HomeServe sells a service plan for home repairs. If something breaks unexpectedly, you call their hotline and they help connect you with a local repair pro.
Pre-qualifying is like getting a rough idea of what financing you might be offered. It’s usually a lighter check than a full loan application, so it may not hurt your credit as much.
Collector car insurance is for classic cars that aren’t driven like everyday vehicles. It usually considers the car’s special value, not just what a normal car would cost to replace.
Replica OEM wheels are replacement wheels made by other companies, but they’re designed to match the original factory wheel look. They’re often cheaper than true factory wheels.
They’re talking about a place that sells car parts. The point is that they have lots of used parts ready to ship.
Concept
electrical drain while parked
If a problem shows up after the car sits, something may be using power even when the car is off. That “drain” can empty the battery, so the fix is usually finding what’s staying on.
A dead battery is when the battery doesn’t have enough power left to run the car. If the car sits for a few days and then won’t start (or acts weird), the battery or something draining it overnight is often the culprit.
Road noise is the sound your tires and the road make that gets into the car. If it’s strong, you’ll feel like the radio or voice sounds worse even if the audio system is fine.
A subwoofer is the part of your car audio that plays the deep bass. It can make music sound richer, but if it’s set up wrong it can also make everything feel less clear.
A Ram 1500 is a big pickup truck. Here, the caller says they maintain a 2017 model, and they’re talking about the engine and an air-intake upgrade on it.
A cold air intake is an upgrade that helps the engine get cooler air. Cooler air can help the engine run more efficiently, but it’s not magic—how much you notice depends on the setup.
Headers are parts that help move exhaust gases out of the engine. “Long-tube” headers use longer pipes, which can help the engine breathe better, but they may also make the exhaust louder and can affect emissions.
True dual exhaust means there are two separate exhaust routes instead of one shared path. It can improve flow and usually makes the truck sound different.
Magnaflow is a company that makes aftermarket exhaust parts like mufflers. People choose it because it’s designed to flow well and sound a certain way.
The Nissan Pulsar is a small car made by Nissan for everyday driving. People may modify it with parts like an exhaust (mufflers) and a tuning device to change how it runs and how it sounds. The podcast is likely talking about those changes and what they’re meant to improve.
A performance tuner is a gadget that changes how the engine runs. It can make the truck feel stronger or smoother, but it has to be set up properly so it doesn’t cause problems.
MDS typically refers to a cylinder deactivation system that shuts down some cylinders under light load to improve fuel economy. Turning it off can change how the engine feels and may increase fuel use, but it can also prevent certain drivability quirks some owners dislike.
Spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture in the engine. Replacing them at the right interval helps maintain smooth operation, proper combustion, and can prevent issues like misfires that hurt performance and fuel economy.
Oil changes keep the engine lubricated and help remove dirt from the oil. Changing it every 3,500–4,000 miles is a stricter schedule to help the engine last longer.
Synthetic oil is a higher-performance type of lubricant. In transmission talk, it matters because the car may require a specific fluid type to work correctly.
A transmission flush is when a shop replaces the transmission fluid more aggressively than a normal oil change. The goal is to get rid of old, dirty fluid, but it can sometimes stir up problems in a transmission that’s been neglected.
A “closed system” means the transmission is sealed up and you don’t normally open it to check fluid. So checking the fluid condition usually means using the dipstick (if the car has one) or having the shop test it.
When people say “check the fluid conditions,” they mean making sure the transmission fluid isn’t worn out or contaminated. Bad fluid can cause rough shifting and can speed up damage inside the transmission.
Transmission fluid is the “oil” that keeps the transmission working smoothly. If it gets old, the shifts can feel worse and parts can wear out faster, so it’s worth checking on an older truck.
They’re saying that even if you don’t drive a ton, fluids can still get old. So a truck that’s around 9 years old may need its transmission fluid checked because the fluid can wear out over time.
They’re implying that if someone adds performance parts or makes the truck run better, they may also drive it more aggressively. That extra stress can make fluids wear out faster.
Term
exhaust work
Exhaust work means changing parts of the exhaust system. It can change the sound and sometimes how the engine breathes, and the host is tying that to the idea that people often drive harder when the truck sounds better.
A fluid change is when you replace old fluid with fresh fluid. Old fluid can wear out and stop protecting the moving parts as well. Doing it on time can help you avoid bigger, more expensive repairs later.
Drain-and-fill means you drain some of the old fluid and add new fluid back in. It’s usually gentler than a full “flush” that pushes fluid through the system. Many shops prefer it because it can be easier on the vehicle and cheaper.
Pulling the pan off typically refers to removing the transmission oil pan to access the filter and internal fluid passages. This is common on many automatic transmissions where the filter is mounted inside the pan. It’s a labor-intensive step, which is why parts choice (like a cheaper pan) can matter for cost.
On some transmissions, the filter is built into the bottom pan. To replace the filter, you usually have to remove that pan first. That can make the job more expensive than vehicles with a separate filter.
Company
dormant
They’re talking about an aftermarket company that makes a cheaper replacement pan. The important part is that it lets you replace the filter later without buying the whole expensive factory assembly. If you’re considering it, double-check it fits your exact transmission.
A removable filter means you can take the filter out and put a new one in later. That usually costs less than replacing the whole pan. It also makes regular maintenance simpler.
Adding or using a drain plug allows future fluid services to be done by draining from the bottom instead of removing the pan again. That can reduce labor time and mess, and it helps keep the service interval practical. The speaker’s point is that once the aftermarket pan is installed, routine drain-and-fill becomes easier.
