Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - January 24, 2026 - Hour 2
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35:24
Car
Porsche Cayman
The Porsche Cayman is a sports car that is designed to be fun to drive. The 2020 version has a stylish look and is known for being very well-balanced, which helps it handle well on the road.
Car
Ford Fusion
The Ford Fusion is a car that is good for families and commuting. It's known for being comfortable and having good gas mileage.
Term
check engine light
The check engine light is a warning light in your car that tells you something might be wrong with the engine. It could be a small issue or something more serious, so it's important to check it out.
Term
low fuel sensor
The low fuel sensor tells you when your gas tank is getting empty. If it doesn't work right, you might not know when to fill up, which can cause problems.
Term
fuel pump
The fuel pump is what sends gas from the tank to the engine. If it stops working, your car might not run well or could even stall.
Term
fault code
A fault code is a message that the car's computer sends out when something is wrong. Mechanics use these codes to figure out what needs to be fixed.
Term
scan tool
A scan tool is a device that connects to a car's computer to check for problems. It helps mechanics understand what's wrong with the car by showing error messages and data.
Term
fuel pressure
Fuel pressure is how much force the fuel has in the fuel system. If it's too low or too high, the engine might not run well or could have problems.
Part
GDI pump
A GDI pump helps inject fuel directly into the engine for better efficiency and power. It's an important part of modern engines that use direct injection technology.
Part
fuel sock
A fuel sock is a filter in the gas tank that keeps dirt and debris out of the fuel system. It helps ensure that the fuel going to the engine is clean.
Car
Toyota Matrix
The Toyota Matrix is a small car that has a hatchback design, which means it has a rear door that swings upward. It's known for being useful and efficient, great for everyday driving.
Term
fuel trim
Fuel trim is how the car's computer adjusts the fuel mixture to make sure the engine runs well. It changes based on things like how hot or cold the engine is.
Term
power steering
Power steering makes it easier to turn the steering wheel of a car. It helps you steer without having to use a lot of strength, especially when parking or going slow.
Car
Toyota Camry
Car
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a small car that is very popular around the world. It's known for being reliable and good on gas.
Part
intake manifold gaskets
Intake manifold gaskets are important parts that help seal the area where air and fuel enter the engine. If they leak, it can cause problems with how the engine runs.
Part
O-rings
O-rings are rubber rings that help keep liquids or gases from leaking out of machines. They fit into grooves and create a seal when two parts are joined together.
Term
vacuum leak
A vacuum leak is when air gets into the engine where it shouldn't, which can cause the engine to run poorly. It's like having a hole in a straw when you're trying to drink.
Part
intake gaskets
Intake gaskets are parts that help seal the area where air and fuel enter the engine. If they wear out, it can cause problems with how the engine runs.
Part
performance brakes
Performance brakes are special brakes that help a car stop faster and handle better, especially when driving fast or on a track. They are made to handle more heat and pressure than regular brakes.
Part
suspension
The suspension is the part of the car that helps it ride smoothly over bumps and turns. It connects the car to the wheels and keeps everything stable while driving.
Part
body panels
Body panels are the outer parts of a car, like the doors and hood. If they get damaged, they can be replaced to make the car look new again.
Car
Nissan Frontier
The Nissan Frontier is a small truck that can carry heavy loads and is often used for work or outdoor activities. It's known for being tough and reliable.
Term
P0456
P0456 is a code that your car's computer uses to tell you there's a small leak in the system that keeps fuel vapors from escaping. It's important to fix to keep your car running well and reduce pollution.
Brand
Nissan
Nissan is a car company from Japan that makes many types of vehicles, like cars and trucks. They are known for their reliable cars and advanced technology.
Term
evaporative emissions fault
An evaporative emissions fault means there's an issue with the system that keeps gas fumes from leaking into the air. It's important for keeping the environment clean and can affect how your car runs.
Term
gas tank
A gas tank is where the fuel is stored in a car. It's important because the engine needs fuel to run.
Part
purge valve
A purge valve helps manage the fumes from the gas tank. It makes sure that any gas vapors are sent to the engine instead of being released into the air.
Part
evaporative emissions system
This system helps keep harmful gas fumes from leaking out of the car. It collects the gas vapors and sends them back to the engine to be used instead of letting them escape into the air.
Part
charcoal canister
This part holds onto gas fumes so they don't escape into the air. When the engine is ready, it sends those fumes back to be burned off, helping to keep the environment cleaner.
Car
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is a smaller truck that people use for carrying things and driving on rough roads. It's known for being tough and good on gas, making it a favorite for those who need a reliable vehicle for work or adventures.
