Explore essential winter car care tips in this engaging episode, where Niall Motormouth Jenkins shares insights on TPMS warnings, dead batteries, and frozen fuel fixes. With a mix of humor and practical advice, listeners learn the importance of monitoring tire pressure, safely handling cold batteries, and preventing fuel line freeze-ups. Niall emphasizes the need for proactive maintenance, especially in harsh winter conditions, ensuring you're prepared for any roadside emergencies. Tune in for valuable knowledge that keeps your vehicle running smoothly all season long.
In today's episode of Car Stuff: did You Know? Motormouth digs into the dashboard mysteries and winter gremlins that catch drivers off guard-especially when the temperatures crater. We cover:
1) TPMS Truths: why your tire pressure monitoring system lights up in the cold-and why you must pull over and check for tread damage or a slow leak instead of driving on and hoping for the best. ( Looking at you, Pops! )
2) Boosting a Cold, Dead Battery:What causes winter battery failure, how to safely boost your vehicle, and how to avoid being stranded in the first place.
3) Fuel Economy & Winter Prep: How frozen fuel lines and iced-up fuel filters happen-and the simple steps you can take today to prevent a snow day breakdown.
4) Smart winter driving reminders for the weeks ahead.
Whether you're dealing with sudden cold snaps, uncooperative sensors, or a crank no-start morning, this episode keeps you prepared, warm, and out of trouble. Prevention beats waiting in the windchill every time.
December's here-help us grow! Like, follow, subscribe, and share today's episode to support the Car Connection community. Your engagement keeps this winter safety series rolling and helps drivers everywhere stay prepared on the coldest days of the year. Visit Car Connection on our website anytime at ccbusnet.com to connect and find links at the top right corner of our home page, our merch store, and more ways to connect as well as get to know our program partners and recommended businesses, Thank You So much! Our merch sales help those in need of addiction help through Total Freedom Canada and USA.. love you guys a bunch! Happy Motoring NMJ Catch us on : Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, StevensvilleOnTheWeb.ca iHeartradio Spotify, Amazon music, Apple Podcasts and many more. platforms. just search: Car Connection Workshop to find us on your favourite podcast platform.NMJ
"You know, and find out, did your neighbor borrow some of your vehicle's antifreeze? Didn't leave a sticky note or anything?"
Antifreeze is a special liquid that helps keep your car's engine from getting too hot or too cold. It makes sure the engine runs smoothly in different weather conditions.
Antifreeze is a fluid used in the cooling system of vehicles to lower the freezing point of the coolant and raise its boiling point. This helps prevent engine overheating and freezing in cold temperatures.
"If you top it up, we have to ask ourselves, well, it's a closed system. Where did that antifreeze actually go to?"
A closed system means that the fluids in your car, like antifreeze, are supposed to stay inside and not leak out. If they do, it could mean there's a problem.
A closed system in automotive terms refers to a system that does not allow the exchange of matter with its surroundings, meaning fluids like coolant are contained within the system and should not be lost unless there is a leak.
"Did you know? TPMS. Do you know what TPMS even stands for?"
TPMS is a system that checks if your car's tires have enough air. If the pressure is low, it lets you know so you can fill them up and stay safe while driving.
TPMS stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It is a safety feature in modern vehicles that monitors the air pressure in the tires and alerts the driver if the pressure is too low, which can help prevent tire blowouts and improve fuel efficiency.
"...and he's really good at maintaining his vehicle as well."
Maintaining a vehicle means taking care of it so it works well and lasts a long time. This includes things like changing the oil and checking the brakes.
Maintaining a vehicle involves regular checks and services to ensure it runs smoothly and safely, including oil changes, brake checks, and tire rotations.
"He says, Yeah, they just, I finally had my winter tire appointment and the tires are on."
Winter tires are special tires made for driving in cold weather, snow, and ice. They help your car grip the road better when it's cold outside.
Winter tires are specifically designed to provide better traction and handling in cold weather conditions, especially on snow and ice. They are made with softer rubber compounds and unique tread patterns to enhance grip in low temperatures.
"I got to go back in a hundred K. They're going to retorque the wheels and say, Well, do you think we might want to get off at the next exit and take a look?"
Retorquing means tightening the bolts that hold the wheels on your car to make sure they are secure. This is done after putting on new tires.
Retorquing refers to the process of tightening wheel nuts or bolts to the manufacturer's specified torque after a tire installation. This is important to ensure that the wheels are securely attached and to prevent them from loosening while driving.
Vibration in a car means that something might not be working right, like the tires or the wheels. If you feel it while driving, it's a good idea to check it out.
Vibration in a vehicle can indicate various issues, such as unbalanced tires, misalignment, or problems with suspension components. It's important to address any vibrations as they can affect handling and safety.
"Let's get that right. A PSI inflation problem. It doesn't mean it's going up in inflation."
PSI is a way to measure how much air is in your tires. It tells you if your tires have enough air to drive safely.
PSI stands for pounds per square inch, a unit of measurement used to quantify pressure. In the context of tires, it indicates the air pressure within them, which is crucial for safe driving and tire longevity.
"it'll show you a picture of which tire sensor is picking up a reading that's showing that the tire inflation is low or it's below spec and they're not always completely accurate."