“Buy a filter only” highlights a cost-saving maintenance strategy: replacing just the filter element rather than the entire pan/filter assembly. This is only possible when the filter is designed to be serviceable (e.g., removable filter in an aftermarket pan). It reduces parts cost and can encourage more consistent maintenance.
The fill plug is a small access bolt on the transmission. By removing it, you can check whether the fluid is at the right level and what condition it’s in.
Term
8-9 speed fluid
This is a special type of transmission fluid meant for certain multi-speed transmissions. Using the correct fluid matters, and it can be expensive because it’s designed for that transmission.
Chrysler is the car brand being referenced. Different brands and transmissions can require different fluid types, so you want the right one for your exact vehicle.
Concept
service cost shock (labor vs parts)
The segment highlights how repair costs can feel like a “shock” because shops often charge for both parts and labor. In this case, the speaker suggests that doing the job at home can reduce labor costs, while professional pricing can be much higher. It also implies that vehicle age and service setup (like additional components) can change the total bill.
An upgraded transmission pan is a different cover for the transmission that can make servicing it easier. After switching to it, future fluid changes may cost less because the job is simpler or requires fewer extra steps. The host is saying the first time can be pricey, but later it’s cheaper.
A “tune-up” generally refers to routine maintenance items that keep an engine running correctly, such as ignition and air/fuel system checks. While the transcript doesn’t list specifics, it’s positioned as part of the broader cost-saving maintenance routine.
The Honda Accord is a very common car, so it’s usually easier (and often cheaper) to get parts and service. Here, the caller is talking about their 1997 Accord and some power-window problems.
An electric window is the power system that moves the window up and down. If one window works but the other three don’t, the problem is usually with the window motors or the switches rather than the whole car’s power.
Your car’s air conditioner is what makes the inside cool. If it’s working well, that usually means the cooling system is fine, and the problem you’re chasing is probably something else.
If more than one power window isn’t working, you don’t want to guess. The smart way is to test each window and its door switch one at a time so you can figure out whether it’s the switch, the window motor, or wiring.
The window switch is the button you press to move the window. If some switches work and others don’t, it helps narrow down whether the problem is the switch itself or something deeper in the window system.
The window motor is the part that actually moves the window up and down. If the switches don’t seem to do anything, the motor might be bad—or the power might not be getting to it.
The driver’s switch is the main button panel for the windows. If the driver can control the windows but the other switches can’t, that usually means the problem is with the other switch or the wiring to that door.
A lockout is a feature that stops other people from controlling the windows. If it’s not working right, it can make the window controls behave strangely, so checking it helps find the real problem.
They’re saying the button that locks/unlocks the window controls is likely worn out. If that button fails, the windows may not respond from the other switches even though the system is otherwise working.
The wires that connect the door to the car body can break over time. When that happens, the window controls for that door may stop working even if the window motor is fine.
When a wire bends a lot, the damaged spot can become weak and crack easily. That’s why you usually cut out the bad section instead of just covering it.
A butt connector is a straight splice that joins two wire ends. With the heat-shrink version, the sleeve tightens around the wires to insulate and protect the repair.
Tape can insulate wires, but if you wrap it too thickly, the repair can become stiff. When the car vibrates, that stiffness can cause the wire to crack again.
The speaker is describing a common automotive electrical layout: one main power source supplies an entire subsystem. If one component (like the driver’s window) has power, it strongly suggests the upstream power feed and fuses are likely intact, narrowing the fault to downstream wiring or switches.
A circuit breaker is an automatic safety switch for electricity. If there’s a problem like too much current, it shuts off the power to protect the system.
A fuse is like a protective plug for an electrical system. If something is drawing too much power, the fuse breaks the circuit to prevent damage or a fire.
Door switches are the buttons in each door that control that door’s features. If one door works but others don’t, it can tell you where the problem is.
The master switch is the main control—usually the driver’s switch—that can run multiple functions at once. If several things stop working together, that main switch or its wiring may be the problem.
Term
power loop
A “power loop” is just the path electricity takes to reach something in the car. If part of that path is damaged or loose, the car’s electrical system may work sometimes and fail other times.
A “low battery” means there isn’t enough electrical power to start the truck. If it keeps happening, it’s often either the battery is wearing out or the truck isn’t charging it properly.
This is the pattern where the truck won’t start reliably, but it might start later. That usually means the battery power level or the charging/connection system is acting up, not that the engine itself is always broken.
NAPA is a store that sells car parts and can also test things like your battery. They checked the battery and gave a diagnosis about what might be causing the problem.
Corrosion is gunk or oxidation on the battery terminals and cable ends. It can stop electricity from flowing well, so the car may act like the battery is bad even when it isn’t.
Battery cables are the thick wires that carry power from the battery to the car. If the ends are dirty or corroded, the car may not start reliably, so checking and cleaning them can help.
Testing the battery in the car checks how it behaves when the vehicle’s systems are actually connected. That helps catch issues like bad connections or charging problems that a simple bench test might not show.
A bench test checks the battery by itself, outside the car. It tells you if the battery is weak, but it won’t show problems caused by dirty or loose connections in the vehicle.
This means they loosened the battery cable connections to check them more carefully. If the car starts or tests better after that, the issue is often a bad connection or corrosion at the terminals.
Cold crank is a battery’s ability to start the car when it’s cold outside. If the battery can’t provide enough power, the engine may crank slowly or not start.
A voltage drop test looks for weak spots in the electrical path—like dirty or loose connections. If too much voltage is lost, the car may have trouble starting even with a good battery.
A battery tester checks whether your battery is healthy and can provide enough power. Different testers use different methods, so the results can be misleading if the test isn’t done the right way.
