Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - February 21, 2026 - Hour 1 - When Is Enough, Enough? Knowing When to Walk Away from a Repair

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The car doctor is in the garage and ready to take your call.

When is it too much?

What is it?

Geez, it's just like you're opening up Pandora's box.

And is it your responsibility as the mechanic

to tell them that?

You know, when you get a new customer in the shop,

it's usually because the last person or persons

or shop or shops couldn't satisfy them

or the person's a nut.

I mean, there's no other way to say it, right?

It's one or the other.

They couldn't fix the car

or the person didn't want to let them fix the car

and the person was unreasonable.

Marion brought me her 2010 Toyota this week, Monday.

You know, first time I'm meeting her

and very reasonable, very nice.

Just, you know, why can't the last two shops fix this car?

I don't understand it because it had a check engine light on

and it had traction control lights.

You know, Toyotas do that, they'll set a fault code

and like a lot of the Japanese products out there,

you'll set one fault code and it'll turn on all the lights

and it looks like a Christmas tree on the dashboard.

And you know, okay, fine, it's gonna cost a couple hundred

bucks, we'll get into it, we'll start, we'll take a look

and we'll say, yeah, okay, good, very reasonable.

I'm thinking, you know, as a mechanic,

you're kind of looking over your shoulder.

You're saying, you know, is there a nut here?

But you know, you're looking but you don't see it.

So this 2010 Toyota came in and you know, as I always do,

I give it a once over and scan it for codes

and it had a P0456 small evaporative emissions leak.

And some preliminary diagnosis started pointing

towards the charcoal canister, the canister assembly.

Well, it's not that the canister assembly was bad,

the vent valve, which is actually on the canister,

but the bolts were rusted to the case because it's 16 years old

and it's had 150,000 miles and it's had a hard life.

And you know, what are you gonna do?

Take it apart and just put a vent valve in it,

you're gonna take it apart, put a canister in it.

I mean, that would be logical, right?

Proximity of repair and consistency of repair

and the ability to actually get to something,

that's what you're gonna do.

But to get to that, and here comes the uh-oh,

you sort of gotta sneak it out past the exhaust system

or lower the exhaust system, one or the other,

and lowering it is generally easier

because it's pretty tight in there.

It's, you know, the geniuses at Toyota put the canister

above the exhaust, above the heat shield,

so you have to take down the exhaust, the heat shield,

and then you're looking at the canister.

Because after all, charcoal canisters on Toyotas,

they never go bad, you know,

like the sun's gonna come up tomorrow,

or what day is it?

And I look at this Toyota,

I'm looking over the rest of it and it's a little crunchy,

you know, it's seen some better days

as far as rust is concerned and, you know, it's not quite,

I need a tetanus shot to look at it,

but it was sort of encroaching on that.

It was sort of becoming the USS Rustolium

the more I looked at it.

And, you know, is it, is that what you wanna do?

I mean, that thing had so much rust on the back of it,

it was like a museum.

You know, you could have taken people through it

and said, here, here's what rust looks like, you know,

and, you know, it could have charged a quarter or a root.

So, yeah, it's getting worse the more I look at it.

And then I noticed the front,

and I noticed this when I started it.

I heard a little bit of an exhaust rumble and I look,

and where the front exhaust pipe meets the center exhaust pipe,

the flange is kinda hanging on, you know,

like it knows not to let go

for something bad will happen.

And, you know, in bottom line,

in order to do this charcoal canister

that I think I'm gonna have to do at some point,

I'm gonna have to lower the exhaust,

or I'm gonna have to risk leaning hard on the exhaust

to lean on the heat shield,

to get the heat shield out of the way,

which is rusted in place, by the way,

to get the canister down.

So, you know, it was that it needed three tires.

The tires were getting kinda thin in the skin.

It had a couple of oil leaks, you know.

I was disappointed.

I sort of hoped the oil leaks would reach

the back of the car,

because it would slow the rust down.

But, you know, it's like that stuff

just doesn't generally happen.

So, I did what I usually do.

I tell somebody what they need to know,

not what they wanna hear.

And Marianne absorbed it.

She, you know, I think she understood it from her perspective.

I think she was shocked that she had a mechanic

that was explaining things.

I think that was the bigger issue.

But, in an event, we, you know,

I told her what was going on.

