0:00 / 0:00
Practical Automotive Advice to Save Money on Car Repairs Were Under The Hood

Practical Automotive Advice to Save Money on Car Repairs Were Under The Hood

Under The Hood show Apr 05, 2026 48 min
0:00
0:00

About this episode

The Under the Hood Show tackles practical, money-saving diagnostics from multiple callers. A 2009 Ford Focus no-crank issue turns out to be a worn ignition switch/lock cylinder—pushing the key helps temporarily, so the fix is the whole programmed assembly. A 2015 Ram EcoDiesel buyer reports white smoke and an “electronic throttle control” code; the advice is to check codes and service emissions/throttle rather than gamble on glow plugs. Other segments cover misfire causes on a turbo 4-cylinder Fusion (coils/plugs vs coolant leaks) and transmission slipping on a high-mileage Bonneville (drive gently, plan for replacement).

Filter:
|
Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Concept

replica OEM wheels

"And road ready wheels, replica OEM wheels at huge savings."

“Replica OEM wheels” are wheels made by other companies that look like the original factory wheels. They usually cost less, but you still want to make sure they fit your car correctly.

Term

crank

"...So it won't crank. It doesn't turn over anything. [325.6s] Yeah. The lights come on, but yeah, it doesn't even try to start."

To “crank” means the starter spins the engine. If the lights work but it won’t crank, the problem is often in the start/ignition path.

Concept

dash lights on but no start

"...The lights come on, but yeah, it doesn't even try to start. Yeah. So turn the key to the start position..."

If the dashboard lights come on but the car won’t start, the battery is probably okay, but the “start” signal isn’t getting through. That can be caused by the ignition switch or lock cylinder.

Term

ignition switch

"...go get yourself, take it in and say, I need a new ignition switch and lock cylinder. I see that all the time."

The ignition switch is what tells the car to start when you turn the key. If it’s worn out, the lights may come on but the engine won’t crank.

Term

relays

"I've had something else weird though that it's probably related, I'm assuming, but I thought it might be the relays or the, what is it, the fuses?"

A relay is like an electrical switch that controls power to another component. If it’s going bad, the car may act up intermittently. That’s why it comes up in starting problems.

Term

fuses

"...but I thought it might be the relays or the, what is it, the fuses? So I popped those open or I popped the box open..."

Fuses protect electrical circuits by breaking the connection when current is too high. A blown or failing fuse can cause certain functions to stop working, sometimes intermittently if there’s a loose fuse or related issue. The speaker mentions checking fuses after noticing weird starting behavior.

Term

voltmeter

"They can take a voltmeter, connect right to the wire coming out of the ignition switch for the starter and the input and say, oh, we've got battery voltage on the input."

A voltmeter is a tool that checks if electricity is reaching a part of the car. Mechanics use it to see whether a switch or wire is getting power.

Term

boost pressure

"yeah, you can get some white smoke because it's going to have a difference in the boost pressure and stuff."

“Boost pressure” is the extra air pressure created by a turbocharger or supercharger. If throttle control and fueling don’t coordinate properly, boost behavior can change, which can contribute to smoke and poor performance.

Term

Eco Diesel

"But not on that one. Okay, on that one. That Eco Diesel, good luck. I am going to try to take them out..."

Eco Diesel is a diesel engine option. The host is saying that on this diesel, removing certain parts can be risky if corrosion has built up.

Term

torque wrench

"I might even get a torque wrench that, that works in reverse to just make sure I don't torque them so much I break them off."

A “torque wrench” is a tool that tightens fasteners to a specific torque value. The host suggests using one (and setting it conservatively) to avoid over-torquing and breaking glow plugs during removal.

Term

glow plugs

"Why are you taking the glow plugs out, Russ? Because they can, because they, they don't come out up here."

Glow plugs help a diesel start by warming things up. If they get stuck, removing them can be a big job.

Concept

under warranty

"the dealership won't work on it unless it's under warranty because it's one of those things now, unless they feel that they're slow and they're okay with, if something's not good and we'll just price them out an engine."

Under warranty means the car’s manufacturer will pay for certain repairs. They’re saying the dealership may only do the job if the warranty covers it.

Car

Jeep Grand Cherokee

"We have also had grand Cherokees in here with 300,000 miles on with that motor. I mean, so people are driving them."

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a common SUV. The speaker is saying they’ve seen them go to very high mileage, so it’s not always as bad as people fear.

Term

OEM replica wheels

"ready wheels, OEM replica wheels at a huge savings road ready wheels dot com. Thanks for listening to the under the hood show podcast."

