Lowe’s is a store where you can buy tools and supplies. They were talking about a sale on items like batteries and tool kits.
Brand
cobalt 40 volt trimmer and blower combo kit
Cobalt makes cordless tools. The “40 volt” part means the battery is part of a specific tool system, so you may be able to use the same battery in different tools.
Company
Berkeley won classics
This sponsor is about insurance for classic/collector cars. Classic-car insurance can be set up differently than regular car insurance, especially for cars that aren’t driven every day.
This is a Ford F-150 pickup from 2015. The speaker’s truck had a radio/audio problem—no sound—and they had to figure out what was wrong with the wiring and parts behind the seats.
A wiring issue means the wires that carry power or audio signals aren’t connected correctly. In this case, someone cut the wires behind the seat, so the radio can’t work until the connections are restored.
A fuse is like a safety switch for the electrical system. If too much current flows, it “blows” to prevent damage, and that can stop things like a radio from working.
A pigtail is a short wiring harness section with the correct connector on one end and bare leads on the other. It’s commonly used to splice into a vehicle’s factory wiring without cutting the main harness, making repairs and upgrades cleaner.
An aftermarket radio is a replacement stereo that isn’t the original factory one. If the factory wiring parts are hard to find, you may need adapters or extra pieces so the new stereo fits and works correctly.
The VIN is like your truck’s unique ID number. Parts sellers use it to figure out exactly what your vehicle needs so you don’t buy the wrong connector or module.
Modern cars don’t run each gadget separately. Instead, many computers in the car talk to each other through a shared network. If that network setup isn’t right, the radio and other electronics can malfunction.
OEM just means the exact parts made for your car by the original manufacturer. With newer cars, using the right parts (or a kit meant for your exact setup) helps everything communicate correctly.
An aftermarket kit is a set of parts made by a company other than the car maker to make upgrades work. It’s especially important in newer cars because the electronics may need special adapters to communicate properly.
Auction trucks can have a sketchy past. If they were used for work, someone may have removed parts (like seats) and later tried to put things back, but not everything gets restored correctly.
A retrofit is when you add parts to a car after it’s already been built. Sometimes people make it look right, but the underlying wiring or electronics may still be incomplete.
An amplifier is the part that makes the audio loud and clear by powering the speakers. If the wrong amplifier (or missing audio hardware) is installed, the sound system can act up even if the radio itself looks fine.
A harness is basically the car’s wiring bundle—wires that connect everything together. If someone cuts it or removes parts, you may need the right wiring pieces to make the system work correctly again.
Coax is a specific kind of cable used for certain signals. It’s not always as easy to splice as regular wires, so a bad splice can cause audio problems.
Term
digital
“Digital” here means the audio signal is sent in a more computer-like way. If the wiring is cut or spliced incorrectly, it can be harder to get the signal working cleanly again.
An aftermarket sub is a non-factory speaker for bass, usually added with extra wiring and an amp. If it was removed later, the wiring behind it might be damaged or cut.
Modules are electronic control units that plug into the vehicle’s wiring harness to manage functions (in this case, likely audio-related components). When buying harness sections, you may also need the matching modules that were originally connected, otherwise the system may not function as expected.
Concept
factory stereo vs aftermarket audio repair choices
They’re basically saying you have three ways to fix a messed-up factory audio system: keep the factory stereo by repairing the wiring, keep the factory head unit but upgrade the speakers/amp/sub, or rip it all out and install a new in-dash system. Which is best depends on what you want to keep and how bad the wiring damage is.
The head unit is the main screen/radio in the dash. If you keep it, you can often preserve features like navigation while upgrading the speakers and sub.
A “sub behind the seat” is a compact subwoofer location used in many vehicles to save space while still adding bass. If the wiring for that sub was cut during removal of an aftermarket setup, restoring the correct connections is often necessary to get bass back without rattles or distortion.
A car stereo shop is a place that installs and repairs car audio. They can help figure out what’s wrong with the sound system and what parts you actually need.
A key fob is the remote transmitter used to lock/unlock and often start a vehicle with push-button ignition. Programming a key fob typically requires the vehicle to communicate with its receiver/immobilizer system, so missing components can block the process.
Push-button start means you start the car by pressing a button, usually with the fob nearby. If the car’s keyless system isn’t working right, programming a new fob can fail.
Think of it like a computer missing a plug-in port. Some things might still work, but you can’t add new devices or make new connections until the missing link is restored.
A clone key is basically a copy of your existing key that the car already recognizes. It can be an easier workaround when programming a brand-new key fob isn’t working.
ACE Hardware is mentioned as a place that can cut and clone keys. While key-cutting services vary by location and key type, the episode’s point is that a physical key duplicate may be cheaper and faster than full electronic reprogramming.
They’re using the Honda Accord as an example to explain what parts you might need to replace. Some cars use a timing belt or timing chain, and there’s also a separate belt that runs things like the alternator and power steering.
This is the belt on the outside of the engine that powers things like the alternator and air conditioning. If it starts squealing or slipping, it can affect multiple systems, so replacing it promptly helps prevent bigger problems.
Rather than replacing only the belt, the idea is to replace the belt and the other parts that make it run correctly. That way, you’re less likely to have the same squeak or problem come back soon.
A complete belt kit means you replace the belt plus the other parts that help it stay tight and run smoothly. Doing it all together can be cheaper and prevents the problem from coming back if the tensioner or idler is worn.
A timing chain performs the same job as a timing belt—keeping crankshaft and camshaft timing synchronized—but it’s typically designed to last much longer. The speaker notes that if it’s quiet and maintained, it can last for the life of the engine, though noise like rattling can be an early warning sign.
They’re talking about a 2015 Honda Civic and what usually needs replacing as it gets older. The timing chain is often expected to last a long time, but the belts that run accessories can wear out and may need a full kit when they start making noise.
Oil changes are used here as a proxy for proper engine maintenance that helps timing chains last longer. Clean, correctly maintained oil reduces wear and helps the engine run quietly, which the speaker ties to timing chain longevity.
The Honda CR-V is a small SUV made for everyday driving and family use. The podcast is pointing out that CR-Vs can last a long time, even with very high mileage. That’s usually a sign it’s a dependable vehicle to own.
A belt tensioner keeps the accessory belt tight and properly aligned as it stretches and wears. If the tensioner is weak or failing, a new belt can still squeak or slip, which is why shops often replace the tensioner as part of a belt kit.
An idler pulley helps guide the accessory belt and reduces friction and misalignment. Like the tensioner, an idler can wear out and cause noise (squeaking) or belt tracking issues, so replacing it with the belt kit can fix the root cause.
“Dry belts” refers to accessory drive belts (like serpentine belts) that can wear, crack, or become noisy when they dry out. Belt condition matters because a failing belt can affect multiple systems (alternator, water pump on some engines, power steering on others).
A 2009 Chevy Impala is a car model from Chevrolet. Yours is described as a flex-fuel version, which means it can run on gasoline or ethanol blends, and that’s why the computer is tracking “alcohol content.”
P0172 is a check-engine code that usually means the engine is running “too rich,” or using more fuel than it should. On a flex-fuel car, ethanol blend changes can make the computer’s fuel calculations more sensitive.
A flex-fuel car can run on different mixes of gasoline and ethanol. The car’s computer has to figure out what blend you’re using so it can adjust how much fuel to inject.
“Alcohol content” is the car’s estimate of how much ethanol is in the fuel. Even if you don’t have an alcohol sensor, the computer can still guess based on how the engine is running.
Resetting the computer means clearing the car’s stored fault info so it can start fresh. It can make the problem seem gone for a bit, but it doesn’t fix the cause if the issue keeps happening.
The host is saying the car may not directly measure ethanol with a special sensor. Instead, it figures out the fuel blend indirectly, so the readings can still shift even without a sensor being present.
The advice to run the tank low is about getting a representative sample of the current fuel blend into the system. In flex-fuel diagnostics, if the tank still contains older fuel, the car’s inferred ethanol percentage can lag and keep reporting inconsistent “alcohol content” until the new blend dominates.
The BMW 3 Series is a luxury car that comes in different body styles, most commonly a sedan. The podcast is talking about using certain types of fuel with higher ethanol content, and it’s warning that not all ethanol blends are appropriate. Using the wrong blend can cause problems if the car isn’t set up for it.
When you refuel, the car notices the tank level jump. Then it watches how the oxygen sensor readings change to figure out what kind of fuel it’s now burning. If the change is messy (like topping off with a different blend), the car may not interpret it correctly.
The oxygen sensor tells the computer whether the engine is burning fuel “too rich” or “too lean.” If the readings change a lot after refueling, the computer tries to correct the fuel mixture. If the sensor is worn out, it can give misleading information.
The mass airflow sensor measures how much air is going into the engine. The computer uses that number to decide how much fuel to inject. If the sensor is dirty or wrong, the car can add or subtract fuel in the wrong way.
Term
CRC emission system cleaning kit
This is a cleaning product made by CRC for emissions-related parts. The idea is to remove buildup that can affect how the engine runs and how the sensors read. In the story, it helped after they also fixed the airflow measurement.
The throttle body controls how much air gets into the engine. Over time, carbon buildup can make it less responsive or affect airflow. Using throttle body cleaner helps remove that buildup.
Term
injection system cleaner (in the tank)
This is a fuel additive you put in the gas tank to help clean the fuel system. It can reduce gunk that affects how the injectors spray fuel. It’s usually used as maintenance or as part of a troubleshooting plan.
Fuel trims are the car’s “corrections” to make the mixture run right. If the trims move a lot, it can mean the car is compensating for something—like dirty sensors or different fuel. Monitoring trims helps confirm what’s really going on.
Zirconium is a material used inside many oxygen sensors. It helps the sensor “sense” oxygen in the exhaust and send a signal to the computer. Over years of heat and use, that sensing material can wear out, so the sensor becomes slower or less accurate.
Fuel injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If they start leaking or don’t spray correctly, the engine can run rough and may misfire. Over time, that can make other problems show up too, so repairs can “pile up.”
Cars store warning codes when sensors don’t behave the way they should. A “slow response” code can mean the oxygen sensor is getting old, but it can also happen if something else is wrong (like air leaks or a bad air sensor). Good diagnosis checks the likely causes before swapping parts.
A vacuum leak is like a small air leak in the engine system. It can make the engine run with the wrong fuel/air mix, which can trigger warning lights. That’s why mechanics consider vacuum leaks when they see certain sensor codes.
Car-part.com is a website where you can buy used car parts from junkyards. It can help you find parts that fit your specific car, which can save money versus buying new.
Recycled parts are used parts from cars that were taken apart. They often cost less than new parts and are better for the environment because they don’t require making everything from scratch.
Berkeley One Classics is an insurance company that specializes in classic and specialty vehicles. They’re pitching coverage and discounts for people who own cars that may not fit standard insurance categories.
Road ready wheels is a company selling replacement wheels for your car. They’re being marketed as a lower-cost option when your wheels are damaged, leaking air, or corroded from road salt.
Snow tires are tires made for winter weather so your car grips better on snow and ice. Using a separate set (often on spare wheels) helps keep your regular summer wheels from getting beat up.
Corrosion is rust or metal breakdown caused by things like road salt and moisture. In winter, it can damage wheels and lead to leaks or other wheel problems.
Steel wheels are the basic wheels your car came with from the factory. They’re usually tough and not too expensive, but they can be heavier than nicer alloy wheels.
Aftermarket wheels are wheels you buy that aren’t the ones your car came with. The tricky part is making sure they fit correctly and work with your car’s sensors.
TPMS sensors are little parts that monitor your tire pressure. If you change wheels, you need sensors that will work with your car so the tire-pressure warning doesn’t stay on.
They’re talking about a 2001 Chevrolet pickup that had an electrical problem. The story is used to explain how to diagnose the issue instead of guessing.
A battery disconnect is a way to fully turn off power from the battery. People use it when they suspect something is draining the battery, but they haven’t fixed the root problem yet.
Concept
battery drain diagnosis vs quick fix
They’re basically saying: don’t just use a temporary trick to stop the problem—find out what’s actually causing the battery to drain. Otherwise, the real issue could still be there.
Circuits are the car’s wiring routes that carry electricity to different parts. Checking circuits helps find what’s pulling power when the car is supposed to be off.
Remote battery shutoffs let you turn off the car’s battery power without going to the battery. It can help stop battery drain when the car isn’t being used.
A car battery has two terminals: one is the negative and one is the positive. The negative terminal is connected to the car’s ground, and disconnecting it first is a safer way to start electrical work.
Term
interrupter
An “interrupter” here sounds like a switch that turns power on and off. People use this kind of thing to stop the battery from draining or to control when an electrical system gets power.
The positive terminal is the battery’s main power output. If you connect something there, it can get power—but you have to be careful so you don’t create a dangerous wiring situation.
Term
illuminated grill emblems
An “illuminated grill emblem” is a badge on the front of the car that lights up. It usually needs wiring and a secure mount so it works reliably and doesn’t get damaged by moisture.
In this context, a “hack” means a workaround that temporarily avoids a problem without addressing the root cause. It can be useful to restore functionality, but it may be unreliable, unsafe, or create new issues over time.
Your car battery isn’t just for starting—it also keeps certain electronics powered. If you mess with how the battery is connected or isolated, some things may forget their settings, like the clock.
The fuel tank is where your gas goes. The caller is basically saying they might be using something in the gas that isn’t ideal, and that can sometimes cause problems that show up later.
The Buick Enclave is a larger SUV with three rows of seats, made for families or groups. The podcast is discussing adding a camera option to a 2015 model. That kind of upgrade usually involves fitting the camera hardware and making sure it works with the vehicle’s display system.
ACDelco is a GM parts brand. If you have an AC Delco warranty, it may cover repairs or replacements, which can save money when something like a TPMS sensor keeps failing.
Cars use sensors in the tires to keep track of tire pressure. If a sensor is dead or can’t communicate, the car warns you with a light and the readings can be wrong or missing.
Calibration is the car learning the new tire sensors after a tire/sensor change. Without it, the car might not show correct pressure or might keep warning you.
The host recommends doing TPMS sensor replacement during a tire change because the wheel is already dismounted. This reduces labor time and cost versus removing the tire twice, and it ensures the sensor is installed with proper cleaning and fitment.
Many TPMS sensors are battery-powered and can report a low-battery condition before they fully fail. As the battery weakens—often more noticeable in cold weather—the sensor may transmit inconsistently, leading to missing or incorrect readings.
Some tire sealants can get into the sensor area and cause problems. The host is warning that if you use stop leak, you may end up needing a new tire sensor.
“Fix a flat” is a common aerosol/sealant product used to temporarily seal punctures. The host claims it can ruin TPMS sensors because the sealant can reach the sensor portion of the tire/wheel assembly, making replacement necessary.
A scanner is a device the shop plugs in to check what the car is seeing. It can tell whether the tire sensor is actually sending data or if that sensor isn’t working.
The valve stem is where you put air in the tire. Some TPMS sensors are attached right to that valve area, so if they fail, it’s usually the sensor itself.
Term
400 megahertz
TPMS sensors use radio signals, and there are different common frequencies. If the sensor’s frequency doesn’t match what the car expects, the tire warning system may not work properly.
Autel makes tools that mechanics use to diagnose cars and program certain parts. Here, they’re using an Autel tool to set up tire sensors so the car can recognize them.
315 MHz refers to the radio frequency TPMS sensors transmit on. Different regions and vehicle platforms use specific frequencies, so using the correct frequency sensor is important for the car to receive the signals.
A TPMS “relearn” (or reset) is the process of teaching the vehicle which sensor IDs are installed. Even if sensors are physically installed, the car may still need a relearn procedure—often via the steering wheel controls—to start reading them correctly.
Some tire sensors come pre-set, so you can install them without special programming equipment. You may still need to reset the car’s tire system so it knows the sensors are there.
The car can be reset to recognize new tire sensors using the controls on the steering wheel. The steps depend on the car, but it’s usually a menu option or a button sequence.
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Welcome to the Under the Hood show podcast. Thank you for joining us. We have some podcast
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Now here is the Under the Hood show podcast. 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. I didn't think you were here for some reason this week. So I'm
happy to see you. I'm here. I was in Las Vegas at the beginning of the week for a conference,
but I'm back. Okay. So all right. So we talked right before you got on a plane to come here.
Yeah. Okay. All right. So that's exciting. Yeah. I didn't drive a car. I've never
no no rental car reports. Nothing. I just Uber. Just all this is over Vegas. A lot of people don't
know you're a handicapper. You go out and set spreads and I do all that. Yeah. I probably
break them because I don't do anything when I'm in Vegas. I did. They did not get $1 from me for
gambling. Not a single dollar. Not even like in the airport. I'm usually tempted to drop a 20 at
the airport. Sure. It didn't. All right. They didn't got not $1 from me. I'm proud of myself. Way to
go. Let's start in North Carolina today. Talk to Russ. You're on the Under the Hood show. Russ,
what can we do for you? I want to start out by saying I hope this is a learning lesson for
other people not to do stupid things that I do. But I bought a 2015 F-150 here in Charlotte,
and everything seemed to be all right other than the radio didn't work. I said there was no sound.
Now me being ignorant or not up the par on electronics, I figured it'd be something simple
as a small wiring issue or something a fuse or so I go at home and I get to digging into it a
little more and a little more. Yeah, it's a it's a wiring issue. The previous owner or somewhere
before that somebody decided to take all the equipment from behind the seat. And instead of
unplugging it, they just cut it off with a pair of scissors or some big sharp object. And all I'm
left with is a bunch of bare wires coming out of the back corner of the cab. My problem is now
I'm trying to find their original equipment, but I also need a pigtail that is OEM connection back
to an OEM receiver and all the other hardware. Ford says they can get it for me, but they can't
find a harness. They don't make a harness anymore. And their suggestion is to go to an aftermarket
place and see if they could either build me one or just change the whole system out to
an aftermarket radio and receiver and sub and module and whatever else I need.