She was gonna call her husband.

Then I hung up the phone.

We hung up the phone and I counted.

And within 360 second cycles, the phone rings.

And it's the husband, Tom, Thomas, Tom.

And I explained the whole thing to him and he got it.

And he said, you know, he said, Ron,

the biggest thing is he goes,

I'm really probably gonna replace the car

because, you know, it's 16 years old

and my wife's riding around in it.

And I wanna get her into something nicer.

You know, do you think it's worth fixing?

And I took him down the path of all the potential

of what I see, you know, it's almost a no guarantees,

but I'll take out the crystal ball for a paying customer

and give you my best nickels worth of free advice.

And, you know, he said, what would you do?

And I said, I'd replace the car.

I, you know, I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

It's tired in a lot of places.

The rust is eventually gonna take the back of the car

to which the front is attached.

So at some point it's gonna matter.

And, you know, if you're ready to replace it,

let's replace it.

Let's not, you know, fool around with this.

Can you get it through inspection?

Well, yeah, you know, in New Jersey, all right.

And I don't know of any statute or law on the books

to prevent you from doing this.

You clear the codes, you run a drive cycle.

If it passes the drive cycle, doesn't set a fault code.

That car passes inspection because there's no law on the books

in the great, wonderful, weak-care state of New Jersey

that says you can't inspect the car

because you think it's gonna set a fault code.

It has to be a hard failure.

It has to be right there in your face.

The light's on, the fault is there.

It's not, we think this is gonna happen.

So I said, you know, I need about an hour of time.

I gotta run a drive cycle.

I explained what an OBD2 drive cycle was.

And he said, fine.

And I, you know, after lunch, I went out, I cleared codes

and I went on for a road test.

Sure enough, I got all the monitors to run.

Sure enough, I had no fault codes,

which tells me this is gonna get even uglier

because it's an intermittent failure.

And, you know, where do you begin?

And I've got a few ideas.

Had I was supposed to have begun if I said that, right?

But bottom line, and I guess this is my point,

that you never know what's gonna come in on a Monday.

Mondays are always an interesting day.

I ended up running monitors.

I got the vehicle to pass inspection.

I got the vehicle into condition for inspection.

I should say it like that.

In that once we ran the New Jersey motor vehicle inspection,

plug the machine in, go through the steps, vehicle passed.

And I explained to the customer, you know what?

This is a random fault.

When's the light gonna come back?

I don't know, but my recommendation is replace the vehicle.

You know, is that a mechanic's obligation?

I think so.

I think that's part of what we're supposed to do.

We're supposed to guide people

because people are basically clueless

when it comes to cars in a lot of cases.

They just don't see,

they just don't see what it is

and what it takes for a vehicle to exist.

So I guess the point of all this is, you know,

find the mechanic you trust,

find somebody you can talk to, be reasonable,

try and work with them, see if they work with you,

and you never know.

Great relationships can come out of that.

I'm Marion's new best friend, her and her husband, Tom.

They're both very happy.

They're out car shopping.

They're gonna bring me a car they promised

within the next week to 10 days.

And we're gonna move on to something else

because otherwise we're gonna get into exhaust canisters,

three tires, gonna become four, a wheel alignment.

There's a couple of oil leaks.

And before you know it, we'll put four grand or five grand

into this 16 year old Toyota with 150,000 miles on it,

which is okay, but if mama wants a new car,

mama's gotta get a new car

and that's sort of the rule to live by.

So just something to think about, right?

Just when a shop says no, you wonder why they say no.

Do they give you a good reason?

Do they explain?

Well, you know, maybe it's not worth fixing

because always look for that because

because that's always a very important part

of the road repair process.

855-560-9900, 855-560-9900.

I'm Ron Anani and the car doctor.

I'll be back right after this.

Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience,

but on eBay, behind every car and part

is a story waiting to be shared.

Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4

on eBay, it was well loved.

I mean, there are plenty of Caymans

in great condition on eBay,

but this one needed some work.

That's just the start of the story.

So after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,

he rebuilds the whole thing with all these parts

he found on eBay.

Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,

the works guaranteed to fit.

Next thing you know, this nearly scrapped Cayman

was out there on the track as a full blown race car.

