#2625: The Click and Clack Creed
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Brand
eBay
eBay is a website where people sell things to each other. Car owners use it to find car parts and sometimes whole cars, especially when they’re looking for something specific.
Term
first and second gear
First and second gear are the “hard-working” gears because they apply more torque. If the noise only happens there, it suggests the problem shows up when the drivetrain is under heavier load.
Concept
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive means the car can send power to all four wheels. Some systems also use special front-wheel “locks” so the front wheels only connect when you need them.
Brand
Toyota
The speaker called Toyota because the problem was happening on their Toyota. Getting the explanation from the manufacturer can help you understand what part is failing.
Term
wheel bearing
A wheel bearing is what helps your wheel spin smoothly. When it starts to wear out, it can make noises—often a growling or humming sound—that get worse over time.
Term
growling kind of noise
If you hear a growling sound that keeps showing up while you drive, it can be a sign something in the wheel area is wearing out—often the wheel bearing.
Car
Subaru Legacy wagon
They’re talking about a 1998 Subaru Legacy wagon. It’s a Subaru car (a mid-size model) in a wagon body style.
Brand
Subaru dealer
A Subaru dealer is the official repair shop for Subaru cars. They can check the problem using Subaru’s own diagnostic steps and tell you if it’s a known issue.
Term
wheel lock
A wheel lock is a safety lock that can lock the steering when the key is out. If it sticks, the car may not start even though the battery and other systems are fine.
Concept
anti-theft device
Anti-theft devices are things added to a car to make it harder to steal. They either stop the car from being used or make it annoying/risky for a thief.
Concept
driving impairment when stolen
The idea is that even if someone manages to start the car, the lock makes it hard for them to steer properly. So they can’t drive away like normal.
Term
new key
If they replace the lock cylinder, the key usually has to match it. That’s why they may give you a new key after the change.
Concept
barn find
A “barn find” is a car that’s been sitting unused for years, usually in a barn or garage. It can be exciting because it might be in better original condition, but it could also have problems from sitting too long.
Term
low mileage
Low mileage means the car hasn’t been driven much. That sounds great, but a car that sat for years can still have problems, so you still want to check condition carefully.
Concept
trade it in
“Trade it in” means you hand your old car to the dealership and use it toward buying a new one. Dealers often pay less than you could get selling it yourself.
Term
exhaust valves were sticking
If an exhaust valve sticks, it doesn’t move the way it should. That can mess up how the engine breathes and can cause rough running or stalling.
Term
EGR
EGR is a system that recycles some exhaust gases back into the engine. If it doesn’t work right, the engine can run rough or even stall.
Concept
vacuum leak check
A vacuum leak check means looking for air leaks that can mess up engine idle. It’s one of the first things mechanics try when the engine won’t stay running.
Term
solvent
Here, a solvent is a cleaning chemical that helps dissolve sticky gunk inside the carburetor.
Term
thermostat
The thermostat is a valve that helps control when the engine coolant can flow to the radiator. If it’s not working right, the engine can run too hot.
Part
spark plug wire
Spark plug wires deliver the spark to each cylinder. If one breaks or gets connected to the wrong plug, the engine can stumble and run badly.
Term
overheating
Overheating means the engine is getting too hot. If the cooling system isn’t doing its job, the engine can be damaged.
Concept
diagnosing a cooling-system issue by fan behavior
They’re using a simple clue: when the engine gets hot, the fan should turn on. If it doesn’t, they focus on the fan, its wiring, or the temperature sensor.
Term
needle is up near H
The “H” mark on the temperature gauge indicates the engine is approaching the high end of its normal temperature range. If the fan isn’t running when the gauge is near H, it suggests a cooling control problem.
Term
fan motor
The fan motor is what actually spins the cooling fan. If it’s bad, the fan won’t turn on when the engine gets hot.
Term
brake pedal
If the brake pedal suddenly sinks toward the floor, it usually means the brakes aren’t building pressure the way they should. That can be dangerous and often points to a problem in the brake system.
Concept
intermittent brake issue
If the brake problem only shows up after driving for a while, it often means something changes with heat or temperature. Mechanics look for issues that only happen after the car has been running long enough.
Term
stuck calipers
Stuck calipers mean the brake caliper doesn’t let go completely. The brakes can keep rubbing, which heats things up and can cause brake problems later.
Concept
sunroof
A sunroof is a window in the roof of a car. Some open for fresh air and some stay closed for extra light.
