Ron Ananian talks to “weekend warriors” about how DIY is still valuable, but modern cars can hit tech/tooling roadblocks. He shares a GM brake job story where an electric parking brake needed scan-tool service mode—no workaround would work. He encourages DIY for basic maintenance (oil, filters, coolant, fuel system cleaning) while warning that layered electronics and EV complexity mean you may eventually need a shop partner. Callers also get guidance on a low-mileage Toyota RAV4 refresh plan, diagnosing a Chrysler with fuel smell and stutter, and interpreting OBD-II fuel trims/MAF/MAP for rough idle.
"This opens for you guys in the driveway, My weekend warriors. Might do it Yourselfers that you know they toolbox is just as important as a credit card. Right."
A “weekend wrencher” is someone who works on their car as a hobby, usually on weekends. They’re not professional mechanics, but they still want to do things the right way.
“Weekend wrenchers” is a common term for people who do car repairs or maintenance as a hobby, usually on weekends rather than as a full-time job. The point is that these owners still need practical, understandable guidance—especially for routine maintenance and basic troubleshooting.
"My weekend warriors. Might do it Yourselfers that you know they toolbox is just as important as a credit card. Right."
DIY means doing the work yourself instead of taking the car to a mechanic. It usually helps to have the right tools and a plan before you start.
DIY (do-it-yourself) refers to owners performing repairs or maintenance themselves instead of paying a shop. In the context of the show, it’s about having the right tools and knowing what you can safely tackle.
"Might do it Yourselfers that you know they toolbox is just as important as a credit card. Right."
A “toolbox” represents the practical side of DIY ownership—having the right tools for common jobs and diagnostics. The host is emphasizing that tools matter as much as having the money to pay for repairs.
"...Where is the next Ford Mustang? Where is the next Toyota Camry? Right, that's that's just dead, bone stock, reliable, run forever..."
The Toyota Camry is brought up as the archetype of a “boring but reliable” daily driver. The speaker contrasts that with how quickly manufacturers and designs are changing, making it harder to know what will be truly dependable long-term.
"...Where is the next Toyota Camry? Right, that's that's just dead, bone stock, reliable, run forever, abuse the heck out of it, service it to a minimum..."
This phrase describes a “no-frills” approach to ownership: keep the car stock, maintain it minimally but consistently, and expect very long service life. It’s a common enthusiast/independent-shop theme—reliability often depends more on maintenance and simplicity than on hype.
"...Robbie came into the shop this week. He was driving a fairly late model GM vehicle and he wanted to do his own breaks."
GM refers to General Motors, the automaker behind brands like Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac. The speaker’s story uses a “late-model GM vehicle” to illustrate that newer cars can introduce complications even when the DIYer has the right parts and tools.
"Okay, you can't do it with a screwdriver. You can't do it with a c clamp. You really need a scan tool. I mean a real scan tool."
A scan tool (diagnostic tool) communicates with the vehicle’s control modules to command functions like brake service mode. Without it, some electronic systems won’t allow pad changes because the calipers won’t retract.
"With all the technology, the basic stuff is still very doable... But you guys can still do oil changes."
Oil changes are a core maintenance task that many owners can still perform themselves or have done easily. The episode frames them as part of the “basic stuff” that remains doable despite modern vehicle tech.
"You can do fuel system cleaning. Good golly. I mean we use the CRC Fuel System Cleaning Kit and you can get those at any advanced autoparts."
CRC’s Fuel System Cleaning Kit is an aftermarket additive/cleaner product intended to remove deposits in the fuel system. The kit is typically used as a driveway-friendly maintenance item to help restore fuel delivery and combustion cleanliness.
"[503.9s] I'll return. Hey, let's go to Jeremy in DC eighteen
[520.7s] Toyota Rap four and put it back on the road. Jeremy,"
A Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV. The host is talking about routine maintenance for it—things like the battery and the coolant—even though it has low mileage.
The Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV that’s commonly used as a daily driver and for short trips. In this segment, it’s the vehicle Jeremy is asking about for battery and cooling system maintenance.
"You know, your local Lota parts store will have what you need. If you've got an Advance Auto parts, get out to them. They'll help you. They'll help you pick out coolant."
They’re saying you can go to a local auto parts store—specifically Advance Auto parts—to get the right fluids and parts for your car. It’s a convenient place to buy things like coolant and batteries.
The speaker recommends using Advance Auto parts as a source for maintenance supplies. This is a common retail chain where you can buy fluids and batteries matched to your vehicle.
"They'll help you. They'll help you pick out coolant. They've got peak coolant, great stuff."
Coolant is the fluid that keeps your engine from getting too hot. The right coolant helps protect the engine and the cooling system.
Coolant is the liquid that carries heat away from the engine and helps prevent overheating. Using the correct coolant type (and maintaining the right mix) is important for long-term cooling system health.
"They've got their correct drive line fluids for it. All good stuff. Just make sure you're doing that a good fuel system cleaning."
Drive line fluids are the lubricants that keep power-transfer parts working smoothly. They’re different from engine oil and coolant, and the right one matters.
Drive line fluids are lubricants used in components that transfer power—commonly the transmission, differential(s), and transfer case (depending on drivetrain). Using the correct fluid type and spec helps prevent wear and shifting/driveline issues.
"Yeah, pick up a newspaper... kind of the drill and that car, that car has a greater chance of suffering from you know, carbon deposits, moisture condensation, Uh, you know, fluid breakdown..."