You're ready to go daily driver,

your next rest-o-mod, hello Lotus Elon,

and the parts to finish it.

eBay has thousands of cars

and is the largest online selection

of vehicle parts and accessories.

eBay, things, people, love.

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underage cell prohibited.

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By the way, two new videos up on the YouTube channel this week.

One is the Mala Transfluid Exchange process

that we are diving into this year.

We're gonna be throwing up a bunch of videos

talking about Transfluid Exchange and why on various vehicles.

And the other is talking about DVT.

It's a very, very basic video explaining variable valve timing

and we talk about the process of or the procedure

and the operation of and why DVT.

Very light, very quick video,

sort of like a three to four minute primer.

And we're gonna try and do something more detailed,

more in depth also this year,

but they're both up on the YouTube channel.

If you get a chance, get out there, take a look at them.

If you like them, like them.

If you don't like them, don't like them.

Put a thumbs down, put a thumbs up, whatever.

Put a comment, let us know.

And you know, if you wanna show your thoughts

on anything else you wanna see, you send me a note.

Ron at cardoctorshow.com

and I'll be sure to give it a lot of very careful consideration

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So let's go over to Frank in Tennessee,

see what's going on here and see what he's driving.

11 Dodge Ram pickup.

Frank, what's going on?

How can I help?

Hey, sir, thank you very much for taking my call.

You're welcome.

We want, no, to get started here on the,

I'm not, well, in 2018, July, 2018,

I got 11 Dodge Ram, 5.7 Hemi engine.

In 2018, I had a code check engine like,

so it took it in, I got a lifetime warranty with it.

So it took it into the Chrysler dealership.

You've got a lifetime warranty from who?

From Chrysler.

Chrysler.

So you bought this as a used vehicle?

No, brand new.

Brand new, in 11.

Bought it?

Yes, sir.

Okay, and in 2018, how many miles did it have on it then,

just out of curiosity?

At 2018 or?

Yeah, in 18.

18, mileage was about 78,500.

Yeah, 78,000 miles.

And how many miles does it have on it now?

Now, 168,000.

Okay, so you bought it from the dealer.

In writing, they gave you a lifetime warranty

on the engine or the whole truck?

The whole truck.

I got powertrain, powertrain lifetime warranty.

I bought it pretty much the whole time.

Okay, so not what we would call bumper to bumper.

If a bulb burns out, you're paying for it.

If it needs brakes, you're paying for it.

But if a major drivetrain component,

engine transmission, transfer case,

rear front or rear axle blows up, it's covered.

And electronics.

Okay, all right, so here we are in 2018

and the truck turns on a check engine light.

I assume you're gonna tell me.

Correct.

And it sets some sort of a fault code.

I changed out there all the plugs

because that's wear and tear.

So I went and did all the plugs.

I also went and did all the coil packs.

And as soon as I started it up, boom.

Check engine light came back on.

Okay, who's brand of coils did you use?

Who's brand of coils did you use?

Oh geez, you're talking 2018 in my mold.

Well, I know that, but what do you think?

I tried to get them.

Well, you think you went and bought them from Chrysler?

You think you bought them online?

AutoZone.

AutoZone, okay.

All right, so you had a misfire,

you set a check engine light,

you set a misfire on some cylinder?

Correct, number five.

All right, and then what'd you do?

Took it through after I saw that that,

then it's inside the engine.

So I took it to a question garage over here

in Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.

And they went and took it down.

They said, yep, they're going to have to do the engine.

So they did the camshaft, all the tappets, both heads.

Camshaft, I'm looking now,

I thought they had just one cam in that,

but I found out there's two cams, it's a dual cam.

Well, on my paperwork here in 2018,

they replaced the left side camshaft, one,

not the right side.

So after I saw that,

I got a code check engine light

on check engine number eight cylinder.

So I only got,

oh, that's 100,000 miles on my plugs,

put double dual platinum plugs.

So I thought, eh, probably not, maybe, maybe not.

So I just went ahead and took it out to the question garage,

$275 for a diagnostic charge.

And then they said, it's a plug.

I said, wait a minute,

how about doing a compression check

when all the engine,

do the whole engine and do a compression check

because I found out that the cams on the 11 Rams,

those two 5.7 engines had bad cams in them.

Of course the country, a lot of cams were being replaced.

So I thought they did both cams, they didn't.