A tire sensor checks how much air is in your tires. If the air pressure is too low, it lets you know so you can fill them up and drive safely.
A tire sensor is a device that monitors the air pressure inside a tire and alerts the driver if the pressure falls below a certain threshold. These sensors are crucial for maintaining proper tire inflation, which affects vehicle safety and fuel efficiency.
"The thingy, the Schrader valve that you put air into, that's part of the sensor but the sensor is on the inside, on the opposite side and they do tend to rot out."
A Schrader valve is the little piece on your tire where you put air in. It lets you inflate or deflate the tire as needed.
A Schrader valve is a type of valve commonly found on car tires that allows for inflation and deflation of the tire. It is a crucial component of the tire inflation system, enabling easy access to add air when needed.
"but they still corrode. We're still seeing that."
Corrosion happens when metal gets damaged by things like moisture or salt, causing it to rust or break down. This can make parts like tire sensors stop working properly.
Corrosion is the gradual destruction of materials, usually metals, due to chemical reactions with their environment. In the case of TPMS sensors, corrosion can affect their functionality and lifespan.
"But anyways, when that TPMS light comes on, don't ignore it, you could have a tire that's cutting down..."
Tire pressure is how much air is in your tires. If the pressure is too low, it can make your car harder to control and can cause tires to wear out faster.
Tire pressure refers to the amount of air inside a tire, measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). Proper tire pressure is crucial for vehicle safety, fuel efficiency, and tire longevity.
"you could lose control of the vehicle, especially if it's a steering tire."
The steering tire is the front tire that helps you turn your car. If it goes flat, it can make it very hard to drive safely.
A steering tire is the tire on the front axle of a vehicle that is responsible for steering. If a steering tire loses pressure or goes flat, it can severely affect the driver's ability to control the vehicle.
"It causes loss of life of that tire, takes the lifespan of the tire away. Simple as that."
Tire lifespan is how long a tire lasts before it needs to be changed. It can be affected by how you drive and how well you take care of your tires.
Tire lifespan refers to the duration a tire can be effectively used before it needs replacement. Factors affecting it include driving conditions, tire maintenance, and heat buildup from under-inflation or overuse.
"but because the vehicle's been driven on a very low pressure tire,"
A low pressure tire means it doesn't have enough air in it. Driving on it can cause problems like faster wear and even blowouts.
A low pressure tire is one that has less air than the manufacturer's recommended level. Driving on low pressure can lead to increased wear, reduced fuel efficiency, and potential tire failure.
"I'm testing car batteries. You'll want to watch that so that you can get a really good understanding of what makes up a car battery and why that's important to know..."
A car battery is what helps start your car and powers things like the lights and radio when the engine isn't running. It's important to know how it works to keep your car running smoothly.
A car battery is a rechargeable battery that supplies electrical energy to a vehicle. It provides the necessary power to start the engine and supports electrical systems when the engine is off.
"...especially do not boost a freezing cold battery in the winter..."
Boosting a battery means using another battery to help start your car when the battery is dead. It's important to do it safely to avoid damage.
Boosting a battery refers to jump-starting it using another battery or power source. This is often done when a battery is too weak to start the vehicle on its own.
"...you risk number one, blowing a computer out of your car because of spiking, voltage spikes..."
Voltage spikes are quick bursts of electrical power that can happen when you start your car or when something goes wrong. They can hurt the car's electronics if they're too strong.
Voltage spikes are sudden increases in voltage that can occur in electrical systems. They can damage sensitive electronic components, such as those found in modern vehicles.
"...the worst one, the battery can explode. So we don't want to see that happen because if you ever heard a cannon go off, that's exactly what it sounds like..."
A battery explosion happens when a battery gets too hot or is damaged, causing it to burst. This can be very dangerous and can hurt people nearby.
A battery explosion can occur due to excessive pressure buildup or a short circuit, often resulting in dangerous shrapnel and acid exposure. It's a serious risk when handling batteries improperly.
"...the chemical composition is H2SO4. So when a battery is fully charged or in at least some state of charge, a fully charged battery is 12.6 to 13.4 volts. That's good..."
H2SO4 is sulfuric acid, a strong acid found in car batteries. It's dangerous and can harm you if it comes in contact with your skin or eyes.
H2SO4 is the chemical formula for sulfuric acid, which is commonly used in lead-acid batteries. It's important to handle this substance with care, as it can cause severe burns and damage to eyes and skin.
"...go to our YouTube channel, Niall Motormouth Jenkins, and look in the library for battery testing, and watch it, and you'll see how I test batteries..."
Battery testing is how you check if a car's battery is working properly. It helps you find out if the battery needs to be charged or replaced.
Battery testing refers to the process of evaluating the condition and performance of a car battery. This can include checking the voltage, capacity, and overall health to determine if it needs to be charged or replaced.
"...because we're running out of time here, I probably could have only just done three points, but we're giving you four. Fuel economy. Fuel economy for every one of us..."
Fuel economy is how well a car uses fuel. It tells you how far you can drive with a certain amount of gas, which helps you save money on fuel.
Fuel economy refers to the efficiency of a vehicle in terms of how far it can travel on a specific amount of fuel. It's typically measured in miles per gallon (MPG) or liters per 100 kilometers (L/100km).
