Duramax diesel is a GM diesel engine used in some trucks. Diesel engines often use glow plugs to help the engine start and run smoothly, especially in colder conditions.
A Chevrolet Silverado is a big pickup truck that many people use for work, so it can get a lot of miles. Here, the truckβs check-engine light leads to a real repair job, not just a quick reset.
The check engine light is a warning that the carβs computer found a problem. It doesnβt always mean one specific partβthere can be many possible causes.
The transfer case is part of a 4WD system that sends power to the front and rear wheels. In this story, the customer suspected it, but the fault codes ultimately pointed to another issue.
Phone scanners are small code readers you plug in and use with an app. They may not show everything the carβs computer knows, so you can miss important clues.
A glow plug is a diesel engine part that heats up to help the engine start. If one fails, the car may warn you and the engine may run poorly or be harder to start.
An open circuit means the electrical connection is broken somewhere, so electricity canβt pass through. With glow plugs, that usually means the plug or its wiring/connector has a problem.
Heat cycles are the engine parts getting hot and then cooling down again and again. Over time, that can cause corrosion and buildup that makes repairs harder.
Carbon build up is a hard, burned-on residue that can form on engine parts. On a glow plug, it can make the plug stick and be harder to remove without breaking.
The cylinder head is the top part of the engine that closes off each cylinder. Itβs where combustion happens, and it also holds parts like the glow plug in its threaded opening.
Here, βthreadsβ means the screw ridges on the glow plug. They have to line up with the matching screw hole in the engine head, and if theyβre stuck, the plug can be hard to remove safely.
Diesels compress air a lot, which makes it hot enough to ignite fuel. The host considered using that force to move the glow plug, but didnβt want to risk breaking something.
Throttle body cleaner is a solvent-based spray designed to dissolve carbon and gum deposits on intake/throttle components. In this story, the mechanic uses it as a carbon-breaker to help free a glow plug thatβs stuck in the cylinder head.
In a diesel engine, the cylinder is where fuel gets injected and burned. Diesel engines donβt use spark plugsβthe heat from compression helps ignite the fuel.
Diesel combustion is how a diesel engine burns fuel. Instead of using a spark, the engine compresses air so much that it gets hot enough to ignite the fuel.
A blowgun is a tool that shoots air. Here, itβs used to push out dirt from inside the engine cylinder through the glow plug hole.
Term
hydrostatic lock liquid in a cylinder
Hydrostatic lock is when liquid gets into a cylinder where it shouldnβt. Since liquid canβt be compressed, forcing the engine to crank can cause serious damage.
A scan tool is a device a mechanic plugs into the car to read error codes from the computer. It can show what the car is complaining about, but the mechanic still needs experience to figure out what to do next.
This is a 2022 Honda Pilot, which is Hondaβs family SUV with three rows of seats. Here itβs mentioned because the owner brought it in for a recall, but the repair turned out to be something simple.
A recall is when the car maker says thereβs a problem that needs fixing. The owner is asked to bring the car in, and the fix is usually done for free because itβs about safety or legal requirements.
A bushing is a soft insert (usually rubber) that helps suspension parts move smoothly. If it cracks, the suspension can start to rattle or feel sloppy.
A front strut is part of the suspension that helps your car ride smoothly and stay stable when you turn or hit bumps. If itβs worn out, the car can feel less controlled and less comfortable.
A control arm is a metal link that holds the wheel in the right position. If itβs worn, the wheel can move more than it should, which can make the car feel loose or noisy.
The tie rod boot is a rubber cover that protects a steering joint and keeps it lubricated. If it cracks, the joint can wear out faster and steering can start to feel off.
Dry-rot is when rubber gets old and cracks. In car parts like boots and bushings, that can mean theyβre not protecting or cushioning the joint anymore.
Concept
cost vs. vehicle usage
It means deciding repairs based on how you really drive the car, not just what a checklist says. If the car isnβt being stressed much, some issues may not need urgent fixing.
The control arm bushing is a small rubber part that helps the suspension move smoothly. If it wears out, the car can feel loose or make noises, and it can affect handling.
The rear subframe is the metal structure that holds up the rear suspension. If it rusts where the suspension bolts on, the suspension can become loose or fail, which is dangerous.
Suspension mounting points are the places where the suspension bolts or attaches to the car. If those spots rust, the suspension canβt stay securely attached.
A second opinion means you ask another mechanic to look at the same issue. It can help confirm whether the repair is truly needed and how urgent it is.
A catalytic converter is a part in the exhaust that helps reduce pollution. It can go bad, but the host is saying itβs not always the real problem when people are told they need one.