A volt meter is a tool that measures voltage in a car’s electrical system. Here it’s used to see whether the voltage at the starter stays strong when you crank the engine.
The starter terminal is where power goes into the starter motor. If the voltage at that point drops a lot while cranking, the starter isn’t getting enough power due to wiring or connection issues.
The battery negative is used as the “reference” point for the measurement. This helps the meter tell you how much voltage is being lost in the wiring when you crank the engine.
“Crank it” means turning the engine over using the starter motor. During cranking, voltage drop testing is most informative because the electrical system is drawing heavy current.
Your car battery has two main connections: positive and negative. The negative terminal is the “ground” side, and if it’s dirty or corroded, the starter may not get enough power.
Corrosion on battery cables or terminals increases electrical resistance, which causes voltage drop under heavy starter load. That resistance can make the starter crank slowly even if the battery itself is still “okay” at rest.
If a connection is loose, dirty, or damaged, electricity has a harder time getting through. That “extra resistance” can stop the starter from getting the power it needs.
Redfin is a website/app for finding houses and setting up tours. Here, they’re using it as an example of how quickly you can move when a listing shows up.
Car-part.com is a website where you can search for car parts, often from junkyards. It can be helpful if you’re fixing an older car or need something that’s not easy to find new.
Road Ready Wheels sells replacement wheels for your car, often at lower prices than the dealer. They also suggest using your existing tire-pressure sensors so you don’t have to buy new ones.
Winter tires are specialized tires designed for cold temperatures and snow/ice, typically using softer rubber compounds and tread patterns that perform better in winter conditions. The segment suggests using a second wheel/tire set so swapping seasons is easier and can protect tire wear.
Steel wheels are usually less expensive than aluminum wheels. They can also be a practical choice for winter because they’re tough and work well for a second tire set.
TPMS sensors are what tell your car if a tire’s pressure is too low. If you’re changing wheels, you may be able to keep your existing sensors so you don’t pay for new ones.
They’re a company the hosts mention as being involved with collector car insurance. The key idea is that collector car coverage can be set up so you know what you’re covered for if the car is totaled.
Agreed value means the insurance company and you agree on a price for the car upfront. If the car is totaled, you don’t have to argue about what it’s worth later.
A “total loss” is when an insurer determines the cost to repair the vehicle is high enough that it’s not worth fixing. That’s why agreed value matters here: it affects what the owner receives after the insurer declares the car totaled.
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Here is the Under the Hood Show podcast.
Thanks for listening.
This is Under the Hood.
Welcome to the Under the Hood Show.
We are glad to have you with us.
Russ Evans is here to answer your automotive
questions. Thanks for joining us under the
hood. Shannon Nordstrom is here to do the same.
Welcome hoodies. Thanks for tuning
in so we can help you tune up.
I'm Chris Carter here to answer your calls
at 866-594-4150.
866-594-4150.
Got calls coming in
before we start there.
I have a problem with my car
that we have had
people call about for years
that I never had
and now in the new car I have noticed it.
Should we guess, Shannon?
Yeah, go ahead. What could it be? People have called
for years. I'm thinking
a dead battery after
it sits a couple days. Okay.
A flapping noise going down
the highway. No.
It is, your voice
is too low
to hear in my car.
The pitch of it.
It's too low. I can't hear.
And we've had people calling about this for years?
Well, we've looked
at our
sound processor.
And the decibel level
is exactly the same
as, actually it's higher than you two
because I've got it turned up.
But the problem is, I talk like this.
And you guys talk like this.
I don't know
that he had to put it that way.
It's different. There's a different tone.
So when you're in a car and the road noise is going
and I'm going
then you don't hear it.
So either they need to redo all the roads in America
for that.
And in my
old car, I had a button
right on the front of my aftermarket
that was for voice or music.
So I could just hit it. It changes the tone.
But yeah, the way I have my car
set now with subwoofer
I can't hear your voice
hardly at all. Interesting.
Yeah, it's not bad.
Last week though, when Shannon
wasn't here, it was about half. So it was a lot
of going.
So
I've had
Russ basically somewhat
ridicule my pitch of my voice
for a good chunk of my life.
And so we have to
get past this and figure out
if Russ needs to change his voice or if I need to
change mine to accommodate.
Can AI help? That's a good question.
We are told there's no audio
online. That was what
that was. Yeah, I was wondering what was going on.
I got a text from somebody that said
there's something wrong with the show
sound static really bad. Can't hear you guys
echoing really bad.
That was coming from one of our folks
at our self service facility that texted me.
They have it on up there during the show
time. Well, we'll continue
what we're doing. Yeah, we'll just keep producing the radio
show here. Were they listening online or over there?
Well, on the YouTube, I'm guessing they have it on
YouTube up at the
you pull it on the smart TV.
So we'll figure that
out at the break. Yeah, let's see what happens.
Let's see what Paul's up to. Let's go to Texas
and talk to Paul. Paul, you're
on the end of the hood show. What can we do for you?
Hi
Hi.
My son, Cory,
listens to your podcast and loves it.
He's in prison in Texas
and it helps him do his
time.
Anyways, I take care of his
2017 Ram 1500
with the
5.7
Hemi that has an
AFE cold air intake
JVA long tube headers
no Cadillac converter
2.5 inch
true dual exhaust
using Magnaflow
Magna
Magna pack
mufflers and a Holley
Pulsar
inline performance tuner
set to 87 octane
fuel economy
to tune and MDS
turned off
the truck has 120,000 miles
and runs and drives
just fine
with no dash lights
or problems right now.