My dad's a faithful watcher of your show. He's listening right now and Wyoming, but
he told me about your car dash parts.com. I get on there, Orangeburg, South Carolina. I'm,
I really, really live in Columbia, South Carolina. So Orangeburg isn't very far from me.
They have all kinds of receivers and parts on their list when I put the VIN number in,
but I can't, I can't seem to find a contact number.
Oh, I want to answer this question so bad too. Yeah, we can yet.
Check him in again. Is he there?
Yeah, it's still choppy. Still choppy. Yeah.
Go to the top of the hill.
John, put your phone on your, stand on your roof.
Well, his dad's listening. Yeah, dad's listening.
Right. He doesn't catch all.
Exactly. Well, first of all, don't be so hard on yourself. Second of all, yes, these new vehicles,
the electronic systems with the radio are not what we grew up with. If you're at least 40 years
old, this stuff, this stuff is not spark-o-matic with better with fuses. It is all integrated
into the system and that, you know, you've got that radio is, is, is on the, is on the
data bus and it's communicating with other stuff. So you need all that OEM stuff to work together,
or you have to get an aftermarket kit that allows you to convert it properly. So now,
having said that, we, we have got plenty of people that have ran into the same situation.
And usually what it ends up being is a truck that went through an auction.
This is my, my best case scenario. It's a truck that went through an auction that had been used
as a job truck and they probably removed the back seat and put other things in there and,
or somebody just stole it, but I don't know what they do with it. It's kind of a worthless piece
to steal, I would think. But when they do that, sometimes they'll put things back there and then
somebody will retrofit it and put it back to an interior again. So it looks like a pickup to use,
but they don't fix everything. And somebody's the unlucky recipient. And in this case,
unlucky recipient is Russ. And so, on Cardash part, what you need to do. And I just sat next to
the owner of Cardash part for a couple of days here in their, in Vegas, he was at the same conference
I was, Roger Froder and his family do a great job with that. And if you look up somebody that has
the proper amplifier, there might be a module associated with that system, but I would more
go for the amplifier because I believe that's what sits back in that back corner along with some
other stuff. And find out who's got one that is still in a vehicle, that's still in a vehicle,
and then call them and convince them that you'll pay them money, good money, fair money, to go out
and get you the harness or cut it off as you need. Sometimes the cutting off part is not the best
option because they run some, some of these run a little bit of digital, some run coax. It's not
as easy to splice that stuff. Russ, go ahead. There's parts you can buy to splice coax.
You know, back to the beginning of this, I think what happened is that somebody properly cut the
wires. They installed an aftermarket sub back there, maybe a different amp. If you look, you
might find that there was a wire run up to the battery in the front because they won't really
pull those out typically. They leave those. Good thought. I didn't go there. Good thought.
But then when they got rid of the truck, it was a repo or a quick get rid of it.
So they grabbed the quickest thing they had, a knife or a saw blade or something because
it's a work truck, and they just ripped it out. So to fix it, your two choices like Shannon said,
car dash part. And if you call, like if you called us and said, Hey guys, I want to buy
a foot of the pigtail harness off the back of this truck, we'd be like,
well, oh, and by the way, while I'm buying that, I want to buy all the modules that were plugged
into it. Oh, we'll, we'll get right on that. It's a lot easier. Yeah. If you're all of a sudden,
it's a, all of a sudden it's a $300 sale instead of a $50 sale. Yeah. You're going to get somebody's
attention. Right. And we don't often sell that whole harness out of that cab, but it does happen.
And as those trucks get older now there, when they hit about 12 to 15 years old, the selling of those
will happen as cab replacements are being done on them as a whole cab. But you have your two
options is that car dash part, if you want to keep that factory stereo, the second option is get it
into a car stereo repair shop where they might be able to do what the previous owner had, keep the
head unit, the dash with navigation, whatever you had, all the factory interface, but get yourself
an amp and speakers put in back there, they'll put a sub behind the seat that the third option is
just take it all out and a couple thousand bucks would get you an in dash connect to the factory
speakers with their bypass kit and maybe a small sub in the back and still have a nice stereo. But
I'll bet they, they took it apart because they had an aftermarket in there because there's nothing
really to steal back there that somebody would want. It's just not valuable. Right. But they,
so I think if you get into a car stereo shop, they would be able to look at it and probably get you
hooked up with an amp in there. What is there anything else? Is there anything else that's not
working? Well, no, I went to, I went yesterday to get a key because I only had one fob and so it's
a push button. So I was going to get another fob programmed at a locksmith and he said,
yeah, I can do that for you. So he goes out plugs into it, but it won't, it won't program the key.
And so we got to talking about it and let him know that, hey, the receiver is missing out of
the back because somebody stole it and I'm trying to get that figured out. And he said, well,
till you fix that problem, I can't, I can't get a key programmed because it won't communicate with
the truck. And so my mind's wrapped around the fact, okay, then how come my regular fob already
works or how come everything on the screen like backup camera, the, you know, the heating and cool
display comes up when you adjust your seats and massage and you can, you can do all that through
the, but you can't program a key. Yeah, so that'll work. But if the communications down, if the
information's already in there, think about it like a home computer that used to have a CD drive to
put a CD in it. Well, if you've already got programs in the computer, you can run them. But if somebody
opens that door and rips the CD drive out, you can't put anything new in it. So you're,
because you're losing the communication port, same way with that truck. But what they can do,
you could just go down to ACE hardware, have a clone key made of your key. And then that would
work on the truck because it thinks it's got two of the same key in it and not two separate keys.
So yeah, just go down and get you go like the ACE, have them cut it, and they'll clone their
original key. And then that will start. Since you have one, you can do that. It's when you don't
have one when it gets really ugly. Right. Russ, thanks very much for the call. You're welcome.
Tell your dad we said hi. And thanks for listening. Thanks for the call. Hope we,
hope we got you helped out there. 866-594-415, that's the number to reach us here
at the under the hood show. Now we're going to talk to Jim, you're on the under the hood show.
Jim, what can we do for you? Well, I was listening last week when you were talking about the
timing belt or the belt partner on a Honda Accord, I think it was.