"Here's what you need to know about your electric vehicle. When it's freezing, stinking cold outside, the colder it gets, electrons slow down."
An electric vehicle is a type of car that runs on electricity instead of gas. It uses batteries to power an electric motor, which makes it different from regular cars that use fuel.
An electric vehicle (EV) is a car that is powered by electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. EVs use electric motors and batteries to propel the vehicle, making them more efficient and environmentally friendly compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
"...for all of us who are putting gasoline in our vehicles, in the wintertime, we get very poor fuel mileage. It drops..."
Fuel mileage is how far a car can go on a certain amount of fuel. In winter, cars often use more fuel because they need to keep the engine warm, which can make the mileage lower.
Fuel mileage refers to the distance a vehicle can travel per unit of fuel consumed, typically measured in miles per gallon (MPG). In colder weather, fuel mileage often decreases because the engine has to work harder to maintain optimal operating temperatures.
"...because that engine is in the computers adjusting air fuel mixture to get the burn going. In other words, keep the fireplace burning hot inside that engine..."
The air fuel mixture is how much air and fuel the engine uses to run. If it's not balanced right, the engine won't work well, especially when it's cold outside.
The air fuel mixture refers to the ratio of air to fuel that is mixed in the engine for combustion. Proper adjustment is crucial for optimal engine performance and fuel efficiency, especially in varying weather conditions.
"...put it in before you fill the tank so that the fuel creates what we call a capillary action like closing a dryer and it'll blend it. And if there is any water in the tank it'll dispel it..."
Capillary action is how liquids can move through tiny spaces, like when you soak a paper towel in water. In fuel systems, it helps mix things together and can push out water that might cause problems.
Capillary action refers to the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of external forces. In the context of fuel, it helps blend additives with gasoline and can assist in removing water from the tank.
"...from icing up your fuel filter because your fuel filter is a fuel purifier. It has several screens inside that filters out to .0001 microns..."
A fuel filter cleans the gasoline before it goes into the engine, making sure there are no dirt or tiny particles that could cause problems. It's like a strainer for your fuel.
A fuel filter is a component in a vehicle's fuel system that removes impurities from the fuel before it reaches the engine. It typically has multiple screens that filter out particles as small as .0001 microns.
"...that filters out to .0001 microns. Smaller than a grain of sand. Very teeny teeny weeny times teeny weeny..."
A micron is a tiny measurement used to describe really small things. For example, a grain of sand is much larger than a micron, which is why fuel filters can catch very small particles.
A micron is a unit of measurement equal to one millionth of a meter. In automotive contexts, it is often used to describe the size of particles that filters can remove from fuel or oil.
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Good morning Niagara, you're tuning in to car connection where the coffee is hot, the
tools are ready and the talk is always tuned up.
I'm your host, Niall Motormouth Jenkins, coming to you straight from the car connection workshop
where we mix a little humor, a little know-how and a whole lot of horsepower.
Here it's not just about fixing cars, it's about keeping you rolling, saving you money
and giving you the confidence to understand what's under the hood.
From the classics to the commuters, the weird noises to the what the heck moments, we've got you covered.
So grab your coffee, lock it into your cup holder if you're driving, keep an eye on the road and the other guy,
you know who I'm talking about.
Sit back and join the crew because this is car connection.
Your weekday, Saturday morning pit stop for stories, smarts and a few good laughs.
And I'm Motormouth Jenkins and we're shifting into drive right here on the Motormouth Morning Drive.
Hey, thanks for joining us this morning.
If this is your very first time, welcome aboard.
Be sure to bring some donuts next time.
That's how you make really good friends here in the workshop.
If you're returning and adding us to your morning drive, thank you for doing so.
And don't forget, check your order before you leave the drive through.
Just saying, it happens often, more often than it should to me.
I'm not sure about you.
Well, we've got a bunch of things to jump into this morning and I've entitled this morning's program, Car Stuff.
Did you know?
Yeah, did you know?
So stay with us and check that out.
We'd like to say thank you to our program partners for making car connection YouTube and also our Facebook, Instagram,
Stevensville on the web, and our iHeart podcast on all platforms, Apple Music and Amazon Music,
Apple Podcasts, you know the deal.
The whole platform, the whole schmiel.
Just type Car Connection Workshop in the search engine and you'll find us.
So, Motor Bell's Morning Drive is brought to you by Crystal Ridge Dream Center,
serving men, women and children, meals, love and hope, changing lives one at a time in the Niagara region.
Be considerate of maybe, you know, joining that community, being a part of what they do that we don't have time to do.
Would you do that?
Please and thank you.
And all our program partners are all available to you in one spot.
CarConnectionBusinessNetwork.com.
The short form is CCBusNet.com.
Click on their link on our logo.
The logo is on the links.
Yeah, and this is without any anesthetic tomorrow morning.
Yeah, that's rough.
So, we just like to say thank you, but they're all available to you there.
You just click on their logo.
The link will automatically open the profile page.
Top right hand corner of our homepage at CCBusNet.com.
We'll give you all the links for our YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, Stevensville on the web.ca.
That's where my pops has lived for 42 years.
There's some amazing family owned and operated businesses there as well as eateries.
Some of my faves are in Stevensville.
So, it's great to be a part of community and that's the reason why we're there.
We also have our merch store.
We're adding more items to the store and each item that you purchase is only $5 over cost.
With proceeds going to Total Freedom Darien Center New York Campus and Total Freedom Sydney, Manitoba, Canada for men only campus.
Your new life awaits you if you're challenged with an addiction.
Even though you're Canadian, you can get to the USA campus and it's not a program.
It is a life change.
So, thank you to Total Freedom Darien Center New York USA and Total Freedom Sydney, Manitoba, Canada with Rick and Rob and the facilitators.
They have great testimonies to share.
Let me tell you.
They've been there.
Thank you to Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing, low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices.
They sell no junk.
They do in-house financing.
So, if you've got good credit, no credit, bad credit, they also do leasing.
They're GTA's premier pre-owned auto store.
So, they do have a great inventory but there's so many vehicles out there.
If you're looking for something specific, Earl and Louise are car guys and they have the resources to source that vehicle for you.
And again, they do not sell any junk.
The vehicles they sell are like brand new.
They're almost like they've been hermetically sealed.
Pretty much.
And to Rita and Ramiz Shenouda, the brothers at Rainbow Motors and Garage Sales and Service, you can trust in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Be sure to let them know that Car Connection sent you.
They do also have a small car lot.
You can purchase something there and also have its service there.
Again, if they don't have what you're looking for, let them know what type of vehicle you're looking for specifically.
Let them do the legwork.
Because I say this, these guys know their craft.
If you're not taking a licensed mechanic with you to go and look at a vehicle and especially if you're buying it privately, people lie.
They lie like carpets because they want to get rid of that vehicle.
Not to say all of them, just a majority of them.
So unless you're taking a service technician with you to look a vehicle over, you're in a safe place at City Auto Sales and Leasing and Rainbow Motors and Garage to make a vehicle purchase.
And you can also buy extended warranties on those vehicles as well.
At Rainbow Motors, they service all years, makes and models up to light commercial vehicles.
And thank you to our certified financial planning professionals, my brothers from other mothers, Tony Miele and Larry Tietro.
50 years combined experience as fiduciaries with IG Wealth Management.
These guys are two of the best in all of Canada.
And they're giving up their time.
They don't need any more customers, but they promise any person that connects with them through car connection gets a one hour.
We call it the hour in the coffee discovering meeting where you can get your questions answered from those who actually have the fruit on the tree.
And as my professor has always said, if the person that's giving you financial and investment and insurance advice is not where you want to be, smile, nod and get in touch with Tony Miele or Larry Tietro,
they do investment portfolios and reviews, debt retirement, estate planning, wills, powers of attorney.
They get that all set up for you.
Mortgages, life insurance, critical illness insurance, and you know, insurance may seem like an expense till you need it.
It's a wise investment.
And thank you to the Grimoire family at Niagara Block, 5000 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls, building Canada since 1931, building materials as well as hardscape landscaping materials that will help to put together that wonderful backyard experience you're looking for.
You know that special oasis where you can hide away from the names or family or just that person that you never say, how's it going?
You know what I'm talking about.
All right, let's jump right in.
Did I?
Yes, I do.
I have another motor mouth winter tip for you.
And it is winter tip number 29.
That's right.
If your heater's blowing cold, don't panic babies.
It might just be low coolant.
So top it up before you go tearing the dash apart looking for gremlins.
So if you have a situation where you turn the heater on, it's blowing warm but not cold air.
First thing to do is check the fluid level.
If the fluid's low, we need to check that as well.
You know, and find out, did your neighbor borrow some of your vehicles antifreeze?
Didn't leave a sticky note or anything?
Or do we have a leak, an external leak?
Or if we're not seeing puddles and puddles of stuff underneath the car that could possibly be antifreeze, where's the antifreeze going?
So there's a lot more to that winter tech tip.
Just don't just ignore it.
If you top it up, we have to ask ourselves, well, it's a closed system.
Where did that antifreeze actually go to?
It's normal to add a little bit and I would say like maybe 250, I know I'm going to say metric milliliters of antifreeze
and make sure that you are topping up with the appropriate antifreeze for your vehicle.
Now you can purchase antifreeze that's already premixed.
So if you have no idea what to do with the antifreeze, then you know what, buy the premix.
I know you're paying for half the jug to be water and the other half to be product.
But if you don't know and you're not confident in how to mix it, then just buy the 50-50, 50% water, 50% coolant
so that you've got the right blend because that's important.
It's super critical.
Cooling systems are the number one most neglected system on our vehicles anytime, anywhere.
So be safe, keep it under 100 and stay tuned for another motor mouth tech tip.
Well, let's jump right in this morning because I've got, it's Friday morning.
Can you believe it?
We've made it to the weekend.
And it's weird for me, it's really weird because 31 years of doing live radio every single Saturday,
it's really weird that I'm podcasting and only doing 30 minutes.
You know what I'm saying?
If you'd like me to do more, I can.
I've, for many years we did two hour broadcasts.
Now before we get too far, you know what I've forgotten this morning?
That we have to have our morning coffee together.
That's right.
I can't cram you all in the car connection workshop, but it'd be a whole lot of fun trying.
I'd say that for sure.
Maybe we'll do something in the summer.
We'll do like a block party barbecue and you have to win a ticket to join us in the car connection workshop live.
That would be cool.