Car
Jeep Wrangler
The 2026 Jeep Wrangler is a tough SUV designed for off-road driving. It can handle rough terrain and is popular among people who like outdoor adventures.
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Now, start your engines.
The CarDoctor is in the garage and ready to take your call.
Hey!
We're flying large and running without a net again this hour.
I'm not quite sure what's going on here.
I get to do a nationally syndicated radio show and diagnose why my call screen
doesn't work.
But Tom and I are making do.
We're waving hands and using...
What do you call this, Tom?
Is this telepathy that we're using to make this work or sign language?
Probably telepathy.
Some of it's sign language and you don't want to know the sign I'm about to give you.
I was just going to say that that was first and foremost on my mind.
But hey, we're making it work, right?
On this snowmageddon weekend here, I was just reading something.
We have an affiliate in Watertown, New York.
Just before eight o'clock this morning, it was 47 below zero in Watertown, New York.
Oh, stop.
Oh, come on.
I'm serious.
I've been up there when it's been minus 30, man.
Let me tell you.
No.
I woke up this morning here in North Jersey and it was six degrees and I said, wow,
that's cold enough.
I must be getting old.
But, yeah, 47 below.
Did you go out and buy your bread, milk, and eggs so you can have French toast
tomorrow?
No, actually, you know what I did?
As long as...
You know, we haven't talked about food yet this weekend.
But I had this great idea.
I'm going to make pizza tomorrow.
I have two pizza doughs.
I have my pepperoni, my sauce, my mozzarella, my meatballs, and I'm going to make pizza
tomorrow during the snowstorm and find a couple of good old black and white movies,
you know, go back to the fifties and maybe something from the sixties and want some
old, you know, just and kind of hang out.
Yeah, just sort of think it easy.
And because we're not working Monday.
I've given up.
I took all the work from Monday and pushed it into Tuesday if we survive.
You know, and listen, you know, we're kidding around about it.
But before we get started this hour, don't go out, all right?
I don't care what you think you have.
I don't care, you know, four-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, climb the side of a wall.
It's there.
If it happens the way they're talking, it's going to be freezing rain.
The freezing rain stuff is the worst, right?
Because at first it's going to snow and then it's going to rain and then it's
going to freeze and then it's a giant sliding pond and you're not only putting yourself
at risk, you're putting all our EMTs and emergency rescue people and police officers
and everybody else at risk.
And you know what?
You don't want to put undue strain on the system.
Stay home.
Make a pizza.
Watch a movie.
Have a good time.
You know, just, it's just going to be crazy.
It's just going to be a winter wonderland in most parts of the country tomorrow.
So just please, please, please, everybody be safe.
Let's get going.
Let's go down to Kenneth in Virginia with a 15 Ford Fusion and, well, a weird problem.
Let's talk about this.
Kenneth, welcome to the car doctor, sir.
How can I help?
Yes, sir.
Thank you for having me.
Welcome.
I have a 2015 Ford Fusion and about a couple of years ago, the car was near E. I was just
driving.
I was doing some DoorDash Uber and all of a sudden the car started hesitating and then
just stopped.
I was like, okay.
Wow.
Okay.
But then I just found out, okay.
Well, maybe that was just because of lack of fuel.
Fast forward.
I took it to Minakie and they got a reading from a check engine light.
And by the way, the check engine light kept going off and on, but it was a reading that
the high fuel sensor needed to be replaced.
They replaced it and then it started happening again with the hesitation.
Now, this is what fuel in it.
And then they said, oh, well, we got to replace the low fuel sensor.
And then they replaced that in the engine and then also said, oh, we got to replace
the fuel pump.
And it was just a whole bunch of things that were happening.
So every since then, I mean, it's been running really good, but past half a tank or in especially
under a quarter of a tank, either coming out of a stop line or stop the signal.
The car tends to hesitate and, you know, I'll get a jerk.
Like anything towards E, I'll get a jerk every once in a while and or after every time
and I don't know if this is a related issue.
After I get gas, maybe 30 seconds after I get gas, they were, the car tends to want to
the RPMs wants to jump up and down again.
And then it used to shut down the car for a brief second and then I have to turn the car on.
And Minakie, once again, they were saying, oh, we'll check the purge valve.
But no, the purge valve isn't the issue.
So they still feel that they have to keep running test and things like that.
So I don't know if those were related issues.
So let me let me ask you this, Kenneth.
Did it sounds like, and just correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the
condition or the problem changed after they put the fuel pump in it.
Well, the fuel pump.
Well, I don't know if it was what they kept saying, the sensors, the high flow
sensor and then the low fuel sensor, and they replaced it.
And then the fuel, fuel pump, but that was before they replaced that the fuel pump.
