Packard was a famous American company that made luxury cars. The point here is that it was considered a top-tier luxury brand—like a “Rolls Royce” for the U.S.
Concept
independent company
An “independent company” here means Packard wasn’t part of the larger, already-established automaker groups—it operated as its own business. The segment uses this to explain why listeners might not recognize Packard’s origins if they only know the major Detroit brands.
Winton is the name tied to an early car maker in this story. Packard’s founder visited their factory, bought one of their cars, and then talked with them about making it better.
This is about controlling when the engine’s spark happens. The timing changes depending on driving conditions so the engine runs smoother and more efficiently.
A steering wheel is the main wheel you turn to control where the car goes. The host is saying Packard helped popularize the steering wheel layout we recognize today.
A 12-cylinder engine has twelve cylinders working together. More cylinders often means smoother power delivery, and in the early days it was a big luxury/technology flex.
Car air conditioning is what cools the cabin and helps keep the windows from fogging. It uses a special system to move heat out of the car.
Term
steel beam headlights
This is an older style of headlight setup that used a sturdy steel frame. The goal was to make the headlights hold their position better and last longer.
A padded dash is an interior dashboard covered with energy-absorbing material to reduce injury risk in a crash. It also improves perceived comfort by softening hard surfaces.
Power windows let you open and close the windows with a button or switch. Instead of turning a handle, the car uses a motor.
Concept
independent companies
This means smaller car companies that weren’t part of the biggest, most powerful automakers. The hosts say they struggled because they didn’t sell enough cars to fund new models like the big companies could.
Amortize means “spread out the cost over time.” The point here is that big automakers could sell enough cars to cover the cost of new designs over several years, while smaller companies couldn’t.
American Motors was a company created by merging several smaller car makers. The hosts say Packard was supposed to become the luxury brand within that merged company.
George Romney was a business leader involved in the car industry during the time when smaller automakers were trying to merge. In this segment, he’s mentioned as part of a leadership conflict.
The Packard Caribbean is a specific Packard car model. Here, it’s mentioned because someone might have swapped in an engine from another brand, which people sometimes doubt or question.
Term
VA
“VA” is the name the host is using for Packard’s V8 engine. A V8 is an engine with eight cylinders arranged in a V shape, and the point here is that other brands had them earlier than Packard did.
Torque is the engine’s “pulling power.” More torque usually means the car feels stronger when you start moving or when you’re not already at high speed.
A constant variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic gearbox that can change ratios smoothly instead of using fixed gears. The idea is to keep the engine in the right “sweet spot,” and the host says you can feel it change around 40–45 mph.
A downshift is when the transmission switches to a lower gear so the engine can spin faster. That usually makes the car respond more strongly, and you can feel the change.
Term
ultramatter transmission
The Ultramatic transmission is Packard’s automatic gearbox. The host is saying it worked well for how those cars were meant to be driven, even if people criticized their fuel economy.
A V8 is an engine with eight cylinders arranged in a V shape. The host is saying that when Packard added a V8, the automatic transmission couldn’t keep up with how much power the engine made.
An adapter kit is like a custom set of connectors and brackets that helps two parts fit together. With older cars, it’s often used when someone wants to install a newer transmission or drivetrain component.
A “three-speed” transmission means the car has three forward gears. Older cars often used simpler gearboxes, and changing to a different transmission can be tricky because the parts have to match up.
A car show is an organized event where owners display vehicles and enthusiasts gather to compare cars, talk history, and sometimes judge or feature specific makes. In this segment, it’s used to describe how the Packard community meets and keeps the brand’s legacy alive.
Newport refers to the city in Rhode Island that’s famous for historic mansions and classic-car tourism. In this segment, the group plans a bus trip there to tour local attractions and museums.
The Audrain Museum is a car museum in Newport, Rhode Island, focused on automotive history and notable collections. The hosts mention it as a must-see, but also note crowd-size limits for their group.
The Honda Pilot is a midsize three-row SUV built around family practicality rather than flashy styling. In this segment, the host highlights its sensible packaging and everyday usability, then gets specific about its 3.5-liter V6 and 10-speed automatic.
This is a V6 engine with 3.5 liters of displacement. It’s a common setup for family SUVs because it can provide smooth, steady power for everyday driving.
A 10-speed automatic transmission is the car’s automatic gear system with ten different gear ratios. It helps the engine stay in the right range so the car drives smoothly and efficiently.
A turbocharged four-cylinder engine is a smaller engine that uses a turbo to make more power. Automakers use this approach to get better fuel economy while still feeling quick.
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders. It usually feels smoother and pulls more strongly than a four-cylinder, even if the four-cylinder has higher peak horsepower.
Cubic inches is a way to measure how big an engine is. Bigger displacement often helps the engine make stronger pull, which can make it feel different to drive.
Towing capacity is the maximum weight a vehicle is rated to tow safely. It depends on the engine, transmission, cooling system, and braking capability, and it’s also affected by the trailer hitch and trailer setup.
A turbocharger is a device that boosts engine power by forcing more air into the engine. The host is saying they like not having to think about turbo-related issues.
Ergonomics means designing the inside of the car so it fits people well. Here, the host is saying the Pilot’s layout and seating make it easier to stay comfortable while driving.
The Chevy Suburban is a bigger SUV than the Pilot, with more space for passengers and cargo. The host is saying that if the Pilot still feels too small, the Suburban is the next size up.
Wireless Apple CarPlay connects your iPhone to the car’s screen without a cable. You can use things like maps, calls, and music through the infotainment system.
Blind spot monitoring is a safety feature that watches for cars you can’t see. If another vehicle is in your blind spot, it warns you so you don’t change lanes into it.
Automatic emergency braking is a safety system that can slow or stop the car if it thinks a crash is about to happen. It’s meant to help you avoid hitting something, especially when you might not react fast enough.
