have a left, then right, then left, then right.
Ah, I like it.
Then right.
I like it.
I like it.
It's not left, right, left, right, left, right.
Yeah, okay, okay.
Not a box truck.
Just...
Ah, got it.
It's not jerky, and I don't feel it in the steering, however, I feel that I must
steer to correct it.
And if I don't, then I feel like I'm going right off into the ditch.
It's going to take me right off one direction.
Yeah, yeah.
Scary, huh?
It kind of is, yeah.
You've assumed, and I don't know why, maybe if I had driven the car, I would make the same
assumption that the problem is in the back.
Because it feels like it's in the back.
Because it feels like it's in the back, but I think that the back and the front are connected.
And you know what?
By the middle.
By the middle.
It feels like it's broken in the middle.
Good description.
Excellent.
Could be so many things.
No, I have two, but go ahead.
You have two.
I have two.
I have two.
Okay.
Are they the same two?
You two first.
It could be something as simple as two tires in the back or the front of different sizes.
Is your mother-in-law, between you and me, Diane, is your mother-in-law a cheapskate?
I don't know.
Is she a specially generous kind of person?
Oh, she's very generous.
She is, okay.
And she wouldn't go like pick up tires by the side of the road.
No, no, no.
She was throwing away and stick them on her back of her car.
No, she wouldn't do that.
So you should check that.
Yeah, she might.
No, remind.
We can cut that part out, Diane.
So it could be tires of different sizes.
It could be tires with different air pressures.
It could be alignment.
Okay.
And that's my two.
Now let me ask you this real quick before I hear the other possibilities.
Yeah.
I had it test driven when I drove the car and I said, Bernice, this is happening.
And she said, I can't feel it.
And she's driven the car for seven years.
And she took it in and she had the mechanics test drive it.
They said they didn't feel anything.
Now she wasn't with them when they drove it.
So I don't know if they drove it 40 miles an hour down, you know, a full lane road
or if they actually took it on the interstate.
And you also don't know how she introduced the problem.
I mean, she could have said there's something terribly wrong with my car.
I'd like you to test drive it.
Oh, she could have said my wacko daughter-in-law insisted that I come over here.
I know she's crazy, but just driving around the block anyway
so I can go tell her that she's nuts.
Yeah, I would guess they didn't drive it.
That way she'll forget the car, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, they probably didn't drive it fast enough.
I'm thinking they probably didn't.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, what are you up to?
Well, when you began, Diane, your little story an hour ago.
Sorry.
That's okay.
The thing that immediately leapt into my mind was that your alignment was off.
Okay.
And if they didn't drive it fast enough to get the sensation,
then they wouldn't have even suspected that.
And if they didn't put it on the alignment machine,
they'd have no way of really knowing
unless the tires were worn out very peculiarly.
Okay.
But if the tires aren't that old,
they may not be showing any signs of this alignment problem.
Okay.
But I would guess that your front-end alignment is out,
and that can make it,
we've had cars go out of our shop in cases where we've installed struts
and haven't aligned the car properly.
And it feels you're riding around on bowling balls.
And every little turn you make,
as soon as you turn the wheel a little bit,
that movement gets exaggerated.
So you turn a little bit to the right to compensate
for maybe a truck going past you.
And next thing you know,
you move 10 feet to the right instead of 10 inches.
Right.
And then you try to correct and you end off over-correcting.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
And then we'll align the thing
because I have a strong suspicion that that's it.
Okay.
Alrighty.
Well, I'll do that.
Thank you very much.
Say it, Diane.
Thanks for your call.
Great.
Okay, bye-bye.
Good luck.
Say hello to the mother-in-law.
Bernice.
Bernice, yeah.
Tell her I said to say hello
and I never met a mother-in-law I didn't like.
There you go.
Thank you so much.
Bye-bye.
Thanks, Diane.
Especially when she was someone else's mother-in-law.
Somebody else is right.
All right, Tommy,
do you remember last week's puzzler?
All right, just give me a hint.
I need a hint and I'll have it.
Give me a hint.
Here's the only hint they can give you.
It was fully automotive
and involved an old Chevy,
not unlike the one you used to have.
Yeah.
And a picture of Marilyn Monroe.
No clue, huh?
I was just kidding about Marilyn.
But it does involve an old Chevy
and I'll have the answer in just a minute.
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Hi, we're back.
You're listening to Car Talk with us.
Click and Clack the Tapper Brothers.
And we're here to talk about cars,
car repair and the answer
to last week's fully automotive puzzler.
It was about a Chevy, huh?
An old Chevy.
I don't remember it.
I honestly don't.
Actually, I didn't either
until I looked at my notes here.
Anyway, a few months or weeks ago,
I don't know when this happened.
One of my guys was under the hood
of an old Chevy pickup truck
trying to find a vacuum leak.
Now, a vacuum leak is a hole somewhere
which allows extra air to leak into the engine
or get sucked into the engine.
And since all the air that enters the engine
should get in through the carburetor
or the throttle body
or some controlled mechanism,
any air that comes in anywhere else
is a vacuum leak
and therefore unwanted.
Yeah, because it disrupts.
It disrupts the fine balance.
The stoichiometry.
Oh, man.
And it makes the engine run lousy too.
That too.
Especially if the leak is big enough.
And in this case it was
and the car would not run at all
and certainly wouldn't run at idle.
And in this case, it was stalling
every time you would take your foot off the gas
and that's the problem this thing had.
Anyway, now the way you find vacuum leaks
is either you get lucky
and hear a hissing
and you say, ah, there it is.
Or we use a wand
that has a little nozzle at the end
that shoots propane gas
and when the propane
and the vacuum leak meet.
What happened?
Propane gets sucked in
with the air that's getting sucked in.
It renders the mixture now correct
and the engine suddenly begins to run better
then you move to a different spot
and the engine returns to its lousy performance
and you go back and forth
and you say, aha, that's it.
So there he is with the propane wand
under the hood
and the leak is so big,
I guess are so evasive
that he can't seem to find it.
So in desperation,
he throws the stuff down
and shuts off the engine.
Of course, I would do what?
Walk away.
I don't want to run.
I don't like to micromanage.
You know what I mean?
You fix the cars,
I'll do something else.
That's right.
Call me if you need me.
A few minutes later,
I walk by and he's doing something interesting.
He's pulling off the spark plug wires
and he's putting them back on
but on the wrong plugs.
I say, what a knucklehead.
I walk away again.
Two minutes later,
I hear him on the phone
ordering the part he needs
to fix the vacuum leak.
What did he do?
He put the plugs on the wrong...
The spark plug wires on the wrong...
He does this all the time
so I didn't think it was anything...
Yeah.
What he did by hooking up
the spark plug wires incorrectly
and running the engine,
he made it backfire
through the intake manifold
and when that happens
and you get combustion
taking place in the manifold...
He saw a puff of smoke.
There you go.
A puff of smoke
and he found a gasket
that was blown.
That's where he saw
the puff of smoke escape
and boom, he ordered it
and nine hours later
it was fixed.
And the flat rate book
gave you 21 hours
to do that job so
you're charged for 21 hours.
Absolutely.
That's the way it goes.
Yeah.
And Ken's car's never
run the same since.
Boy, that's very good.
Do we have a winner this week?
I don't know.
I have to look through these little pieces of paper here.
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