Car
Volvo PV 544
You’re talking about a classic Volvo from 1961 called the P544. It’s an older, simpler car that people buy today because it feels more like the cars of that era.
Concept
sunk cost
“Sunk cost” means money you already spent and can’t get back. The idea is: don’t let that past spending force you into more bad decisions—focus on whether the next steps are worth it.
Part
carburetor
A carburetor is the part that helps the engine get the right mix of fuel and air. If it needs replacing, it usually means the engine’s fuel system isn’t working correctly.
Concept
structurally sound body
“Structurally the thing is good” refers to the car’s frame/unibody integrity—meaning the crash damage didn’t compromise the load-bearing structure. That distinction matters because a cosmetically rough car with a solid structure can often be repaired for far less than a car with frame damage.
Company
Volvo Car Club of America
The Volvo Car Club of America is an enthusiast organization that connects Volvo owners with resources like knowledgeable members, event info, and guidance for maintaining older Volvos. In this context, it’s being recommended as a way to find the right people to help with a specific older Volvo.
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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 Eureka division here at Car Talk Plaza.
You know, I was reading this article recently and all of a sudden I said,
Eureka, I had an insight into my brother.
Really? Okay.
This article came to us from MedTech, which is an online news area.
I'll just read it. I'll read a few excerpts from it.
Really?
So I have hypothermic ha-mar-toma.
You do?
Well, it's always good to know what you got.
And you've had it forever.
I have had it forever.
Because for as long as I can remember, you laugh about everything.
Well, I'm glad to know that there's an explanation for it because I was worried about you.
Now I'm not worried at all.
If you want to talk about some unusual masses in your car or any other place,
our number is 1-888-CARTALK.
That's 888-227-8255.
Hello, your own Car Talk.
Hi, this is Giuseano Solari calling you from Denver by way of Los Angeles.
Drew.
Right.
Well, I thought I'd give you the full version then.
Giuseano?
There you go.
You made it up.
But listen, it's good.
You like that.
I do, Giuseano.
It's on my birth certificate.
Is it really spelled out like that?
Giuseano.
D-R-U-S-I-A-N-O?
Yeah.
It's an old Italian name.
It comes from the Commedia dell'Arte period of the Italian Renaissance Theater.
Wow.
Because there's no translation for it.
No, as a matter of fact, if you got time, I'll tell you the history of it.
No, not really. Go ahead. What's your question?
All right. I have a 91 Toyota truck, a 4x4.
I brought it from California. I never had this problem in California.
Once I came to Denver, as the weather would get cold,
either close to freezing or below freezing,
both in first and second gear,
the truck makes this horrible sound up in the front axle area.
Yeah, I know what it is.
Okay, so it goes...
Excellent.
You like that?
Excellent. It does that both in first and second gear.
First and second gear.
I throw it into four-wheel drive.
It usually takes away the problem instantly,
and then it will come back just a short while later.
And it's gotten progressively worse over the years.
During cold weather spells.
So finally, I called Toyota on it,
and a technician said something to the effect of the rick-rack of the hook and gurney
is kaput because the thermal nozzle can't operate.
Yeah.
But he did explain it in terms of a grease that was in...
It's the right word.
Is that the right word?
Well, yeah, what's wrong is that the grease gets too viscous.
The grease in the locking hubs for your four-wheel drive.
So when you try to take the thing out of four-wheel drive,
it doesn't really come out.
Well, it comes out as far as the transfer case is concerned,
but the hubs don't know it,
because the grease is actually conveying the power.
And it's making the thing make that awful noise.
Once you drive the car long enough,
the grease will heat up and become less viscous,
and the noise will go away,
or if the temperature warms up.
And I don't know that there's any fix for it,
except to maybe take the grease out and put a lighter weight grease in.
Okay, that's actually what he had suggested.
Then he suggested,
well, you could have damage in there,
but that's the kind of thing we don't know until we go in.
Oh, you know if they go in.
Oh, they'll be damaged.
Why bother to go in?
They're going to create some damage.
Let's say there has been damage.
Am I going to be driving an RA3 one day,
zipping along at 75-80 miles an hour,
and the wheels are going to fall off.
And the wheels are going to fall off,
or the axle is going to fall off.
Is there any kind of danger?
Define fall off.
No, I don't think anything like that is likely to happen.
What will happen is the noise could get worse and worse and worse,
and be there almost all the time.
And you may eventually damage the wheel bearing,
but you'll get a different kind of noise.
I would ignore this.
I would leave it alone,
especially if you're relocating to California.
And don't worry about it.
And if the noise changes,
not just gets louder,
but changes to a growling kind of noise that's there all the time,
then you may have damaged the bearing.
But don't let them go in.
Keep them out. Keep them out.
Say a drill.
Good luck, buddy.
Bye-bye.
1-888-CAR-TALK.
That's 888-227-8255, a lawyer on CAR-TALK.
My name is Joan, and I'm from Sharon, Massachusetts.
Hi, Joan.
Sharon.
I used to have occasion to drive through Sharon once in a while,
because I was on my way to my wonderful job at the Foxboro Company.
Oh, well, I know where that is.
Yeah, of course.
So what's up?
I definitely have madness in my car.
Really?
Yes. I have a 98 Subaru Legacy wagon,
and I absolutely love it.
But.
But.
When I turn the car off,
if the steering wheel and the steering column
are not aligned up perfectly,
when you go to start it,
it doesn't.
So you can't turn the key?
Cannot turn the key.
Now, this was not a problem
because my husband said it didn't happen.
Oh, of course.
Therefore, it's not a problem.
Yeah, it doesn't happen.
If your husband wants confirmation of that,
you can take it to any Subaru dealer,
and they will also tell you that it doesn't happen.
That is correct. We have done that.
They said,
they were aware of the problem,
but there was nothing that could be done for it.
Really?
So, I went out
and I bought wonderful green
neon tape.
So when these two pieces of tape
are perfectly aligned on my steering wheel
and my steering column,
I know that I'm not going to have a problem
the next morning.
Yeah.
You make sure that the two pieces of tape are aligned,
then you turn off the key
and take it out.
I hadn't heard of this Subaru problem.
Well, I'll tell you, my wife's Volvo.
My wife has a Volvo wagon.
And once in a while,
she can't get the key in.
In? In. Me too.
Really?
But I found that if I jiggle the wheel.
Now, this isn't a question of wheel jiggling.
What it is, it's the wheel lock
that's preventing you from starting it.
Steering wheel lock.
What it's doing is it's preventing the cylinder
from turning because the lock won't release.
I know what I would do.
What would you do?
I would saw the steering wheel lock off.
Oh.
And if my insurance company wanted to make sure
that my car didn't get stolen,
I would suggest that they hire
a security person to sit in my driveway
every night and watch the car.
Because I wouldn't put up with this.
I mean, it's ruining your driving experience.
It's diminishing
your quality of life.
I mean, it's purely an anti-theft device
because if someone does
manage somehow to get your car started,
he will be forced to drive around
either straight ahead or in circles
wherever the steering wheel happens to be pointing.
And there's no other good reason
for having it at all.
And the green tape is not bright enough
because in the dark, I forget to do it.
Oh.
Oh, you need iridescent tape.
Yeah, you need day glow orange tape.
Yeah.
And Subaru simply throws up their hands
and says there's nothing to be done.
Well, the dealership we went to in New Hampshire
said that was what they said.
I would ask them first if they were willing to do this
under warranty to change the lock.
Change the lock.
That's the thing you put, you know, the cylinder
which you put the key.
And of course, they'll give you a new key
when they do that and that may solve it.
If it doesn't, then you're going to have to take
drastic measures and they won't
saw that thing off for you.
You'll have to get someone to do it.
But that's what I would do.
You have to fake some kind of an emergency.
Could you give me an emergency?
A husband had a heart attack.
He jumped in the car to drive him to the hospital
and the car wouldn't start
and he died in the front seat.
And he's still there.
And he's still in the front seat and they can come
and get them anytime they want and you're going to sue them
for $100 million.
And then they'll say, let me look at this, Joan.
I know we can figure this out.
Say good job.
Good luck, kiddo.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
All right, Tommy.
Here's your hint about last week's puzzle.
You ready?
Yeah.
The band at the Waldorf
ain't in it.
And then Tuckett will not help you win it.
The puzzle is next.
Mathematically vexed.
So stay tuned.
We'll be back in a minute.
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Hi, we're back.
You're listening to Car Talk with us.
Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers,
and we're here to talk about cars, car repair,
and the answers to last week's
mathematically poetic puzzle.
Yeah, that was an interesting juxtaposition of things.
Mathematics and poetry.
If you want to call it poetry.
Well, yeah.
The manner of speaking.
Okay, I'm going to give you the mathematical equation,
and the puzzler is to turn this equation into a limerick.