Adaptive cruise control is cruise control that can react to traffic. It keeps a safe distance from the car in front by slowing down and speeding up as needed.
The Mazda CX-90 is a larger SUV that can seat more people because it has three rows. People often compare it to other family SUVs based on how efficiently it uses fuel. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as having pretty good fuel economy.
Road noise is the noise you hear inside the car from the tires and the road surface. If it’s louder, the cabin feels less quiet and more tiring on longer drives.
This is a 2013 Honda Civic, and the host is using it as the customer’s car for a problem. They mention the car has high mileage and then describe a clicking sound from the rear.
Suspension wear means parts in the suspension system are getting worn out. When that happens, the car can feel noisy or loose in a way that can be mistaken for a wheel bearing problem.
Ball joints are hinge-like parts that let the suspension move. If they wear out, you can get looseness and knocking noises, and it can affect how the tires track.
A wheel bearing is a part that helps your wheel spin smoothly. When it wears out, it can make noise and feel shaky, especially when you’re turning or driving under load.
The Buick Century is a car model made by Buick. The name “Century” is tied to the model’s long-running history, which is why it comes up when someone talks about “more than a century.” In this podcast moment, it sounds like the speaker is clarifying the reason behind that reference.
A technical service bulletin is like an official “heads up” from the car maker to mechanics. It explains a known issue and what the shop should check or fix for that problem.
The exhaust center tube is a section of the exhaust system in the middle of the car. If it’s damaged, it can mess up how exhaust flows and lead to symptoms like vibration or rough idle.
Baffles are internal parts inside the exhaust that help guide exhaust gases. If they come loose, they can interfere with flow and cause the car to run poorly or vibrate.
Idle speed is how fast the engine runs when you’re stopped at a light and not touching the gas. The car’s computer tries to keep it steady, and certain problems can make it hard to do that.
Term
combustion stability
Combustion stability is how consistently the engine burns fuel. If exhaust flow is restricted, the engine may not burn as smoothly at idle, causing rough running.
Term
pressure wave disturbances
Pressure wave disturbances are changes in exhaust pressure as gases move through the exhaust. If the exhaust system is partially blocked or damaged, those pressure changes can make the engine run less smoothly.
Fuel economy is how far you can go on a tank of gas. The show is saying your driving habits and maintenance matter more than tricks.
Term
gas on the manifold
If you see or smell gasoline around the intake manifold, it usually means fuel is leaking where it shouldn’t. On older engines, that can be a carburetor or gasket problem and it’s not safe.
The Volkswagen Caddy is a small van used for carrying people or cargo. In the podcast, the speaker mentions smelling gas, which usually means something in the fuel system may not be sealed or working correctly. If you ever notice that smell, it’s something to check promptly.
A four-barrel carb is a carburetor with four passages for feeding the engine. It’s important to match the exact carb type when buying replacement gaskets.
A fuel filter is like a small screen/filter in the fuel line that catches dirt before it gets to the engine. If it gets clogged, the engine can run poorly.
A mechanical fuel pump is a fuel pump that runs off the engine’s movement instead of electricity. Because it usually doesn’t push fuel at very high pressure, small leaks may be less dangerous than with high-pressure systems.
The fuel line nut is the threaded connection that holds the fuel line tight and helps keep fuel from leaking. If it doesn’t seal properly, people sometimes try quick fixes, but those can create new problems.
Teflon tape is a slippery tape used to help threaded connections seal better. The concern here is that if any tape bits get into the fuel system, they can cause problems with how the carburetor meters fuel.
In a carburetor, the float is a small valve mechanism that maintains the correct fuel level in the carburetor bowl. If the float sticks, the carburetor can flood or run incorrectly because fuel level won’t be regulated properly.
A gasket is a seal that sits between two parts to stop leaks. If it gets wet and still doesn’t seal after tightening, it may be worn, installed incorrectly, or not the right part.
The timing belt is a belt inside the engine that keeps the engine’s moving parts working in sync. If it’s worn out and you don’t replace it when it’s time, the engine can be seriously damaged.
A maintenance minder is the car’s built-in reminder system. It monitors your driving and tells you when certain services are needed, like timing-belt replacement and other maintenance.
Valve adjustment means checking and setting the small gaps in the engine’s valve system. If those gaps get off, the engine can run poorly, so it’s part of scheduled maintenance.
RPM means how fast the engine spins. The host is saying boat motors often stay at high RPM for long periods, which affects what kind of oil you should use.
Marine oil is special engine oil made for boat motors. Boat engines can run hard for long stretches, so the oil is built to better handle that environment and protect the engine.
Additives are ingredients mixed into oil to help it protect the engine. The host is saying marine oil usually has extra protection built in for boat-motor use.
Term
National Marine Manufacturer's association
The host is talking about a marine industry standard/certification group. The idea is to buy oil that’s approved for boat motors, not just whatever oil you use in your car.
A four-stroke outboard is a type of boat motor that runs in four steps to make power. The host is saying you should use the right marine oil for that kind of motor.
LIVE
W-A-T-D presents John Paul, the car doctor, All Things Automotive.
Have questions?
Call or text 7-8-1-837-4900.
Now, here's John Paul, the car doctor.
Good Sunday morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the car doctor program
on 95-9 W-A-T-D.
I think I heard W-A-T-D won some more awards just recently.
So, a multiple award-winning W-A-T-D.
Why don't we get started, right?
And we are live just in case there's any question about it.
We are live.
It is July 5th, but we are live and welcome anyone to join us.
But right now we have Craig Hanley on the phone.
He is the president of the Packard Club.
The Packard Club is going to be meeting in Warwick, Rhode Island in a couple weeks.
Craig, good morning and welcome to the car doctor program.
Well, good morning, John.
Yeah, welcome.
I'm calling from Detroit, the Motor City.
Oh, well, sounds like an appropriate place to be.