We never have
done anything other than
new spark plugs
and coils at 80,000 miles
and oil changes
every 3500 to 4000 miles
with synthetic oil.
He wants us to do a
transmission flush
but listening to the podcast
he has the taste to do so.
Should we do a flush
and since it's a closed system
how can we check the fluid
to see its conditions
see its conditions
also anything else
you'd recommend to check
or keep an eye on
So
the question is how do we check
the transmission?
First of all
for your son
who's incarcerated right now
just thank you
we have a lot of listeners
that get our show through
some of the tablets they get to use
and things like that and we're very appreciative
of those folks that listen
and we want to encourage those folks
we want to encourage them to
stay the course
and just really do the right things
to get on to the next step of their life
use their faith
as a foundation if that's part of
what they're about
I can't imagine how that is
so I appreciate
you being able to be
the translator here to get him
on the air basically
and that's
something that
we get letters and different things
we can't answer them all it's quite a few
but definitely know we've got a good
listenership out of that population
and we don't take it lightly
no not at all
we've had callers call in that have
finished their journey
and now they're outside of those walls
thank goodness they've been able to get to that point
and they are
they're excited to get on with their
actually touching the cars again
and doing things and it sounds like this ram truck
was special
there's a lot of
unique things done to it to make it feel
better and run better
and sound better and hopefully
perform better
and so this question about the transmission fluid
is a common question that we get
and that transmission fluid
is reaching the age where it should
be looked at you know you've got a truck that is
you know suddenly
9 years old
and that fluid is 9 years old
and you know I'm assuming it's been
maybe run a little bit harder with all those
tune up items on there somebody probably made it
feel good it usually works harder
when they sound good
with all that exhaust work
and things like that
but I would recommend the deer at that point
you start planning for that fluid change
and as far as checking it out
Russ you know what's your typical routine
that you guys do at the service center
it's not a flush it's a drain and fill on those
you gotta pull the pan off the pan
has a filter built into it
and what we suggest is when you
remove that pan
update it with something that's
cheaper because the factory pan is really expensive
with the filter built in we use our
dormant products pan from our
partner at dormant
and it has a removable filter
that's replaceable the next time so once it's
installed one time
use the drain plug on the bottom now it'll have
a drain plug you can drain it
and refill it makes it much easier there also
when you're able to drain it you don't dump
all that fluid out over the sides of the pan
when you take it down but then you just buy
a filter only you don't have to buy
a whole pan with a filter built in
and to check the condition of it
usually if you if you have the vehicle
warm and you take the fill plug out of
the side of the transmission just for a second
and put it back in you can get a little bit
out on your hand and see the condition of the fluid
and compare it to what the new fluid looks like
and if it looks good you're fine
you don't need to change it but if it's getting pretty dark
then it's it's time to change it and that's
when you take the pan off
you upgrade with the dormant pan
put it all back together and buy
the fluid is very expensive for those
they call it an 8-9 speed
fluid for the Chrysler
and it's it's very
spendy and it does last a long time
it's a better quality engineered
fluid it'll last you a long time but
it is expensive and if you're saying
it's spendy that means for us
it's for me it's really expensive
because it's all
it's all cost you have some
some skin in the game most people
don't know the price of it
they wouldn't know if I said
Chris what's the court of transmission fluid
cost for an old
vehicle versus that
I'm not sure what's the cost
to do it so
it may be a shock it may not be I've had people
when I tell them oh that's $800
to do that transmission fluid
change they're like oh okay
how often should I do it not very often
at all but that
include that's the first time with that upgraded
pan once you do it
it significantly drops the
cost so
if you're doing it at home
there's not there's not that much
but it's not like a big labor
intensive job so you're going to save somebody
but you can do it at home
you do need
some tools
to do it it's basic hand tools
to get the pan off of there and you got to
drop the exhaust down or raise the transmission
to do it but as far as
filling it goes you do need a specialty
tool but it's really a cheap specialty
tool it's like buying an expensive funnel
you can buy a $30
suction gun
that you use to draw the fluid out
of your bucket and then put it into the side
of the transmission but you got to follow
some rules the transmission has to be
not too warm not too cold
so that the level is right when you
fill it you fill it until it drips
out but yeah that's the big thing
on that as far as other things on that ram
other than your basic tune up stuff just
drive it you know keep it
running
by driving it more often
and just keep an eye on those fluids
change them when they're due
Paul thanks very much for the call
866-594-4150
that's the number to reach us here at the
end of the hood show let's talk to Bob and
Georgia Bob you're on the end of the hood show
what can we do for you
my beautiful
97
accord
had been
setting for a few months because
I was working on my watch 07
accord which runs great now
and by the way I changed the transmission
fluid in the 07
and it made a remarkable
difference in how well it
shifted just like a new one
anyway
the electric window on my 97
the driver's door
driver's window
goes up and down fine
the other three are
in operative
luckily they were up
not a big deal
the air conditioner works great
so how do I
go about analyzing
the problem with these three
unworking
windows
and they have you
checked them at each door to see if
they work individually
no I have
okay
check them at the doors first
see if they work from those doors
the driver's door
has the four switches
right but check the other ones
and see where they're at
it's very unlikely that all three windows
failed at the same time but check the
as far as motors
but check each one of those and see if those switches
do any
any good
if they don't work from the driver's switch
we can eliminate the
lockout that locks out those separate switches
if you told me that those three windows didn't
work but the driver does then I'd say
the lock button is probably broken in the switch
if you've already tried it
some people don't even know what's there
let's get the little X on it on that Honda
so
try that see if they work
if they do
then the most common issue on those is
a problem with the switch
the second problem is broken wires in the door jam
they can both happen
being that it's 30 years old
it could definitely be broken wires
in the door jam the tube
where it runs between the door and the body there
is where you'll find them broken
sometimes you can just feel them on the outside
and feel that they're broken then they can be
you take the tube pull it back
pull the wiring out by taking the kick panel
off and unhooking it down there
get a little slack in there and then you
put the wires back together
we usually use heat shrink connectors
so we cut out the part that's broken
which is going to be the brittle part
where the bend was
and then we put the shrink connector in there
because if we solder them, solder is very stiff
and it will crack and break
so we put a heat shrink butt connector in there
and then put the cover over them
without taping them all together
I've seen people put the heat shrink on
which protects the wire from water
you don't need a big wad of electrical tape over the top
because that just makes everything stiff
and brittle and it'll break again
so just heat shrink all on its own
but those are the two things to check
and usually that takes care of it
there is only one power for the whole system
so if you have power to anything at all
if the driver's window works
you have power for everything
so it's not going to be a fuse or a circuit breaker
it's going to be
a wire
or a switch
that's causing this
and because you had three go at once
it's not going to be all three door switches
it's going to be either in that master switch
or in the wiring
if the doors
work individually
if each window goes down and up individually
except from the driver's door
to me
I'd just ignore it forever, right?
you wouldn't because you can't get anything out of a drive through
no, mine works
the drivers in the backwards
if the three
if they work from the doors
just not from my spot
I don't care at all
right?
that's all you need
but I guess it depends on
they can roll their own window down, you're saying
hey Bob
just real quick here, I just was down in Georgia
kind of Tennessee area, what part of Georgia are you from?
Athens
east Georgia
60 miles east of Atlanta
alright, I was down on the
I guess you'd call it the Tennessee Georgia line
probably, we were in between
Blue Ridge, Georgia and Copper Hill, Tennessee
beautiful country
Athens home of REM
that's what I thought of
does that help you out Bob?
does that get you what you think
you can take the next step?
yes, now on mine
I did check each switch
none of the three other switches
work at the doors
it's just
the driver's door
switch works great for the
driver's window
but the other three are in an operative
from their individual switches
check those wires in the door jam
yeah, there's a power loop there
that must be not working right
or a grown loop, one of the two
Bob, thanks very much for the call
866-594-414
5-0, let's talk to Dale
you're on the end of the hood show Dale
what can we do for you?
yeah, I've got a 2001
Chevy pickup
and on a Sunday morning
when I went to start it
it started but it was really a low battery
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
well, yesterday there wasn't
any battery and this morning
there wasn't any battery
but when I drive it through the day
you can turn it off
and start it back up
so I thought
maybe the batteries just were
shot
I took it to
Napa where I bought the battery
and they tested it
and they said, well chose corrosion
we took
just battery cables off of the battery
and they're not a post
they're those little flat
bolt on things
and everything there was clean
and he said, well
what my tester
tells me is that there's corrosion
in the system some way
was he testing the battery in the
vehicle or on the bench?
in the vehicle
we tested it in the
vehicle
and then we also took
the connections
loose and tested just
the battery itself
but Wala was still in the pickup
that's fine
and what did the battery test
show without anything connected?
it was an 850 cold crank
and it showed 923
or something
and he said
this will tell me if any of the cells are bad
and he said they weren't nothing's
bad
well you could have
I put the
you know you could have a drop
you need to check for a voltage drop
I've never heard of a battery tester that says
corrosion in the system I just haven't seen that
they test the battery they can test the starter
and things like that
they must have something that's got that in their software
or he made an interpretation
it's just not going to be
accurate that way so what you need to do
is now that we've tested the battery
you know it's good
so they say if their tester's
worth it's salt it works
well I went to another place too
because I bought it from Napa
and I thought all they're telling me the battery is good
so they don't have to warranty it
they don't care it comes from the manufacturer
yeah okay
keep going
the same thing they told me the battery was
fine
well the next step is to do a voltage drop
test you need to get a volt meter out
go directly to the starter terminal
right at the starter
put the other one on the
the negative of the
battery
and then you crank it and see what your voltage is
and make sure you don't have a big voltage
drop it should
probably drop down from battery voltage to
where the good battery like that
that many cranking up is probably 11 volts
you know down at the
starter if it drops down really low and it's
cranking slow and you've got that
negative terminal your meter right on
the negative of the battery that
means we've got the loss
in the positive side of the battery
if the voltage stays good
there when you're trying to crank it then
we go from the positive
of the battery to the
case of the
starter right there at the metal case
and then we crank it and we look at that voltage
and if that is very low then
we know it's on the negative side we've got one of
those two cables is corroded
damaged worn out high resistance
we need to find out which one of those two cables
is causing this loss
and then we go from there
we see if we can get it to
to power back up
but if both of those show good
voltage you got a starter that's drawn too much
and it's too much a load. Dale thanks very much
for the call good luck
you know what's interesting
is I
know in my life
probably
50 or 60 people
in the automotive repair business through you guys
right and I like you
all and I trust you all
every single one of you are trustworthy
and truthful
but the rest of them are suspect
to me
just like
you know I went and double checked because
I bought the battery from them
and
we all do that don't we?