These are replacement wheels that copy the look of the factory wheels. They can cost less, but you still need to make sure they fit your car correctly.

Company

road ready wheels dot com

"ready wheels, OEM replica wheels at a huge savings road ready wheels dot com. Thanks for listening to the under the hood show podcast."

They’re talking about a wheel seller called Road Ready Wheels. The point is you might be able to buy replacement wheels for less than you’d pay elsewhere.

Company

Berkeley one classics

"Hey, it's Chris Carter with Russ Evans and Shannon Nordstrom under the hood. When you need great coverage for your ride, Berkeley one classics is here for you."

They’re talking about an insurance company for classic or special vehicles. The goal is to get the right coverage so you’re protected without paying for too much or too little.

Term

snow tires

"a set of spare wheels that you can install on your vehicle over the winter months with snow tires to avoid damaging your nice summer wheels."

Snow tires are tires made for winter weather. They grip better on snow and ice than regular tires, especially when it’s cold.

Concept

direct fit

"These wheels are a direct fit so your factory caps and TPMS sensors will fit."

Direct fit means the wheels are made to bolt on properly. You shouldn’t need extra parts or modifications to make them work.

Term

33s

"...it's got like 33s on it. It's jacked up a little bit. It's green..."

“33s” means the car has big tires. Big tires can help off-road, but they can also make the vehicle feel slower.

Term

jacked up

"...it's got like 33s on it. It's jacked up a little bit. It's green and and I'll see them..."

“Jacked up” means the car sits higher than stock, usually for off-roading. It can look cool and handle rough ground better, but it can also affect how it drives.

Term

misfire

"Yeah we've got a 2013 Ford Fusion that intermittently will misfire or whatever. Usually not at first start up when it's cold but if you drive somewhere stop and you go to start it'll occasionally then misfire chug..."

A misfire means the engine isn’t burning fuel correctly in one or more cylinders. The car may shake, hesitate, or “chug,” and it can happen sometimes rather than all the time.

Term

OEM spark plug

"as far as spark plugs go an OEM spark plug a good factory motorcraft spark plug in there don't put anything cheap on there..."

OEM spark plugs are the same type (or very close) to what the car was built with. They’re usually a safer choice than cheap alternatives.

Brand

Motorcraft

"an OEM spark plug a good factory motorcraft spark plug in there don't put anything cheap on there..."

Motorcraft is Ford’s parts brand. The idea here is to use a reputable, factory-style plug instead of a bargain one.

Term

porous block

"the number two issue we see on those engines is what they call a porous block it's more of a screen door than an aluminum cast block and it lets coolant through into the cylinder..."

A porous block means the engine block has a flaw that can let coolant leak where it shouldn’t. That can cause problems like coolant getting into the cylinders.

Term

K-Seal

"there's no fix to it you can try k-seal that has fixed a few of these it's a product that will it'll fix small leak if there's no pressure behind it..."

K-Seal is a product you add to the coolant to try to stop small leaks. It won’t work for big leaks or serious internal coolant problems.

Concept

fix what you got

"...it makes more sense to fix what you got because those engines wow they're pretty tough..."

Instead of giving up on the car, you repair the problem. They’re saying it’s often smarter financially than selling it for a small amount and buying something else.

Concept

drive it gently

"as far as what you can do now is just drive it gently yeah if you change don't change the fluid..."

“Drive it gently” means don’t accelerate hard or push the car. It can reduce strain on a transmission that’s acting up.

Term

low oil pressure warning

"and I'm starting to get a low oil pressure warning and of course it has full of oil and just recently changed the oil and still getting the same reading"

This warning means the engine may not be getting enough oil pressure. If it’s real (not just a sensor glitch), the engine can wear out quickly, so it’s important to check it right away.

Term

changed the oil

"and of course it has full of oil and just recently changed the oil and still getting the same reading so I googled and said that I got a"

They already changed the oil, which is usually the first thing you do when you see an oil problem. If the warning still shows up after the change, it usually means something else is wrong.

Concept

used engines

"“we put a lot of used engines in a lot of re-manufactured engines in and get vehicles going”"

A used engine is an engine taken from another vehicle (usually a wrecked one) and installed in your car. It can be a cheaper way to fix a major engine problem than replacing everything new.

Term

wheelstander

"I run an exhibition wheelstander I'm fun oh wow we used to see a few of those..."

A wheelstander is a car that lifts its front wheels during hard acceleration. It’s usually done on purpose for drag racing shows because it looks dramatic and requires tuning to do safely.

1 cars featured

Request an Explanation

Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.

Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.

Want to learn more?

Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.

Explore Terms

Help improve this episode

See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.

Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars