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Car Talk Show Offering Tips for Affordable Vehicle Repairs

Car Talk Show Offering Tips for Affordable Vehicle Repairs

Under The Hood show Apr 13, 2026 47 min
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About this episode

Russ Evans fields a full slate of real-world car questions, from a 2003 Buick LeSabre with a flashing check-engine light and misfire/catalyst codes (battery resets won’t clear OBD2 history; likely fuel filter, ignition, or a failing catalytic converter) to towing heat management on a 2018 Ram 1500 with an oil cooler (185°F thermostat is fine and can help keep CVT temps down). Other segments cover ZDDP additives for older engines, diagnosing intermittent ABS/traction-control triggers via live data, Jeep emissions that barely pass due to cleanliness/NOx, DEF legislation expectations, and timing-chain rattle checks on a 2.2L engine.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Company

Lowe's

"Introducing Home Care Plus, a new subscription service from Lowe's that helps make life easier by giving members a hand with home maintenance."

Lowe's is a store that sells home-improvement stuff. Here they’re talking about a subscription that helps with home maintenance tasks.

Concept

electric dryer vent cleaning

"Let Lowe's tackle the tasks you keep meaning to do, like electric dryer vent cleaning, replacing hard to reach light bulbs, and more."

Dryer vent cleaning is maintenance that helps prevent lint buildup, which can reduce airflow and increase fire risk. It’s mentioned here as an example of the kind of home service the subscription would handle.

Company

CarMax

"Do you want to find a stress-free way to buy your next car? Start at CarMax and shop your way. If you want to browse with confidence, get pre-qualified online with no impact on your credit score..."

CarMax is a used-car store. They’re advertising that you can shop online and get pre-qualified before you buy.

Company

Berkeley One Classics

"We do have some podcast sponsors. Like Berkeley One Classics, your key to collector car insurance."

Berkeley One Classics is an insurance company for classic/collector cars. They’re sponsoring the show to promote that service.

Concept

collector car insurance

"We do have some podcast sponsors. Like Berkeley One Classics, your key to collector car insurance. And Road Ready Wheels, replica OEM wheels at huge savings."

Collector car insurance is for classic cars. It’s designed to fit how these cars are usually owned and driven, not like a normal daily car.

Term

replica OEM wheels

"And Road Ready Wheels, replica OEM wheels at huge savings. Use the offer code hoody for even more."

Replica OEM wheels are aftermarket wheels made to match the design of factory wheels (OEM = original equipment manufacturer). Enthusiasts often choose them for appearance while trying to keep costs down compared with genuine OEM parts.

Term

OBD2

"Well, what you got going on there is a car with an OBD2 onboard diagnostic system..."

OBD2 is the car’s computer system that watches the engine and emissions. When something goes wrong, it saves a code so a mechanic can figure out what failed.

Term

partially plugged fuel filter

"So if you have a partially plugged fuel filter at higher RPM where it needs more fuel, it's going to bog down and it's going to cause that misfire."

A partially clogged fuel filter doesn’t completely block fuel, but it slows it down. When you push the engine harder, the lack of fuel can cause bogging and misfires.

Company

Advanced Auto Parts

"Or you could start out by taking it to advanced auto parts. They're one of our partners. And one of the things that they do is we'll, they'll do a free code scan of your car and that, that can help you out."

Advanced Auto Parts is a store that sells car parts. They can also plug into your car and read the error codes for free, which helps you figure out what might be wrong before you pay a mechanic.

Term

catalytic converter

"It's an Amelon and it's got a plugged catalytic converter. So it, that's a plausible item as well."

The catalytic converter is part of your exhaust system that cleans up the car’s fumes. If it’s plugged or failing, the car may run poorly and the check-engine light may come on.

Term

precious metals

"They're not full of the precious metals like they should be. They're very, very low on that to save cost."

Inside the catalytic converter are special metals that help clean the exhaust. Cheaper converters often use less of those metals, so they may not clean as well.

Part

engine oil cooler

"So I've been wanting to put an engine oil cooler on and I finally did that this year. And I'm just wondering, so it's like, you know, normally normal temp is two ten to two twenty..."

An engine oil cooler is like a small radiator for your engine oil. It helps keep the oil from getting too hot, which is good for engine health.

Term

185-degree thermostat

"...this has a hundred eighty five degree thermostat in it on the Tamishimoto universal engine oil cooler. Is that one eighty five?"

A 185-degree thermostat means the cooler doesn’t really kick in until the oil gets to around 185°F. If it’s too low, the oil might not warm up as well; if it’s right, it helps prevent overheating.

Company

Mishimoto

"...on the Tamishimoto universal engine oil cooler. Is that one eighty five?... Yeah, well, the engine oil, it's a thermostatic cooler. It's a Mishimoto aftermarket universal."

Mishimoto is a company that makes aftermarket cooling parts. Their oil cooler kits are designed to work on a lot of different cars.