They thought it was a fuel pump issue and I was getting a lot of bad gas.
But also, but also understand if you have a fault code for the high
fuel pressure sensor, I don't know of any code in any car.
Here's a real blanket statement that, you know, I don't think anybody
could prove wrong.
I don't know of any fault code of any car that it's it's it's a P zero
whatever, and it says change that part.
It's a it's a it's a fault with the operating condition of that part.
In this case, it it it's it flagged the high fuel pressure sensor circuit
because it saw an erroneous reading.
This could be a voltage problem.
This could be a ground problem.
This could be a sensor problem.
This could be computer interpretation issue.
This could be, you know, a fuel pump fuel pump pressure circuit related issue.
Right.
So did they jump the gun?
And my point becomes, is this different since they worked on it?
Did they solve one problem or maybe create another because of the quality
or yeah, the quality of the part itself, what are they missing?
Right.
And so they did the high flow sensor first and then they did the low
fuel pressure sensor, and that seemed to have worked better after they
have replaced the low fuel sensor.
Something was going on in the engine where they felt like that was the key remedy.
But it didn't solve what it seemed like with sediment in the gas tank.
And I think at this at this point, something's going on where
it's the sediment keeps getting injected.
And so I've tried C foam.
I tried other things on my own.
Well, let's let's let's let's go back a step and you make a very good point.
And, you know, are you always running the tank down low?
I used to, yeah, I used to it.
I don't do it as much anymore when they when they did the pump.
Did they happen to mention that they look in the tank?
Did they come back and say, hey, Kenneth, the tank is spotlessly clean?
Or gee, there's a bunch of crud in there.
Let's flush it out.
Was there any commentary like that?
They did not say anything commentary.
I think they were grabbing at straws, gas spring and saying, OK, well,
we still don't know.
And then they try to relate it to when I get gas.
Why does my RPM keep jumping up and wanting to shut the car up after
30 seconds after I get gas?
So let's what you're getting bad gas.
So let's let's well, yeah, you and everybody else.
That's why everybody's lined up for this same particular problem, right?
So it's it's always bad gas.
So the issue, right, right.
Absolutely, 100 percent is this problem is reproducible, correct?
Like if you brought it into another shop with a quarter tank of fuel
and they started driving it at some point, they're going to experience this problem.
Yes, especially when I accelerate on a freeway, I'm fine.
OK, so why can't we?
Why can't we let's go for heart rate and blood pressure, kiddo?
Why can't we hook up a scan tool?
We'll take this car for a ride, pay for a diagnostic hour and come back and tell you,
hey, Kenneth, we watch fuel pressure because we can see fuel pressure on a scan tool, right?
That's that's the purpose of the high fuel pressure, low fuel pressure sensors.
That's the purpose of all that.
We can see fuel pressure readings vis-a-vis a scan tool.
What sort of numbers do we get?
Do they make sense?
Do we need to hook up and go look at actual physical mechanical pressure on the low side?
Right?
Do we have a do we have a problem with the GDI pump,
which is not completely uncommon?
Do we have something else creating this particular fault?
So now, what about cleaning up the gas tank with all the sediment?
Well, I mean, we can we can we can surely take a sample of fuel.
That's easy enough.
Now, we may not get what we want out of the tank because of if it's on the bottom,
if it's true sediment, although you would think if it's sediment
and it somehow worked its way past the sock that's supposed to be there.
And by sock, you understand what I'm saying?
That's that little cylindrical screen filter
that's at the bottom of the pickup to to prevent muck from coming up, right?
You would think by now if it's truly picking up sediment,
you would think by now we would have chewed up the fuel pump, right?
Logical assumption, you know, with the fuel pump last three years,
I don't think so.
But for sure.
Listen, part of the problem here is they haven't solved the issue.
And in my opinion, they're obligated to go back over what they did.
OK.
And at least verify, hey, is the tank clean?
If they didn't have the common sense to look inside the tank,
which you would think they did.
But, you know, listen, we all, as human beings, scratch our heads
in the last couple of years about what's going on in the world and around us.
And does any common sense exist anymore?
You know, if you take the pump out, I would look inside
and go, I see any crud.
And he said a minute because I want to make sure that it's right.
So that's, you know, was that mistake number one?
They have to be able to answer that question.
You paid for a diagnosis.
You paid for a repair.
It's either, guys, either you're going to, you know, work with me
and make this right, but I'm not here to let you just continually run tests
that may or may not solve anything for me. All right.
And that's been over a year now.
And now the check engine light hasn't came on since that incident.
So this is this was December of twenty twenty four twenty twenty four.
Right.
So that check engine light has never came back on.