but it's life
sometimes you like to double check
gotta love people who say I got my answer from the google ai
it's like where do you think google ai
got their information from
look at the sources under the hood show
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That's roadreadywheels.com. Welcome back everybody. It's time to get back under
the hood with our motor medics. 866-594-4150. Don't forget if you miss an
episode of the under the hood show you can always find it where you get your
podcasts and you can watch the show on our YouTube and Facebook feeds and if
you do subscribe to the YouTube channel and join the hoodie fan club at
underthehoodshow.com you could win a hoodie. Like Janelle Larson congratulations
from our friends over at Berkeley One Classics. They're celebrating over 50
years of collector car coverage. That's pretty cool. It is over 50 years. Can you
imagine? We've talked about this before. Their first car. Alright we got this
product. We are going to protect people's cars. We're going to give them
agreed value. So if they have a total loss they they know what they're covered
for. They don't have to guess. They're not going to come out and say well we need
to do an estimate and see what your car is worth all that. Who's first? Here's
the weird thing. If they had sponsored your very first show Shannon you could
have said collector car insurance for over 10 years. I love when you do the
perspective thing. 866-594-4150. Dale did you have another question? Well it's
still on that electrical. You know I said that it's dead in the morning but
through the day I can you know it doesn't it's not an excessive draw when I
try to start it again through the day. I put a charger on it in the morning and
I only have to have an 8 amp charge on it for five minutes at the most and it
spins it over fine. I think that you know the power is getting away escaping
someplace. Then you need to start for 12 hours overnight. You need to check for a
current drain then. Yeah that's that when we were on the break here we were
wondering if maybe we would miss the main point of your question was that you
we had a great education there for people that were wondering about battery
that was I think perfect but as for your particular problem you got to figure
out what's drawing that down overnight which is why you're asking us and it
isn't yeah and it's not so dead that you got to leave it charging for a little
while you're saying just with a little charge you can get it going again. It's
like you just got to wake the battery up. Well you're killing them. If it is so
low that it won't start that vehicle you were ruining that battery because
every time it's run down like that you remove cranking amps from it and it
will destroy that battery. You need to find out what's wrong with it or put a
battery maintainer on it every single night you park it until you do. It will
ruin it. I wonder too so you need to find the current drain which involves
putting an amp meter in line with one of the positive or negative side reading
what that current drain is if it says it's two amps then you need to go look
for that drain which means disconnecting one circuit at a time and then once you
reconnect it let the vehicle sit for probably 10-15 minutes until everything
goes back. Is that truck new enough? It's an old one. It's got body control modules
and different things in there. If this was a 91 this would be a lot easier and it
could be anything. On a truck like that I'd say at home the first place I'd
start I'd probably take the radio out of the dash I'd unplug it and then see if I
still have that drain because that's those old CD players were after they
became 15 years old were just junk. They had problems with them sticking and they
would they would run it down. We had someone we pulled out and they were warm
in the winter time we'd pull them out and they were warm because a little motor
in there that moved the tray was kept stuck especially the ones with the
old six-disk CD player but who knows this is old enough it may even have an
aftermarket end and that could have a problem with it but you want to check
okay for current and I put just put a Frankenstein switch in off the positive
or negative battery you know I can do on my old farm tractors you want to do it
the easy way yeah you could do that but when you do that you run the risk of a
spark around a battery and explosion from gas bill up from the battery if you
go to our partners at AutoBatteries.com they're powered by Clarios they have a
they've got a battery a channel on YouTube called the battery shop on YouTube
but they will explain things like that battery safety it's huge I've had people
put in battery switches I've had people with loose terminals I've had people
changing batteries and they explode it's a possibility with a lead acid battery
you do not want to have that so what we would suggest instead of that and to
make it easier than opening the hood imagine it's middle of winter you got
ice and snow build up on the hood you got to get it off of there I mean I've
tried to open up hoods when they have two inches of snow on them and then they
come crashing back down on your head go to Amazon buy a battery disconnect switch
a remote disconnect switch they're like 30 bucks comes with a remote control and
a little switch you disconnect one battery cable you bolted to the switch
you bolt the switch to the battery the whole thing takes like three or four
minutes to do the whole job and now you just have this little button on your
keychain on off you get out of the car you're going for the night push off you
come back you push on you start the car it's a pretty slick look at Russ
recommending something that's not fixing the problem yeah I like he asked how to
not well we just did this so we told them how to not fix we have like eight
guys that go out into the field and pull parts at our salvage yard here during
the day it's just part of what we do it's it's like 25% of what we sell but
they go out and they're getting things that are on inventory and bringing them
back that we leave on the hulks and those vehicles that they use our our
vehicles we've bought that were probably coming to our self-service or you know
end-of-life type stuff and many times they can be a little sketchy and we've
always been nervous about those vehicles and their electrical systems
especially as they've gotten more sophisticated and we were looking for
different ways we've talked about it for ten years probably and I heard Russ
give this advice on the show one day and he didn't know I was taking notes in my
head I'm like why aren't we doing this and it turned into a little bigger
project so now we have those devices on all of our vehicles that we store inside
overnight okay and we went a little step further and it was our manager Benji's
idea they put a little LED light up on the roof that's connected on to the
power side so that during the day when the power is on the green light is on
it's an LED just right on the roof and then when the when we shut them off at
night the light goes off so if we're walking through the shop and we see a
green light on we know somebody didn't shut their power off and it's just quick
simple and easy and it was a but that came from just this kind of a call
because you get a vehicle at a certain age do I really want to spend you know
maybe a thousand dollars pump pan an electrical tech to go through the process