So it must have the proper meter, you know.
The da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
Da-da-da-da-da.
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
And the band at the World Office Store.
It's gotta end like that.
If only we could've ended it like that.
It would have been a perfect puzzler.
Anyway, here's the equation.
You get your pencil.
I'm going to get one.
Okay, here's the numerator of a fraction.
12 plus 144 plus 20
plus three times the square root of four, that's the numerator. Draw the line,
that's divided by seven. Add to that whole thing five times eleven. And that
expression equals nine squared plus zero. Plus zero, isn't that the plus zero? And
as a hint, I gave you the last line of the limerick which goes is nine squared
and not a bit more which is the nine squared plus zero. Not and not a bit
more. You ready for the answer? Yeah, I love this. A dozen, a gross and a
score plus three times the square root of four. You with me so far? With you.
Divided by seven plus five times eleven is nine squared and not a bit more.
A dozen, a gross and a score. And of course, if you do it, it works, right? A dozen is 12, a gross is
144, score is 20, plus three times the square root of four, which is three
times two, which is six. Divided by seven plus five times 11 is 81. It's nine
squared and not a bit more. Who's our winner, man? And the band at the Waldorfstown.
The winner is Lynn Klein from Oxford, England or Pennsylvania. Oxford,
Pennsylvania and for having her answer selected at random from among both the
correct answers that we got. Lynn will get a $25 gift certificate to the
Cartalk store on our website and with that $25 gift certificate she can buy
our father's CD why you should never listen to your father when it comes to
ours. And Lynn can use that as a gift for instance for her Budinsky father-in-law.
Oh yeah, that's what I'm going to go with. Every time he's trying to give her advice
you can say, listen to this jerk. We will have a new automotive puzzler coming up
in the third half of today's show, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime,
you can call us and ask us questions. But anything, the number is 888-Cartalk.
That's 888-227-8255, a lawyer on Cartalk. Hi, this is Katie. I'm calling from Amherst.
Amherst Mass? Amherst Mass. Hi, Katie. How are you? Oh, we're, we couldn't be better.
Oh, good. Thank you so much for taking my call. Oh, it's a pleasure, Katie. I got a little bit
of a, a stumper, I guess. Yeah. Um, so we have an 89-tercell that I bought off my mother when
she got sick of it. Yeah. And... What was that about 12 years ago? That was an 89.
So, yeah, pretty much she, she had a stalling problem, but she only had 48,000 miles in it.
A little lady only drives it to church on Sunday. It was in 95 and she, it kept stalling on her.
And I said, oh, well, we, you know, we could figure that out. Don't trade it in. They were
going to give her, you know, 500 bucks to trade it in on something. And I said, well,
that's kind of a waste. I'll give you the 500 bucks and have an almost brand new Toyota Tercel.
Good thinking, Katie. Exactly. What a thinking. Well, no, not really. You've been kicking yourself
ever since. Well, the other part of the backstory, the embarrassing part is that we didn't actually
even need a car then. I just hated to see it go to waste. Yeah. So we drove it into the backyard
and left it there for the last, what is it, four years? Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, so we just
needed it. So the other day, you had to buy milk and you said, I think I'll take the car.
So we had to get it towed into the mechanic. And he, you know, basically did everything
that you need to do after you leave a car sitting for four years, exhaust and front brakes and tires
and wiper blades and all that good stuff. He drove it around. They even checked for carbon
deposits. You know, I told about my mother's stalling problem and said, looks fine. They
set the idle up. They jacked the idle up. Oh yeah, that'll do it. That's the time-ordered method.
You're right. Turn that idle way up, baby. That's bad. All they did. And then he drove it around
and it still stalls. Yeah. Does it stall when you've come to a stop or when you're cruising along
at 45? Usually only when you're slowing down or coming to a stop. Yeah. I think these guys may
have been on the right track when they were thinking carbon. Yes. Because these engines did
have problems with carbon. In fact, I think this was one of the first cars that Toyota came up with
the walnut shell remedy for. Was it this one? Yeah. It was this and I think some of the early
Camry's. Camry's, I thought I'd never heard of it. With a recommended procedure, what was
happening was the exhaust valves were sticking because of excessive carbon buildup on them
and the remedy was to take the manifold off and blast that area with walnut shells.
He's not kidding. I'm not kidding. This is serious stuff. The walnut shards were so sharp that they
would cut through the carbon and most of it could be then removed from the system with compressed
air and the little bit that stayed behind would just get combusted and go out the tailpipe. Okay.