But my worry is like every time I get gas or come out of out of a stop sign
or, you know, I start to accelerate and then the engine wants to
to briefly just stop and sputter for just a quick second.
I'm thinking things and I did and I want to forward.
They did a fuel engine cleaning, you know, for all that stuff.
They're an engine cleaning stuff.
Well, yeah, and that's not necessarily going to do anything.
That's going to clean the engine.
That's not going to clean the tank.
I think what you've got to do.
I think what you've got to do is go back and talk to these guys.
Listen, this has been going on a year, right?
Either we're going to at least go back and look at the take a fuel sample
and look at it, right?
And then at that point, decide what we're going to do next.
But we've got to baseline this and either get them to look at it
from a different angle or find another repair shop,
because I don't think these guys are it.
Do that, Kenneth.
Give me a call back and we can kind of talk about it from there on.
And I'll be here for you at eight five five five six oh nine nine zero zero.
I'm Ronanini in the car doctor.
Don't go anywhere.
Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience.
But on eBay, behind every car in 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.
Some mornings feel like a marathon before your feet ever hit the floor,
which is why the little wins matter.
Guessing your password on the first try?
Win.
All green lights on the way to work?
Win.
Finding your car keys in the first place you look?
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Mornings upgraded.
Every day, it's the same thing for my treatment
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It reminds me of my addiction.
Every day, it's the same thing for my treatment
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Every day, it's the same thing.
Every day.
Day after day, does treatment for opioid addiction
leave a bad taste?
Visit rethinkyourrecovery.com to learn more
and find a doctor.
Hey, let's go over and talk to Joe in South Jersey,
06 Toyota Matrix.
Joe, you're the one that has one left.
So I haven't seen a Matrix.
God, let's see.
Dirt was invented, I think, back when I saw the last Matrix.
And Tom Ray had hair.
But it was a while ago.
So what's going on with this thing?
I've been very happy with that.
I'll tell you what.
Don't misunderstand me, brother.
They were great cars.
They really were.
And you can always tell the great cars
because the manufacturers stop making them.
They sell you something else.
You know, if we sell enough of these,
we'll never sell another car.
So we better get rid of the good ones.
Just an observation.
So what's going on?
So lately, I've had an intermittent problem
with the engine surging as if the accelerator was sticking.
OK.
I first thought, well, maybe the carpet was sticking
to the accelerator.
Took that out now.
So then I took it to my mechanic.
They ran no codes or anything else like that.
They took it out on the road for a test.
Couldn't duplicate the problem.
OK.
So I'm at a loss.
Higher mileage?
183,000.
All right.
So when it happens, tell me when is it more likely to happen?
Is it dead cold, completely hot, or somewhere in between?
Somewhere in between.
Yeah.
That's what I thought you were going to say.
And it can't easily be reproduced
or if I were to start it from a stone cold day like today
and drive it until it was warmed up, which
might take till July, would I experience the problem?
It may or may not happen.
OK.
What was not uncommon, and this is a 1.8 liter, correct?
Correct.
Number one, I want to look at fuel trim.
I want to see where fuel trim is when it's cold.
All right.
I want to see how it's reacting and what it's doing.
Because well, let's talk about the simple stuff.
All right.
It'd be easy to say, if we were
going to let the internet diagnose this,
they'll tell you it's a bad computer because computers go bad,
and that's what causes the problems.
And I've got to tell you, out of all the cars I work on,
Toyota probably has the least amount of failed engine
processors and BCMs and everything else.
They really do make a solid piece of electronics.
So it could be something goofy.
For example, nobody ever thinks
about car has power steering, right?
OK.
How about we watch the power steering switch on a scan
tool, and while we're driving along,
does the power steering switch change state, which
will alter how the engine runs the idle, or the idle air
control, and bump engine speed trying to compensate
for power steering load?
So that's interesting.
Yeah, I've had it twice.
I've had it twice on some of the Toyotas.
And one was a Matrix, and one was a what
was the sister car to that, the Camry or the Corolla?
One of them, I forget which.
But yeah, I've seen that.
Yeah, Corolla, right.
I've seen that.
I've had that problem, which is an oddball nobody ever thinks
about.
But probably the most common cause
of what you're describing at that mid-temperature range
between 130 and 170 degrees of engine operation
is going to be leaky intake manifold gaskets.
Have you put intake manifold gaskets on this yet?
No.
Oh, brother, you're overdue.
At least I don't think so, but I'll have to go back
and check my records.
Right, go back and check your records
because it would not be uncommon.
And at this point, just get it done.
It's an hour, maybe an hour and a half.
It's not terrible labor as long as the thing still comes
apart.
And I would almost guarantee you those round O-rings
are now crushed square.