Right. We were talking about the external belt that runs the alternator and the,
you know, power steering on cars and air conditioner and all that. And we were talking
about the Daco complete belt kit, which allows you to replace the whole system at once instead
of just one piece and having it. And we had the guy that had the Radley car on startup.
That was the timing. That was the other one. That was the timing chain.
What's your thoughts on that? Well, I'm just inquiring about a 2015 Honda Civic. I assume
that has to have the same changes made or maintenance on that. Well, there's no maintenance on
either one. If everything's working well for, so like on the timing chain side,
if there's no noise when you start it, the chain is meant to last the life of the engine.
And with proper maintenance to the vehicle, you know, three months, 3000 mile oil changes on this
specific car, longer drives, they'll typically last a very long time. And then even when they
start rattling a little bit, we have a lot of customers that they've been rattling. They've
got 300,000 miles on these Civics and CRVs and things. So they're fine. But as far as the belts
go, when it does come time to replace a belt, which should come sooner than the time to change a
timing chain, hopefully you'll never have to do that. But when you get to be, I mean, you're 11
years old already in the Civic, so it's getting real close to belt time. At that point, what we
suggest is the belt kit that Daco has. And we use those in our shop. So we don't have a customer
say, well, I just need a belt, we put a belt on, they come back and say, well, it's still squeaking.
Well, you didn't tell me it's squeak. We had squeaks sometimes in the morning. Okay, well,
it needs a belt and it needs a tensioner and the idler as a kit. And it's cheaper to get it
all together. But now that you told me it, all you needed wanted was a belt and you're throwing
one on, it's going to need more. So yeah, we put the whole thing on. We have not seen as many
situations, symptoms of a loose timing chain in these newer Civics as that particular Accord
engine that somebody called about about 2018. Yeah. So this is, this is something I wouldn't
be as worried about. If your car is running good and it's quiet, enjoy that smooth run
in Honda and keep an eye on your dry belts just like any other car and let not your heart be
troubled. Jim, thanks very much for the call. Good luck. 866-594-4150. Let's go to Michigan
and talk to Bill. You're on the end of the hood show. Bill, what can we do for you?
Before I start, I want to confirm what you guys already know that your call screener Doug is
very helpful and easy to work with. He's amazing. Did he tell you to say that? Because he's the
one step call and solution. He's very nefarious, we discussed. Here's my issue. I got a 2009
Chevy Impala with 125,000 miles. I got a P0 172, which is a rich code. I've owned this car for
about three years. It is a flex fuel vehicle. I've never run E85 in it. Get the same top tier
gas from the same station all the time. In February of 25, I had a high alcohol content
at 78%. The fix at that time was to reset the computer and it went back to normal. I've got
same problem. This month, alcohol content shows 54%. I don't understand how that system works because
it does not have an alcohol detector. Yeah, and I don't like that. I wish they did. You will be
number three this week so far of people that I've had to deal with this situation of yours. I don't
because I'm not fixing it. You can use anecdotal help.
So the systems don't use a sensor. When they use the sensor, the only problem they would ever
encounter was that sometimes the sensor would fail. That was rare. I think we probably still
have someone on our shelf from years ago because they just didn't fail very often. They were super
expensive when they did. I think that's why they took them off. That part was expensive. It was
expensive to put on. They saved a lot of money, they thought. They have the parts on the car
already to do it. Most of them are working pretty good, but the problem is when you run in flex fuel,
you need to run that tank of fuel all the way down to less than a quarter, like an eighth of a tank,
and then fill it completely to the top with whatever fuel you choose. If you're going to switch that
fuel to something else, you need to run it all the way back down to the eighth of the tank again
and change it to something else. If you're going E85, E30, anything but E20 and below,
you need to do that. But if you've already got E85 in it, you're going to just top off that
tank with another 10 gallons, go ahead, put that in there, put the same thing. But if you want to
switch to a different blend, it's got to go all the way back to zero. People aren't doing that and
the computer gets confused because what it does is when it sees a fill up at the tank, so your fuel
gauge is going at least a certain percentage of it, it's about 60%, I think 60 to 80%. If it sees
that much of a change when you restart the car, it knows you refueled it. And at that point,
it looks at the oxygen sensor now compared to the oxygen sensor before that change occurred.
And when it sees, whoa, we're really lean, we must have increased the alcohol content. Let's dump
more fuel. But yours didn't switch back. But the other thing you can cause it is a dirty
air system, air intake system in the car. Mass airflow sensor dirty?
No, I've been through that. The hole in the boot or in the folds can sometimes that'll do it too.
Yeah, I've been through all of that. I guess my question to your rust is, should I change the
oxygen sensors? Well, so I've never, I've never run flex fuel in this car. Okay, if you never run it
in there, then the oxygen sensors can do this. The mass airflow sensor is the biggest. What we
did to fix these other two cars was a new mass airflow sensor and a CRC emission system cleaning
kit, which cleans the, we used to clean the mass airflow sensor, we use the throttle body cleaner
to clean the throttle body. And we use the injection system cleaner in the tank to clean the engine.
And then we reset everything and we're good. And I can instantly see what's going on with the fuel
trims, because the first thing I did, I looked and I said, here we go, we got high alcohol content,
80% in one and like 64, I think it was or 62 in the other. So I reset that. And then I took
it for a drive. After 10 miles, it was already creeping up past 30 on both of them. So I said,
it's, it's going to come back on in two or three days for this customer. After we did the mass
airflow sensor and cleaned everything out, it's, it stayed down at zero where it was supposed to.
So are oxygen sensors a maintenance item? They are late in life. When they get to the point where
they're, you know, 10 years old, 100,000 miles, they wear out, they've got zirconium in them,
which wears as the sensor runs, it's made to dissipate. That's how part of the way the sensor
works. So it, it wears out like a spark plug. So it's time to replace them. I just did a
a Buick, I don't know, I'm driving right now. Shannon, I look across the CERN something,
one of them. I just lose my mind. In vision, then there you go. In vision, a Buick in vision.
Okay, I took the sport utility. That fuel system was really dirty, but they've been driving it
till the check engine light came on. And then it was worse and worse. Then it started misfiring.