Carbon deposits are gunk that can build up inside the engine. If the engine doesn’t get hot often, this buildup can happen faster.
Carbon deposits are buildup of soot-like material that can form on intake surfaces and around combustion components. They can reduce efficiency and contribute to drivability issues, especially when the engine isn’t regularly brought to full operating temperature.
"Listen the Sears die Hard from I'm sorry, the Diehard battery... but advance all the parts... they have a great the Diehard battery..."
They’re recommending a DieHard battery brand. The important part is getting a battery that fits your car and works reliably.
A DieHard battery is a specific battery brand the speaker trusts for reliability. Battery brands can differ in construction and warranty coverage, but the main takeaway is matching the battery to the vehicle’s requirements and ensuring proper charging.
"Bell, Hey Ron, question about that dielectric grease. This is really getting into the weeds here. But do you want it to be just on the ceramic portion of the plug or can it also be on the contact portion."
Dielectric grease is a special grease that helps keep water out of electrical connections. In ignition systems, it’s used around the coil boot so moisture and arcing are less likely.
Dielectric grease is a silicone-based lubricant/insulator used on ignition components to help keep moisture out and reduce the chance of electrical arcing. It’s typically applied to the inside of the coil boot/connector area rather than to the spark plug’s firing tip.
"quarter to two. And you know, even triple A is no guarantee of prompt service."
AAA is a company that helps you when your car breaks down. The speaker is saying that even AAA isn’t always quick or dependable.
AAA is a roadside assistance service. The point here is that even with a membership, you may not get fast or reliable help, especially during late-night breakdowns.
"All right, you know, and do a wheel alignment. A wheel alignment sure is not a bad idea."
Wheel alignment is setting the wheels so they point the right way. If you hit a curb or pothole, the car can start pulling or the tires can wear unevenly.
Wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the wheels so they track straight and wear tires evenly. If the vehicle hit curbs or potholes, alignment can be knocked out, leading to shaking and uneven tire wear.
"I'd be okay with hoses. I'd look at the radiator, but the radiators probably rock solid."
Hoses are part of the cooling system that move coolant around the engine. If they’re cracked or weak, the engine can overheat.
In an overheating scenario, radiator and coolant hoses are critical because they carry coolant to and from the engine and radiator. Old or cracked hoses can leak or restrict flow, worsening temperature issues.
"Look at the date code on the tire, you know, and you can do that just Google search. How do you tell datecode on a tire? Basically, the first there's four digits..."
Tires have a built-in code that shows when they were made. Checking it helps you avoid buying tires that are old even if they’re “new to you.”
Tires have a manufacturing date code molded into the sidewall. The code lets you tell when the tire was made so you can judge whether you’re buying fresh rubber or something that’s been sitting in inventory.
"I'm not so worried about the shutter. First. First, I want to make sure does the vehicle have a fuel leak, because sitting in a traffic light and somebody gets energetic with a cigarette, kaboom,"
A fuel leak means gas is escaping somewhere in the car. That’s dangerous because it can ignite, so it has to be checked first.
A fuel leak is a safety-critical issue because gasoline is highly flammable. In diagnostics, the priority is confirming whether fuel is actually escaping (visible drips, dampness, or strong vapor smell) before chasing drivability symptoms.
"I'm gonna find the charcoal canister, which I believe on that vehicle is in the left rear quarter panel and you know, take away there. Do I have a charcoal canister that's oversaturated?"
It’s a small canister filled with charcoal that traps fuel vapors from your gas tank. Later, the car burns those vapors instead of letting them escape.
A charcoal canister is part of a vehicle’s evaporative emissions system. It stores fuel vapors from the tank so they don’t vent to the atmosphere, then later “purges” them into the engine to be burned.
"Usually I try to top it... because if you can, if you continuously top the tank, at some point, you will overfill it and you can damage the canister."
If you keep filling after the pump shuts off, you can push extra fuel into places it shouldn’t go. That can soak the charcoal canister and cause fuel smells.
“Topping off” after the pump clicks off can overfill the fuel tank and increase the chance of liquid fuel entering the EVAP system. That can saturate the charcoal canister and lead to fuel odor and EVAP faults.
"All right, So you may have a canister issue. You may get this by smell. You may you know, you may find if the canister smells too much... When do we get this smell? Do we get it after a fill up, do we get it, you know, after a week later, or do we have a do we have a cap that's leaking?"
Fuel odor complaints are often used to narrow down EVAP-related issues. The timing of when the smell appears (after a fill-up vs. after driving/heat soak) helps distinguish between a leaking cap, a canister problem, or purge/vent system behavior.
"...take it out and weigh it, and then weigh the new one, and look at the weight difference. I've seen canisters that are saturated weigh three three and a half pounds more than the one going in."
A mechanic can sometimes confirm a bad charcoal canister by weighing it. If the old one is much heavier, it may be soaked with liquid gas.
Weighing the charcoal canister before and after replacement can reveal whether it’s saturated with liquid fuel. If the old canister weighs significantly more than the new one, the extra weight is likely fuel absorbed by the charcoal.
"...do we have a cap that's leaking? Right? Just we changed we changed the cap. Like I said, the mechanic didn't see any science."
If the gas cap isn’t sealing well, fuel vapors can escape and you may smell gas. A new cap is often the first thing to try because it’s easy and cheap.