And what happens is at that mid-temperature range,
the O-ring will, it'll space shuttle.
It'll contract a little bit and start to leak.
And oh, boy, it plays havoc with fuel trim
because we're looking for an, we're looking,
generally we're looking for an air leak here.
We're looking for a vacuum leak that all of a sudden occurred.
If the engine started to, if the engine,
if an injector started to somehow spray more fuel,
what do you think the consequence would be?
The surge.
Well, would it surge or would it stall?
If you throw, right, it would drown it out, right?
If you fan a fly, if you fan a fire with oxygen,
it tends to flare up, right?
Exactly.
If you add oxygen to the engine,
it's gonna raise the RPM a little bit.
It's gonna go lean.
And that's why I'm looking at fuel trim.
And, you know, probably the most common issue with these
was the ability for fuel trim to change
as a result of leaky O-rings at the intake manifold.
All right?
But none of that would show up on a scan.
You might see it, well, I'll tell you what,
if you can get a fault code to occur,
or if you can watch fuel trim, all right,
and you see fuel trim go excessively high,
up over 19, 20%, and it's right at that 162 degree mark.
Don't ask me why I remember that number,
but it's like right there, brother.
If you can catch it right at that moment,
that's usually where you see it.
When it gets into the low 160s, bang,
and it'll do play havoc with fuel trim,
it'll play havoc with engine speed, idle,
the whole nine yards,
and eventually it'll set a lean fault code
that takes a while to diagnose and figure out.
But take a look at fuel trim numbers
and take a look at intake gaskets,
if they haven't been done as maintenance,
maybe now is the time.
I'm Ronan Ani and the car doctor,
we're back right after this.
Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience,
but on eBay, behind every car in 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 has the largest online selection
of vehicle parts and accessories.
eBay, things, people love.
Some mornings feel like a marathon
before your feet ever hit the floor,
which is why the little wins matter.
Guessing your password on the first try, win.
All green lights on the way to work, win.
Finding your car keys in the first place you look, miracle win.
And breakfast, it's got little wins of its own,
like grabbing the new Waco's protein shake
and getting 30 grams of complete protein
without even trying.
We call that a big little win,
or pouring silk almond milk for five essential nutrients
and giving your cereal a little extra goodness.
That's a sweet win.
Give your coffee a swirl of international delight
for a delicious mood booster
and let Activia Yogurt handle gut business
with billions of probiotics.
Win and win.
And right now, another one.
Get $5 when you spend $10 or more
on participating breakfast favorites.
Win, win, win.
Get more details at morningsupgraded.com.
Mornings upgraded.
Every day, it's the same thing for my treatment
for opioid addiction.
It reminds me of my addiction.
Every day, it's the same thing
for my treatment for opioid addiction.
Every day, it's the same thing.
Every day.
Day after day,
does treatment for opioid addiction leave a bad taste?
Visit rethinkyourrecovery.com
to learn more and find a doctor.
From the city streets to the open road tonight.
Put it on the doorbell, put it on the doorbell.
If your eye needs help run,
we'll keep you rolling right.
Rollin' right, rollin' right.
He's the car doctor.
Car doctor.
He's the car doctor.
Ow!
Car, it wasn't right.
Ooh.
Ow!
Sounds a little like the Tabernacle Choir
you got goin' on there, Tom.
That's, but that's very nice.
The band at least is working today,
even though my phone screen isn't,
but what the heck, who cares?
So, let's go where it's warm.
I understand there's a hot spell goin' up there
in Ithaca, New York, where it's minus three,
at least it's not minus 47,
like the poor folks up there at WATN,
Upstate New York or Downstate New York,
whichever the case might be,
however you wanna look at it.
George, how can I help you
in your 13 frontier today, sir?
What's goin' on?
Well, thanks for takin' the call.
You're welcome, sir.
It's mysterious, right?
A few years ago, it threw a check engine
let code, a P0456, which is a small eVap leak.
Right.
Stayed fine, I was gettin' worried
cause it wouldn't pass inspection,
and then it went away.
And it stayed off for about four weeks.
I pulled it in quick.
Oh, let's get a sticker on it.
Not worried about it.
And about a month later, it came back on.
And it's done this now.
This is the third time in a row, right?
Where it just sort of goes off
and it stays off and they put the scanner on it
and there's no codes pending.
I have replaced a gas cap twice.
Once aftermarket, once OEM.
I've done the, I've cleaned everything I could see.
Yeah, and let's stop doin' gas caps.
Here, let's back up a second, George.
First of all, Nissan strategy.
Nissan loves their customers so much
that they've created a software strategy
that if the vehicle has a pending
evaporative emissions fault,
it will tell you to check the gas cap
because they don't want you to think the car is broken.