Isn't that great? Yeah. That's a beautiful thing. It is an elegant solution. Yeah. It's wonderful.
So you may have that problem. You may also have what's called a sticky EGR valve, which is also
very common in these cars and that would cause it to stall and it would also cause it to run rough
because there's a vacuum leak as a result of the EGR valve and it's sucking in exhaust gas.
So you could have that going on. So you should ask these guys that the walnut shell thing,
they don't do anymore because walnuts are now in danger. But check the EGR first because that's a
little easier to do than the walnut. And they should check the EGR valve to see if it's sticking.
Number two, they should just generally check to see if it has a vacuum leak. Yeah. But you
ask them if they have or if they know anyone in the boonies out there where you live,
that has a machine called the motor vac. Uh-oh. This sounds expensive, doesn't it? Is this like
the wallet vac? This is like the wallet. Yes, it is a distant cousin of the wallet vac. Okay.
But the motor vac is the thing that they actually hook up to the, in this case, the carburetor
and it'll run a solvent through the carburetor and clean out any crud that's in there.
But it'll also make the engine burn a mixture of this cleaner and gasoline,
which will dissolve carbon and usually makes these things run great. And sometimes adds like,
you know, a half or two thirds of a horsepower to them too. You know. Yeah, this is exciting.
All right. I'll try to go find the motor vac. Thanks, you guys.
See you, Katie. Take care. Good luck. Good luck. All right. If you'd like to talk to us,
the number is 888-Kartark. That's 888-8227-8255. Hello, you're on Kartark.
This is Suzanne. I'm from Syracuse. With a Z? With a Z and two ends.
Yeah. Syracuse. How lousy a place is Syracuse? You know, it's not a bad place to live. The weather,
the weather is abysmal for about five months of the year. Five? Yeah. December to April.
December to, uh, what about like October, November?
Oh, you're beautiful. Oh, October, November, nice. Yeah. Yeah. December to April, it's ugly.
But other than that, it's not a bad place to live. There's lots to do. The economy's good.
Oh, good. All right. You ready? Yeah, go ahead. I have a problem that's going to make your brain
cramp. Yeah. I got a 93 miles to protege standard. I had the radiator replaced a couple of months ago,
and I noticed that it started to overheat, so I decided I would be brave and replace the thermostat.
This was after you had the radiator replaced? Yes. It's still overheated.
Still overheated. And you had the radiator replaced to correct it?
The cause it was overheating? No, I had the radiator replaced because it was leaking.
Okay, got it. And then it started overheating afterwards? Yes.
Okay, just want to get this chronology correct. So, in the process of changing the thermostat,
I broke some $35 sensor. In the process of putting everything back together, I decided I was going
to change the distributor cap because I had a new one, so I might as well put it on. And I
broke a spark plug wire, and then my friend and I got laughing while we were doing that,
so we put it on in the wrong order. And my poor little car was bucking and spitting,
and it bucked so hard that it blew the air filter off. It was really ugly. It smelled terrible.
It was drinking gas like it was out of a gallon. Oh, sure. Yeah. We used to have a do-it-yourself
auto repair shop, and people would come in, people much like you, to do things much like you did,
and we had to give them a little lecture all the time. And we said, you probably think that you
came in here and your goal is to fix something. That is your third goal. Your first goal is,
don't get hurt, and your second goal is try not to break anything that I'd already broke.
Oh, it just got so awful. And then your next goal might be to fix whatever you came in to fix.
Okay. But at least you didn't hurt yourself. Not too big. I ducked when the air filter flowed.
In the few years that we ran the do-it-yourself shop, we managed to amass a lifetime of laughs.
So we may have to add this to the scrapbook. To this day, we only have to mention a name
or a car, and we both break into laughter because we remember that day.
Well, to add insult to injury in trying to find the right order, I ended up running out the battery,
couldn't get it, so we finally decided to take it to the dealer. My friend told me to the dealer,
and the toe rope broke, and I was like the guy at the end of crack, the whip when you ice skate.
This is a male or a female friend. This is a female friend. Okay. Yeah.
I got my new thermostat on, life is good, and my car is still overheating.
When does it overheat on the highway or around town?
Around town, and it seems to overheat worse when the clutch is out and I'm driving in gear. If I
put the clutch all the way in or partially in, I can gun the engine in the temp sensor, little
thing drops down. Really? Yeah. How fast does it move from overheating to normal?