Yes, we're coming to Rhode Island in 10 days.
Our car show will be on Wednesday, July 15th at the Warwick City Park.
And we, at this point, we have about between 50 and 60 Packards showing up
between the years of 1912 and 1956.
Now, I don't know a lot about Packard other than, I believe,
was it the slogan, ask the man who owns one if you had questions about Packard?
Tell us a little bit about Packard.
Where did, when Packard first started, it was a true luxury car right up there
with the best of the best, right?
That's right.
It was like the American Rolls Royce.
Packard, you know, it's funny because I take my car out to, and people will ask me,
what kind of car is that?
And I say it's a Packard and they'll say, well, who made Packards?
And, you know, in Detroit we're supposed to know our automotive history.
But Packard was an independent company.
It formed in 1899.
And there's a little story about it.
James Ward Packard and his brother, William Dodd Packard, were in the light bulb business,
the new electric light bulb business, and they were doing quite well.
And James Packard wanted to buy an automobile.
And he went to the Winton factory and bought a car and drove it home,
except that it broke down on the way and had to be towed in.
And James Ward Packard was always interested in mechanical things.
And so he came up with a whole list of things that he thought would improve the car
and went back to Winton and met with Alexander Winton to share these things
just out of a desire to make the car better than it was.
Winton didn't really care for that and told him,
if you think you can build a better car, why don't you do it?
And so he did.
Then he did, yeah, exactly.
So the first Packard came out in 1899 and it still exists.
Only one built that year.
It still exists.
It was given to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and they still drive it once in a while.
And in 1903, a group of investors in Detroit were very impressed with the quality of the car
and they bought up a majority shares of the company and moved the company to Detroit
because it was becoming the new automotive capital.
So they stayed in Detroit until 1956, the Detroit factory closed.
In 1954, Packard bought Studebaker.
After World War II, Packard became known as the ultimate symbol of success.
In the 1920s and the 1930s, if you drove a Packard, you made it.
And they sold cars all around the world to heads of state, kings and monarchs.
And they really had a reputation for not only luxury but very high quality.
And there are a lot of things that Packard invented that we just take for granted today.
In that very first car in 1899, it had automatic spark advance.
It had the H pattern for shifting.
And then in 1901, Packard invented the steering wheel.
Before that, cars were used to teller.
The horses carriages used to teller.
And as soon as Packard came out with the steering wheel, everybody saw that.
That's such a good idea that everybody, you know, in very short order.
So you just assumed the steering wheels were always on cars, but they weren't.
Packard came out with the first Rumble seat in 1908.
They had the first U.S. 12-cylinder engine in 1915.
Hydraulic shock absorbers, 1926, air conditioning.
Packard invented air conditioning.
Can you guess the year?
No, but I remember seeing one, though.
Somewhere in the 30s, maybe?
You're right.
They brought about 1939 for the 1940 model year.
And it was 39.
They also came out with steel beam headlights, padded dash and power windows were Packard brought out in 1940.
They were hydraulic at that time.
But so, you know, Packard has always had this history of really fine engineering.
During World War II, they were always, the Packard engines were always considered exemplary.
And in World War II, they did nothing but build engines.
They built engines for the P-51 Mustang.
They built all the PT boat engines.
In fact, the engines for the P-51 Mustangs were actually Rolls Royce Merlin engines, which were hand-built in England.
And it was obvious that they needed to be mass produced.
And because the engines were hand-built, the parts were now always interchangeable.
They needed somebody to take that engine, make it completely interchangeable,
and mass produce it on the same level of quality as the hand-built engines in England.
And only Packard took on the job and did it.
So they really had a solid reputation.
And after the war, however, they started, you know, the big three, GM Ford and Chrysler,
started to really get aggressive and try to capture market share, which they did very well.
The big three ended up after the war with 98% of the market.
And so there's still people today saying, well, you know, if only Packard had done this, if only Packard had done that.
Well, and I think they're rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,
because when you consider that Packard and Nash and Kaiser and Willis and all these little independent companies together only had 2% of the market,
there was just no way that they were going to survive.
They didn't have the money to amortize.
They couldn't sell enough cars to bring out new models every year and so forth like the big three could.
Yeah, well, I mean, if you look back at history, most car companies did go out of business, you know, when you really look at it.
But I seem to remember somewhere, was it in the early 50s that Packard outsold Cadillac?
It would. Packard outsold Cadillac right up until World War II.
Oh, okay.
So with all the money that GM had behind Cadillac, they couldn't beat Packard, which was a standalone company, until after World War II.
And then the Packards that were produced after World War II were not competing with Cadillacs now.
They were competing more with Buicks.
You know, there were more of a high-end, but middle car rather than the top-end car anymore.
Now, there was a plan.
The plan was that all these independents would merge and most of them did and formed American Motors.
And Packard was supposed to be the luxury car division of American Motors.
But there were personality conflicts.
George Romney and James Nance, who was then president, they didn't go long.
And you know, George Romney was in the...
Both men were in the appliance business before they got into the automobile business.
And what George Romney was the head of...
Well, it's the company.
Oh, okay.
So he was right up there with Crosley then?
Yeah.
And Nance was the head of Hotpoint.
So they were competing in the appliance businesses before they were ever competing in the automobile business.
Both had strong personalities and neither one wanted to be second.
You know, take second place.
So that didn't work out.
And Packard did try to get bigger by buying Studebaker.
And then for some reason they gave themselves second billing and it became Studebaker Packard.
Yeah, that seems like it almost...
Probably not the right terminology, but sort of cheapen the brand a little bit.
Well, it did.
But see, they needed...
It was very obvious that they couldn't survive.
They needed to be a full line producer to survive, to compete with GM Ford and Chrysler,
which were all full line car companies, you know.
And so...
But it was...
Studebaker was losing money hand over fist.
And it was kind of a shotgun wedding.