Yeah, no, I figured that out.
Yeah, you know, it's because God forbid
the car gets broken and they're afraid
you might not want to buy another one.
However, if they told you the truth,
you might want to buy one, but that's, you know,
listen, I only have a half hour left in today's show
so I can't go on much further than that.
Let's talk about evap a little bit, can we?
Would you like to know how evap systems work?
I would love to.
All right, you live in a house?
I do.
You got a front door?
And the back door.
Cool, all right, then you have an evap system.
So if you took a five gallon can of gas
and put it out in your driveway
and put the caps on it and left it in the sun,
what's going to happen?
It's going to evaporate and I'll start smelling gas
all over the place.
Well, in theory, but if the can was sealed,
the can would swell up, right?
If the can will swell.
Right, the can will swell.
Until it can't swell anymore.
Right, and then there's a loud noise.
So, you know, in theory, an automobile is a gas can, right?
It's got a gas tank, right?
So that vehicle's sitting out in the hot sun,
they've got to have a way to vent pressure
in the tank and control fumes.
Okay.
Makes sense.
So, there's a purge valve attached at the engine end
of the evaporative emissions system
and there is a vent valve at the back of the vehicle
attached to the evaporative emissions system.
Coming.
And the back is where the gas tank is.
Correct.
So, coming out of the tank,
the vent line goes to the charcoal canister.
Do you have goldfish as a kid?
Mama, let you have fish.
Right, it went through a charcoal filter.
Right.
So they put fumes into the charcoal canister.
That's where it's stored for relief
at the proper time based on ambient temperature,
tank pressure, and some other factors.
They will open up the purge valve,
meaning they will open up the line that feeds the engine
and the fumes from the charcoal canister
will be scavenged or pulled into the engine
to be consumed to help control.
They burn up with everything else.
Right, so the canister doesn't get overloaded.
It doesn't get, will we say, saturated.
All right?
At certain times, they will open up the vent
so the purge has an easier job of scavenging.
You ever have to put fresh air in the house?
You open up the front door,
you don't get a lot of air flow.
What do you do?
You open up the back door
and now the air can move through, right?
Now the air, yeah.
Right, same thing.
Or you open up the back door
and you open up the front and it goes that way.
It's the same idea.
Front door back door.
Just like popping the vent on the gas tank
for an outboard motor.
Correct, absolutely right.
So you're looking for an evaporative emissions leak.
A P0456 is a leak that will move a vacuum gauge
or the bubble on the machine
less than 20 thousandths of an inch.
So it's about the thickness of a hair on your head.
All right?
I don't have that much air left.
Well, I get it.
Yeah, I get it, but it's a pimple on a fly's butt.
All right?
You're looking for a real small leak.
Now you can look for this
by connecting a smoke machine,
going to the vent valve
and sealing the vent.
Usually I stick my finger in the vent line.
Yeah.
And it goes and I watch, you know,
or I'll put a rubber hose with a plug.
I'll put the smoke machine in at the purge
and I'll fill the system
and I'll watch and I'll see.
Does the machine, the smoke machine show me no flow?
And I've got a bunch.
If you go to my YouTube channel, as a matter of fact,
I've got a bunch of videos
using my red line smoke detection machine
and it will show you an explain evap system
in greater detail and a greater length.
But it's the idea that you may not be able to see this leak
by the naked eye and chances are you can't.
Now, the fact that you're in Ithaca,
you get this stuff called snow.
I'm sure you're familiar with it.
They put these chemicals on the road
to help reduce the amount of snow
that also creates this stuff called rust.
You know, are any of the steel lines
which were once steel, now crumbling rust,
are any of those porous to the point
that they're creating a leak?
So all of this has to be considered.
No, you won't get a fuel smell.
No, you won't see puddles
because we're dealing with fumes
and we're dealing again with a pinhole somewhere.
Right?
So, you know,
my guess, I generally tell everybody
most evap leaks diagnosed within the hour
done properly with a good smoke machine.
And once you take a look at my videos
on my YouTube channel, you'll understand what I'm saying.
If they can't be diagnosed with smoke,
then we're gonna talk about using nitrogen, all right?
Or we're gonna talk about using carbon dioxide,
a CO2 indicator and reading it that way.
But that's a little bit of a different scenario, all right?
Usually the Nissan's,
the two areas of concern are the vent valve
or the steel lines in the back generally rot
and they get porous over time
and they create a pinhole leak.
No, there's certainly a lot of salt.
Right, and as much as you try and watch it off.
Right, you can't.
You can't.
And then upfront under the hood,
anywhere you see plastic tubing
going into a rubber fitting on a 2013 anything.