A leaking fuel cap can cause EVAP system pressure/vacuum issues and allow fuel vapors to escape, creating a fuel smell. Replacing the cap is a common first step because it’s inexpensive and can quickly rule out a simple cause.
"I think he's there. One s ten and a little bit of a rough idle, Paul. Welcome to the car doctor, sir. How can I help?"
Rough idle means the engine shakes or runs unevenly when the car is idling. It’s often caused by something affecting fuel, air, or spark at low engine speeds.
A rough idle is when the engine runs unevenly while stopped or at low RPM. Common causes include vacuum leaks, ignition issues, fuel delivery problems, or sensors that affect idle control and air-fuel mixture.
"Paul on Long Island if he's there. I think he's there. One s ten and a little bit of a rough idle, Paul. Welcome to the car doctor, sir. How can I help? Yes, sir, good afternoon. Ross teams to have started in the cold weather, and I have the scanner on and the long term number has been bouncing around"
A scanner is a tool that plugs into the car to read what the computer is seeing. It can show error codes and real-time sensor readings to help find the cause of a problem.
A scanner is an OBD-II diagnostic tool used to read trouble codes and view live sensor data. It helps pinpoint whether the engine is misfiring, running rich/lean, or experiencing other issues under load or at idle.
"Yeah, what's mass airflow grams per second? Which will be there if this is OBD two, it'll it'll it'll tell you.
...
OBD two is pretty much standard across the board, and I like, you know what, I use OBD two more for diagnosis than I do your make model."
OBD-II is the car’s built-in computer that can report problems and show live sensor readings. A scanner plugs in and can read the same kinds of data on lots of different cars.
OBD-II (on-board diagnostics) is a standardized system that monitors engine and emissions components and reports trouble codes and live sensor data. It’s widely supported across most makes/models from the mid-1990s onward, which is why scanners can read similar parameters on many cars.
"Yeah, that's that's that's that's that's map sensor. What is that?
Just for giggles, that one is when we get back to that, you know, and that's that's a metric reading."
The MAP sensor measures how much pressure is in the engine’s intake. The computer uses that to figure out how hard the engine is working.
A MAP sensor (manifold absolute pressure) measures the pressure inside the intake manifold and helps the ECU estimate engine load, especially on cars that don’t use a MAF sensor. On OBD-II, MAP is often shown in kPa and can be used to diagnose vacuum/boost-related issues.
"...Do we have hard motor mounts?... Do I have Do I have a hard motor mount that can't isolate?..."
Motor mounts hold the engine in place and help keep vibration from shaking the car. If the mounts are too stiff or worn out, the engine shake can feel much worse at idle.
Motor mounts isolate engine vibration from the chassis. If mounts are hard, worn, or can’t isolate, the engine’s natural shake can transmit into the cabin and make idle feel rough or “always rough,” even when fuel/air data looks normal.
"maybe we want to consider just doing a fuel system cleaning if it hasn't been done in a general Look at spark plugs and some of the ignition."
Spark plugs create the spark that lights the fuel in the engine. If they’re worn or dirty, the engine can run rough or misfire.
Spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture in each cylinder. Worn or fouled plugs can cause misfires, rough idle, and poor combustion even if the problem is intermittent.
"Look at spark plugs and some of the ignition. Do those things call me back? I'm running dy in the car."
Ignition refers to the system that produces and delivers spark to the cylinders (including coils and related components). If ignition components are weak or failing, you can get misfires and unstable idle.
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You're listening to Ronannanian the Car Doctor, nationally recognized auto expert trusted by mechanics, weekend wrenchers, and vehicle owners alike.
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start your enginees. The Car Doctor is in the garage
and ready to take your call.
Hey, here we go for another hour. Ronananian Car Doctor
at your service. This opens for you guys in the driveway,
My weekend warriors. Might do it Yourselfers that you know
they toolbox is just as important as a credit card. Right.
You know you're like me because I consider myself a di wire. Believe it or not, You know every time
I go on a long road trip, I got to pack the toolbox. I gotta pack my Ari Automotive T shirt.
I got to bring shop rigs with me. I got
to bring some vital fluids because you just never know.
So I just I'm right there with you. Let me
tell you something. Today's cars are really starting to separate
the real di wires, the true di wires, from the guy that just owns a wrench and polishes his toolbox.
You know, right now, you know there's a lot of opportunity for di wires. I think you guys can save
a ton of dough. But the problem is you've got limits.
And let me explain you ever look at what's going on in the auto industry. I mean it's crazy things.
You know, last hour I was talking about it. Chrysler
is down to one vehicle. Electric cars are piling up
right As a matter of fact, Jeep, which I don't consider a Chrysler, it's you know, Jeep's your own brand.
But you know Jeep electric jeeps were just piling up around the hall and they're just not doing well at all.
I think they've stopped manufacturing them. Now. You know, manufacturers
are changing direction and approach and marketing. It seems like
every five minutes. And you know what that tells me
and what that tells you, I'm sure is nobody really knows what the next right car is? Where is the
next right car? Where is the next where is the
next sixty nine Camaro? And I'm dating myself. I realize
where is the next Chevy Impalo? Where is the next
Ford Mustang? Where is the next Toyota Camry? Right, that's
that's just dead, bone stock, reliable, run forever, abuse the heck out of it, service it to a minimum, and it would just drive five hundred thousand miles. Where is
that vehicle? Nobody really knows, you know, even the staples,
the cars that you guys have trusted for years are changing.