So that's why I went and had them do it out there

since I got lifetime warranty.

And they said, no cams find,

but they also did one compression check

on just number eight, not a whole engine.

So in number eight, I have 90 pounds compression.

Which isn't enough,

but there's a whole argument

about whether compression checks are accurate anymore.

Variable valve timing engines,

compression checks don't necessarily work

because where's the cam

when it's going to do that compression test

and it can affect it.

So, I mean, listen, can I comment on something here?

Go ahead.

Why after replacing the coils

and the next moment you said you started it up

and you got a check engine light

and a misfire reported on cylinder five,

why wouldn't any-

Back in 18.

Why wouldn't anybody think to themselves,

could it be related to the new parts we had just put in?

True.

Did anybody do any diagnosis there?

Well, the shop did,

the Chrysler dealership did.

Now, was that the original Chrysler dealership

where you bought it from?

Yes.

Okay.

Was that warranty policy a Chrysler policy

or was that unique to that dealership?

Chrysler.

Chrysler and it says on it, Chrysler.

Yes.

And you could call,

there's probably an 800 number on that warranty policy.

You could call them up and they'll tell you,

Mr. Frank, you can go anywhere

in the continental United States and get that warranty.

Correct.

And I'll already try that out and it has worked.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm just wondering.

That's a heck of a warranty, brother.

Yes.

That truck's gonna be around

till it rusts out through the frame rails.

So, I'll tell you what, Frank, stay put, stay where you are.

We'll come back, we'll finish up with this

because I think this is gonna be a good story

in the long run.

So, on the backside, we'll get to you.

Don't go anywhere.

I'm Ron Nanny and the car doctor.

Frank and I'll both return right after this.

Stay put.

Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience,

but on eBay, behind every car and part is a story

waiting to be shared.

Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4

on eBay, it was well loved.

I mean, there are plenty of Caymans

in great condition on eBay,

but this one needed some work.

That's just the start of the story.

So, after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,

he rebuilds the whole thing with all these parts

he found on eBay.

Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,

the works, guaranteed to fit.

Next thing you know, this nearly scrapped Cayman

was out there on the track as a full blown race car.

You're ready to go daily driver.

Your next resto mod.

Hello Lotus Elon and the parts to finish it.

eBay has thousands of cars

and is the largest online selection

of vehicle parts and accessories.

eBay, things, people, love.

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Authors are subject to change and certain restrictions

may apply.

Warning, this product contains nicotine.

Nicotine is an addictive chemical

underage cell prohibited.

Race tracks are like zone nicotine pouches.

We all have our favorites.

Whether you're a fan of mint, citrus,

dragon fruit, or something more subtle,

zone offers a variety of flavors

available in six and nine milligrams.

Get intensity and flavor that lasts with zone.

Get Cams mailed right to your door at nicokick.com slash zone

and use promo code radio 20 for 20% off your zone purchase.

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From the city streets to the open road tonight.

If your ride needs help,

Ron will keep you rolling right, yeah.

He's the car doctor, car advice done right.

Oh.

Frank, you're still there, sir.

Yes, sir.

So let's recap this.

You bought a 2011 Hemi in 2011, brand new from the dealer.

They gave you a lifetime warranty on powertrain,

engine trans, differentials, axles, et cetera.

2018, about 70,000 miles.

You had done plugs and coils.

And at that point, right on the initial startup,

it set a misfire code on cylinder five.

I think you said?

Took it to the Chrysler dealer.

They said, hey, you know, look, you've got a bad cam.

Yeah, in 2011, there was one singular came down the middle.

That was the infamous MSD, multiple cylinder problem,

camshaft issues they had.

And it's been good for about 30,000 miles.

And here we are.

No, actually it's longer now, right?

Yes, 90,000.

90,000.

And now it's setting a misfire code on cylinder number eight.

Correct.

And back in 2018, they did a compression test

and it was 90 PSI, or now they did a compression test

and it was 90 PSI.

This last month, yes, correct, today.

So, you know, I'm not gonna say 90 condemns the motor,

but if I've got a question about one cylinder,

where if I've got a problem on eight

and I'm checking compression and I've got 90

and I wanna, you know, is that good or bad?

What do you think the easiest way to figure it out is?

Really quick and easy.