Well, that thing ended up needing a mass air flow sensor,
two oxygen sensors in it, and also injectors because it had three of the injectors that were
so bad that they were, they were starting to leak. So as you go, things pile up. But
yeah, that's the oxygen sensors just worn from, from age, they get slow response and you'll get
a slow response code in them that if it's not caused by something else like a mass air flow
or a vacuum leak, yeah, you can get, you can get that. So it's, it's probably time on an O9
for some oxygen sensors on that car as well. That's the direction and I'll follow them.
All right. Thanks, Bill. Thanks very much for the call. Good luck. 866-594-4150.
Haven't wars been fought over zirconium?
You're thinking about the, you know, like Avengers.
Yeah, in like sci-fi movies. I don't watch well enough. Yeah. Wakanda. Yeah.
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Welcome back everybody. It's time to get back under the hood with our motor medics.
866-594-4150. That's the number to reach us here at the end of the hood show. Don't forget if you
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of collector car coverage. Check them out. We do. We did. We still do it. We do. We do. We've done.
I don't. Do it again. I should. I mean I want to but I don't need it right now.
Yeah. Don't get sad Chris. Please. Please. 866-594-4150. Let's talk to Dale. You're on the
end of the hood show. Dale what can we do for you? I talked with you guys last week. I had that 2001
Chevy pickup that was losing electricity overnight. Yes. And you had talked you know about well
you got to run down all the circuits and everything and find out what you said as an
alternative to just put a battery disconnect. Yeah. Right. Well I called you know like one of your
sponsors is what that you know that does remote starts and stuff. I called them well do you have
remote battery shutoffs. No they didn't and I called around a little bit and I talked to my son
and he said well I can order it on Amazon and that's what you guys had said too. It's the only
place I've seen one. We ordered me one. Yeah. Well they had several different you know you could
go from a $29 one to a $99 one and we just kind of took one in the middle you know a $50 one
and he had it the very next day and I went over and it was relatively easy you know you just
take your battery loose and on the negative side they send a post that you turn in to your
battery you know so your looms can hook onto it and then you hook on the other side of the
shutoff to your what was your car wire originally that would have originally went on the battery
you know so you got an interrupter there and the other side the positive you just put another
wire from the that little brain and has it worked. Yeah it works just fine and I'd like the
on the front of this it's got on the grill it's got a raised chrome it's not really a strip it's
molded in and when it gets over close to the headlights it kind of swoops up yeah but in
that area it turns into a hard plastic kind of a smoke or dark brown yep piece of plastic
well I drilled through that little piece of plastic and we put that little red indicator
light there so the light shines when the system is on and the little box that you have to mount
then there wasn't really a good place to mount it so my son just took a little piece of a flat
strap and welded it onto the rod that's across the top of the battery you know that so the
hold down but we took the rod we took the rod out of the truck we didn't weld that's a really
good idea not on top of the battery well this sounds like you guys had a little mechanical
engineering project out of the deal and you figured out how to make it all work I'm gonna
make sure my dad hears this about the art Nordstrom light I think it was maybe a Benji
Stephus light I would have gone a little further and I would have got one of those illuminated
grill emblems yeah so your emblem would light up when you oh wow listen to that gotta go fancy so
okay just bottom line thank you for the return call on that but it's you're you're using it and
your battery's not dead anymore it's obviously this is a hack it's not not a fix it's a hack to
make it not have the problem yeah but that's good that's what you wanted the only thing
then in the morning when I turn the system on and started up it always tells me it's midnight
my clock yeah so I gotta reset the clock every morning but that's the only thing that
you know seem to be affected by it well that's well you because there are there are things in
there they're gonna rely on that's battery storage that are gonna be affected here and there but
is there any way around that there's not is there not that I'm gonna describe on the radio
it just takes too long I got you I mean you there are ways there's by the way to put a backup
with a little battery you could you could just run that in there with a resistor or a diode in it
one way but what if the radio is what's drawn the current yeah hey now that I fix the radio
battery back up let's uh let's be happy where we're at yeah dale let's let's just leave it
it was in the middle 50 bucks yes yeah you know what a lot of times when you go on that
amazon situation look really close it's the same part for 90 bucks it's the same part for 30 bucks
it's just different people with different marketing approaches one company is mczikwer
and the other one is zikmerker right more more gooder or betterer we've seen the actual
Chris could you say that exact same thing again mr and zikmerker yeah I don't think it was
dale thanks very much for the call 866-594-4150 let's talk to Christoph you're on the end of
the hood show Christoph what can we do for you hey guys um so I'm gonna call back to a couple
of the other callers because I kind of touched on some things um I try to keep my alcohol content
zero percent but what I put in the fuel tank is a little questionable because I'm cheap
and my own lifetime timing chain is getting a little rattly too since I just hit 48 years old
overnight uh maybe it's the vibranium that's chattering I don't know you've been listening
really close yeah yeah well and actually uh I was looking at getting a special front camera
potentially to add on to my 2015 Buick enclave that embeds into that hollow spot in the Buick
grill logo so the emblem but um what I'm really calling about is a TPMS that keeps haunting me
the tire pressure monitor sensor um the right rear is uh out again and I think billion is going to be
maybe replacing it for me underneath the AC Delco warranty for like the third time
and I don't know if this is baby it's just like a tire related issue it's uh I've only had the car
for two years so my overall question is would it be wise for me to take it to the tire shop
get tires looked at find out how soon those need to be replaced and then if those need to be replaced
is that something that you know they move the TPMS sensor into the same tire or have them aware of
the issue so if it gets relocated to a different tire but they'll calibrate it I don't know how
that works so yeah you need to tell me you're having problems with one and they're going to
probably want to replace it then I I use on in my shop I use auto sensors they're not partners of
ours they're um they're just nothing I just I get them for an affordable price and they've been
out there forever I sell them for an affordable price some shops are selling those things for
crazy money and I just tell people hey if your light's on just wait until you need tires and
then they come back to me and they get the tires done and we put in sensors it's so much cheaper
to do it while the tires are already off the car I did on a Buick yesterday we put four
sensors in that because they were all showing low battery and on cold days it would give you bars