Neither side did their due diligence and they kind of rusted together and it turned out...
When you have two companies in trouble and you merge, then you have one bigger company that's still in trouble.
So that's kind of what happened there.
But Studebaker...
And so in 1956, 70 years ago now, they closed the Detroit factory and they built Packard on the same line as the Studebaker.
Studebakers were smaller cars and they couldn't build the big Packard on the same line.
But in order to save money, they moved all production to South Bend where the Studebaker plant was.
And they did that for two years.
And then they dropped the Packard line altogether after the 1958 model year.
And then they dropped the name Packard off the company and it became Studebaker again in 1962.
Now is it possible, and I could be confusing brands, is it possible that I saw a Packard Caribbean with an Oldsmobile engine in it?
Well, you might have seen one.
Sometimes people don't trust the fact that the Packard engines were so good and they will put in a GM engine in a car.
You might have seen one that showed that way, but Packard always built their own engines.
And one of the things that they were late bringing out a VA, everybody had a VA around in the early 50s, 50, 51.
And Packard didn't bring out a VA until 55.
But when they did bring it out, it had the highest torque of any engine produced that year.
It was so powerful that the transmission, they had their own transmission too.
All the old independence would buy high dramatic transmissions usually from GM.
Packard made their own and they called the old traumatic.
And the Packard transmission was more multi-speed, right?
I remember the original hydromatics were sort of really just a one-speed transmission.
Yeah, well, the Packard transmission is a two-speed.
Basically, it's kind of like a constant variable transmission up until you get around 40, 45 miles an hour and then it downshifts and you feel that, but that's it.
And it was not, the Packards were not built for speed, I guess.
And I've read reviews in the popular mechanics magazines of the day when they were reviewing the new cars.
And one of the things that people were critical of the Packards from the 50s is that they didn't have good fuel economy.
Which is funny because at the time, you know, what was fuel costing?
Yeah, pennies.
But Packard had their ultramatter transmission and it worked good for the straight Aids that they were building.
And then in 55, they came out with this V8 and the transmission wasn't quite strong enough to keep up with the power of the engine.
They had to do some work to try to fix that while they were going.
But, yeah, they always had.
Now, there have been people, I've known people in the club who have, for years there was somebody sold an adapter kit that would put a torque flight across their torque flight.
Transmit three speed in a Packard.
And I know some people are still fitting in a more modern transmission.
For one thing, there's very few people in the country that know how to work on them.
Yeah, I can only imagine.
And, you know, we talk about cars of the last century and, you know, some of them and how they're around and how I think, you know, when you look at the old car hobby, it really does a good job of bringing people from all ages together to appreciate what was being built then versus what's being built today, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
You know, the Packard Club was started, well, the Packard Club was started the year I was born.
And that was 1953.
And the Packard Motor Car Company was still in business.
And in fact, the people who started the club wrote and got permission, you know, wrote for permission to form a Packard Club and the company wrote back and said, you know, by all means, you have our blessing.
So basically, we became, the club became part of Packard's story.
And then in just a few short years, that's, you know, it was only the club that continued on.
But basically, we're still a, you know, the Packard story is still living on through our club.
Yeah, absolutely.
Tell us about what's going to go on in Rhode Island in a, well,
about 10 days.
Yeah, it's actually, it'll be about, it'll start a week from today, but the car show is on Wednesday.
So we have a, we have an air show meet every year, and it's held in different parts of the country.
We have Packard Club members.
When you consider, John, that the last Packard built was built 68 years ago if you include the South Bend Packard and some of our members don't want to.
But we still have Packard, members in every state, including Alaska and Hawaii.
We have, we have members in New Zealand and Australia and Great Britain and Belgium and Switzerland, you know.
So we're really across the globe.
We have a national meet though every year.
And it's in a different part, a different state so that we can, you know, it's kind of a thing where we combine our, our interest in Packard's with a way of seeing the country and meeting different members around the country.
And so we go to a different place every year.
And the last time we were in, in Rhode Island was 1985.
So it's my time we came back.
We were in Providence then, but this year we were staying at the Crown Plaza and work near the airport there.
And we're, we have, we have seminars and we have, the car show will have a judging, we have judges and we give awards out at the awards banquet at the end of the, of the week.
Can we do a little sightseeing?
We're going to take a bus trip into Newport.
We've been told that it would be foolish to try to drive Packard's into Newport with all the congestion and, and.
Well, you absolutely need to go to both the Audrain Museum and the Newport Car Museum.
The Audrain Museum is small.
But the Newport Car, the Newport Car Museum, Gunther and his wife who run that and own the 150 beautiful cars in there is absolutely, both of those are absolutely worth going to.
So, yeah, yeah.
We, we, we, and we are going to the Newport Car Museum on, on, on Thursday.
We're, we're take, we're going into, we're taking a bus into Newport and we're going to tour the breakers in the morning and then have lunch and then go to the Newport Car Museum in the afternoon.
We can't bring everybody to the Audrain because we have, we're having, we have about 220 people coming.
And, and the Audrain just can't handle that big of a crowd. So we can't do that as a formal event, but we have it.
We're lifting it as something that people can do on their own because they're going to, there's going to be time during the week for people to go out and do a little exploring on their own.
You're going to swing by Mr. Leno's house?
I don't know where it is.
I would, I would love to have him come if he's in town. I would love to have him come and just see the show and enjoy the cars.
But we're going to go over to Tom Lafayette's place on, on, on Monday and he's celebrating 20 years in business.
So he's invited us over and, and that'll be, that'll be fun to see because we're interested in all kinds of cars.
Not just, not just packages, you know.
No, no, absolutely. It sounds, it sounds great. And, and the public show is going to be again when and where?
It'll be at, it'll be on Wednesday. It'll be, it'll start at, it'll start about 1030 and it'll go up to three.