Well, no, why don't we just go check compression

on a quote unquote good cylinder?

What's known good?

Right?

Yeah, they didn't do that.

Right, if we-

If-

Do all eight cylinders.

Well, let's do at least one.

You know, compression testing is kind of an archaic thing.

As hard as that is to accept and I understand that.

You know, we do a lot of different ways now

and a lot of the problems are because cam timing

is changed, variable valve timing is changed cam timing

and causes us to rethink the compression test.

And there are shops now and they've gotten quite good at it.

They'll do things called wave form analysis.

They'll put a sensor in the tailpipe,

watch the engine crank over,

they'll scope out exhaust puffs or air puffs

and tell you, here's the weak cylinder,

here's the good cylinder and so on.

But, you know, I don't know that the 90 PSI bothers me.

I'd be curious as to why they didn't go check

one of the other cylinders.

Yes.

You know, that's just, okay, is it good or bad?

Look, I talked to shops all week long, right?

Talking to one fellow this week,

he's telling me he's got a problem

with the left rear ABS speed sensor.

He's not sure about the pattern he got.

And he's been working on it for three days

and finally I said,

why don't you go look at the right rear?

Oh yeah, I guess I could do that.

You know, if you've gotten on good on the car,

let's go look at known good.

You know, let's go see what's working.

So anyway, back to your issue.

So here you are at 168,000

and now you've got a misfire on cylinder number eight.

They're telling you it's not compression.

What are they telling you it is?

Plugs, they said they found one plug

that was out of all 16 plugs.

They found one plug that had a rust ring

around the one plug.

Yeah, so the plugs, okay, so the plugs.

Each one's got two plugs on each side.

Right, so the plugs breaking down, right?

So did they put plugs in it?

Yes, I had, well, I was there was either

eat up $275 or let them put it in for parts was 279,

but they also labor, so got me for labor.

Right, so now you're $1,000 into this.

Correct.

And is cylinder number eight fixed?

Well, the check engine life's not on,

but then I went to a friend of mine at Scotty's

local company shop.

And it's showing appending,

it's showing appending number eight

or it's showing appending misfires.

Yeah, and they ran out of things as compression

should not be less than 90, less than 100.

Yeah, and I would agree with that.

I think 90 is, but again, you know.

Questionable.

Yeah, it's questionable because compression

with variable valve timing,

if we open or close the valve later early

in relation to piston position,

we're gonna get an inaccurate compression test.

So, you know, it becomes so much critical

if we're gonna do that,

let's go sample two or three other cylinders

if we don't wanna do them all.

So I've got two comments here.

One, the 275 for the diagnosis,

was this done at the Chrysler dealer

where you purchased the truck and the warrant

and that gave you the warranty?

Correct.

Okay, so when the confines of that warranty

and the fine prints somewhere,

how does it say it will handle diagnosis?

Only if it's found that the problem is under the warranty.

If it's not under warranty,

then I gotta pay the 275.

Okay, so they're saying because the compression

is quote unquote good.

Well, this is what question,

the dealer says it's within specs of the Chrysler.

Okay.

And she says 90 PSI is within specs.

So I guess when you go back on Monday

and you say, hey, when you pop the fault code

and it says cylinder number eight,

I guess we're gonna watch them eat 275, aren't we?

Yes. Right.

Okay, because you know that's gonna happen.

Oh yeah, to do another compression check

all the way to cylinders like I asked it to.

Well, they won't do that because they're gonna base it on,

maybe they've seen, you know,

maybe they see 30 engines a week

and they know what the number is.

I don't, I still don't trust it.

I don't know that I would accept a compression test

not on anything anymore today.

And if I have any questions,

it takes me another 15 minutes to,

you know, there's a part of this here

that give the customer confidence,

make you feel good about it, right?

You know, you purchased it from them,

you come back to them,

you're just asking, hey, fix my truck, fix it right.

Tell me what else it needs.

Right. Well, the dealership changed hands.

The first original dealership was good people.

Right. And now it's more corporation now.

Right. And how did I know

that was gonna be the last part

of our conversation today, you and I?

Right.

You know. How true. Listen.

Remember Mama telling you

that you get what you pay for in life?

Exactly. You know? Exactly.

That extended warranty, that wonderful warranty,

frankly, I don't like to deal

with extended warranty companies.

Either a pain in the neck,

they usually give you an hour to diagnose

whatever the problem is,

whether it's a simple, you know, flat tire

or an involved CAN network bus communication fault problem.

And it also encourages, in my opinion,

technicians to work faster and sloppily

and not do a thorough correct diagnosis.

And it's just difficult.

We deal with extended warranty companies.

When we do, I charge an hour just to talk to them

because I'm usually on the phone for two

because it eats up the clock.

And it's, look, I'm not scolding your brother.

You know what? They sold you the truck

and, hey, we'll give you a lifetime warranty.

But somebody somewhere is paying for that warranty.

And you know, it sounds like these guys

don't want to deal with it anymore.

They don't do that anymore, but now you notice.

Oh, yeah, it's not even.

Right.

You buy a new truck now, it ain't there except for one year.

Right.

Well, usually powertrain is 336 or five and 60 or something,

but, you know, there's a better warranty.

It's just lifetime.

Because you and I both know,

we're both smart enough to know

that nothing can last a lifetime without having a failure.

And, you know, at that point, right, it's.

That's why I was guaranteed.

I was going to keep the truck.

I got a truck that I really liked.

Right.

So, sorry, kiddo,

wish I had some better answers for you.

All right, but I think you got to be ready

for when that misfire fault pops on.

And if it is cylinder number eight, you know,

well, maybe it is compression related.

And if it is compression related, get your 275 back.

Yeah, I'm gonna be running, take some trips with it

and get back with the plug again.

Yep.

All right, Frank, I got to go.

You keep my number handy though.

You need me, you call me 855-560-9900

running any of the car doctor.

We are coming back right after this.

Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience,

but on eBay, behind every car and part is a story

waiting to be shared.

Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman

GT4 on eBay.

It was well loved.

I mean, there are plenty of Caymans

in great condition on eBay,

but this one needed some work.

That's just the start of the story.

So after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,

he rebuilds the whole thing with all these parts

he found on eBay.

Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,

the works guaranteed to fit.

Next thing you know, this nearly scrapped Cayman

was out there on the track as a full blown race car.

You're ready to go daily driver.

Your next Resto mod.

Hello Lotus Elon, and the parts to finish it.

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Nicotine is an addictive chemical

underage cell prohibited.

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Welcome back.

My name is a car doctor.

Let's go to Bill in Long Island.

Bill, welcome sir.

How can I help you?

Hey brother, it's good to hear from you again.

Oh, hey Bill.

How are you?

Now I know who this is.

Yeah, Bill man with the 2001 Chevy Blazer.

That's the spark and the...

Yep, yep, yep, yep.

So you want to tell the story or you want me to?

Yeah, I could definitely tell it in a nutshell.

Go ahead, tell it.

My cousin, 2001 Blazer, it's got no heat.

We disconnect the heater core lines from the firewall.

We flush out the heater core.

We started back up, we got great heat.

And while we're flushing, we had some garden hose water

just kind of spray around the engine compartment.

Nothing crazy.

And all of a sudden the car shuts off

and it wouldn't start again.

So we pull it in, we go through spark fuel.

It's got what appears to be excellent spark.

It's got fuel pressure.

Everything's firing at the right time.

All six spark plugs hanging out of the side of the motor

grounded to the engine and all six appear to have

what looks like strong spark.

But at the end of the day, it wasn't enough.

You and I talked about load testing the ignition.

So I put the tester at three sixteenths gap.

We loaded the ignition.

Then I lost the spark altogether.

That actually made it a lot easier.

Cause when, you know, if you're chasing spark and fuel

and now you're chasing a ghost, at least with no spark

I can get to the flow charts

and I was able to trace it back to a weak ignition coil.

So even though we had good spark, you know,

you and I talked about the, just like a boosted car.

Right. Well, right.

Cause the difference is in a cylinder,

a cylinder at 150 PSI, the ignition system is under

more duress than an ignition system trying to fire across

the gap of a spark plug in atmosphere.

If atmospheric pressure is, you know, whatever it is

15 pounds, whatever the magic number is,

depending upon where you are, you know, it's, it's,

it's just a very different environment.

So what'd you learn?

What'd you learn out of our phone calls, Bill?

Well, one thing we learned is

seeing excellent spark doesn't mean you have excellent spark.

We got to do the proper load test, load the ignition.

And I'm trying to think what else I did to this thing.

You know, at the end of the day,

somebody had spliced in a

test wire to the white wire with a black tracer that goes

from the ignition control module to the ignition coil.

So while I was posing it, water must have found that open

metal of that connector cause it was open.

And that was the wire directly going to the coil.

And it shorted that.

So we shorted the coil with the water and lost, you know,

most of the spark.

So I guess, I guess the, I guess the answer really is it's,

it's just basic testing is still basic testing.

I remember you went through fuel pressure.

You went through a bunch of stuff.

And it really threw me because, you know,

the visual spark was really good.

Yeah, just, just well, and you know, it's funny because I was

going to, I was going to open today's show and I'll probably

do it next hour talking about how you never assume, right?

Assumes, assumes a dangerous word,

but auto repair is all about testing.

And I can't tell you, it's easy for me to sit in my chair here

and I hope it doesn't sound like lecturing,

but to tell you guys, you know, basics, basics, basics,

always, always do the basics.

I can't tell you how many guys I talked to, did you do this?

No, why?

Well, because, you know, check fuel pressure,

check spark, check fuel pressure, basic simple stuff.

And then, and then as the problem, cause one thing I've learned

is the problem will always get more complicated

as it needs to, because as it starts to pass

or not pass basic testing, you'll know which direction to go.

So, but listen, I'm glad you got it solved.

Yeah, so one, you know, one of the notes on this thing.

Yeah.

You know, when I originally put the coil in,

it didn't fix the problem.

So that's when, you know, I kind of got lost there.

So that's when I made the, I made a flash tester out

of a 194 LED bulb, just run it to positive

and check the ground signal come out of the cam sensor

and the crank sensor.

I checked them at the wire through the PCM.

The, you know, the camshaft shot the LED off six times

or I'm sorry, half, half the time and then one time.

So, you know, one for revolution and then the crank sensor

shot it off, you know, six times per revolution.

So all the signals were ending at the ECU,

but weren't coming out of the ECU.

So at that point, I put the original PCM back in the car

and it started right up.

But at the end of the day, I had put a junkyard PCM in

that was faulty and that took us off the track.

Right, right.

That's why it's-

So now we're back to the original ECU.

And the original problem and the original problem

was a bad ignition coil.

Yes, sir.

Just remember this, it's like I keep telling you guys,

the road downhill is paved with ice.

So, and it is because it happens really quick.

Bill, I appreciate the call and I'm glad you got it solved.

I'm Ron Anani in the car doctor.

We're back right after this.

Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience,

but on eBay, behind every car and part is a story

waiting to be shared.

Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman GT

for on eBay, it was well loved.

I mean, there are plenty of Caymans in great condition

on eBay, but this one needed some work.

That's just the start of the story.

So after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,

he rebuilds the whole thing with all these parts

he found on eBay.

Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,

the works guaranteed to fit.

Next thing you know, this nearly scrapped Cayman

was out there on the track as a full blown race car.

You're ready to go daily driver, your next Resto mod,

Hello Lotus Elon, and the parts to finish it.

eBay has thousands of cars and is the largest online

selection of vehicle parts and accessories.

eBay, things, people, love.

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa?

Wash away your worries with Anabey.

Anabey is the only machine washable sofa inside and out

where designer quality meets budget friendly prices.

That's right, sofas start at just $699.

Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly,

stain resistant, and changeable slip covers

made with performance fabric.

Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam

that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing.

The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity

and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime.

Shop washablesofas.com for up to 60% off site wide.

Backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

If you're not absolutely in love,

send it back for a full refund.

No return shipping or restocking fees.

Every penny back.

Upgrade now at washablesofas.com.

Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions

may apply.

Warning, this product contains nicotine.

Nicotine is an addictive chemical

underage cell prohibited.

Race tracks are like zone nicotine pouches.

We all have our favorites.

Whether you're a fan of mint, citrus, dragon fruit,

or something more subtle,

zone offers a variety of flavors

available in six and nine milligrams.

Get intensity and flavor that lasts with zone.

Get Cams mailed right to your door at nicokick.com slash zone

and use promo code radio 20 for 20% off your zone purchase.

To test the new Pathfinder,

Nissan turned to the boldest creators of all.