You know, the Chevy Silverado, right, the Bread and Butter pickup truck. They're going through another redesign in twenty twenty seven. Man,
that thing, that thing's not e and standing still. Everything
is changing. So it's no wonder when I look around
and I look at the trends, you guys are keeping what you have. And that's where the di wire comes in,
because you guys can still work on your cars or you guys that can still work on your cars. You're ahead,
you're saving money, and you at least you know it was done right, because I'm sure you've done your homework and you've taken your training one form or another. But
there's a catch, and I want to tell you this story with a caveat and a warning. Robbie came into
the shop this week. He was driving a fairly late
model GM vehicle and he wanted to do his own breaks.
And he's a good guy, he's motivated, he lives around the corner. He's actually a disabled vet, and not for
that reason, but just I always just like listening to Robbie.
He's just always got interesting stories, you know. And he
had the tools, he had the parts, He did everything right, he got the wheels off, he was ready to do the job. And that's when he had the problem because
he's around the block and I could, I could, I could walk there in two minutes. I walked over to
his house and I looked and I said, yeah, he had a late model GM. Where you need to put
the service break, the parking brake in service mode because if you don't retract the calibers on the electric parking system.
You can't get the pads out and the new pads in and so forth. So he's like, Ron, what do
I do? And you know, here's where I've got the problem. Okay,
you can't do it with a screwdriver. You can't do
it with a c clamp. You really need a scan tool.
I mean a real scan tool. And he tried everything
he could. He looked it up online, he looked at videos,
he looked for every hack tool trick under the book.
He did what every good di wire does, because that's what you guys are about. But he couldn't get that
vehicle into service mode, and the job was going wasn't going anywhere. He you know, so he did the smart thing.
He stopped. He called me, he brought it in. He said, Ron,
you know, matter of fact, I tried to over with a scan tool. Oh, let me just do for him.
And he you know, Ron, this is how you make your living. He said, let me pay you to do
the job. And okay, I can respect that, and I
get that he's really actually right. I just my heart
went out to him. So he put it in service mode.
We did the repair properly, We got him back on the road and I thought about it and I said, is there a lesson here? And I said there is.
I said, you know, this is where the industry is right now. With all the technology, the basic stuff is
still very doable. It's a little difficult on some vehicles.
But you guys can still do oil changes. You guys
can do filters, you can do basic maintenance. You can
do fuel system cleaning. Good golly. I mean we use
the CRC Fuel System Cleaning Kit and you can get those at any advanced autoparts. They work really well. You
can do that stuff in your driveway. You can do
some break work. But as Robbie found out on this
GM product, yeah, it depends on the vehicle, right. So
I'm here to encourage you that. But if you are
going to be a continuing di wire, you know, manufacturers are building in layers of electronic control that require information and tooling not just to do the job safely, but to do the job at all. And this kind of
ties in where I'm going with this. Just yeah, cars
are getting even more complex, if that's possible. Evs are
coming with more layers of control. I've heard some EV
stories in the last couple of weeks that makes me wonder, you know, when do they take over driving and not let us drive them at all without any choices. But
that's a different conversation. You know, all of the familiar
vehicles are being redesigned right from under our feet. I
found out this year you can't buy a four cylinder Toyota Camry. It's going to be a Toyota Camry hybrid,
which I think is nuts. So the di wire has
to evolve, you di wires. My guys in the driveway,
my guys and gals in the driveway. I should say
I apologize. You got to start investing in better tools.
Look at it this way. When I was a kid,
we used to go around, Let's see, we collected slock cars, we collect the car parts, we collected cars. There were
you know, we could buy whole cars for three hundred dollars, which is a very different conversation. But now you get
to go out and buy tools. You get to go
to tool shows, you get to go buy more scan tools, you get to cold buy more wrenches. You know, it's
it's but you've got to do that because if you're not, you're kind of kidding yourself. You're going to hit a
stone wall, because there's gonna have to be a time when you've got a partner with a shop when you've got to sit there and say, hey, Ron, I can't do this. Can you help me out? And I'm always
happy to do it. I get it. I've often said
I think if I could manage it, I would pay people to work on their own car. Only if I could,
only if I could watch and YouTube it, because I think it would make great entertainment. Of course that's the
statistic side of me, but it's realistic, right. Lesson learned
about frustration, and I think that's something everybody's seeing. You know.
It really comes back to there's no shame in saying this job is over my head. In fact, I kind
of think that's the smart repair and it's it's a lesson that you're you're all gonna have to learn or have learned partly. And I'm gonna try and talk about
this more as we go on, not just this hour, but in the future, about what you can do, what you should do, and what you kind of want to think twice about eight five five five six nine nine zero zero. That's the phone number I'm running ay in
the car doctor, let's get to work. When I come back,
I'll return. Hey, let's go to Jeremy in DC eighteen
Toyota Rap four and put it back on the road. Jeremy,
is this your sister's car?
You know it?
Yep?
Replacing the twenty twelve crews which you have so often helped me with. It's now going to go to my nephew.
And you know I recently my father's recently deceased, and it I'm sorry, Yeah, it's a scene, man. It has
only fourteen thousand miles on it. I put a load
tester on the battery. It's still tested, okay, But I
guess my question is about the battery and about the antifreeze, Like I know that antifreeze theoretically has like a five year apparent life scan according to the literature, And I don't know, like if do you think I need to go ahead and change that even though it only has fourteen thousand miles?
How many? How many? How long has the carbon sitting.
I'd say it's been sitting for about I'd say eight to ten months with no use. But before that it
was just used for very short trips. So just because
it's running now.
All right, I mean just because it's a short trip car and low mileage car, and it's coming up on nine years old. Right, it's not, it's twenty six. It's
an I'm sorry, eight years old. Right. I have no
problem telling you this. If it's wet, change it, coolant,
break oil, trans drive line fluids, all of it, change it, you know, just just good normal maintenance, all right. Make
sure that you know you do all the fluids, proper fluids.
I don't have to tell you this, I know, all right.
You know, your local Lota parts store will have what you need. If you've got an Advance Auto parts, get
out to them. They'll help you. They'll help you pick
out coolant. They've got peak coolant, great stuff. You know,
they've got their correct drive line fluids for it. All
good stuff. Just make sure you're doing that a good
fuel system cleaning. Because it's fourteen thousand miles. This car
probably went to the corner store, got a quarter milk, went to church, and came back home and made a whole five mile trip once a day for you know, six days out of seven.
Yeah, pick up a newspaper.
Right, and pick up a newspaper and a buttered roll.
You know that's that's kind of the drill and that car, that car has a greater chance of suffering from you know, carbon deposits, moisture condensation, Uh, you know, fluid breakdown, and you know it's it's beyond here. Here's here. You want
to convince yourself to spend and I don't care you know what we do here, but you know, to convince yourself to do maintenance to the car, Go price a new vehicle, Go price, go price or replacement. You know
it's it's and if you have any doubt in your mind about that battery, if that battery is three going on four years old, throw it.
It's original, it's original equipment.
Yeah, we're done. Throw it away. Brother, Yeah you know, yeah,
I know, I understand, I understand. Listen the Sears die
Hard from I'm sorry, the Diehard battery. I always think
of Sears and Diehard together, right, but advance all the parts when you're down there picking up fluids. Uh, they
have a great the Diehard battery, which used to be from them. But the Diehard battery is phenomenal and it'll
work well in that vehicle. And you know, get yourself
one of those, you know, once stop shopping and at least you know the vehicle is squared away. You may
even want to. As crazy as this sounds, I'd probably
pull a couple of the plugs because at least you know you can get them out of the cylinder head now, because if you turn it over to your sister for the you know, for what's it going to be one hundred bucks for a set of plugs for the for the price of a set of plugs. At least you
know you can get them out of the head. And
it's not five years from now when it's fifteen years old and you're fighting it. Right, Not good not to
mention when you pull the coils out, you can put a dab of dielectric grease in there, you know, the drill, and at least it's done right.
Bell, Hey Ron, question about that dielectric grease. This is
really getting into the weeds here. But do you want
it to be just on the ceramic portion of the plug or can it also be on the contact portion.
I put a dab of dielectric I cover the whole of the of the coil boot, all right. I don't
put it on the plug, I put it on the coil and and well, yes, as I pushed the coil on, it will automatically spread it over the outside portion of the porcelain of the plug. Because the idea is we're
trying to prevent flash over. We're trying to we're doing
a couple of things. We're trying to provide a watertight seal.
We're trying to prevent flash over. Flash Over by definition,
is where there's too much resistance in the cylinder, or high resistance in the cylinder for whatever reason, plug worn out higher compression that that moment of peak energy. We're
filling the cylinder with an air fuel charge, and it's easier for the spark instead of traveling down the center of the plug, to flash over the outside of the plug and fine ground against the X body of the plug itself. So you know, it makes boot, it makes
coil removal easier without tearing the boot, and it prevents flash over. And I don't care whether it's a lawnmower
or a full sized vehicle. It's it's it's been doing
that since the test of time. You know, how old
are the tires be? Original? Yeah, they're gonna throw those away.
H you know, they're they're more than they're more than seven years old. It's time. Of course, all this depends
on how much you like your sister, so you.
Know, listen, I mean it's I like them all, so I you know, and it would listen, it would totally ruin me if she was driving down the road and something went wrong, you know, I mean, like, oh yeah.
Blowout here here, look at it this way. You're doing
the best you can and everything you can to prevent that phone call of I'm stuck. Yeah, I'm stuck. Is
a is a terrible thing. Look. I told the story
a couple of weeks ago. Danny and I were coming
back from a trade show in New Jersey. There's a
highway route to eight. We're on route to eight on
a Friday night at quarter to eleven and the undersized freeze out plug pops out of his Chevy van. He's
driving a ninety Chevy van. All of a sudden it's
overheating and he called me. I should say we weren't together,
he called me, and I'm coming to get you.
Wed.
I dropped them off to get the van the shop, and we sat there on the side of the road together.
Cars are going by us at ninety miles an hour.
The suburban's shaking side to side. These people are driving
so fast in the dark. Quarter to eleven Friday night
at we didn't get picked up by triple at one thirty in the morning, one thirty, quarter to two. And
you know, even triple A is no guarantee of prompt service.
The first flat bed shows up, it's broken. They can't
get the they can't they can't get the bed to tilt.
It was just like a litany of fiasco. So you
gotta put the odds in your favor, all right, It's it's.
Well, you know. So I'm just gonna tell her to
plan on maybe just laying out, playing on laying out about a thousand bucks.
A thousand bucks is the number I.
Got, fifteen hundred bucks, right, yeah.