Chrysler Jeep 4GM, I don't care what it is.
If I can twist that little hard plastic tube
in the rubber fitting, yeah, I'm suspect of that too.
All right, and I'm gonna take a look at that
and consider that.
So there's a bunch of things.
It's not impossible to fix.
The reason it may show up more predominantly
in cold weather versus warm is why.
In cold weather, things contract, right?
So when they contract.
Oh, and so if it's loose, it'll open up.
Right, and then when it's warm, when it's warm, it swells.
So, you know, that's the kind of diagnosis
you've gotta go through, but that's evap
and how to look at it in a nutshell.
All right, George?
I gotta go, brother, I'm up against the clock,
but you do that.
Get a look at my YouTube channel.
There's a lot of information there.
Go look at some of the evap videos.
If you need more, I'll be back next weekend.
I'm Ronan Amy in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
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["Mexico Stiffon"]
Hey, let's get going.
Let's go over to New Mexico, Stiffon
and see what's going on here.
Oh, five ranger, what's going on?
Well, I've been chasing a small evap league
for the better part two years.
Oh, boy.
No, it's evap hour.
It's evap hour.
That's okay.
So what are you using in, you know,
so it's a P0456.
Is it constant or does it come and go?
It's a 442 actually.
And it has been,
it's been pretty constant over the past couple of years.
I've had a mechanic replace a couple of things
that I couldn't do
from the canister valve
or the canister, purge canister
all the way up to a new gas tank.
Okay.
I remember hearing you talk on like an archive show
about, you know, it being one thing
and then it being another thing
and, you know, maybe both things were wrong.
And, you know, I was told that it could be simple
as like a purge canister or a valve
and replaced those.
And smoke tests revealed nothing.
A second smoke test was like,
we got a small leak on top of the gas tank,
replaced the gas tank.
Now that it's cold, the code's back.
So I'm still hunting for it.
Okay.
So,
yeah, and I know it's painful, right?
It is.
You know, when we do the smoke test,
they find nothing, correct?
That's correct.
And we've done two,
although they said that they found a tiny leak
in the gas tank, so maybe it was there.
Right.
Maybe it was two things on top of each other.
Listen, there's no rule that says it's only one thing.
Right?
So if you can prove one thing is bad,
change it and go on to the next thing.
You know, I'm working with a gentleman, John,
I think he's in Michigan who's got a break problem
on his son's focus or fusion.
And we prove the HCU unit bad
and now we're working,
we're diving into a little bit,
other part of the system a little bit deeper.
So it's just, you know,
fix what you know is bad, go on to the next thing.
You know, keep in mind a smoke test,
smoke creates pressure.
So it's real low,
it's probably less than half a pound,
but it can create pressure.
So if I'm working with a problem vehicle
that's got this random evap issue,
you know, yeah, purge and vent,
sometimes it's quicker and easier,
good quality part, whatever it might be.
I like the idea of the tank.
You know, I would like to run the test again.
Did it, you know, did it reoccur?
You know, with everything replaced,
clear the codes, run the vehicle,
does the system run its monitor and pass its test?
Yeah, well, it was for a long time.
So when we replace the,
it would usually come back pretty quick, you know,
like one cycle and it would come back after we did,
after we did the gas tank,
everything's been fine for months.
And I thought it was gone,
but then now that it's cold, it's back.
So I feel like it's like a hose or like a fitting.
Right.
I get a gas smell occasionally.
Right, we're front of the vehicle, back of the vehicle.
I would say front because I'm smelling it in the cab.
What's, what's, where's the canister
is in the left front rail?
I believe that's correct.
Right.
So going into the canister, we've got some,
I'm trying to remember what O5 looks like,
plastic tubing and rubber, rubber hoses, rubber connections.
Yeah, there's a lot of plastic in rubber.
Yeah, could we have something there
shrinking, contracting?
If we were to simply, it sounds a little archaic,
but an O5 is 21 years old,
we're probably not gonna find a lot of parts anymore.
If we were to carefully pull apart at the canister
and take those little plastic sleeves
out of the rubber bushings and RTV them in.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
I like to seal them and give me a little bit of RTV.
Just for giggles, if the problem is there right now,
I want you to pull the line off at the purge valve,
start it up, disconnected electrically, start it up,
wet your finger and against the,
and do you feel engine suction?
Right.
There's no rule that says the new part's still good.
And testing a bad purge valve is one of the quickest
and easiest things you can do.
Usually it's with a rubber glove on
because a rubber glove is a little more sealing.
I get a little wet and if I feel suction
against my finger, the new part's bad.
It doesn't take much, right?
Now you could sit there and look at it
if it's random and intermittent, right?
