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35:50
Car
1986 Nissan Stanza wagon 4x4
This is a 1986 Nissan Stanza wagon, and the “4x4” means it sends power to all four wheels. That usually helps it grip better on snow, dirt, or wet roads than a normal two-wheel-drive version.
Term
rotor and the cap
On some cars, the spark plugs are fed by an ignition “distributor.” The cap and rotor are small parts inside that system that help send the spark to the right cylinder. If they wear out, the engine can start running rough or even shut off, and replacing them can make it run normally again for a while.
Term
ignition coils
Ignition coils are what generate the strong electrical spark your engine needs to burn fuel. If one coil or its connection isn’t working right, the engine can stumble or run rough. The speaker is pointing to a problem affecting the second coil’s path.
Term
breaking down
“Breaking down” here means the electrical part is wearing out or failing internally. When that happens, electricity doesn’t travel properly, so the spark can be weak or inconsistent. That’s what can make the engine run rough.
Part
distributor caps
A distributor cap is part of the ignition system that sends electricity to the spark plugs. If it cracks or wears out, the car may start running rough because the spark isn’t getting delivered reliably. That’s why replacing it can fix the problem.
Term
run raggy
“Run raggy” means the engine is running unevenly, like it’s missing or stumbling. That often happens when the spark isn’t consistent. In this case, the host thinks the ignition-related parts are failing.
Term
tread separation
Tread separation means the rubber “grip” part of the tire starts coming loose from the inside layers. You often can’t see it just by looking at the tire. If it’s happening, the tire can feel weird or vibrate and it’s safer to replace it.
Term
ply
A ply is an internal reinforcing layer inside the tire. It helps the tire stay strong and shaped. If the tread separates, it’s often separating from these internal layers, not just from the surface.
Term
rotate them
Tire rotation means swapping tires to different wheel positions. It helps tires wear more evenly. Here, they’re also using it like a test—if the problem moves with the tire, the tire is probably the culprit.
Term
ball joints
Ball joints are parts that connect parts of the suspension and let the wheels move properly. If they wear out, the steering can feel off and you may get vibrations. They’re one of the first things to check when the steering wheel shakes.
Term
tie rod ends
Tie rod ends are small joints that help connect the steering to the front wheels. If they wear out, the steering can feel loose or shaky. That can show up as vibration in the steering wheel.
Term
catalytic converter heat shield
The catalytic converter heat shield is a protective metal cover near the exhaust. It helps keep other parts from getting too hot; if it’s missing, nearby components can overheat.
Term
shift linkage
Shift linkage is the set of parts that physically connect your gear shifter to the transmission. If those parts get overheated, they can expand and become harder to move, so shifting feels stiff.
Term
low fluid
Low fluid means there isn’t enough fluid in the transmission system. That can make shifting feel wrong because parts don’t get properly lubricated, but here the speaker thinks it wasn’t the real problem.
Car
Volkswagen Jetta
This is a Volkswagen Jetta from 1992. It’s an older compact sedan, and people often choose it because it’s straightforward to work on and parts are usually available.
Term
timing belt tensioner
The timing belt tensioner is a part that keeps the timing belt tight. The timing belt has to stay properly tight so the engine’s moving parts stay in sync. If the tensioner goes bad, it can make a noticeable rattling or squeaking noise.
Term
clutch
Here, the clutch pedal is used like a test switch. If the noise happens only when you press the clutch, it can point to parts connected to the clutch system.
Term
bearing on the front shaft
This is a small rotating part that supports a spinning shaft. If it wears out, it can make a noise that changes depending on how the drivetrain is being used.
Term
transmission
The transmission is the part that sends power from the engine to the wheels, using different gear ratios. Here it’s mentioned because the noise might come from something inside it.
LIVE
This is our glass. On This American Life, one that we like is a good mystery.
Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best.
Our lost and found is currently filled with pants. I don't know, I've never seen this happen.
Wait, is this true?
This is true.
Mysteries of every size, each week, This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
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 Women's Studies Department here at Car Talk Plaza.
And I know my brother's going to get himself in trouble.
So I want to distance myself in advance from anything he's going to say.
Is that a wise move?
Well, I mean, all I can say is that I'm just a messenger here.
I don't want to be blamed for things that other people send to us in the mail.