across the dash and not read the sensor at all sometimes they'll show good battery and still
not read when they when they get some age on them but there's nothing that the tire can do
to cause a sensor to go bad except for stop leak fix a flat you put that in the tire
you're going to probably ruin the sensor and it'll it'll you're never going to fix it until you put
a new tire on it and clean the wheel off as it gets in the sensor portion of the tire pressure
monitor sensor but I yeah I don't I don't know the AC Delco sensor should be just fine
and if it's under warranty by all means let them get you another one for free but
there's nothing that could be happening on the car wise causing that sensor to fail the
sensor's actually bad and they can read it when they hand out scanner they go around and read it
the car's not reading it the scanner is and if it shows that that one's dead it's the only thing
it can be it's is that sensor because it's 100% self-contained it's just connected right onto the
valve stem there so those aftermarket sensors that you're talking about if you were to purchase
those as a car owner and then have the tire shop put those in with the new tires or just to replace
them those sync up to like the OEM monitor system yeah and actually you could you can
interchange them between cars so there's two sensors you've got a 315 megahertz and the 400
range megahertz on all cars that's all cars yeah that have a sensor that have a tire pressure
sensor and they have to be programmed when you when you put them in so we have a handheld
alt autel device and we have boxes of these sensors that we can program per car as many as we need
and if you you can buy it the other way to where you buy one that's pre-programmed at let's say
i think your car is 315 megahertz but you pre-program it and then you just put it in and
you do the relearn on the car and then it'll work so if that shop doesn't use autel sensors or they
don't have the programmer they can't program it's not it's going to be useless so you have to have
one that's they call them like ready sensors that's another brand if you go to advanced auto parts
ask them what brands they have behind the counter for that i don't think they have the ac delco
but i believe they have autel and they've got some other tps sensors that are ready to go
sensors so you purchase one it just you put it in the car and it works i've even had some where
i've been trying to test a system when i thought i had an electronic issue where i program four
sensors on the bench or get those ready sensors and you you have to shake them because they've
got a little ball bearing inside and when it makes contact with the metal it turns the sensor on
otherwise they'd go dead with your car sitting right so when it goes it spins and turns it on
so i just shake them and then i do the hit the relearn on the steering wheel and i program
each one of these sensors now they're going to read zero but they're going to read and say the
sensor is good then i know okay i can go ahead and break these tires down and put these sensors in
and i'll be good why go to the work of mounting and balancing four tires but basically breaking
them down to put them in and find out i've got a problem with the electronic receiver on the car
the wireless module but on yours i i think you're gonna find you got a bad sensor just just one bad
sensor you know electronic skill three in a row that's the that's the oh yeah yeah i really appreciate
the info thanks guys thanks very much i i don't think i've ever heard russ explain what he just
said as far as i had agreed to shaking them to test them on the bench i've heard him say shake
them before but never let that's like plugging a fuel pump in before you put the tank back in
and just to be clear it's it sounds simple it's very straightforward but it's simple if you've
done it a thousand times and if you're not expecting it's they're very expensive they can be i mean so
i can tell you my sensors they're about 75 bucks a piece yes but they're 75 and then i put them in
with the if i'm putting a tire on it there's no extra charge i'm putting them in but if you come
in and say i just want a sensor put in 75 plus breaking the tire you have to buy 150 bucks a tire
yeah and some places get that 75 dollar sensor that same one they're selling for 150 bucks and
the only reason i bring that up is because when you find out what it is they're gonna go oh yeah
the battery's worn down so you just need a new sensor and that just need a new sensor is not
it's not that simple right it's inside the tire just reach in there and grab it eight six six five
nine four four one five oh that's the number to reach us here at the end of the hood show now
let's talk to josh in minnesota josh you're on the end of the hood show what can we do for you
yeah thanks for taking my call appreciate it you bet um i have a 2008 Hyundai Elantra that i
actually talked to you guys a couple years ago about putting a timing belt in which i did do
and it's now got 340 000 miles on it and so i'm uh my question i guess is what do you think the odds
are of it going to 400 and is it worth replacing the on my own some of the uh the suspension components
on the kind of all around the car well i i'm gonna say you've officially involved yourself in a game
now yeah and you just have to decide if you want to win and sometimes winning games is make comes at
the expense of no logic right right right right it's signing don bailer to play in eight games
so you win the world series it's i don't know right at the end of the day it's an away in Elantra
see how good what's the you can't change that that's like saying i'm 98 years old how much longer
do you think i'll live doc i mean am i gonna make it another 15 years and should i replace my hip
that has a little pain yeah yeah it's like well should i buy new shoes most of them better make
it this long so uh yeah most people don't hit 95 so you're already pushing here here's what i
said chris what do you think i say yeah run this but go now it now the game isn't is it worth it
now the game is how long can you go i know if it's quiet and it's not burning any oil and it's not
using antifreeze i can't fiverr me and it wasn't burning antifreeze and it wasn't burning oil i'd
pour a bottle of casey ultimate in that cooling system because we're looking for i mean wait what
what could happen if it's noisy something could fly apart and the motor's dead but he's fixed that
with the timing components if it's got a cooling system that's starting to break down and you
got a head gasket that's starting to leak it's gonna kill it it's gonna die so i don't know
a bottle of casey'll in there i'm gonna summarize this i think i got this drive it how many miles
since you put the timing chain in or timing belt timing belt was back at 275 and how much you're
just closing in on 400 now uh no it's 340 got 340 on it okay so you've got got some time left on
that baby yeah i think that when you go into a negotiation and you're willing to lose everything
you're a much better negotiator so in this situation what's the worst case scenario when the car
dies what's going to happen with it send it to a junkyard get 150 bucks put your money on the table
and let it ride yeah um that's where you're at i mean but if you wanted to get real crazy because
you know you can do it you've done the timing belt once already you could do it again but he's not
up to time to change it yet but i'd put the casey'll in it yeah and then just go that's it is it
burning oil no it doesn't burn oil and the uh the coolant really hasn't dropped much um it just
getting roughly uh when you go over a bump she uh chatter yeah i'd be worried about your safety
in the engine right now if you've made it that far you're playing with house money fix those things
casey'll in the engine and drive it and call us in another two years and let us know that you