Relatively quickly. I mean, I know that I can change it at a stop light generally.
So within a matter of seconds? 15 seconds, 20 seconds? It'll go from overheating or very near
hot, right down to the middle. Right down to the middle. And if while you're sitting there,
yeah, you take your foot off the clutch, that thing will climb back up? Yes. I don't believe it.
Okay. Can you try another story on this? No, it really does.
You put your foot on the clutch, but you said you rev up the engine. Yeah. How about if you
didn't put the clutch in? It would still drop back down. I think so. You think it would? Sure,
the clutch has nothing to do with it. What has something to do with it is the fact that
you're revving up the engine. But it does not overheat when you're driving at high speed.
No, if I'm on the highway, it seems to be fine. It runs
higher than I would like it to see. Well, that has all the makings of trouble with the fan.
Matt, there you go. Your electric fan is not coming on at the right time. You know,
there's a fan behind the radiator, unless they forgot to put it back on when they put the radiator
in. But there's an electric fan there that is thermostatically controlled. And when the engine
reaches a certain temperature, like 200 odd degrees, that fan is supposed to come on automatically
and cool the engine off. And you'd hear that come on if you were sitting at a stop light.
Yes, sometimes I do. Like if I come home and turn the car off, sometimes it kicks on.
But there are other times you should hear it. In fact, when that needle is up near H,
that fan should be on all the time. And if it isn't, that's what's wrong.
Okay, either the fan motor is gone or there's something wrong with the wiring or the sensor
that reads the temperature and makes the fan come on is something wrong with that.
So you need to have that checked out. But I think I'd recommend that you do this yourself.
Is that because it's a difficult job or because of my history?
It's your history. Mostly your history. You just don't want me to break any more
finger nails. You guys are really sweet. We don't want you to get hurt, Suzanne.
I can't thank you enough. Thanks for your call, Suzanne. Thank you very much. Bye, guys. Bye, bye.
All right, Tommy, it is time to take a short break.
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Ha! We're back. You're listening to Car Talk with us, Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers,
and we're here to discuss cars, car repair, and of course, the new puzzler. Automotive.
You said it was automotive in nature. I did. Yeah. And who did this come from?
Uh, Bob Gossum. Yeah. I'll read it as he wrote it with a few editorial comments because.
In obfuscations and whatever else is necessary to make it impossible to understand.
There you go. That's it. He says,
some time ago, I married a woman with a Datsun B210. Remember these?
Yes, indeed. The Honey Bee was called small, noisy, and reliable, and fun. Both car and woman alike.
One day, a problem. I push on the brake pedal and it goes almost to the floor. He writes,
I owned a VW where this happened all the time, so I didn't panic. I just pumped a little and the
pedal came right back. I had the brakes checked out, stem to stern, but there were no leaks,
no problems with the master cylinder. The calipers in the front were fine. The wheel cylinders in the
back were okay, but still the problem persisted, but only occasionally. After much observation,
I determined that it only happened after the car had been driven above 40 miles an hour
for like 10 minutes or more. Around town, no problem. Quick trip in the freeway? No problem.
10 minutes on the freeway and the first time you touch the brake, to the floor. Wow. After that,
if I hit it again, the pedal would be okay unless I continued to drive on the freeway,
in which case it would reoccur at maybe 10-minute intervals or something like that.
He takes it to garages. They find no problem with the brakes whatsoever. No one has a clue.
Travels the world over. Seeking the truth. Stuck calipers, taking the brake fluid,
is overheating and causing the pedal to sink because of insufficient pressure in the system.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good. In every case, not a zip, zilchow. One day, I'm having a beer with an
engineer friend of mine and I tell him about this problem and of course, all the gory details.
He asked me one question and then told me what was wrong. I got it.
I got it. I'm going to give you the question. I'm going to give you the question.
But other than that, how about the answer? Here's the question the engineer asked him.
Is the seat bolted to the floor?
See, that would be a question that one might ask about one of your cars.
Because that would make it appear as though the pedal is... Oh, so you step on the brake and you
push yourself back into the back seat? Oh, I got it. So as you drive for those 10 minutes,
the bolt's loosened up. The seat moves back and then when you park and everything cools off, the seat...
That wasn't it. No, it isn't. Okay.
Yeah. So you're going to tell us the question that the engineer asked?
Well, I'm going to... You're going to tell us that? Yeah. The question he asks is,
did you buy something recently for this car? Oh, a specific thing. Did you buy
blank for this car? He may have, but I can't tell you what that is. Of course.