How does the system know if the purge valve's leaking?
Do you ever think about this?
What does it look at?
Yeah, I don't know.
Maybe pressure somewhere.
It tell you what, let me pull over, take the pause
when I come back.
We'll give you that answer for you and everybody else.
I'm Ron Anani in the car doctor.
We'll return 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.
eBay has thousands of cars
and is the largest online selection
of vehicle parts and accessories.
eBay, things, people, love.
Some mornings feel like a marathon
before your feet ever hit the floor,
which is why the little wins matter.
Guessing your password on the first try?
Win.
All green lights on the way to work?
Win.
Finding your car keys in the first place you look?
Miracle win.
And breakfast, it's got little wins of its own,
like grabbing the new Waco's protein shake
and getting 30 grams of complete protein
without even trying.
We call that a big little win
or pouring silk almond milk for five essential nutrients
and giving your cereal a little extra goodness.
That's a sweet win.
Give your coffee a swirl of international delight
for a delicious mood booster
and let activity a yogurt handle gut business
with billions of probiotics.
Win and win.
And right now, another one.
Get $5 when you spend $10 or more
on participating breakfast favorites.
Win, win, win.
Get more details at morningsupgraded.com.
Every day, it's the same thing
for my treatment for opioid addiction.
It reminds me of my addiction.
Every day, it's the same thing
for my treatment for opioid addiction.
Every day, it's the same thing.
Every day.
Day after day, does treatment for opioid addiction
leave a bad taste?
Visit rethinkyourrecovery.com
to find out more about opioid addiction.
Visit rethinkyourrecovery.com
to learn more and find a doctor.
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["Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor"]
Hey, and here we go.
Let's go back to Stefan in New Mexico.
You're there.
Sorry.
So, we're gonna look at Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor,
FTP, you ever wonder what that is?
Well, I feel like I should have gotten a new one
when we got the new gas tank.
Well, you would hope, right?
You would hope that it's sealed well.
And FTP is just what it says.
It's Fuel Tank Pressure or Fuel Tank State of Vacuum
or Fuel Tank State of Change, right?
You got an OBD2 scan tool?
I do not, but I'm in the market for one now.
Okay, so, you know, let's get,
if you can get something, you're make model
that's even better, right?
But let's plug in, let's bring up FTP,
Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor, right?
Or Tank Pressure Sensor, turn the key on engine off.
Go look at it, all right?
You'll see voltage.
Let's say you're gonna see two and a half volts,
which would not be uncommon, right?
Start it up and just monitor it.
Within time, as the vehicle runs,
as it opens up the purge to evacuate the canister
and closes the vent, you're gonna see FTP
drawn into a vacuum state and you'll see voltage go lower,
okay?
And then, if it were to close the purge,
close the vent, what would you expect that voltage to do?
Go back up.
Well, would it go back up?
If it went back up, that means what?
It's losing vacuum, that means it's got a leak.
If the voltage, if it's pulled into a vacuum state,
suck in and hold it, right?
It's in a vacuum state.
You would expect voltage to stay constant, right?
Okay.
So if we pull it into a vacuum state and the FTP goes up
and the computer is saying, wait,
it's supposed to stay at a constant voltage.
I pulled it down, what's going on?
That's how it sets the leak.
That graph, this goes back to fifth grade geometry,
that graph of acceleration of how fast it goes up
or how fast it doesn't go up is an indicator
of how big or small the leak is.
They look at FTP, that's my point.
Now, when they did the tank, did the FTP get changed?
Did they put all new rubber grommets, right?
Just what exactly did they do and how did they do it?
So some things to go look at, right?
Also, if you get a scan tool,
maybe it's got easy interpretation of mode six data.
We can talk about mode six next when you call in.
We can go over that a little bit,
but this is a pinhole.
We're looking for a pinhole,
not necessarily something old or new, it's just a problem.
Go look at some of the things we talked about.
We can kind of pick it up next time around.
Stefan, I enjoyed the call.
I'm running any in the car doctor.
Till the next time, reminding you,
the mechanics aren't expensive.
They're priceless.
See ya.
Yeah, he's a car doctor.
Car advice done right.
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About this episode
Ron Ananian tackles various automotive issues in this episode, including a detailed discussion on a listener's 2015 Ford Fusion with persistent hesitation problems. The conversation dives into diagnostic strategies, including the importance of checking fuel pressure and potential sediment issues in the gas tank. Additionally, Ron shares insights on the challenges of diagnosing evap leaks, particularly in older vehicles, and emphasizes the significance of thorough inspections. With a mix of humor and practical advice, listeners gain valuable knowledge on troubleshooting common car problems.
Original notes
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