Kids, their drawings sparked a wild idea.

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and the SUV that makes the unthinkable unforgettable.

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Newer models may be shown.

Yeah, I'll listen.

I'll tell you a reason why you never assume, okay?

Yeah, auto repair is probably the hardest thing

you'll ever do in your life

because you cannot be emotional.

You cannot be tired.

You cannot be laid back.

You've got to be attention driven, focused,

staying on the task, right?

Because you're trying to solve problems most of the time.

And the least, the simplest things

can sometimes 30 for a loop.

We had a customer with a 24 Lexus, fairly new car,

low mileage, 30,000 miles.

She goes and visits her daughter a couple of towns away,

beginning of last week.

And when she's turning into the daughter's driveway,

she cut the corner kind of tight.

So on the right side, she crushed, I mean,

crushed the passenger side front door

against this big pile of ice and snow

at the beginning of the driveway.

And it's probably easily,

it's easily $3,000 worth of body damage.

All right, just caught it on the snow bank the wrong way.

You know, visited with the daughter,

got over the GI, you know, screwed up my car thing

and came home.

And she called me Monday morning

because now the car had a flat.

And, you know, gee, we, you know,

those tires were good, the last oil change.

And, you know, she's telling me the whole story.

And she's, well, this is the tire you put the plug in

the last time I was in,

because I had picked up a nail.

All right, she brought the car down.

She pumped some air into it at home, brought the car down.

I looked at it.

Had nothing to do with the plug.

My tire repair was fine.

The sidewall and the tread

where it comes together at that corner,

there was a hole.

I take the tire off, I fill it with air,

water's coming out, water's coming out.

Little chunks of ice are coming out.

Ice had penetrated the tire.

It was frozen.

Two days later, as it warmed up,

the car started to leak.

And voila, we had a flat.

I'm Ronan and the car doctor.

The mechanics are expensive, they're priceless.

Yeah, he's a car doctor.

Car advice done right.

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa?

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Anabey is the only designer sofa

that's machine washable inside and out,

starting at just $699.

Plus, Anabey sofas are pet friendly,

stain resistant, and feature changeable slip covers

and modular pieces.

Get up to 60% off site-wide

with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Visit washablesofas.com to get yours now.

That's washablesofas.com.

Offers are subject to change

and certain restrictions may apply.

Warning, this product contains nicotine.

Nicotine is an addictive chemical

underage cell prohibited.

Golf courses are like zone nicotine pouches.

We all have our favorites.

Whether you're a fan of mint, citrus,

dragon fruit, or something more subtle,

Zone offers a variety of flavors

available in six and nine milligrams.

Get intensity and flavor that lasts with Zone.

Get Cams mailed right to your door

at nicokick.com slash zone

and use promo code radio 20 for 20% off your zone purchase.

Hey, Donald, you're really flying on that treadmill.

I'm trying to run as fast as T-Mobile 5G home internet, Zach.

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Really? How's this?

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Whoa, that's too fast.

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Big adventures, family chaos, untethered exploration.

The Nissan Pathfinder is built for it.

Powered by a lauded V6 engine

and smooth nine speed automatic transmission,

the new Nissan Pathfinder is adventure on wheels

with seating for up to eight, a premium interior

and available second row captain's chairs.

It's adventure in comfort

and with 284 horsepower and 6,000 pounds of towing capacity,

Pathfinder is adventure unlimited.

The new Nissan Pathfinder, power your adventure.

Towing capacity varies by configuration.

See Nissan towing guide and owner's manual

for additional information, always secure cargo.

This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - February 21, 2026 - Hour 1 - When Is Enough, Enough? Knowing When to Walk Away from a Repair

About this episode

Porsche Cayman

check engine light

fault code

P0456

charcoal canister

vent valve

exhaust system

Toyota

heat shield

exhaust pipe

tires

oil leaks

OBD2 drive cycle

Nissan Pathfinder

variable valve timing

Dodge Ram

5.7 Hemi engine

Chrysler

brand new

powertrain lifetime warranty

bumper to bumper

drivetrain

coil packs

AutoZone

compression check

cams

5.7 engine

V6 engine

nine-speed automatic transmission

horsepower

towing capacity

Chevrolet Blazer

Chevrolet Spark

Request an Explanation

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