No, of course. Did you make a purchase recently for this car? Yeah. And his answer was,
well, yes, I did. Yes, I did. And he said, that allowed him to figure out the answer. Now,
if you think you know the answer... Excellent. Well, let's wait until you hear the answer.
If you think you know the answer, write it on a postcard or a fully assembled 14 by 20 foot
sunroof. Dougie, we cashed in on any of these things. Did the widescreen TV come?
I think that all this stuff is coming, and Catherine and Berman are making off with it,
because I know that widescreen TV came, and I know Catherine's got it in her house.
Catherine's got it in her house, and Doug is living in the box of cable.
So anyway... I saw him just the other day in the square with Zuzo.
If you have that 14 by 20 foot sunroof, send it to Puzzler Tower with your answer,
I might add. Yeah. Car Talk Plaza, box 3500. And don't forget,
you will definitely get some kind of preference when picking out the winner.
Well, because... You mentioned that last time. Yeah, because
yours will be the biggest thing in the box. I mean, it's hard to miss a 14 by 20 foot
sunroof when you reach it in there. Fully assembled. Fully assembled. I mean...
None of this sum assembly required. If you got the one in the box, keep it.
Right. You're not going to be groping around finding someone else's postcard. You're going to
just home write in on this, baby. Box 3500, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Our first city.
Matt 02238. Or you can email your answer. You know, there's probably a federal law that we're
violating by threatening to rig the contest. I'm fed up with the feds, you know?
Oh, he's going to jail. Okay. Or you can email your answer from the Car Talk section.
By the way, you didn't fill out the census thing, did you? To throw it away?
No, no, no. I'm a good citizen. You are.
I put down my name rank and I had one of the short forms.
You're going to get audited. Huh?
You're going to get audited by the IRS.
I don't care. You're the one that's going to worry about that. I'm clean as a whistle.
1888 Car Talk. That's 888-227-8255, a lawyer on Car Talk.
Hi, this is Denise from Evanston, Illinois.
Hi, Denise. Denise is your brother named Denif.
Oh, God. Very good. Where are you from?
Evanston, Illinois.
Evanston. Northwestern University.
Are you a college professor? That was my next question.
I am not actually. I used to be, but at the Art Institute, actually, I am a fashion designer.
So nothing like it. No kidding.
Really? We've been looking for someone to help out with our wardrobes.
Ever since Mr. Gigi left the fold, so to speak, we've been in a fashion drought.
We certainly have.
I've seen you guys. You look pretty good.
Oh, we could commission you to create the Car Talk look.
Like the regular guy look.
Yeah. I could do that.
Well, we may need you, but we'll see how we deal with our first interview here.
So what's going on, Denise?
Oh, I'm really hoping you'll help me make a decision.
Last summer, I was having one of those kind of important midlife birthdays,
and I decided I needed to recapture my college days.
So I decided I needed to have the 1961 Volvo P544.
Really?
Yeah.
So you found one?
Well, yeah, but I found it on the web, and I bought it on the web.
Oh, you did.
Well, whatever you pay for it, I hope you've got about a hundred times that amount left over
to fix it.
Yeah. I feared you would say that.
For those of you that don't remember the P544, it was a...
How could you forget it?
It looked like a smaller version of American cars of the 40s with the rounded back.
It looked like the kind of a car that Jimmy Cagney or maybe the Humphrey Bogart rode in
in High Sierra with Ida Lupino at his side.
But it was the Volvo version of that thing.
It was pretty distinctive looking.
Yeah.
How much did they pay for this?
Did you pay more than double digits for it?
Wait, I'm not sure what double digits means.
Under 99 dollars.
Come on, they're shipping a lot of us in class with a couple of Gs.
Oh, I can't even tell you.
We don't want to know Denise.
Yes.
We'll do nothing but damage your reputation.
It doesn't matter because it's sunk cost.
What's the question?
Well, okay.
So the question is, should I bother with this car?
Let me tell you that it came what she called in driving condition and they couldn't take
it off the truck because it had no brakes.
Well, she didn't say stopping condition.
She said driving condition.
That's right.
And I cannot get...
I've called every Volvo mechanic in the city and they won't even look at it.
Really?
Really.
And so Lenny...
Lenny, right away, I like Lenny.
Lenny is sort of my handyman around the house and Lenny claims to also be a mechanic.
Well, for this car, he might be.
This is my question.
If I decide to restore it, which Lenny says, it's everything.