All right, you know, and do a wheel alignment. A
wheel alignment sure is not a bad idea. I mean,
you got to look at the tires, but you got to think to yourself, you know, I don't know, maybe Dad hit a few curbs and potholes. You know, it
wouldn't be a bad idea. And of course, instead of
wiper blades, let's do wiper blades front and back. I'd
be okay with hoses. I mean, I'd look at the radiator,
but the radiators probably rock solid. The hoses are probably
rock solid. But I think if you start to look
and go through system by system, I put a belt on it just for the heck of it. It's six
seven years old, eight nine years old, depending on in in production service date. But all these things, and you
can do a lot of this. I know you're good
enough to do a lot of this. Brother, You're you're
smart enough, and you're good enough. And you know the
only thing you probably can't do is the tires. Okay, yeah,
I can't do that. You know, you can't do that.
You can't do the alignment. But you know, go for
a name brand tire, which is another thing to consider if you're going to you know, one of the one of the outlets. You know, we we got volume tires
at discounts. Look at the date code on the tire,
you know, and you can do that just Google search.
You know, how do you tell datecode on a tire? Basically,
the first there's four digits. You know, if it was
eight twenty six, it would have that tire was made the eighth week of twenty twenty six and so on, so you can tell are they selling you a tire made within the last six months or a tire made within the last six years. And I always say that
because I tend to see older tires come from the volume discounters. There's no free lunch, right.
If I was going to prioritize, do you think it'd be like tires, battery tires and belts? First off, like,
if I was gonna start working on this incrementally.
Yeah, that sounds reasonable, But I would also do it as let's just do it and get it over with, because the one thing you don't do is what's gonna make her breakdown. It's also it's also you know, dollar layout,
your budget, her time. It's probably a whole lot easier
to just say, hey, I'm gonna keep your car for a week. I'm gonna do it all at least I
know when I give it back to you it's done all right, because I think you're probably gonna end up taking it to the tire shop because oh yeah, you know, you don't want to let her face that litany of what that could become, because they'll try selling her everything under the sun. I'm sure you know, it's to the
point now where I take a jaundice look of the world.
I fill up gas on all my family vehicles because I don't want to let them find the gas station.
That's a whole other conversation, Jeremy. I always appreciate the conversation. Brother,
you need more, you know where to find me. I'm
running any and the car doctor back right after this from the city street on the city streets of the open road.
Run and he's held run keep you right, doctor.
Hey, the boys in the band are getting very lively.
Let's uh, let's go over to Ben in Iowa thirteen Chrysler Ben. Welcome to the car doctor, sir. How can
I help?
Hey, Ron, I get a Chrysler that having a little bit of a stuttering or kind of a when you have a little bit sometimes it kind of doesn't. Sometimes
it goes just fine, but other times it kind of slow goes. I guess it kind of has some hiccups going.
So I don't know if that's a coil thing or what are your what's your best guess. There also kind
of a gas smell at the end of the end of the van. It smelled gassy, but there's no gas leak,
you know.
So you have you have you looked? Have you put
it up in the air and looked at the fuel system for stains or dampness.
So I took it. I took it to a mechanic.
I trusted he. He thought it was plugged, and he
changed the plugs and it's it. It seemed like it
fixed it at first, but the more we drove it, the gas smell came back, and the stuttering kind of when you when you accelerate sometimes and sometimes when you're driving it going at higher speeds, it seems like it's like fifty fifty miles an hour above. Sometimes it wants
to kind of joke a little bit, but it goes away.
You know. It's not constant, right, So it's kind of weird.
Well, I guess, I guess my question or my concern is, Listen, if we were standing in the shop, the first thing I'd be saying, Ben, I'm gonna put it up in the air and look for signs of fuel stain. I'm
not so worried about the shutter. First. First, I want
to make sure does the vehicle have a fuel leak, because sitting in a traffic light and somebody gets energetic with a cigarette, kaboom, and then you don't have any problems to worry about. You'll be ahead of everybody. Yeah,
you know, So I just want to know, do I have a physical fuel? If I've got a physical fuel smell?
Do I have a physical you know, visible physical fuel leak? Right?
If I if I don't see stains, if I don't see drippage, if I don't see drops, if I don't see damp in this anywhere, then I'm gonna start to find.
I'm gonna find the charcoal canister, which I believe on that vehicle is in the left rear quarter panel and you know, take away there. Do I have a charcoal
canister that's oversaturated? You own the vehicle long term?
Ben? Yeah?
Okay, do you tend to just out of curiosity? Do
you tend to you know, when the pump clicks off, do you, you know, try and squeeze a little more in it or are you a one click and done?
Yeah? Usually I try to top it.
Off, right, So you may have, you know, as a result of doing that. So for example, if it's if
it's I'll use a real number. I was gonna say
thirty three seventy five, but we can't do that with today's gas prices. If it's fifty dollars and seventy five cents,
you know, I'd round it up to fifty one if I wanted to, which isn't a whole lot, And it just just makes it a little easier when I go to fifty three, fifty four or fifty five trying to squeeze in another half a gallon or a gallon, No, because if you can, if you continuously top the tank, at some point, you will overfill it and you can damage the canister. The charcural clan, the charcoal canister when
it goes into a purge moment, can also pull on the tank under the right conditions, and you can actually draw a real fuel into the canister and saturate it to the point where, you you know, render it no good.