Something to think about.
All right, here's how we do it.
Whatever your morning beverages, double decaf or the half calf or a smoothie or some kind of yogurt fruit blend, whatever it is.
But here in the car connection workshop, or it could be tea, maybe your tea drinker.
We are hardcore 99.5% octane boost coffee.
So on three, two, one, let's have a swiggy together.
If you're driving, be careful.
Keep it up one eye on the road, one eye on your cup and a hand on the steering wheel and a foot on the dash if you have to.
Three, two, one, warm coffee.
Unfortunately for me, I have to drink warm coffee right now because I got a couple of teeth that got problems.
And if the hot coffee or something cold hits there, it's like a knife being stabbed right in my head.
Not to say I know what that feels like.
I know what it's like to bang my head on the corner of the hoist.
Yeah, that one hurts right away.
There's no waiting.
It's like bonk.
Oh, man, I think I saw all of this.
Great coffee.
What's your favorite coffee blend?
Let us know.
Let's get some coffee conversation.
What's your favorite morning beverage?
Leave me a comment.
You can do that through our website, carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com.
There's a website form.
Jump on and like and subscribe, follow, share, ring the bell, get notifications.
We put three new videos up every week on our YouTube channel, Niall Motormouth Jenkins.
Leave me a comment.
What's your go-to morning beverage when you're either on a drive, driving to and from work, or just getting up and getting started in the morning?
Let me know.
Let's get some morning coffee beverage conversation going and see what it is that you like.
I still say decaf is wrong.
It's like turkey bacon.
Just no.
No.
We have a rule around the carconnection workshop when we do bacon double cheeseburgers is we cook a pound and eat two pounds.
Yeah.
So you always have to buy three pounds of bacon.
One goes towards the burgers.
The other two.
We eat that.
Absolutely.
Okay.
You're ready to jump in?
I've got some tech tips for you this morning.
It looks like I've got around a quad, a quad round for you.
That's four bits, four tidbits.
Car stuff.
Did you know?
TPMS.
Do you know what TPMS even stands for?
Or if your vehicle is even equipped with TPMS.
Some people think it's PMS on most cars.
My car's got PMS.
It turned on the money light, the check engine light.
I've heard that several times from a number of women.
My car's got PMS.
I go, well, I can't help you with that.
Because you know what?
I could get killed and you could get away with it.
Absolutely.
No, it's nothing like that.
TPMS.
Tire pressure monitoring system.
Just yesterday, my pops took me up to Hamilton to see the, I could call him the dental surgeon
guy.
And he drove just in case they wanted to put me down on the spot.
Yeah, like a bad donkey.
But they checked it over and then they said, it would be best that we like put you out
of it.
We can do that for you.
So that's all set up.
But his TPMS light comes on while we're driving.
Okay?
This is a, I'm sharing this because this is so typical out there.
So we're booting along.
And I mean, my pops drives like he stole it.
Like it's a rental car.
You know, ever since he got this Lexus SUV, he's like turned into a road animal.
He's 89 years old.
He's going to, well, he's not quite 89 in a few days, actually a few days, a very few
days.
And yeah, his birthday's coming up and then he'll be 89.
But you know, it's great that he still has his independence.
And he's really good at maintaining his vehicle as well.
So got to give him a thumbs up, but I'll tell you, he's hard on the brakes.
He gets man.
Yeah.
So his TPMS light comes on.
He says, Oh, as I was, I was in La La Land, I was thinking about, you know, how's this
dental emergency repaired and maintenance going to take, take out of me, you know, having
a raunchy toothache for, for almost three weeks now and playing around with this thing.
Now we're finally getting down to brass tacks.
But anyways, pops goes, Hey, what?
My TPMS light just came on and I look over and I'm going, Wow, he's like smoking this
thing.
And so did you just have tires put on?
He says, Yeah, they just, I finally had my winter tire appointment and the tires are
on.
I got to go back in a hundred K.
They're going to retorque the wheels and say, Well, do you think we might want to get
off at the next exit and take a look?
See, see if there might be something sticking out of the, one of the tires or we got one
going down.
What's going on?
Oh, no, I don't feel any vibration or anything.
We should be all right.
So I'm like, Okay, and then that's what sparked me to say we need to talk about TPMS.
The whole purpose behind that is if the light comes on, it's flagging you that one or more
tires has got an inflation issue, not an economic inflation.
Let's get that right.
A PSI inflation problem.
It doesn't mean it's going up in inflation.
It's going down.
It means you're losing air or if you lost air, excuse me, still dealing with this cold,
but anyhow, I'll give it to somebody else later on that doesn't have one.
So he did not want to pull off and have a look at it.
He said, I got to get you on there, get you to the dental surgeon on time.
We got to hit the mark.
So I'm like, Okay, whatever happens happens.
But when that light comes on, that's not the procedure you should follow is wait until
what the steering wheel starts to wobble back and forth and you know, you've got a steering
tire that's flat on the bottom.
No, just pull over at the first area where you can get off the highway or get out of
traffic and do a walk around, have a look.
See if anything looks serious, check the tread on all four tires, determine on some systems
it'll show you a picture of which tire sensor is picking up a reading that's showing that
the tire inflation is low or it's below spec and they're not always completely accurate.
That's true.