Concept
risk sale of one to ten
The host is talking about rating how risky or urgent a car problem is on a 1-to-10 scale. The idea is to help you understand whatβs truly urgent versus whatβs just being sold as urgent.
Kickback is when the engine bucks or jerks the wrong way when you try to start it. It can damage the starter-related parts if it happens repeatedly.
Term
starter button
The starter button is what you press to get the engine to crank. If the engine kicks back right after you press it, it often means the spark timing or starting setup isnβt right.
The starter clutch is the part that lets the starter spin the engine, then it lets go once the engine is running. If itβs not working right, starting can be rough and parts can wear out quickly.
An aftermarket starter is a replacement starter that isnβt the original factory one. Sometimes these work great, but if they donβt match the bikeβs setup well, they can cause starting problems.
Timing is about when the engine does things like firing the spark. If itβs off, the engine can run rough, lose power, and potentially cause damage over time.
The ignition system is the part of the car that makes the engineβs fuel ignite. If itβs changed or adjusted wrong, the engine can run poorly or even get damaged.
Concept
compensate somewhere else
The host is saying that if you change one thing on an engine, you canβt ignore the rest. Cars are connected systemsβadjusting one part often requires adjusting others too.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a mid-size SUV, meaning itβs a larger vehicle built for carrying people and gear comfortably. It can handle different road conditions, not just smooth highways. The podcast mentions it because a customer had a problem with one that needed attention.
The AC compressor is the part that makes the air conditioning work by moving refrigerant through the system. If it doesnβt turn on, the AC canβt make the air cold.
Refrigerant is the fluid inside the AC system that carries heat away from the cabin. If the system has a full charge, the AC problem is less likely to be βnot enough refrigerant.β
The powertrain control module is the carβs main computer for the engine and related systems. In this story, itβs the computer that decides whether to send power to the AC components.
The power distribution center is the carβs under-hood electrical box that holds relays and fuses. In this case, the AC relay lives in that box, which affects how easy and costly the repair is.
An AC relay is a switch controlled by the carβs electronics that turns the AC compressor on. If the relay fails, the compressor wonβt get the power it needs.
Term
triple Strike ignition
Theyβre talking about an ignition system on a Harleyβbasically the part that makes the spark happen. Theyβre worried that a replacement version might not work as well as the original.
Term
double Strike ignition
They mention a second type of ignition setup on a Harley. The main idea is that if you replace ignition parts, you want to know it will still work like the original.
A water pump moves coolant through the engine so it doesnβt overheat. Theyβre saying that finding one quickly used to be easier than it is now.
Car
small block Chevy
βSmall block Chevyβ is a famous Chevrolet V8 engine used in a lot of older cars. Theyβre using it to show that even common-sounding parts can be tough to get fast today.
Term
high tech automobile
They mean modern cars that depend more on electronics. Their point is that electronics make parts harder to find quickly compared with older, simpler cars.
Term
twenty mile radius of the house
Theyβre basically saying older cars are manageable close to home, but if something breaks farther away, you can get stuck because parts and help arenβt as easy to get.
Theyβre talking about AAA, the roadside assistance service. The point is that AAA can help, but if youβre too far from where help is practical, you can still be stuck.
βNo crankβ means the engine wonβt even try to startβnothing happens when you turn the key. The problem is often electrical, like a weak battery, bad wiring, or a faulty starter part.
The βstarter wireβ is the wire that tells the starter to engage. If it isnβt getting power when you try to start the car, the starter wonβt crank.
A volt meter is a tool that checks whether electricity is present. Here itβs being used to see if the starter circuit has power when the key is turned.
The βground legβ is the meter lead thatβs connected to the carβs electrical ground. If the ground is bad, the meter may show no power even when the battery is fine.
Voltage drop means some of the batteryβs electrical power is being lost in the wires or connections. Bad connections can steal enough power that the starter wonβt work.
Jumper cables are the temporary cables you use to borrow power from another battery. Mechanics also use them to test whether the problem is in the wiring or the starter itself.
Hydrostatic lock is when liquid gets into the engine cylinder where it shouldnβt. Since liquids donβt compress, the engine canβt crank over safely until the fluid is removed.
A bench test means taking the part out and testing it on the bench with power. It helps confirm whether the part is bad or if the problem is in the carβs wiring.
Theyβre talking about a Ford Ranger truck. The truck started smelling like something is leaking inside the cabin, and the host thinks itβs coming from the heater core. Instead of taking the whole dash apart, they seal the heater core to fix the smell.