It's in the Warwick public, the Warwick City Park.
Okay.
And when you go into the city park, it's, it's down by the dog park and the baseball diamond.
And, you know, we'll have all the cars. Some, not all the cars are being judged. Some are just there for a display.
Yeah.
But it, it, and, and we're, we're, we're hoping for beautiful weather.
I don't know if you have any local connections in that regard, John, but.
We'll do, we'll do the best we can. It's been, it's been a little hot the last couple of days, but.
I'll tell you what, it, I've been going to these meats, you know, every meat in the last 20, 25 years.
And, and, and hot weather seems to be a Packard Club tradition.
You know, it just happens.
We had a meat in Minnesota on the, in the first week of June and it was over 100 degrees every day.
Ooh.
And, and I would, and if people want more information, I just pulled it up here.
Packard Club.org is your web page.
And I just kind of scrolled through the events.
And I noticed at the end of August, you're having something the, at the annual orphan car show in Hickory Corners, Michigan.
And I'll be honest, I never heard of Hickory Corners till about a year ago when somebody, no, come to find out she lived up there.
And then all of a sudden Hickory Corners seems to be in my life every time I look around.
And I believe she described it as a small town with one stop sign.
Well, it is.
It's right out in the middle of the cornfields.
But I'll tell you what, everybody needs to go there.
It is, it's not a car museum.
It's a whole campus of car museums.
And the, the, the Classic Car Club has their museum there.
The Franklin Club has a museum.
The Model A clubs have museums there.
Cadillac has a museum there.
I believe Lincoln too.
And, and there, I mean, you, you can't see it all in one day.
There's just so much there.
Well, it's, it's, it's started by the Gilmore family and they have a lot of money out there.
And, and we don't sponsor that, but, but we let people know things that would be of interest to old car people.
We try to present, you know, as many things as we can try to help, help publicize things that even we, you know, things that we don't necessarily put on ourselves.
Yeah. No, it sounds phenomenal.
And it sounds like a lot of fun.
I want to encourage people to go check it out.
And maybe even if you can't go there on Wednesday, maybe even just kind of wander through the parking lot at the Plaza and Warwick and check it out.
They'll be, they'll be all parked together.
And so, you know, you, you're welcome to do that.
At the show, the owners will be with the cars and people, you know, we love to talk about our cars.
We try to make it a public event because again, there's this need to educate people as to what packets are.
Absolutely.
And 11 final question.
Is anyone driving out to the event?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Well, in order to have your car judged, we don't believe in trailer queens.
Oh, okay.
So the cars have to drive to the judging field.
And we have right now we have 26 cars, but everybody will be out.
All the display cars will be out there too.
And, and so yeah, you'll see them and they'll be out or out and about, you know, we're bringing the cars, people are driving their cars over to Tom LaFear's place.
Yeah.
Well, I'll tell you a little story about trailer queens.
I was at a Porsche event one time, something I'm not, don't usually go to.
And there was some member of the Porsche family there.
I don't remember who it was.
And I said, don't know, you must be happy to see all of your cars in this beautiful setting where they are.
And he looks at me, he goes, no, this makes me sad.
Our cars are designed to be driven, not put on a trailer and displayed.
And I kind of think of the same thing with any car is it's so much better when the experience is driving it there, getting it there, breaking down on the way even whatever it is.
I think that is all part of the war and magic of what makes old cars fantastic.
Well, and you know that it's one of the worst things you can do for an old car or any car is just let it sit.
I mean, driving these cars is good for the cars as well.
That's right.
Well, Craig, I want to thank you for taking a little time out of your Sunday morning and joining us on the car doctor radio program.
Well, I really appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to having people come out and have a good time on Wednesday.
All right, you take care now.
Thanks for having me.
And best of luck with the show.
We need to take a break, pay some bills.
My name is John Paul.
This is a car doctor program.
You're listening on 959 to W. A. T. D.
We'll be right back.
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Honored with a lifetime achievement award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
He's John Paul, but car doctor on 95 nine WATD.
And welcome back to the car doctor program on 95 nine WATD.
Coming up next on the program in a little bit, hopefully, if it all works out right, we're going to be talking to Ted Ryan.
He is the historian for Ford Motor Company and he is always an interesting guy to talk to.
And they have the heritage vault.
And if you Google Ford heritage vault, you can find so much information on there about old Ford products and all kinds of stuff.
But there's an event going on in Union Station with the American 250 celebration, but also 123 years of Ford.
So we'll be able to talk to Ted about that.
Right now I want to talk about the Honda pilot.
The Honda pilot is a vehicle that has gotten me around this week.
And it is, I think, probably one of the most sensible choices in a three row SUV.
It's not flashy.
I don't think it pretends to be.
It doesn't try to be a luxury vehicle if you want a luxury vehicle by an accurate MDX.
But it delivers what I think most families want and that's reliability, practicality, a good ride,
enough space for seven or eight people in there, and great resale value.
These vehicles do really, really well.
Is it the best vehicle in every category?
No, not really.
But as you combine it all together, it's certainly one of the best all around performers in its class.
Power comes from Honda's pretty well proven 3.5 liter V6 engine.
It makes almost 300 horsepower.
I think it's 385 and it's connected to a 10 speed automatic transmission, so no CVT in a market where many people, people,
many manufacturers have gone to smaller turbocharged four cylinder engines.
This V6 is reminiscent of V8 because you drive a four cylinder so long and then you get in a V6.
It just feels different.
Even though the horsepower of that four cylinder may be higher than the V6, there's something about cubic inches and displacement.
And I think someone once said there's no replacement for displacement.
Yeah, kind of.
Towing capacity, you can tow up to 5,000 pounds with the right trailer hitch.
And again, no turbocharger worry about, which is kind of nice.
On the road, the Honda Pilot feels refined.
It feels comfortable.