don't have a dramatic suspension problem because i have seen a couple along the road of make sure
checking the ball joints um make sure on the control arms with that can you
can you get the the cheap amazon package that comes with everything and throw that on there and that
would be better than nothing or you better to go out with like for what for what problem for
suspension driver level for suspension i was thinking or yeah like the lower a arms ball joints
struts and then uh shocks in the back just you said the key word better than nothing but yeah
look do a chance says look at it and see what you probably got one or two parts that are bad
and if it's just one or two parts go get some that that won't kill you like the ones from
advanced auto parts um i i don't i've seen so many of those parts put on where a customer
comes in and says i was like hey your ball joints are bad yeah i just put those on well when two
months ago where'd you get them amazon i'm like oh okay i mean some people throw them on so they
could sell the car the next day and that seems to be fine but still the what are you leaving it for
for the ones that are the high wear items that have a history of being a problem you can go to
dormantproducts.com's website and if they sell it that means it's a part that commonly fails or
else they wouldn't sell it look up your look up your look up the you're making model and see what
parts are available and that's usually a pretty key indicator of parts that potentially are
serviced a lot in the industry because they need them. Sure that makes sense did you have another
question there josh and one quick clarification i did yep um just a clarification so i have an
old one chrysler town and country 96 000 miles looking to just do my 100 000 mile maintenance
um you guys would recommend a transmission flush over a transmission drain and fill on that oh yeah
yeah you want to get all of it out on that one is there any concern of uh causing more troubles
by doing a flush versus a drain and fill if the fluid is completely black because you've gone
way too long and you've got it overheated 25 years no if you've got it way too long mean like you've
run it overheated it turned it black but if it's just a darkish you know like a reddish orange color
it should be fine for a flush that's not going to be what takes it out
and with the chrysler just just make sure that just make sure that when they're doing the flush
they'll be able to find this out make sure you have good flow um you know that's the whole idea
you're you want good chemical package rebuilt you know refreshed in there with that fresh fluid
and then you just got to make sure you got good flow make sure there's not a bypass valve or a
thermostatic control or something in line that's causing problems after that flush just make sure
the flow is right if it's not good just go get yourself a prescription for some of that what
flow max or whatever just write down the old they don't do they don't have that for the transmission
yeah gosh thanks very much for the call good luck he's taking care of the is oh one getting that
100 000 in there and 96 000 in an old town and country is quite low is it yeah yeah let's talk
to scott in north carolina scott you're on the end of the hood show what can we do for you
hey guys i sure appreciate you taking my call you bet i've got a 2015 buick on core with the lego
engine in it all plastic and i've got an overheating problem and my son's a mechanic
and when i bought the car it had the green antifreeze in it and his first recommendation was that we
go ahead and do a flush so we spent a whole saturday completely flush in the motor out
put the orange in there and uh that seemed to solve the problem well it it took on that little
whistle where the pcv is built into the intake so i took it to my mechanic of 30 years and he
replaced all that got rid of the whistle uh i decided well the water pump was making a little
grumbly sound so we put a new water pump on it and then we put new thermostat in it and all the
the the housing and all the the stuff that goes with that and now it it overheats and what it does
is i can put it let it sit in the driveway idle it'll idle for an hour and run perfect at about
210 215 in that neighborhood and then it as soon as i take it on the road get five
10 miles up the road it pegs out hot to run up i put my stand tool on it it runs all the way up so
like 230 240 i've even had as high as 250 and it then it'll drop back down i'm just put yesterday
my fourth thermostat in it i got one of the metal thermostats as opposed to a plastic one
still does the same thing and i mean i'm i'm in so far deep into this car now
that i i'm just like i've been all over the internet every youtube video there's very little
about these things on there because it'll break keeps saying replace the thermos Scott i one thing
that i will just throw out for other listeners in there and russ if i'm wrong correct me quickly
when you bought that as a 2015 and it had green antifreeze in it somebody was already
messing with that vehicle before you got it oh yeah you know and so i don't know if that was
i didn't other people caught that key indication because it doesn't come with green antifreeze
when you're driving it down the road and it overheats if you pull over and leave it running
does it cool down uh yes and no sometimes it will sometimes it won't okay and it after i
put this last thermostat on it it started throwing a p0597 which says replace the thermostat
so well that's because it saw the temp the temperature fluctuate so much
there's two things you need to do this right away step one you need to get yourself one of those
little handheld temperature guns the laser pointer and while the engine's running in the driveway
idling check the each radiator hose in and out and make sure you've got a good temperature drop
across the radiator if you find it's 215 going in and 212 coming out with the fans running that's
not enough that radiator is plugged but before you go putting the radiator in you need to do the
exhaust gas check of the coolant to make sure it doesn't have a head gasket out that could be
restricting the coolant flow causing those readings because there's no actual coolant flowing it's
just sitting there getting hot so check the exhaust gases make sure what there's a little test for
that they're about 50 bucks pick that up try it and then check that temperature in and out
and that'll tell you if it's an engine or put a bottle of kasey on it scott thanks very much for
the call good luck that'll do it for the under the hood show thanks for watching thanks for listening
we'll see you next time
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About this episode
Russ Evans and Shannon Nordstrom field a string of real-world repair questions focused on saving money and avoiding expensive misdiagnoses. A 2015 F-150 radio/audio issue turns out to be hacked wiring and missing OEM harness/amp modules, with advice to source the correct pigtails and modules from car-dash-part.com or use a stereo shop to keep factory integration. Other calls cover Honda timing chains vs belts, flex-fuel “rich” codes from improper fuel blending, TPMS sensor failures and why they’re usually tire-mounted, and an overheating Buick where temperature-drop and head-gasket checks come first. Practical tips and “fix it once” guidance throughout.
We have the expert advice! Call our show live 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 today's callers. 1. 15 F150 Aftermarket Stereo was cut out and wires damaged 2. 15 Honda Civic should I change belts? 3.09 Impala why do I have high alcohol content with normal fuel? 4. 01 Chevy truck Remote Battery Disconnect switch 5. 15 Enclave TPMS problems 6. 08 Elantra should I use cheap suspension parts? 7. 15 Enclave overheats