New engine, new carburetor, new...
All right.
So now you got it.
What did you pay?
I paid $3,000 for it.
Oh, jeez, Denise.
Is there anyone close enough to give you a dope slap?
Oh, please.
My husband is taking everything in his power and not say, I told you so.
What a saint he must be.
He is a saint.
Well, I mean...
God.
I wouldn't condemn Denise right away because, first of all, if the body is in good shape
and structurally the thing is good, then $3,000 may not have been so much to pay.
And even though it may look like a complete loss right now, it may well be that when you
find the right guy and it might not be Lenny.
For example, if you lived here in the Boston area, we would send you to Fred
and he would take it as his child and he would nurture it.
And he would embrace it and caress it and drain your bank account.
But in the process.
Even you would come to love Fred despite the cost.
I need a Fred.
And at some point, he would even allow visitation rights.
You could come once a month, once every two months, and you could visit with the 544.
First of all, there's got to be an equivalent of Fred Swanson in Evanston.
You know, I looked on your website even with the good mechanic.
Yeah, no, you don't want a good mechanic.
You want an old one.
Good, at this point, good is not the primary criterion.
No, you need to find, you need to log on to the Volvo Car Club of America site.
Okay.
And they, and believe me, there are juniors of these 544s around.
That's the problem.
Now I see one.
I mean, I was so impulsive.
Now they're all over the place.
Well, the alternative then is to buy another one.
This will really test your husband.
And maybe with the two of them, it'll be easier to make the two into one car.
See, making one into one car might prove difficult, but if you bought a second one,
and it doesn't even have to be the same year because the parts didn't change
dramatically from one year to the next,
you may be able to cobble together a car that could actually,
could get you around by maybe next summer.
Yeah.
So you might want to investigate that, or you might want to just ditch this car
and get another one entirely.
And if you got one the same color, your husband wouldn't even know.
You could do the swap like one afternoon while he's at work.
No, I think you're going to make this one go.
Well, Denise, you have your work cut out for you,
but I can tell that you are equal to the task and then some.
I want that car.
You got to use the web.
You got to use the web and you will find someone.
Yeah.
But you can go to our site and post something in the car questions area.
Yeah.
Does anybody know a mechanic for a P544?
Okay.
And you might find someone.
And I wouldn't limit yourself to Illinois.
No.
You may have to go to Indiana.
You may have to go out of state.
See you, Denise.
Thank you so much.
Good luck.
You're going to need it.
I know.
Thanks.
Bye-bye.
What we do is we get older.
You try to recapture.
Yeah.
You can't go home again.
It helps you on days.
You can't go home again.
No.
And especially not if you're driving a 61 P5.
Right.
You can't even get a halfway home.
You can get home again in the tow truck.
You can't even get out of the driveway.
Well, you've wasted another perfectly good hour listening to car talk.
Our steam producer has dug the subway fugitive,
not a slave to fashion bourbon.
Our associate producers are Frou Catherine Fenolosa
and Louis Cronin the Barbarian.
Our engineer is George Hicks.
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Thanks so much for listening.
We're clicking clack the Tapper Brothers.
Don't drive like my brother.
Don't drive like my brother.
We'll be back next week.
Bye-bye.
When I go to that same website thing.
No, you go to www.
I got your stock offices right here.com.
Of course, you go to the same site.
You're dope.
The car talk section at cars.com.
Or you'll order the old-fashioned way
by calling 888-Cod-Junk.
Thank you, Vinny.
That was clear and to the point.
Oh, I appoint this.
All right.
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About this episode
Click and Clack field a mix of cold-weather driveline oddities, anti-theft steering lock headaches, and long-sitting car stalling mysteries. A Denver caller’s 4x4 Toyota makes a front-axle noise in freezing temps that’s traced to viscous grease in locking hubs; the advice is to avoid opening it unless the noise changes. Another caller battles a Subaru steering-wheel lock that prevents key release, using tape as a workaround. Later, a Tercel that sat for years stalls on decel and may involve EGR or carbon—walnut-shell “remedy” and a carb-cleaning “motor vac” are discussed. The puzzler and a 1961 Volvo P544 restoration question close out the show.
Original notes
What to do about the ‘mechanically-challenged’? Click and Clack used to run a do-it-yourself garage back in the day. And after rescuing a few hundred-or-so ill-fated repair attempts by their customers, the brothers developed a few simple truths to guide their flock. ‘Words to repair by’, on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.
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