But I don't read them on the air, consider me distanced.
You coward.
Come on.
Go ahead.
This is the Center for Women's Studies and this is a-
I'm going for coffee. How do you like yours?
This is a list of expressions that you may hear from women with high stress.
And here they are.
Allow me to introduce myself.
That's the kickoff.
And here's one.
And your crybaby whiny opinion would be?
Have you run across this woman?
I haven't.
I like that.
And your crybaby whiny opinion would be.
And here's how about this.
Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.
I'm not crazy.
I've just been in a bad mood for 30 years.
I just want revenge.
Is that so wrong?
You say I'm a witch like it's a bad thing.
Is it time for your medication or mine?
And this one is Louie's favorite.
I'm not tense.
I'm just terribly, terribly alert.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, I bumped into women like that.
Not in my house, of course.
No.
No, no, no.
Never.
But I know I understand that there are women who are in the stress who would say things like this,
but not in my house.
Okay, continue.
You're trying to get me into trouble.
No, I have nothing more to say.
I think a little elaboration is necessary.
I think I have heard, and your crybaby whiny opinion would be.
I think I've heard that somewhere before.
And are the others?
Well, I think I've heard, oh, here's one I missed.
Errors have been made and others will be blamed.
I remember that one.
Yeah.
Any others?
You're trying to get me into trouble.
No, why would I do that?
I know you are.
That's it.
I'm not going to say another word.
But why do women get away with stuff like this?
I mean, if guys said things like this, are you...
Said what?
Like stupid stuff like this?
Or even felt things like this.
First of all, we would be ashamed to say them.
And secondly, we just wouldn't say them.
I mean, have I ever said to you and your crybaby whiny opinion would be?
No, I've just said that sounds like a crock to me.
Oh, I see.
So, can we drop it?
I don't think so.
You started it.
You figure out how to get out of it.
Yeah.
I know how to get out of it.
1-888-227-8255, you're a hello, you're on car talk.
And the opinions previously expressed belong entirely to my brother.
Thomas Mariotti.
Hello, you're on car talk.
Hi guys, this is Sam Pashata from Pueblo, Colorado.
Pueblo?
The government printing office, the storefront.
That's the only place people know us about.
That's right.
What's up, Sam?
I have a 1986 Nissan Stanza wagon 4x4.
Jeez, that's a rare vehicle.
Wow.
This car has went back and forth between a good friend of mine and myself.
Each time we have a kid that turns 16, we give it to the other one.
Okay.
Oh, I thought you were just selling it back and forth to each other because you had such
bad memories.
And the place keeps going down.
All right.
75 cents.
That's my best offer.
I mean, and did you say, Jesus kind of looks familiar.
Sam, but I'll buy it anyway.
Well, this is the second time I've had this car back.
Yeah.
It, about every 5,000 to 6,000 miles, it starts running real rough.
Just all of a sudden it'll run real rough and then quit.
No fire, no nothing.
Replacing the rotor and the cap, it'll run like a clock.
For 5,000 or 6,000 miles.
Then it'll do it again.
Oh.
You can use the same plugs, same wires.
As long as you replace the cap and the rotor, it'll run like a clock.
You've done this experiment.
You've changed nothing except the cap and the rotor.
Right.
Now, this has happened to both my friend and myself.
He had a mechanic do it.
I did the work myself.
Yeah.
That's a pain in the neck to change that cap, isn't it?
It's also an expense because that cap runs around $80.
Yeah.
Well, they're no fools.
They know it's keeping the car running.
180 if they want.
This car has two ignition coils.
Yes.
And it has along the top of the cap where one of the coil wires connects.
There's a long conduit that takes the electricity from that coil wire
to that contact point inside the cap.
And I bet that's breaking down.
Okay.
Are you buying the caps from Nissan?
No.
Just, you know, regular parts.
I think I'd have to recommend you buy your next one from the dealer.
Okay.
I think you're going to find out, number one, that it's cheaper.
And number two, it'll last longer.
But I think that's what's happening.
That conduit for the second coil, the one that has to travel the farthest or farther,
is breaking down and that's why the thing starts to run raggy.
Okay.
Don't forget that pretty soon, there's going to be a price turnaround on these distributor caps.
Right.
You realize that?
Well, it's almost worth more than the car now.
Well, no, but as soon as the manufacturer of the cap realizes that they've made too many,
you're going to be able to get these things for a half a buck a piece.
Yeah, you buy them by the case.
Give them your phone number, Sam.
They'll call you when the price starts to get down.
Good luck, man.
Thanks, guy.
All right, bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 888-227-8255.
How did you remember that?
Remember what?
A6.
You remember what the cap for an 86 stands and looks like?
Huh?
How'd you do that?
You talking to me?
Who are you?
I got it.
Okay.
Selective memory.
Guesswork, 1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 888-227-8255, a lawyer on Car Talk.
Yes, my name is Mary Jo and I'm calling from Charleston, South Carolina.
Hi, Mary.
Charleston.
How are you?
Oh, we're great.
Pretty good.
Well, I need some help.
I'm in a little bit of a dispute with my husband.
I have a problem with the glass on my car, the windshield.
Yeah?
Yeah.
For the last six months, it's been very difficult to see out of it when the sun is shining on
it.
Yeah.
It looks like there's glitter.
Yeah.
Hey.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm going to tell you how old your car is.
Your car is a 93, 93 Japanese car.
Yes.
How'd you know?
Is it 93?
Yeah, it is.
Oh, man.
Is it Japanese too?
Yes.
It is.
I wish I knew what was wrong with the glass now.
Yeah.
Yeah, seriously.
What is it?
A 93 what?
It's a 93 Acura.
Is that Japanese?
At least they tell me it is.
I'm going to give you more information.
Okay.
I'm listening.
You do a lot of highway driving.
Yes.
Oh, man.
Are we smoking here or what?
Why are we smoking?
You're smoking something, man.
Okay, I'm going to even guess now.
I'm so hot.
I'm going to guess the color of the car.
Oh, okay.
It's red.
No, black.
It's red.
Oh, my God.
All right.
Wait a minute.
I'm going to tell you if it's too adorable.
I'm going to tell you what station the radio is in.
All right.
I'm quitting.
I'm doing too good.
I'm quitting.
That's it.
I'm impressed, though.
You're impressed.
Yeah.
I mean, the law of averages is definitely ready to fight you in the butt.
Well, then there's hope.
That means that you can maybe help me with this problem.
Well, why are you having a conflict with your husband on this?
He's denying that it's true?
Well, because he really drives the car and the few times he has, he doesn't see the problem.
So he just tells me, would you clean the stupid glass?
Well, I'm going to tell you how long you've been married.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, go ahead.
I would say you've been married fewer than five years.
Wrong.
Sure, did I get anything when I was right a hundred times?
Well, you should have learned then by now that there are lots of things that men don't see.
In fact, there are only a few things that men do see.
Yeah, that could be true.
You're right.
You need a new windshield.
Well, how am I going to explain the insurance company?
You don't have to.
I don't.
No.
I think, well, I don't know.
I had an incident some years ago where sand got on beach my windshield because
of a, I was in the vicinity of the ocean and there was a storm and it blew around a lot
of sand and without knowing it, I turned on the windshield wipers and in doing so, roughed
up the windshield just enough so that at night and if it were raining and if headlights were
shining in the windshield, I couldn't see very well.
And I called the local glass company asking how much it was to replace the windshield.
This is in my home state of Massachusetts and I don't know what you South Carolinians have
for insurance coverage, but the fellow told me the window need not be broken to qualify
for a replacement.
Oh, really?
I mean, think of it, would the insurance company want you to drive around the car where you
couldn't see?
Well, in South Carolina, they have something similar, but I thought it had to have damage.
Well, that can be arranged.
That's what they said at work.
They said, we'll go and hit it with the rock for you.
Well, the thing is that what you have there is damage.
The outside surface is pitted from stuff hitting it as you drive along.
Because all the windshields they make now are cheap junk.
Yeah, they are.
They are.
I mean, years ago, you could drive a car for 20 years.
Right.
And still see out the glass.
And now you buy a brand new car and six months later, it's all pitted.
Right.
And when it gets that bad, and the truth is, even if you have to pay for it, buy a new one.
Okay.
And I don't care what your husband says.
Tell him to call me.
If he doesn't like this answer, tell him to call me personally.
My number is 888.
I'll have him call you.
Okay.
Good luck, Mary Jo.
Well, thank you very much.
Say Mary Jo.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Thank you.
Or say to him, in your crybaby whiny opinion.
It might be what?
Okay, Tommy, think hard.
Do you remember last week's puzzler?
I'm seeing dirt everywhere.
I'm seeing cross-generational disputes.
I'm seeing piles of horse manure.
That's your house, man.
Think puzzler.
On Consider This, NPR's afternoon news podcast, we cover everything from politics to the economy
to the world, but every story starts with a question.
At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious, to make sense of the biggest story of the day
and what it means for you.
Follow Consider This wherever you get your podcasts.
And the answer to last week's puzzler.
This was part of the mathematical series.
Can't remember it yet.
I don't remember it myself.
Anyway, here it is.
A landscaper returns from work and is sitting at the kitchen table with his kids.
The kids ask, did you work hard today, daddy?
And he answers, I did.
I planted a lot of trees.
In fact, he goes on to say, I planted five rows of four trees each.
His little third grader wanted to show off her mastery of the multiplication tables.
New found mastery.
He says, oh, that means you planted 20 trees, daddy.
He says, no, your little twerp, you're wrong.
And who the hell asked if we are if we did anyway?
I planted 10 trees.
She says, that's impossible.
He says, well, no, it isn't.
I planted 10 trees in five rows of four and I'll give you a hint.
If you look at one of the test papers your teacher has returned to you recently,
you're going to find the answer on one of those papers.
Wow.
The little girl thinks from it and says, I've got it.
I think I've got it.
The rain in Spain falls mainly in the way.
Reminds of a great scene from Cinema Paradiso where the little kids are in third grade
and the teacher asks them how much is five times five, which is Cinque per Cinque.
And the kid can't get the answer and the kid in the next row draws a Christmas tree.
It's December 25th, right?
And the little kid yells out five times five, Christmas.
Well, how did the landscape of plant 10 trees in five rows of four each?
What the little girl finds on her paper is something that you often find on graded papers
from your third grade teacher at the top of the page is a star.
I never got one.
Oh, dude, that's why you didn't get the answer to this either, you dumbo.
And if you draw a five-pointed star, just like your third grade teacher put on your papers
and you put a tree at every intersection point and a tree at every vertex,
you end up with 44444
Five rows of four trees each.
Pretty good, huh?
That is good.
Do we have a winner?
Yes, we do.
We always have a winner.
It looks like Catherine Laferrier from Highland, Maryland,
and by having her answer selected at random from the hundreds of correct answers that we got,
Catherine is going to win a $25 gift certificate to the store at the Cartalk section of Cars.com.
And with that $25 gift certificate, she can pick up both a Best of Cartalk tape
and a Second Best of Cartalk tape.
Now, we're not saying the stuff on the tape is any good, it's just the best.
I just want to make that perfectly clear.
It's the best we can do.
It's the best we can do.
I hope the guys at the Federal Trade Commission are satisfied with that.
And by the way, if you need Christmas presents for people who don't really like that much anyway,
the store at the Cartalk section of Cars.com may have just what you're looking for.
Yeah, they will.
Anyway, we'll have a new puzzler coming up in the third half of today's show,
so don't touch that dial.
In the meantime, you can call us and ask us a question about your car.
The number is 1-888-CARTALK, that's 888-227-8255.
Hello, you're on Cartalk.
Hello.
Hello, who's this?
This is Alfredo.
Alfredo.
How are you from New York?
Yeah.
Yes, how you doing?
I enjoy your show.
I have a mini caravan, 88.
This steering wheel jerks.
When the car doesn't drive, they say rhythmically.
So as you're driving down the road, you feel the wheel getting jerked to the left and then to the right, left, right.
Yes, left, right, right.
They're very fast jerking.
And do you notice it at very, very low speeds if you're creeping along at 5, 10 miles an hour when you feel it then also?
It decreases if it is moving slowly.
I have changed for obvious bumps on the tires.
I don't see any and it's still happening.
I've been driving it like this for the last two or three weeks.
Do you remember the day that you ran over the curb stone?
I don't know.
I shared the car with my wife.
Oh, she did.
She probably did.
I don't want to blame her.