And you know, with us living in an area where we have four seasons and in the winter time,
the salt, the salt air from the roadway gets into those sensors and it rocks them.
That's what happens.
Plus there's moisture inside the wheel, you know, where the sensor is, it's on the inside
of the rim, not on the outside.
The thingy, the Schrader valve that you put air into, that's part of the sensor but the
sensor is on the inside, on the opposite side and they do tend to rot out.
The newer style, I have to say, the price has come down on the TPMS sensors, tire sensors,
but they still corrode.
We're still seeing that.
There's some better designed TPMS sensors than others that don't seem to corrode quite as much.
They're sealed, they seem to be better sealed.
But anyways, when that TPMS light comes on, don't ignore it, you could have a tire that's
cutting down and instead of being out there in traffic and the thing goes flat, you could lose
control of the vehicle, especially if it's a steering tire.
Rear tire can kind of throw you around a little bit, especially if you're on icy road, slippery,
slippery road surfaces, you could end up going into the ditch.
So when that light comes on, it's best to check instead of ignore.
Tire pressure monitoring system, I believe in my opinion is a great idea because I see,
I'm a tire watcher.
I don't, don't ask me why that is, but I do.
Excuse me, I watch tires as they're going down the road.
I go, that car has two out of three that are softies.
Oh, that one's, that transport truck there's got three sets of duals.
The inboard tire is like at half mask, half tire pressure if you're lucky.
And this is how number one, you lose fuel economy.
Number two, you're actually running that tire hot.
Even in the winter, the rubber's getting hot.
It causes loss of life of that tire, takes the lifespan of the tire away.
Simple as that.
Heat causes the tire to come apart on the inside.
You may not notice a single thing going on on the outside, but I'll tell you what,
when I pull tires off the rims and there's all kinds of black fur in there,
that tells me that at some point you ran a tire extremely low and it was carving itself out on
the inside.
So that's the problem with that is I can look at the outside and I see no tread damage,
no sidewall damage, but because the vehicle's been driven on a very low pressure tire,
the damage is going to be on the inside where we cannot see it.
So let's move on.
Next, boosting.
If your neighbor or somebody at work, a friend or whatever, family member, circle of friends,
has a vehicle and the battery's dead, it's wintertime, it's cold out,
you notice the puddles are frozen, any water laying around is frozen.
Well, what happens when a battery discharges?
And you can watch a video on this on our YouTube channel.
I think it's in the first 12 videos in our library.
We have almost 300 videos up now, only in a matter of a few months,
three every week, and they add up.
And again, if you're just joining us, the videos are for or they're teaching videos.
You get to see stuff that you normally will not ever see in the service bays at the service desk,
talking to the service rider.
I'm doing the work, I break it down for you into simple, easy to understand language,
and it doesn't matter how old the vehicle is, the basics never change.
Whether we've gone from digital to high tech, the components, whether they're high tech or digital,
that do some kind of function, they still do that function, but only they're doing it electronically
now instead of manual.
So what you see me illustrate in the videos is the five things.
What it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks, and what could you learn
to better understand the components of your vehicle, how they work, where they are,
and how they break, you could save yourself a lot of heartache and a lot of money.
So sign up for our YouTube videos and be a part of our YouTube community,
where you'll learn a lot of material in layman's languages.
So you know what, you become a secret weapon when you take your vehicle into the service department.
So ladies, that gives you the knowledge and information that will really help you to engage
further when you take the vehicle in for servicing.
And here's what we noticed many years ago was 85% of our clients when we had Jenkins
Automotive repairs on the Hamilton Mountain, 85% were the women.
For some reason, the fellas voted in the ladies to take the vehicles into the garage to get service.
So it was one of the things that prompted me to make sure that we are putting out enough
information. We used to do women's service clinics in and around the Hamilton area and
also into the U.S., and they would sell out. The ladies would, we'd put them in coveralls,
we'd have three or four service bays where there's an activity, an objective at each service bay
with a service tech overseeing and walk you through it. And every 22 minutes we would,
the whistle would sound and you'd move to the next elective. And by the time you were done,
you were, you were accomplished four services in all four service bays. It was a lot of fun.
So that's what prompted me to, let's get a YouTube channel going so I can show you stuff,
repairs and maintenance, simple things in simple language. So on our YouTube videos,
we have, I have in the first, I believe it's in the first dozen or so,
I'm testing car batteries. You'll want to watch that so that you can get a really good understanding
of what makes up a car battery and why that's important to know, especially, especially do not
boost a freezing cold battery in the winter, whether it's your car or someone else's, you risk
the opportunity, number one, blowing a computer out of your car because of spiking, voltage spikes,
number two, the worst one, the battery can explode. So we don't want to see that happen because if
you ever heard a cannon go off, that's exactly what it sounds like and your head is right there.
So you don't want to get showered like I did one time, a battery blew up without any, I just went
to put my volt meter on to check the battery voltage and the thing went off. All I saw was a
flash, a huge explosion and I heard, I closed my eyes and my apprentice Jeff was beside me and I'm
just, I'm going, Jeff, are you okay? Are you all right? And he's like, what? I hear him saying, what?