You know, it's out on the highway, drove some back roads, drove the less than ideal roads around where I live.
Soaks up the bumps really well.
It does a good job.
It handles well.
I mean, it is an SUV, so it is what it is.
But steering is light enough for parking and comfortable on the highway.
This feels like it would be a good long distance cruiser.
The available all wheel drive system should provide really good traction in the snow.
Hopefully, in my life, I don't see any more snow.
But also, all wheel drive is great in the rain too.
So something to consider.
Inside Honda has done an excellent job with comfort ergonomics.
The seats are comfortable, supportive.
They're not too short.
They're not too bolstery.
They seem just good, comfortable seats.
Visibility is outstanding.
It seems like they've updated it a little bit where it seems like there's less blind spots in the car.
And I think most of the controls have gone back to more knobs and buttons and less touchscreen.
But we'll get into that.
It's not quite perfect yet.
Passer space is generous in all three rows.
Cargo area is among the largest in its class.
I didn't put much in, although I did buy one piece of eight foot long lumber.
And it fit nicely in the back.
Put down the center armrest in the center row seat.
Sled right in there, plenty of room.
You know, if you need more room than this, if you're carrying more kids, more people, more luggage,
you probably need to step up to a Chevy Suburban.
I think that's, you know, that's probably the only thing that's going to really add more space.
I mean, this is still it's a mid-size, I guess, SUV, but it's got a lot of room in it.
Technology, you know, it's typical Honda.
It's got a good infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless charging.
At least in this model, this was the Elite model.
Honda's suite of safety features includes adaptive cruise control and lane keeping and blind spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking.
You know, all of that comes standard.
You know, it's good stuff.
Of course, no vehicle's perfect.
The first thing you'll notice is a price.
I think the sticker on this was $52,000 somewhere around that range.
And at this point, you know, you may start to look at some of the more expensive competitors.
The, you know, something like the Telluride maybe is a little bit cheaper, CX90, stuff like that.
Fuel economy, pretty good.
Not fantastic, but pretty good.
And there's a few other minor drawbacks.
The interiors feels well assembled.
Road noise, a little bit more noticeable on course pavement, but nothing.
Those aren't deal breakers at all.
And I think overall, the Honda Pilot remains an excellent family SUV.
It's kind of funny.
I was talking to one of my neighbors and she came over and she looked at it and she drives a 2018 Pilot.
And she said, yeah, you know, it's time for me to start looking.
I think I'll probably go with this.
And I said, well, you know, this is pretty pricey at over $50,000 and she got two or three little kids.
And she goes, yeah, yeah, I think, but I think that's going to be it.
She said, I've had such good luck with this one.
I think I would definitely step up and buy another one.
So there you go.
Honda Pilot, great vehicle.
Let's talk to John from Norwood.
John, good morning and happy 4th of July.
Good to you, John. How are you?
Good.
My girlfriend has a 2013 Civic with about 160,000 miles on it.
I noticed mostly when we're going at a pretty good clip, maybe like 40 miles an hour on an off run for an on-range.
I'm hearing kind of like a clicking sound, kind of a rapid sound coming from like the driver's side rear.
Is that like a bearing going back?
Yeah, it sounds like it.
Does it change intensity if you jiggle the wheel back and forth a little bit?
If you swerve just a little bit, does this tend to change?
I haven't tried that, but it really, it has to be kind of under hard cornering, I would say.
That makes it sound like a bearing.
Also, I would be a little suspicious about, just make sure there's no suspension wear back there too, because those tend to be a little bit prone to wear, bushings, ball joints, stuff like that.
So be a little bit cautious about that, but what you describe sounds pretty classic rear wheel bearing kind of thing.
Otherwise you're saying rear suspension?
Yeah, I mean just worth taking a look at, just so you know that there's nothing really, something back there that's worn that you're just automatically assuming is probably okay.
So I would just be a little bit suspicious of it, that's all, just to make sure that there's nothing going on back there that is worth worrying about.
But what you describe pretty much sounds like just a worn rear wheel bearing, and take a look at that and then go from there.
And how do you go about fixing that?
It's just a repairable piece that just unbolts and no one goes on.
And you might be able to, if you jack it up, you might be able to feel a little bit of looseness in the wheel.
It should have zero end play, it should have zero movement in it.
If there's a little bit of looseness in there, that's going to give you the clue of what's going on.
So just jack it up and grab the wheel and shake it a little?
Yeah, that should do it. And depending on what kind it is, it's not, does it have disc brakes in the back or drum brakes?
Drum, I believe.
Drum, yeah.
Then it makes it a little bit easier, but it's just a bolt on assembly.
It's just got four bolts on it, the whole thing comes off, you put a new one on, put it back together.
And roughly like how many hours of labor would something like that be?
I can't imagine, two maybe?
Yeah, a couple hours to do one side.
And depending on what type of bearing it is, there's two different types.
Factory price, probably $200 to $400 for a bearing, but I'm sure you can do cheaper other places.
Okay, John.
All right, take care. Have a great day.
All right.
With us on the phone is one of my favorite people to talk to, Ted Ryan, historian for Ford Motor Company.
Ted, good morning, and welcome back to the CarDocs program.
Good morning, horrible timing. My wife and son just got, we're at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC because I'm here for an exhibit, but they are getting on the shuttle to go visit her grandfather's grave.
So I now get to walk back up the hill to the grave. So anyway, I'm in Washington DC.
We've got this amazing exhibit free at Union Station with 10 fantastic vehicles.
And we're telling the story of 123 years of Ford Motor Company to celebrate America's 250th. It's a fantastic show.
It certainly sounds like it. You say you have 10 vehicles on display. How did you split those up over the, you know, more than a century?
Well, the real reason is they had to be more narrow than 72 inches. So that considerably tightens the universe of Ford vehicles.