of finding a parasitic drain yeah it can cost a lot of money sometimes if you
got to do it so methodically or do I just put the switch on there and just
forget about it did anybody recommend getting like a light that switches
colors or flashes or does like a light was a light was added on after the fact
because I was kind of pressing to get something done and my dad was ready to
go old school with a with a lever switch they put on the dashboard and and
running wires through the firewall and as just because he had some switches he
wanted to use right I'd have a I'd have a disco ball on the top I'd have a light
that we could we could upgrade but so at night when you're walking through if
it's dark you would really know and you dance over we're going through a
lighted shop it's fun to say that but no Dale thanks very much for the call
good luck 8 6 6 5 9 4 4 1 5 0 let's go to North Carolina and talk to Wayne
you're on the end of the hood show Wayne what can we do for you
hey guys man I sure do appreciate y'all and y'all shows great I love listening to
it every week thank you very much
I have a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and it's kind of similar to your previous call
it's my daughter's car and she goes out to crank it in it won't start the battery is low
it's not dead but it's low I was able to this morning actually go there and
I'd already tested the battery from a few days ago battery with a little small
you know cheap Amazon tester battery test good starting test good charging test good
went back out there this morning so that same tester back on it with it did
take battery voltage and battery voltage like 12.29 and but the
state of health was like 60 70 percent and the state of charge was like 60 or 70 percent
somewhere along in there and you jump it off runs fine she drives at 10 minutes to school
yesterday she drove at 10 minutes to school went into school come back out eight hours later
crank right up she drove it to the dentist come out from the dentist crank that up drove it home
last night um the last night I took in because the interior light seems to be possible suspect
so I pulled the fuse out for the interior lighting last night this morning it won't crank same thing
battery partially low your thoughts
good luck there yeah that's a challenge because that's you know those cars in 18 is
you're you're full on many low voltage systems in that car has it ever
failed to start during the day if she parks it just for like an hour or something or towards
the end of the day is it ever not started during the day or is it always okay during the day
yes uh she drove it uh to town the other day met my mom
he went down a few things for two or three hours come back and it wasn't started well
one possibility is that the battery is just not charging up fully and on these Hondas
we have had some Mitsubishi I'm sorry Hondas we're thinking of that last call yeah I was
doing just the dome light was in my head and I was thinking about a Honda we had the don't
left the dome light on that switch on the roof I was giving Chris the switch oh yeah yeah
anyways on the on these outlanders we've had problems with belts slipping on them
so imagine this alternator an alternator can draw five to eight horsepower when it's really
needing a lot of charge so if you put a you're basically putting a brake on that alternator
while the belt is trying to drive it and if any of the components are weak in there if the belt
is starting to stretch if it's getting old the tensioner is not working properly it can slip
and even though it's not squeaking it just slips around there like a tire on ice it's quiet but
it's spinning and it's not fully charging the battery that's why I asked does it do this during
the daytime as well because if you just got a battery drain overnight it's only going to be
dead overnight and during the day it's going to instantly charge as soon as you start the car
up but if that belt is slipping that is one of the possibilities that is causing it just to
not fully charge so you can verify am I getting this thing charged by starting it running it
but look at the condition of the belts and if you see that the belt is starting to wear pretty good
we would suggest using a complete belt replacement kit from Dayco they're a partner of ours and we
use them in our shop whenever we think we have an issue with a belt drive system because one if
you're replacing everything altogether you're not going to have squeaks you're not going to have noises
you're not going to have one component that can fail and cause the rest of them to go out plus it's
going to give you the proper tension the proper grip on the alternator on cars with power steering
that too water pumps none of that's going to slip and it's cheaper when you're doing it all together
instead of trying to throw one piece on I've had people put a belt on it and say oh I need to
put a tensioner on it now too and by the time they buy those two components they're way more than
the whole kit would have cost but I would I would start with that I would look you might even be able
to open the hood start the car up in the morning turn on the rear defroster turn on the blower on
high turn the radio on the wipers the headlights everything and then look and look down with a
flashlight if you look at the alternator and it appears to be turning slower than other things
around it like the belt's moving faster than it that's that's your problem there it's slipping on
that pulley Wayne thanks very much for the call good luck we talk about how chasing that can be
expensive is there a first step like is there if I have that issue is there like one tier where I
can come in and you can check a couple things quick just to see a lot of times the first step is I
open the hood and I look at the alternator with a flashlight I look at the belt and condition see
if it's been slipping if it has it's like let's start with that because it has to be done depending
on the vehicle we the radio we recommend a lot I'm plugging that and then if it has any sort of
an aftermarket component on it especially an aftermarket overnight remote starter remote starter
try disconnecting that putting things back to factory and see if it goes away 866-594-4150
that's the number to reach us here at the under the hood show let's talk to Patrick in Mississippi
Patrick you're on the under the hood show what can we do for you
oh yeah I appreciate your help enjoy your show uh I got a quick recommendation or ask y'all
a recommendation on AFM automatic fuel management yeah on a 2016 GMC Sierra I got 200,000 miles on it
and uh somebody told me I ought to try this little deal to plug in OBD
would that be a good or bad at 200,000 miles oh well yeah it's gonna matter by now
probably not it's probably gonna work just fine but if you want to buy it and try it sure buy the
little adapter that the they make they make little plug-in they call them a dongle which is
anything that plugs into an OBD2 port or a computer to plug into how do you do what's a what's the
definition of that it's a any device is a USB flash drive is technically what you're gonna call
that's a recording device but anything that controls something that you plug into a port
like a computer or OBD2 that would be the end point plug-in that actually does something so
so plug in a whatchamacallit no if it's been working this long you've obviously been doing