He's like three, not even three elbows away from me. We were both deafened by that. But thank goodness,
we didn't suffer any, any harm. We didn't lose our eyesight from the acid. We made our way to the
sink with our eyes closed and washed the acid off. So you do not want to experience that. Here's how
you do it. If the battery is dead, when a battery dies and loses its voltage, the liquid that's
inside of a battery, the chemical composition is H2SO4. So when a battery is fully charged or in
at least some state of charge, a fully charged battery is 12.6 to 13.4 volts. That's good.
10.6, we're getting the point where the computers are shutting down circuits to try and keep the car
running. That means the battery is undercharged. So what happens is we drop below 10.4 volts,
say 9.6, 7.3, that H2SO4 separates. So it becomes H2O blank SO4. So the water, H2O, separates from
the acid. That's when a battery freezes. So if we got a dead battery, we don't know how much of the
H2SO4 has separated and frozen. So here's how you treat it for safety purposes. It's a stone cold,
possibly frozen or partially frozen battery. It needs to come out of the car, come into the warmth
and completely sit for at least 24 hours until the battery is completely warmed up. And how will
we know? Because the battery will frost over on the outside as it's trying to warm up. And that will
also give us an indicator as to if the battery is frozen, the frost will be heavier at the point on
the outside of the case of the battery where the water is frozen. So that will tell us, we have
a battery that is frozen, it's done. It buckles the plates, the insulators, the lead plates,
that battery is finished. But if the battery warms up when we just see a light amount of
frosting on the outside of the battery, there's a chance that battery might survive. But if it's
already four, five, anywhere three to five to seven years old, it's probably not going to make it.
But if we want to give it a chance, we got to let it warm up and then slow charge it for an hour,
medium charge it, not fast charge. Fast charge is just like a boost. When you boost a dead battery,
you're actually buckling the plates, heating the plates up inside the battery, and it takes the
life out of that battery. Every time you do that. But in the wintertime, no boosting, cold,
stone, cold, frozen batteries, not a good idea. That's a big N slash O. No. That battery's got
to come out. So the vehicle's going to either A, got to be towed to the garage, to the shop,
or if you're a do-it-yourselfer, get that battery out, bring it in the house, keep an eye on it,
see where the frost comes out on the battery. Like I said, if it's just light frost on the outside
of the casing, it might survive. But my first question is, did you leave something on to kill
the battery? Yes or no? Was something left on that killed the battery? If the answer is no,
chances are that battery is probably not okay. It decided in the cold weather, when resistance
goes high, and we'll talk about all that electron theory and everything else, and the make-ups of
the battery. But if you go to our YouTube channel, Niall Motormouth Jenkins, and look in the library
for battery testing, and watch it, and you'll see how I test batteries, and you'll get a really good
understanding, because I break it down for you, and you actually see what I'm doing. So again,
boosting a stone cold battery in the winter? No. N slash O. Do-it-yourselfers? No. Plus no,
divided by no, equals no. It has to come out. Next, because we're running out of time here,
I probably could have only just done three points, but we're giving you four. Fuel economy. Fuel
economy for every one of us, including you electric vehicle people. We're talking electrons.
Here's what you need to know about your electric vehicle. When it's freezing, stinking cold outside,
the colder it gets, electrons slow down. That's right. They slow down. Your battery in your
electric car will discharge faster than me, who has a regular car battery. Resistance goes high
when it's freezing cold outside, and the colder it goes, the electron resistance, that means the
flow of electricity, it gets harder and harder for electricity. Get up, get out of bed, and get
going. If that's an easier way for you to understand it. So that's why these electric vehicles in the
wintertime, you don't get as much mileage out of your electricity charge, because you've got old
male winter at your back, and it's not good. This electricity does not flow freely when it's freezing
cold outside. So expect your charge on your electric vehicle to, it can be reduced by 40 to 50 percent.
So keep that in mind. If it's been sitting at work in a parking lot for 9, 10 hours in the freezing
cold temperature, you are not going to have the same amount of electricials available to you when
you go to take that car home. The stored electricity is going to be reduced by 40 to 50 percent and
up. So you got to keep that in mind. I'm not, I'm not disrespecting any of you who have electric
vehicle. It works for some. It is not a vehicle that would work for my lifestyle and what I do
and what I need to accomplish. But if that's you, you've got to understand the electron theory. You
have to, because that's your gas tank. So again, electricity, the resistance goes up. That's the
flow of electricity. That means it slows down to a snail's pace, so you lose the charge.
So keep that in mind for all you electric car owners in the wintertime. Yeah, you know,
if I fill up my gas tank, it can be 12 hours or three days. I haven't used it. It's still going
to be full. But your, your battery powered vehicle, that's not true. So if you, you, you have a full
charge when you left for work on a freezing cold day, because you unplugged it at home, don't expect
to have a large amount of electricity still in there when you go to leave to go home. You've got
to understand that, that you can lose start about 40% from everything I've read about 40%
and upwards based on the cold outside and temperature. So the colder it is,
the more the electricity will drop off. You lose your electrical charge. All right, next up. So
for all of us who are putting gasoline in our vehicles, in, in the wintertime, we get very
poor fuel mileage. It drops. It doesn't mean it's going down to zero or you're losing 40 to 50%
by no means. But in the wintertime, we use a little more fuel because the vehicles working hard
to try and keep the engine and the cooling system all at 190 degrees Fahrenheit. It's actually 195.