Oh no, don't do that.
Don't blame her.
Absolutely not.
I want you to mention your list to her.
Let's see.
Well, it's possible there's a defect in the tire that you can't notice.
There's a condition called tread separation where the actual tread will become separated from the ply below it.
Inside the tire where you can't see it.
It's not easy to detect it in other words.
Well, if you had the car up in the air and you spun the front tires and looked at them as an ant would look at the tire from the vantage point of the road,
you might see the tread squirm to one side or the other as the tire spun around and you're looking at the treads coming at you.
And the easy way to find this out is to take the two front tires and put them in the back.
Okay.
Or better still to do one at a time.
Rotate them somehow.
So jack up one side of the vehicle and exchange the left front and the left rear.
And then let it down and drive the car.
And if it goes away, that was the bad tire, the one that's now on the rear.
If it doesn't, you try it on the other side.
But I'm just worried you might have something else wrong because whenever you have a vibration of any kind in the steering wheel, you should always suspect the suspension.
Yes, right, right, right, right.
You really should have someone take a look at the ball joints, the tie rod ends and all that stuff that's holding the wheels together.
Because that's dangerous.
Okay, definitely, definitely.
But if you do this test and the condition goes away, then you can be sure that it was the tire and then you need to just replace that one tire.
Okay.
All right, very well, very well.
Thanks for calling, Alfredo.
Good luck.
And stay out of trouble.
Okay, all right.
See you.
Bye-bye.
1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 888-227-8255.
Hello, you're on Car Talk.
Hi, this is Susan from Conway, Arkansas.
Hi, Susan from Conway, Arkansas.
Conway, Arkansas.
It's just north of Little Rock.
Yeah, you sound very chipper today.
Well, I have a problem with my car that my boyfriend thinks I'm imagining.
And I'd like you to tell him that he's wrong and then I'd like you to tell me if I should worry about this or not.
Do we have your check yet?
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Well, I have a 1997 Saturn SL1.
And I was driving up to see some friends this past weekend and I drove all the way there.
It's about a two-hour drive.
And when I got there, I pulled off the highway and I made it through the first stop sign fine.
And I got to the next one and I shifted it into first.
And when I went to shift it into second, the stick shift felt like I was shifting it through cream of wheat.
It was a lot.
I got more resistance.
Okay.
This may still be happening or my arm may have gotten used to it.
But it definitely did this for a couple of days up until yesterday afternoon.
Only going from first to second or going through all the gears?
No, through all the gears and even in neutral.
So what's the boyfriend's position here?
He says that there's nothing wrong but I'm just imagining the whole thing and that it's always been this hard to shift.
So let me get this right.
Something may have happened and it may not be happening now but you're not sure.
And you don't know what it is anyway.
Yeah, sure.
We're going to be on your side with this one.
You're hoping that we can tell you what it is or it isn't.
I just want to know whether or not I should worry about this.
You said now even in neutral, which means like when you're moving the shift,
leave it left to right instead of up and down like to go into the gears,
it feels like there's resistance that wasn't there before.
Yeah, it's not as smooth.
How long a trip was this trip that you took?
Two hours.
I'm just testing the witness.
I want to see if she's changing her story.
It was two hours.
It's two hours but since that time you haven't driven another trip of two hours.
Well, aside from driving back, no.
I would say that it's mandatory that you take another two-hour trip.
Okay.
What this means is that we have no idea what you're talking about.
No, I know exactly what's going on.
You do?
I think what's happened here.
Yes.
My brother has that look that this is going to be complete bull feathers.
I think that when she drives a thing at sustained high speed,
one of several things is happening.
Either the transmission is overheating because it's low on fluid
and hence making it difficult to shift.
We checked the transmission fluid.
Yeah.
He did?
Yeah, we did.
And it's fine.
All right.
Okay, so there goes theory with number one.
Shucks.
I know you have a backup.
Of course.
I think the shift linkage is getting overheated due to the absence of the catalytic converter
heat shield which fell off at about 35,000 miles.
Always removed because it was rattling.
And then when you drive the thing at high speed,
the thing gets hard to push because the thing is getting so heated up
and everything expands, but I think it disappeared.
I don't think it was there after it cooled off.
The next day, if you search your soul, Susan,
I think you'll admit that the next morning when you drove it.
It really was still harder to shift.
There goes theory number B.
Okay, theory D.
I hadn't worked on it any more than two.
I figured one of the two would get her.
Well, they were both pretty good.
The second one was quite bogus.
That's why it was the second one.
I considered the theory of the low fluid, but I dismissed it.
All right, I have a fallback position.
And even if the...
I'm siding with the boyfriend.
Well, I was there a long time ago.
Yeah, I'm afraid, Susan, that I don't understand.
I can't come up with any reasonable theory,
and clearly my brother can't either.
But on the other hand, you don't sound like you're crazy.
I'm definitely not crazy.
And I have to admit that I have many, many times
have fallen into the trap of not believing my wife
when she tells me that the car is doing something.
And my friend felt the shifter,
and both of them, actually two friends,
a he and a she, and they both noticed it.
They both noticed it.
Yes.
Well, I'm sticking with my theory number two,
and the way you're going to verify this is take the car
for another extended trip.
Okay.
You have to do this.
I'll do that.
You have to do this, and call us back.
Okay.
And then I'm going to stick with my sticky shifter.
Okay, well, I mean, I don't agree, but fine.
Well, I'll let you know what I find out.
Yeah, I mean, it can't height to take another two-hour ride.
Indeed, there may even be nothing wrong
or there may not be a heat shield missing.
It's just heat that gets generated as a result of a long trip,
and it's causing the shifter cable to bind up.
That's the only other thing.
Okay.
Okay.
I will definitely do this.
Okay.
I'd like to know what I find.
I'd love to know.
Okay.
See you soon.
Thanks.
Bye.
We'll be right back with more calls
and the new puzzle right after these important messages.
Each story you hear on Planet Money starts with a question.
What happens if we refund tariffs?
Why are groceries so expensive?
At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious,
because the forces shaping our world can be hard to see.
Follow NPR's Planet Money wherever you get your podcasts
and start seeing how the economy really works.
This week and up first, President Trump dispatched JD Vance
to peace talks in Switzerland.
Now, the U.S. and Iran say they have a roadmap for peace.
We'll have the latest on any overnight developments.
Plus, it's another week of primary elections.
We'll discuss the results and what they mean for November.
Listen to Up First every morning for the top three stories
you need to know to start your day on the NPR app
or wherever you get your podcasts.
This week on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me,
we asked comedy legend Robert Smigel about the moment
he first knew he was funny.
When I was like four or five, I could draw really well.
So I could draw Fred Flintstone and Snoopy,
and then probably a couple of years later,
I started drawing them having sex.
Listen to the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me podcast
in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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 the new automotive?
Non-automotive? No. Folklore? No.
I give up. Historic? No.
I don't know what it is, but it's from the Krusty files.
Everyone remembers our trusty mechanic Krusty,
who's been a loyal employee for many years.
Krusty Krusty, we call him.
We decided some years ago that he deserved a vacation,
and indeed we were going to give him four days off.
And we decided to send, at our expense,
him and Mrs. Krusty on a little vacation,
so we booked a flight for them to Coast LaVenia.
And so we take them to the airport, and we see them off.
They get on their plane, and off they go to their first stop,
the first leg of their journey,
lands them in Moose Jar-Sas-Scatchewan,
where they have to change planes for Coast LaVenia.
I need you to pay attention, because there are a lot of hints,
as well as obfuscations. You see me taking notes, don't you?
Kick back, put your feet up, relax.
Moose Jar, Coast LaVenia.
This is rife with hints and obfuscations,
and mostly useless information. I know that.
So they land in Moose Jar,
where they have to change planes for the flight over the pole
to Coast LaVenia.
And Coast La Air wheels out its latest, what do you call that?
Plane.
There you go. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
This is a DC3,
and Krusty recognizes it from that first Indiana Jones movie,
and he says to his wife,
oh my God, he said, this is unbelievable.
So this plane must be 25 years old,
and his wife says, no, like 60.
So they enter the plane, and he's very nervous,
as is his wife, and they both look into the cockpit
to make sure there's in fact a pilot and a co-pilot in there,
and they are, and they look at each other,
and they exchange smiles and nods,
and they're still nervous about the age of the plane,
and they finally take their seats.