All right, So you may have a canister issue. You
may get this by smell. You may you know, you
may find if the canister smells too much, take it out and weigh it, and then weigh the new one, and look at the weight difference. I've seen canisters that
are saturated weigh three three and a half pounds more than the one going in. That that weight's coming from
somewhere and it's because of the weight of the fuel that saturated the charcoal. So that's the first thing. If
we put it up and the canister smells fine and we don't get anything, gotta start to be a little more specific. When do we get this smell? Do we
get it after a fill up, do we get it, you know, after a week later, or do we have a do we have a cap that's leaking? Right?
Just we changed we changed the cap. Like I said,
the mechanic didn't see any science. He's like, I think
he just I think some of that stutters from the from the uh plugs. And I was like, okay, well
we changed them. Nothing.
Well, hell, forget the shut forget the shutter for a second.
We're going to talk about that in a minute. So
when you start this in the morning and it's warmed up and you go out for a five ten minute ride, whatever you come back, is that when you're gonna get the fuel smell or when do you get this smell?
Usually when it's just sitting there parks, when it's sitting you know, like my wife, it's my wife's vehicle, and it doesn't. It runs twice a week, right, you know,
so it's usually sitting in the driveway.
You know.
I'll walk by and it's like, gosh, that things smell like gas, right, and it's you're the vehicle in the rear corner, like you said, the rear driver's.
Side, the driver's side, rear, right, and that's where the fuel that's where the fuel fill is, right, Yeah, all right, I'm gonna I want to smoke that car. I want
to put a smoke machine on that and I want to I want to smoke the fuel system to the point that if I block off the purge line going to the canister. So I'm gonna take the canister out
of the equation and smoke it. And I should get
if this is a sealed system with the line going to the canister and the vent closed, I should get no smoke flow. Right the front door in the back
door of the house is closed, I should get no flow.
And if I don't get a fuel smell, so it's not pushing it out from a porous fillernck or a porous vent line. All right, I'm gonna pay very close
attention to that canister and think I've got a problem Cannis because I'm not seeing it on the ground. But
that's a separate issue. And I think that's a separate
issue as for the shutter. If we don't hook up
a scan tool and go for a ride and duplicate the shutter, let's see, it could be anything from well, I don't care. Listen, you ever get sick on Monday
and it took you till Wednesday before you actually had the cold, Right, you can have a pending fault in a modern day vehicle that takes time before it'll set a full I'm not waiting for a light. I'm not
waiting for a code. I'm diagnosing by symptom. Okay, so
let's let's go because here this will blow your mind.
What if you found out that you drove it with a scan tool hooked up and you're looking at things like cooling, temp, cylinder misfire, fuel trim, vehicle speed. What
if you're driving along at sixty miles an hour and you saw a vehicle speed got one hundred and nineteen, Not that the car went that fast, but you saw the vehicle speed sensor go to one hundred and nineteen or one hundred and twenty miles an hour and the car bucked? What would you think? What would you think? Right?
And here's what's wrong, all right? And Chrysler's known for
this on some of their older vehicles, and I can't say that I've seen this on something as new as A thirteen, but it's still out there as a possibility something like that. I'm going to tell you the vehicles
going into fuel cut. Fuel cut is a mandatory software
modification that the federal government required manufacturers to put in their vehicles going back at least twenty five years that if they exceed the speed rating of the tires, the vehicle will shut off fuel to the injectors. So so
you're looking at you know, well, I think it feels like this, and I think it feels like that. If
I don't do any kind of diagnosis, if I don't look for basics now, it could also be a shutter in the trans So the potential and the possibilities for what this could be it varies. It's got to be
diegnosed or we're just gonna start throwing parts at it.
But I'm gonna tell you right now, if you don't see a physical fuel leak, you've got two separate issues.
One's a smell, one's a problem with the way the engine's running, and you've got to track down which in what part is like that, and hopefully your mechanics got the ability to diagnose it. Call me if you need more, Ben,
it was an absolute pleasure. I'm running ady in the
car Doctor. I'm back right after this. Hey, hey, eight, five, five, six,
nine nine zero zero, run an a eighty in the car Doctor. We're supposed to give away T shirts this week,
and we had a little bit of a technical glitch up in the studio, so we put it off this week.
We just want to let you know next week, both hours we're gonna be doing T shirt giveaways, so by all means, make sure you stick around for that. Come
back next week, ask us a question if you haven't won.
We're trying to find new listeners. Know we want to
give everybody a teach shirt. Summer's coming, right, we all
want to wear our T shirts and you know, ying win one here next week. Just call and give us
a legit question and we'll be happy to send one your way. But we had to put it off this week,
so just once you know we didn't forget all right, you guys are doing great. I have to tell you.
The podcast numbers are really zooming along again. We appreciate
everything you're doing and that's why we want to do the T shirt giveaway, and we're working on a couple of more interesting interviews. We appreciate the Frank Slope interview.
It's still out there carrying weight. Matter of fact, I
heard from Frank this week. We're talking about doing a
second one sometime in May. Let's get over and talk
to Paul on Long Island if he's there. I think
he's there. One s ten and a little bit of
a rough idle, Paul. Welcome to the car doctor, sir.
How can I help?
Yes, sir, good afternoon.
Ross teams to have started in the cold weather, and I have the scanner on and the long term number has been bouncing around typically in the minus four to minus seven range.
This is at idle, well at idol.
Right now it's minus point four. I'm sitting in the car.
Okay, problem with that, you know, minus plus or minus ten percent. I want to know short term, what's short
term doing right now?
Short term is bouncing are right now between two point three plus and zero mainly on the plus side.
Yeah, what's mass airflow grams per second? Which will be
there if this is OBD two, it'll it'll it'll tell you.
I have map k kPa.
Yeah, that's that's that's that's that's map sensor. What is that?
Just for giggles, that one is when we get back to that, you know, and that's that's a metric reading.
It might help you to understand that if you put it in standard, but you know, when you convert that after we get off the air. When you convert that,
you might see that as map map inches of inches at at twelve inches, That doesn't mean it's got twelve inches of manifold vacuum. That means it's got eighteen because
they work at backwards off a thirty of the barometric pressure sensor. But if you can find mass airflow grams
per second, what is.
It that that one you just asked me is thirty five kPa.
No, that's well, that's map. What about mass map m AF?
Is there one there that says m AF gps there should be on OBD two. I assume you're looking at
OBD two.
Yes, this is an old OTC scanner that's okay.
OBD. OBD two is pretty much standard across the board,
and I like, you know what, I use OBD two more for diagnosis than I do your make model. It
kind of depends on what I'm trying to do, but it's a good preliminary look. If you do find mass
airflow GPS, what size engine is this? I know it's
a four cylinder. What is this the two point five
two oh?
Two point oh? I think it's a small one.
Two point oh, So it's the baby. So you'll look
at mass airflow GPS at idle warmed up. If that
mass airflow sensor is correct, and I'm betting it is, because fuel trim sounds like it's where it should be, all right, You'll typically see mass airflow grams per second somewhere in that two grams per second. You know, if
I saw one point eight, I'm not upset. If I
saw a two point two, I'm not upset. If I
saw a three point zero and it's a two liter, Yeah, that mass airflow is reporting incorrectly. I'm looking at the duct.
I'm considering cleaning the mass airflow, you know, I'm thinking it's out of scale, out of calibration. How bad is
the idol? Is it? Is it a hard is it
a real shake or is it just a resonance when you put it in gear?
Just a rough idol? Like you know, I'm used to
it idling fairly smooth, and I'm just anticipating maybe something coming down the road.
Okay, how many miles are on this.
One hundred and twenty thousand?
All right? If you put it in neutral, does the
does the roughness seem to go away?
No?
Okay, so it's still always a little bit rough. Do
we have hard motor mounts? And I'm just throwing some
things out there in the little bit of time I got left. Do I have Do I have a hard
motor mount that can't isolate? So it's it's a it
becomes a visual thing. So here's the case of we've
got to figure out tell me what's good, I'll tell you what's bad, all right. I don't think we're going
to find misfire technology for no one. I don't think
it's going to be able to tell us that. I
don't think you have a misfire because you have no check engine light on? Correct exactly right? Do you have
pro pain or a different fuel source. I'd love to
see what adding a little bit of fuel to this does.
Does it smooth out the idle? If it doesn't, then
it's not looking for fuel. Could I have an e
Could I have an Eger valve possibly leaking causing it to you know, put put exhaust gas where it's not supposed to it idle. We're only supposed to have eg
R off idle. Disconnecting the vacuum line won't do it.
If the valve is mechanically leaking, we've got an issue.
And then, you know, maybe we want to consider just doing a fuel system cleaning if it hasn't been done in a general Look at spark plugs and some of the ignition. Do those things call me back? I'm running
dy in the car. Doctor. We'll return right after this.
Hey boy. I always say it when I get to
this point in the weekend. But man, that was a
quick two hours of radio, even though you might have only heard one, But it was still a quick two hours of card doctor radio. It just goes by so fast.
It seems like Tom and I were just doing the pre show production meeting. But anyway, Frank writes in hey Ron,
you talk about giving away T shirts next week, which we are. We are gonna do T shirt give away
next week, but what if I want one this week? Well, Frank,
it's very easy. You go out to card Doctorshow dot
com and you go to the store and you buy one, you know, and everything's there, T shirts, coffee cup, sweatshirts, hats, the whole nine yards. So Father's Day's coming up, yep,
I get it, and you can get T shirts early.
And we're just gonna try and help you, guys. We
appreciate you driving our podcast numbers, doing the likes, doing the downloads. You guys must be telling everybody because the
podcast numbers are screaming, and that's why we're doing it next week. But if you want it this week or
any other time, cardoctorshow dot com and you can get into the store. I want to take this real quick
email from Walt. Walt, I'm gonna paraphrase this. He's a
retired shop owner Edison, New Jersey. He was in the
radiator repair business for thirty years in a touch and he sold it back in three He's got an O six Explore if he gives it herd acceleration. A noise
starts from the trans it sounds like when your chain would rub on the chain guard on your bicycle. Shifting
would get a regular I drove it with a light foot, there's no noise, But as soon as I accelerate hard again, the noise would be there. If I pulled the car
over for just a few minutes and restart it and continue on, there's no problem. The noise is gone and
shifting is completely normal. I know little about transmissions. What
I would try here, Walter? And I love the comment,
he says. I love the comments about your uncle the pilot.
I'm seventy eight. I get choked up. He was an
Injina mechanic in Vietnam for four years. Walter, how about this,
if we can duplicate the noise, try manually shifting the trans does it do it in certain gears and not others?
And that'll define it's in the trends, and then take it in for repair. I'm on an ay and the
car doctor, good mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See doctor
car advice.
Don't ride
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