195 Fahrenheit, no matter what's going on in outside ambient air temperature and wind and
all that that can affect wind chill, high winds, it's winter. We lose fuel economy no matter what
because that engine is in the computers adjusting air fuel mixture to get the burn going. In other
words, keep the fireplace burning hot inside that engine so the engine can stay at 195 Fahrenheit,
no matter what. That's how that works. So in the wintertime, it's burning more fuel to keep the
fire burning hot to, to, to maintain that 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Next up, if you want to reduce
the opportunity of sitting on the side of the road because your fuel system froze up or iced up,
here's what you can do. And it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. You don't need the service
technician to do it for you. You can take care of business yourself here. Go to your local part
store, automotive part store, and make sure you have a really good supply of one shot
gas line antifreeze. Some people call it dry gas. I'm just going to keep it simple for those
who don't know what that means, you know, gas line antifreeze. At least a couple of times a month
as the temperature, the colder it is, add some more gas line antifreeze. Yes, they do put some of
those additives in the fuel, but yes, there is water in the holding tanks in the ground at service
centers. I used to work at them when I was a kid and we'd have to do dips, dip the tank. So we'd
have to put this paste on the bottom of the the dipping stick and it would turn color and show us
the level of water that's in the bottom of the tanks because at a certain level they got to pull
the tanks and they got to be replaced. So keep that in mind. There is water in the in-ground fuel
tanks at all service centers. How much? We don't know. They know. They have to monitor that. So
we need to be proactive. Get yourself like a six pack of gas line antifreeze. It's not expensive.
And just make a habit of every other tank full. Put a bottle in. You put the whole thing in.
It's one shot. Fill the tank. Put it in before you fill the tank so that the fuel creates what
we call a capillary action like closing a dryer and it'll blend it. And if there is any water
in the tank it'll dispel it and disperse it and push it through. So that will prevent you from
icing up your fuel filter because your fuel filter is a fuel purifier. It has several screens inside
that filters out to .0001 microns. Smaller than a grain of sand. Very teeny teeny weeny times teeny
weeny. So ice gets in those screens, plugs it up, and then it's a CarnoGo situation. It becomes a
nova. Which means CarnoGo. So think about that one for a while. So doing that ladies, you can do it.
Very, very easy. You pop the top, poke the foil. Don't let that foil drop into. That's one thing I
want to say. Don't let that little foil disc go in your gas tank. So if you poke it with a key or
something, peel it off. Don't just dump it in and that little foil dot that's sealing off the bottom
gets in the tank. Not a good idea. All right, so that's a little prevention of fixing a problem,
a potential problem, and creating a new one. We don't want to do that. So those are the tips I
have for you today and that'll keep you from freezing up and having to wait for roadside
assistance. And you know, I remember many years ago on the Hamilton Mount where we had our shop,
we were in like minus 22 for about six weeks. And that's when you're walking on snow and it squeaks.
And when you're breathing through your nose, your nose hairs freeze. That's when we as service techs
know it's stinking cold outside and taking your gloves off to do a little, you know, a little
adjustment here or there outside. It makes your fingers ache in a matter of minutes. And that
particular winter on the Hamilton Mountain, I remember we had vehicles towed in overnight
and we had no parking spots left. We had cars in the shop. And what we were having to do was
a lot of these vehicles were no starts in after sitting overnight in the freezing cold.
We would have to get them crammed them into the shop, push them in overnight,
and let the next six or eight warm up at thaw out so we could at least start them up and get
them running. And then we could check to see where the problems lie that need to be taken care of
so that you don't come back, you know, the next week for the same problem. So I remember that we
were pushing cars in and out of the shop till our backs were aching. We stayed in that minus 22.
I think we almost hit that that year. I asked that we moved our shop that year in January,
and it was like minus 27. Yeah, we moved it overnight. We worked all day at 1060 Rymel Road
East packed the shop up I had guys moving stuff during the day and we moved up to
we moved sorry we moved from 1154 Rymel Road East on the Hamilton Mountain up to 1060 Rymel
Road East and we were open for business by 10 o'clock the next morning. Disorganized somewhat,
but we had a strategy and so we worked all day to like 6 6 30 closed the doors, hauled all the
equipment out and marky mark who was my tow truck driver at the time of the flatbed him and I
were we took the last load up to the new shop and it was like five o'clock in the morning
and it was freezing cold outside the snow was squeaky and we went we went back and we washed
the shop out at 1154 Rymel Road East and then at that time there was a robin's doughnuts across
the street from the shop that was kind of dangerous but they had really good soup and sandwiches so
marky marky says you want to go grab a coffee some soup they probably got sandwiches and
stuff ready for the day I said yeah let's go do that so we sat in there and warmed up but I'll
tell you that was the coldest nights I ever experienced and so we want to be prepared
because we do not know if we're going to hit a cold snap where we're going to see that kind of
temperature those kinds of temperatures so the gas line antifreeze going to save your
bacon from a freeze up so till next time we'll see you tomorrow morning saturday morning for
motor mouths drive time so come and join us and don't forget to like share follow and ring the bell
join us on our youtube channel like share follow on facebook instagram and let your friends and
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search bar car connection workshop so keep it under 100 happy motoring and put the coffee on
because I'm going to come to your house
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