The plane takes off without incident,
and they're on their way to Coast LaVenia.
Over the pole.
Over the pole. Of course, they speak no Coast LaVenian.
In fact, I don't think anyone speaks Coast LaVenian anymore.
And while they're in flight,
they realize that none of the other passengers speaks English,
and they walk up and down the aisles using the bathroom,
you know, as a pretence,
and try to in fact engage people in conversation,
and they say hi, how are you,
and nobody responds,
and they're resigned to just sitting there
and waiting for the flight to end,
and when it finally touches down in Coast LaVenia,
they're relieved that they made it,
and they're waiting for their welcoming party
to take them on their little tour, you know,
but it's late at night.
Which we arranged, I presume.
We arranged.
Yeah.
Their guide, or.
Or.
Or.
Yeah.
Okay.
They get there,
and they go through a lengthy custom search,
and when they finally emerge into the parking lot,
they realize that it's late at night,
and there's nobody waiting to meet them.
And the one cab driver pretends that he can't communicate with them.
They don't speak any Coast LaVenian,
he speaks no English,
he throws up his hands,
won't let them get in the cab,
and they don't know where to go.
They look around,
there's practically no one in the airport,
and finally,
they're resigned to sleeping that night in the airport,
and Mrs. Krusty sees a woman walking toward them
that she recognizes from the plane.
Oh.
And she says,
oh, thank God,
we'll be able to get to our hotel tonight,
and of course, she's right.
How does she know that this woman speaks English?
Now, if you think you know the answer,
or you can remember anything about,
how long is this show over yet?
I just couldn't shorten it.
No, I understand.
How can you shorten it if you're trying to obfuscate?
Right.
You can't.
Now, if you think you know the answer,
write it on a postcard,
or glue it to the base of a mission style
Oak Entertainment Center,
with sliding European hinged pocket doors,
and cedar storage shelves,
and send it before Christmas
to a puzzler tower,
Car Talk Plaza,
Box 3500,
Harvard Square, Cambridge,
our facility,
Matt 02238,
or you can email your answer
from the Car Talk section of cars.com,
1-888-CAR-TALK,
that's the number to call.
Man.
That's 888-227-8255,
a lawyer on Car Talk.
Hi, this is Becca.
I'm Conn from Across the River and Brighton Mass.
Becca?
Yep.
Hi, Becca.
Becca.
As in, Rebecca.
Exactly.
So, my car is making a noise
like a didgeridoo.
A didgeridoo?
Yes.
I have a didgeridoo.
Do you?
I'm a master on the didgeridoo.
Make the noise for us, Becca.
It sort of sounds a little bit like this.
It's a...
Okay.
What kind of a car is it?
It's a VW Jetta, 1992.
1992.
And this noise is coming
from the glove compartment.
From the glove compartment?
Well, the...
While you're driving?
While I'm driving.
Does it happen when you start the engine
and you haven't moved the car yet?
No.
It only happens when the engine is engaged.
So, if I'm moving and I have the clutch fully in,
it doesn't do it.
Braking doesn't do it.
Only when I have my foot on a good gas,
and I think it's more pronounced
as I'm just about to disengage the motor a bit.
So, I'm starting to put in the clutch
pulling off on the gas.
That's when it happens the most.
Becca.
You start the car in the morning.
Uh-huh.
No noise.
No noise.
You start to drive.
No noise.
No noise.
The car...
The noise first occurs
when what incident happens?
What is it associated with?
Well, I would say it's probably
when the car gets up
to running speed.
I think it's happening mostly
when I'm about 35 miles an hour or above.
And you can hear this
over the road noise that this thing makes?
Hey!
Come on!
Not when I'm on the highway.
I don't know if it happens on the highway
because it's too loud.
Right.
If you ever tried this,
revving the engine up
but not making the car move.
In other words, sitting there in neutral
and revving the engine up
to try to duplicate the noise
at a given engine RPM.
Because I have a theory
and a fallback position
and another fallback.
The thing is that
it won't do anything
if I have the clutch in.
Ever.
Huh?
Oh.
In other words, if the clutch is pressed.
If the clutch is pressed in, it doesn't do it.
So, if it's making the noise
and you put your foot on the clutch,
the noise goes away.
Yes.