But I've got the last Model T ever. Got a 1934 flathead Ford V8 pickup truck from Jay Leno, the World's Fair Mustang from 1964 that was actually part of the ride.
I've got a Ford GP, a winning Bronco and then a F1, the newest F1 Red Bull property.
Well, that sounds fantastic. And the idea that Ford's been so much a part of, you know, the American landscape.
Earlier in the program, we were talking to the president of the Packard Club and we were talking about how Packard, you know, kind of came and went over the years and then eventually kind of merged in with Studebaker and then, you know, failed.
And if you look back and you know this way more than I do, if you look back at automotive history, most car manufacturers sort of failed and went out of business.
That is not the case with Ford Motor Company.
No, they didn't. There was a famous ad that showed that in 1904 there were 100 exhibitors at the New York Auto Fair, Ford being one of them.
Of those 100, there's only one left and that's Ford. So we've been around for 123 years. We've had a huge impact on America.
We demonstrate that with the Ford GP and the Arsenal of Democracy and all the other elements. So we tell that story.
We tell the story of helping America at times of need, the racing 125 years of racing, a little bit of everything during those years.
Well, it sounds like a fantastic exhibit and it's going to go on. Do you know the dates of it off the top of your head?
It is July 1st until July 14th and if you don't mind, I actually would love to catch the shuttle and not have to walk up.
No, no, no, absolutely. Absolutely, Ted. It's always a pleasure talking to you. You always bring so much information to the program.
Go catch the shuttle so you don't have to walk.
Thank you.
All right, take care. Bye-bye.
That was Ted Ryan, automotive historian who's running the catch of shuttle so he can go where he wants to go. Perfect.
If you want to join us, our phone number 7818374900, 7818374900, why don't we be organized and take a break?
And because, you know, we're supposed to take a second break. Why don't we do it now?
Again, the phone number 7818374900, when we come back, maybe we'll be talking to you about your car and your car problems.
We'll be right back. You're listening to a car doctor program on 959WATD.
Even car geeks and do-it-yourselfers rely on AAA to give them extra peace of mind on the road.
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This year, Macy's is celebrating 50 years of fireworks. So come celebrate with us in style and take 50% off swim, 50% off sunglasses, 50% off grilling tools, 50 years of fireworks, 50% off throughout the entire store.
That's a celebration only Macy's can deliver. Don't miss the final day of Macy's July 4th sale and tonight, savings off select prices, exclusions apply.
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Someone writes in and says,
Before I make any real recommendations, I always like to look at repair information. So I like to look at technical data, you know, it's, you know, either through all data or Mitchell or, you know, the variety of different services out there.
And I like to see if there's a technical service bulletin. And there is. And this is a weird one on the four liter engine, some common causes of vibration, you know, it says, you know, dirty throttle plate and all that sort of stuff.
But it also says there was a, it says if the idol is verified to be below specification, Nissan has in some cases recommended replacing the exhaust center tube.
When the center tube, the resonator partially collapses, or the baffles break loose, exhaust flow becomes turbulent, turbulent.
At idle, the engine is very little rotational initial and low exhaust flow. So even a small restriction or pressure wave disturbances can affect combustion stability.
So that it says the computer may struggle to maintain the correct idle speed. So who would have thought an exhaust issue that causes a vibration that people thought were bad motor mounts.
Hmm. I still like this one.
I recently got a pop up on my phone claiming that putting some Colgate toothpaste into my gas tank would help improve gas mileage. Any truth to this? No.
Yeah, I've seen ads, and they're all click bait, you know, Coca Cola, WD-40 toothpaste. No, they're all ways to get you to click on something. There's no truth to this claim at all.
In fact, I wouldn't do that because toothpaste contains abrasives and you can cause some problems. So my suggestion is if you are concerned about dirt in your engine system, use something like Tecron to clean the fuel ejectors and combustion chambers,
and keep toothpaste in your medicine cabinet and WD-40 in the garage and coconut refrigerator and, you know, the best way to improve fuel mileage is proper maintenance and drive it a steady speed.
I just one of the articles that I wrote this past week, there was something about somebody wrote in and want to know something about another gas saving advice.
And I said, everyone that I have seen, everything from pills to magnets to, I don't know, whatever other kind of magic things, controllers and things, none of them work.
And if they do work to improve horsepower, maybe they do something in higher engine speeds, so with your foot to the floor kind of thing, but you're not going to improve fuel economy by doing that.
So one of the comments, and it was in, I think it was the article I do for Boston.com and it got picked up by a different publication.
And there was some comments and somebody said, oh yeah, I used one of those plug-in controller things and my gas mileage seemed to improve for the first week and then it went back to normal.
Usually what happens is whenever you add any kind of gas saving device, you drive better, you drive easy, you take it easy, you watch your fuel economy.
That's what improves the fuel economy, it's you, it's all about Jesse, you.
That's how you get better gas mileage, just drive better, drive more responsibly, accelerate less, not as hard on the brake.
Braking, if you have to brake hard, it means you're wasting energy, so easy on the gas, brake maximizes your fuel economy.
Let's talk to Ken in Topsfield.
Ken?
Good morning, John Paul, and happy 4th of July weekend.
Well, same as, same to you.
Thank you, sir.
I was driving my old 67 Caddy convertible when I got home, I smelled some gas, I looked at it at night and it was gas on the manifold, not terrible, but any gas on the manifold is not good.
Never, never a good thing, yeah.
And I looked and I was able to determine that where the gas comes from the gas filter bulb on this 429 cubic inch engine and it goes into a cotter carburetor and where it went into the carburetor, it was leaking at the connection.
So I took a wrench and I was able to tighten it because there seems to be a gasket and it still seemed to leak, so I'm assuming the carburetor is probably 15 years old.
And so I stopped driving it and I was thinking I'd take it to a sharp cab at fixed, but then I said maybe I could get a gasket.