Concept

engine oil temperature

"...and it's it's important to keep that down. Typically, your engine oil temperature is going to run somewhere along the lines of your engine coolant temperature."

Engine oil temperature is how hot the oil gets while the engine is running. The hotter it gets, the more important it is that the oil still lubricates properly.

Concept

engine coolant temperature

"...Typically, your engine oil temperature is going to run somewhere along the lines of your engine coolant temperature."

Engine coolant temperature is the temperature of the liquid that absorbs heat from the engine and carries it to the radiator. The speaker’s point is that oil temperature often correlates with coolant temperature because both are influenced by engine heat generation and cooling system performance.

Brand

Amsoil

"and I've been running Amsoil, then, you know, I don't know what your thoughts are. [768.6s] Amsoil, but I've been running that since forty thousand."

Amsoil is a brand of motor oil and related additives. The host is saying their oil helped keep engine oil cooler and better protected.

Term

reduce friction

"That's going to reduce friction. [798.2s] And when you reduce friction, you're going to reduce heat."

Reducing friction means there’s less “rubbing” inside the engine. Less rubbing usually means less heat and less wear.

Term

reduce heat

"And when you reduce friction, you're going to reduce heat. [801.0s] So if you're running an Amsoil product in there, yes, you would run, [804.8s] you're going to with the additive that's in it, you're going to reduce friction"

Reducing heat helps the engine oil stay in its “sweet spot.” If oil doesn’t get as hot, it lasts longer and protects the engine better.

Term

195 thermostat

"If you've got a one ninety five thermostat, it's going to keep it at a minimum of one ninety five and it's going to go up as soon as the engine warms up."

That “195” is basically the temperature the thermostat is designed to start opening at. It helps the engine settle into a consistent operating temperature.

Company

Justice Brothers

"And for our partner, Justice Brothers has a ZDDP additive. They do. It's going to be in basically everything."

Justice Brothers is a company that makes oil additives you can buy to add to your engine oil. Here, they’re being mentioned because their products include ZDDP and are marketed for engine protection.

Company

car-part.com

"And by car-part.com with over 200 million parts. Find them online at car-part.com and by Road Ready Wheels, OEM replica wheels at a huge savings, roadreadywheels.com."

car-part.com is a website where you can find auto parts, often used parts. It can be a good way to get the right part for a repair without paying brand-new prices.

Term

OEM replica wheels

"Road Ready Wheels, OEM replica wheels at a huge savings, roadreadywheels.com."

These are replacement wheels that copy the factory wheel design. People buy them when they want the car to look original but want a better price.

Company

Redfin

"That's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2,200 agents with local expertise and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents."

Redfin is a real-estate company that helps people buy homes. Here, they’re just talking about how it helps you go from browsing to actually making a purchase.

Company

Road Ready Wheels

"Maybe your wheels leak air or maybe you want to upgrade from an old rusty steel wheel. Road Ready Wheels has both aluminum alloy and new steel wheels to fit many cars on the road today."

Road Ready Wheels is a company that sells replacement wheels for cars. They offer different wheel types (like aluminum or steel) and try to make them look and fit like factory wheels, but for less money.

Term

aftermarket wheels

"Aftermarket wheels can be very expensive and it's so hard to choose what you want."

Aftermarket wheels are wheels you buy from a company other than the car’s brand. They can look great, but you have to make sure they fit your car correctly.

Company

BerkeleyClassics.com

"Berkeley One Classics makes it easy to get a quote. Just visit them on the web at BerkeleyClassics.com and use their online quote tool or give them a call, 1-800-603-3330."

They’re saying you can get a quote online at BerkeleyClassics.com. It’s a faster way to check pricing instead of waiting on a phone call.

Term

ABS

"And it's going to cause a variance in speed at just one of the wheels. And if that happens, it's going to turn that track light on the ABS."

ABS helps keep your wheels from locking up when you brake hard. If it detects a problem with wheel-speed readings, it lights up an ABS warning.

Term

timing chain

"And so I'm wondering if I threw my timing chain or something. And I'm wondering, like, what's the likelihood of that destroying the rest of the engine?"

The timing chain keeps the engine’s moving parts “in sync.” If it slips or breaks, the valves can open at the wrong time and the engine can be damaged.

Term

top dead center

"take the covers off the front, put the engine on top dead center, cylinder one on top dead center,"

Top dead center is a specific spot in the engine’s cycle where the piston is at the top. Mechanics use it to line everything up before checking valve timing.

Term

read the codes

"Read the codes as soon after those lights come on as possible. Even if they're, if it comes on and it does it right now, see if you can pull into an auto park store, have them read the codes and see if it tells you what it is."

“Reading the codes” means using an OBD-II scanner to retrieve stored diagnostic trouble codes from the vehicle’s computer. The speaker recommends doing this right after warning lights appear to narrow down the cause quickly.

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