Huh?
And yet the noise sounds
like it's coming from the glove box.
Yes.
It's the right hand front.
Glove box?
Sit still.
We'll be sending someone over.
Someone's coming over right now
to pick up the car.
Very nice men.
They'll be there to help you.
My boyfriend hears it too though.
It's not just me.
See, I was convinced
that it was your timing belt tensioner.
Because when these tensioners go bad
this is exactly the noise
that they make.
But you're not allowing us
to use that answer.
I mean, the classic diagnosis
for a noise going away
when you step on the clutch
is the bearing on the front shaft
of the transmission.
But if you're sitting,
if you're sitting stopped at a light
and it's making the noise.
It's not.
It will not exist
until I'm already moving.
Alright, then I think
the clutch thing is bogus
and I'm sticking with my timing belt tensioner.
I just had my timing belt replaced though.
All the more reason.
Well, I'll tell you why.
Just the other day at the shop
we replaced the timing belt
that had a questionable tensioner.
And when the old belt is in there
and it's really loose,
which is what happens to old belts.
The tensioner doesn't make noise
because there's not much of a load on it
because the belt is loose and floppy
and it's not doing very much tensioning.
When, however, the new belt is put in
and the tensioner is set for the new belt
it will often, if it's old and worn out
which yours is because it's 105 years old
it will begin to make noise.
So that is absolutely what it is.
If you go back and this didn't happen, probably.
Watch out.
You're going to ask a very dangerous question.
Until after the timing belt was put in.
Is that true, Becca?
I'm holding my breath.
I'm pretty sure you're right
because we moved to Massachusetts
three months ago
and it's been doing it since we moved to Massachusetts
and I think right before we left Buffalo
I had the timing belt replaced
and we've been trying to think of what
you know what the time factor is.
What the cause and effect is here.
Yes.
I think that's it.
I think you're right.
And I mean this can be verified
because if you can get it to be making the noise
when someone can have the hood up and listening
then he'll be able to...
Actually just take it to your mechanic
have him take the cover off
and when it makes the noise
have him just loosen the tension on the timing belt to hair
the noise will go right away.
And you had two backup positions on that one?
I did but you don't want to know.
What I meant to do was cream of wheat.
Hey Becca, welcome to Boston.
Thank you.
Do you realize that Buffalo just got
two feet of snow recently?
Like a week or so ago?
Driving there tomorrow.
Good luck.
Good for you.
We may never see you again.
Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Well it's happened again.
You've squandered another perfectly good hour
listening to Car Talk.
Our esteemed producer is Doug Bongo Boy Bourbon.
Our social producers are Louis Cronin the Barbarian
and David What Me Worry Green.
Our engineer is Tad Massamon Curry.
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Oh York Hall.
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and our seat cushion tester is Mike Easter.
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is Uluis Dewey known to the born 20 years too late
wannabe punk rockers in Harvard Square as Uwee Dewey.
Thanks so much for listening.
We're clicking, clack the tapping brothers.
Don't drive like my brother.
Don't drive like my brother.
We'll be back next week.
Bye bye.
Car Talk is a production of Dewey Cheetahman Hall
and WBUR in Boston.
And even though the MIT alumni office re-expunges our records
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this is NPR National Public Radio.
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Listen to We Keep Us Safe,
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This week on Shortwave with the price of jet fuel soaring,
the hunt is on for other ways to power air travel sustainably.
We are working with companies that take post anaerobic digested
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How scientists are considering every possibility,
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This week on Shortwave, listen in the NPR app
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About this episode
A rare 1986 Nissan Stanza wagon 4x4 becomes the focus, especially an ignition problem that clears after replacing the distributor cap and rotor—then returns every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. The hosts explain how a failing electrical path in the distributor/coil setup can cause rough running. The conversation then shifts to windshield issues: sun glare that looks like glitter, and why modern glass can pit quickly. Later, a steering-wheel jerk and a “sticky shifter” lead into diagnostic tips and a few offbeat NPR detours.
Original notes
When Mary Jo told Click and Clack that her windshield was pitted and hard to see thru, Tommy entered a trance-like state and rattled off an amazing string of successful predictions about Amy, her car and her driving habits. Did Tommy’s moment of near-divinity include any actually useful information? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.
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