enough oil changes doing the proper maintenance that most of the time it's proper maintenance
it causes those things to fail not because they fail people go to the internet they do the google
search and it says oh it's because the AFM goes out why well because you didn't properly maintain it
so you're obviously doing a pretty good job of it to make it last this long that is a that is a good
long time good history on a 16 Sierra engine they they're having problems they're having it somewhere
between 80,000 and 140 is when we do most of our jobs for our customers that have 200 they've
not had an issue yet and they're still chugging right along if this thing sees a lot of highway
miles that's really good on them highway miles and oil changes three months 3000 you're you're
gonna be good but for other people listening yeah if you want to if it's early in the life you just
bought the car and you don't like that AFM buy the fuel management for people that we're talking
about so Chrysler uses an MDS they call it but you you buy this little device is about 40 bucks
you plug it in and it shuts down that system it just keeps it from activating is what it does
and they believe that by not activating it's going to fix the problem maybe I don't think so
because most of the time when we see the problem what has happened is one of the solenoid starts to
leak and the solenoid leaking internally with the system off allows a little bit of pressure to be
built up on the unlatching mechanism in the lifter which starts pulling the pin on it until it gets
close to the end of it and what happens when you pull the pin on the grenade chris your engine
explodes so when he gets real close it opens the lifter but of course it doesn't pull it completely
and quickly it wears the end of it off so then the next time it wears more and finally the lifter
fails and the engines the cam wears out because it's bouncing around in there and it goes so
yeah if you shut it off does the lifter not unlatch anymore and prevent that wear yes but can the
solenoid still fail yes I wouldn't mess with it I wouldn't mess with it 200 000 I would I would
leave it I've got a Camaro with a 6 2 with AFM that is has a cam that's just starting to fail in it
and it it actually sounds quieter when I leave the AFM running when I use the tuner and I shut
it off it it ticks more so hopefully I get that change before it blows up and I'll just put a
different cam in a bigger one that goes Patrick thanks very much for the call good luck 8 6 6
5 9 4 4 1 5 0 let's stay in Mississippi and talk to Roy you're on the end of the hood show Roy
what can we do for you is there any way you can put too much alternator on a car like too much
amp no and yes okay if you had if you had and yeah so alternators are supposed to be
regulated all of them to a certain voltage and to maintain that voltage they produce
amperage mechanically not govern mentally right okay just who we talk a lot about regulations
that not not in this case so yeah they can put whatever amperage we're going into three here so
you need an alternator capable of recovering whatever is lost
so if you have a car that an older car if you have a 1982 Chevy truck
and all it has is a heater it's not equipped with air conditioning it's not equipped with power windows
anything like that all you have is the lights to run and an am radio am fm no cassette no 8 track
you may have had a 40 amp alternator 45 amp alternator I think Jen did we even have some 30s
in the 70s 32 yeah yeah and they were stamped right on the case that's all you needed because of the
vehicle at full load with the wipers on the headlights the brake lights applied
fan on high if they if it only drew 22 amps you would never need more than that for charging
on the other hand if you've got a 2024 GMC Yukon Denali and you have all the accessories on
the radio the heated seats front rear and middle all powered up you've got the rear to fog on the
side window to foggers on the mirror to foggers running the lights I mean that baby's cranking
everything's really going you might be pulling 120 amps so you need a bigger alternator and in a
lot of cases they'll have a 200 amp alternator to resume the charge quickly if you have a stereo
system in a car we would commonly put up to four 250 amp alternators on a car to get a
thousand amps of charging capacity you remember those Shannon oh gosh yes you open the hood and
you're like that's part of the system right there and I've seen more but that was the four is the
most I've ever done and we would we would go with the the largest case we could to dissipate heat
usually the alternators that would get off the old six to military made diesel trucks that had the
the bigger system in them and it would but if we didn't have anything on if it was quiet and we
just fired it up all we'd be running was you know that the alternator would only generate a few amps
just enough to trickle charge the battery so no you can't have too much if you put a bigger one on
but here's where no comes in if you put a bigger alternator on a vehicle you've got to make sure
that the cable from the back of the alternator going to the battery is protected you know fuse
or circuit breaker protected and it's large enough like on my truck that came with 120 amp
alternator I went to a 200 amp alternator and I had to upgrade from my 10 gauge wire on the back
up to an 8 gauge wire in order so that if it ever needed that load it wouldn't melt it so
there's a yes and no on that one that'll do it for this hour of the Under the Hood show thanks for
listening with Russ Evans this is Shannon Orts from thanking you for tuning into the Nordstroms
Under the Hood show have a great day and remember PTLA the opinions heard on this program based on
the many years of experience of Russ and Shannon are offered for entertainment value only and as a
guide to your repair needs no claim to repair or cause is given or implied always consult with
your own certified technician and follow all safety procedures before attempting any repair
to be a part of the show call 866-594-4150 find out more by visiting UnderTheHoodshow.com
Under the Hood is produced by Prairie House Productions all content is the property of
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About this episode
Listeners get live, practical car-repair guidance focused on saving money and diagnosing problems before replacing parts. Calls cover a low-voice audio issue during the show, then dive into real-world fixes: whether to do a transmission drain-and-fill on a modified 2017 Ram 1500, how to troubleshoot multiple inoperative power windows on a 1997 Honda (switch vs door-jam wiring), and what to test when a truck won’t start after sitting (voltage drop, parasitic drain, and battery safety). Other topics include checking alternator belt slip, AFM “dongles” on a high-mileage GMC, and whether a higher-output alternator can be “too much.”
We have the expert advice! Call our show live 866-594-4150 and get help on the live show. Looking to save money on car repairs? Tune in to our latest episode of Under The Hood for practical automotive advice that can help you avoid costly repairs. Here are todays callers. 1. 6.2 Chevy what oil to use and do I use and additive? 2. 16 Accord Timing Chain rattle 3. 98 F700 coolant leak 4. 55 Chevy broken valve spring 5. 2000 Dakota crank no start condition.