And I didn't know if I, is that something if I either went to Napa or a car performance place and said I have a carburetor, a cotter car, four barrel quadruped jet is what it says.
Can you get a gasket that goes on it?
It's like, first there's a quarter inch line that goes from the fuel bulb over into the carburetor and this quarter inch line then goes into a bigger connector that screws into the side of the carburetor.
And there's probably, there could be another fuel filter inside that.
Okay.
Can you buy that connector?
Is that something that I could do myself or you really should know what you're doing and make it?
You could certainly do it yourself.
The issue might be, you might have to buy an entire carburetor rebuild kit to get that gasket.
Okay.
All right.
So is that something I would have, I go to a Napa store?
Well, you could, yeah, I mean, I would go, I would go to Napa store, tell them, tell them what you're looking for.
I would even take a picture of where it's leaking.
So you're both kind of on the same page, take a picture of it and go, hey, look, any chance of getting this gasket that goes right here because this seems to be leaking and then kind of go from there.
Could I take the old gasket off?
And if I did, would all the gas continually run out from the bulb?
Or would it just be?
I mean, you'll certainly, you'll certainly get some gas running out of there.
Okay.
Is there a rubber line anywhere up to the carburetor?
On the other side, something like some, some sort of a vacuum thing, but where, where the gas is, it's all metal all tubers.
Oh, yeah.
Well, I mean, you're going to get some gas, but there's not going to be anything really under pressure.
So it's a little mechanical fuel pump, but it doesn't provide a whole lot of pressure.
So you should be fine.
All right.
Well, then I took a picture and I was going to go, but while I was listening to the program, I said, I'll ask the doctor for his, his consultation.
Yeah.
And it's kind of funny.
I was, I was just looking at something, I don't know, somewhere.
And apparently there are these companies now and that if you send them a gasket or a picture of a gasket, they'll actually 3D print one and send it back to you.
So.
Well, then I should one way or the other.
Yeah.
No, no, you can definitely fix this.
This isn't, this is by no means a big issue.
I would avoid like sometimes some people take some Teflon tape and wrap it around the fuel line nut.
That would be kind of my last ditch effort.
That would be something I would do last because you shouldn't need to do that.
But maybe if you have to, I always worry about little pieces of Teflon tape getting past the fuel line and into the carburetor and causing the float to stick.
So, but if you have to, you know, you can try that.
Yeah, I just noticed when I tightened it, at first it stopped, but then that feel, I'll call it the gasket, it got wet and just didn't hold it.
I didn't want to do, I'm famous because I believe that tight as good kung fu is better and it isn't.
I didn't want to overdo it.
Yeah.
I'll do what you said and I'll see how I make out.
I appreciate you.
Yeah, it's one of those, you know, that car to carburetor that sits on there.
I don't know a lot about it other than, you know, there's still round, there's still plenty of mud there.
And I think it's just, I don't think there's anything super special about it.
I think you can get them kind of everywhere.
So, yeah, but I would, I would take, I would take a picture of it and, you know, go to Napa or O'Reilly's or someplace like that and see if they can come up with a gasket for it.
Okay.
Thank you, my friend.
Okay.
Right there.
You as well.
Take care.
Bye bye.
One more question and then I think we're just about out of time.
Someone said, can you tell me at what mileage of 2014 Honda Pilot?
Interestingly, that we're driving a Honda Pilot.
Mechanics says it's not necessary to replace the timing belt unless you're towing a trailer or going off-roading.
The manual makes no reference of change in timing belt.
And they also say this pilot continues to be the best vehicle I've ever owned.
Your Honda uses a maintenance minder.
It tells you when to do things like that.
It'll come up with sub item four.
That means it's time to replace the timing belt.
Also to adjust the valves and replace the spark plugs.
Typically that occurs around 105,000 miles.
If you use the guideline of, you know, 10 years or 105,000 miles, your pilot's 12 years old.
And, you know, possibly time to change it at this point.
So if it was my Honda Pilot and it was the best vehicle I ever owned and it's now 12 years old,
I think I'd do the timing belt, replace the spark plugs, check the valve adjustment and drive it for another 10 years.
Sounds like the thing to do.
And that is about it for questions that came in other than somebody said they want to know my opinion on changing oil in a Mercury boat motor.
Do I have to use Mercury engine oil or can I use just good synthetic oil that I use in my car?
No. Use marine oil because marine engines run at steady high RPM, 5,000 RPM continually kind of thing.
And you need those extra additives in there.
So use something that says it was certified or meets the National Marine Manufacturer's something, something association.
That's the oil you want to use in a four stroke outboard.
You want to make sure you use the right thing.
Jesse, are we out of time?
Oh my gosh, look at that.
Look at that. Just like that happened that quick.
So let's see if Jesse plays our going out music.
I think he is.
Maybe, maybe not.
About to, but let's wrap it up.
All right. Yeah, why don't we?
My name is John Paul. This is a car doctor program.
You've been listening on 959 WATD until next week.
Make sure you wear your seat belt, drive safely, be good to your car.
If you have any fireworks left, put them on the ground before you light them and then run away.
And if you do see an emergency vehicle by the side of the road, slow down or move over.
It saves lives. Talk to y'all next week. Bye bye.
About this episode
Craig Hanley, president of the Packard Club, joins John Paul on The Car Doctor Podcast to talk Packard history and a July 15 Warwick, Rhode Island car show featuring 50–60 Packards from 1912–1956. The conversation covers Packard’s origins in 1899, its “American Rolls Royce” reputation, and a string of engineering firsts (steering wheel, rumble seat, 12-cylinder, air conditioning). They also debate why Packard faded after WWII amid Big Three dominance, plus the Studebaker merger, late V8/Ultramatic issues, and today’s hobby support.
A bit of Packard history with Craig Handley the President of the Packard club of America, a quick chat with Ted Ryan Ford historian and a full review of the Honda Pilot