The heater core is the part that makes warm air for the cabin by using hot engine coolant. If it starts leaking, you can smell sweet coolant inside the car. Sealing it can stop the leak without taking the dashboard apart.
KCl is a chemical additive they put into the cooling system to help seal small leaks. The idea is to stop the leak without doing a big repair job. In this story, itβs used to address the heater-core problem.
Brand
Caceal
Caceal is the name of a leak-stopping product they used. The host says it actually sealed the heater core leak. Theyβre using it as a practical fix when a proper replacement part is hard to find.
Theyβre basically saying that with older cars, you donβt always have to do the biggest, most expensive repair. Sometimes a simpler fix works better, especially if the right replacement part is hard to get. Here, sealing the heater core is the simpler approach.
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start your enginies. The Car Doctor is into garage and
ready to take your call.
You know, every once in a while a repair comes through the shop and it reminds me why order repair isn't just about turning wrenches, It's about managing risk. It's
that walk on the wild side when you're saying, why am I doing this? This week Out of twenty sixteen
Chevy Silverado with the sixty six Duramax diesel in the shop almost three hundred thousand miles and the complaint was a check engine light. Well, the customer thought the check
engine light was transfer case related because they were using one of their phone scanners. And you guys know what
I think about phone scanners, how useless they are. And
it didn't give them all the information. They've even correct
information because it missed the other nineteen fault codes that were in the system over the past couple of years as they've worked on it and cleared it and done this and done that. So where do you start. You're
the treating doctor and you've got nineteen symptoms with a vehicle with a patient, and you know you've got to clear everything out and start over. Let's what's really going
on here? P. Zero six seventy three globe plug failed,
open circuit. Fault code came back as it had been
in the original print out. And it really wasn't difficult, right,
A little scam tool works, some electrical testing circuit verification. Yes,
you've got a bad glow plug on number three, number three cylinder. See that's the science of diagnostics. You go
step by step like Pop said, Steps one through ten Runnie, don't skip, don't go two, four, six, eight, one through ten.
Boom needs a glow plug. And now the real work started.
And ugh, you gotta take this glow plug out. And
it's a steel bodied glow plug and a loom cylinder head that had seen almost three hundred thousand miles of heat cycles, corrosion, potential carbon build up. And you know,
to most people mostly out there, hey, it sounds simple.
You just walk up, you unscrew it, you take it out, you put it in. What could go wrong? It doesn't
work that way because every time you turn a wrench it carries risk. It does. I'm not complaining, I'm just
state in e fact, all right, is there carbon build up on the tip? Will it? Will it stay? Will
it break off? Will it break the tip? Well? Will
the heating element come apart? So that now you've got
a glow plug stuck in the body like a sparkplug.
Hect's coming apart, and you've got no way to turn anything.
You know, if any of that happens, If the tip of the glow plug breaks off, and they're known to do this, this eight nine hundred dollars repair suddenly becomes a cylinder head job And at three hundred thousand miles are you taking apart just a cylinder head? Are you
going through the rest of the engine? What else are
you going to find if you have to take it apart?
The repair shop, every repair shop carries that stress. The
technician carries that stress. They do. They may say, oh,
I don't care, but trust me, they do. You know,
it's a game of experience. How hard do you want
to try and extract that glow plug? How hard are
you going to lean on it to get it to come loose? When it finally does, you know when to stop,
when to work it back and forth. It took a while.
Now what made this a little bit more of a challenge is it's a the truck. And actually, to a
degree it made it a little easier because I didn't have to do it on the lift. I could do
it on the ground. But I had to do it
outside the shop because the tires were so white it wouldn't fit in the bay under normal pretextes. So I
had to take out the wheelwell liner. I had to
work over the top of this big, you know, huge tire.
I got to breathe in the smoke in the air from Canada this week, which was really great, just a great time. The globe plug finally started to move. I
soaked it with a little penetratet and it just and I just thought, oh, this is great, it's coming out.
Let's do the dance of joy eh. And then it stopped.
Danny looked up. He heard the groan. He knew it.
What's the matter? I said, I don't know, man. I
soaked it a little more. I walked away. I got
a little bit of water. I came back. It went
back the other way, it went back this way. It
took the better part of fifty minutes to get that globe plug where the threads were finally all the way exposed out of the cylinder head. Now the real work
started because the threads on a glow plug, on this particular GM design, the threads are about in the middle of it. So imagine a pencil that's you know what,
six inches long, three inches in the middle. Right in
the middle of that pencil are the threads. You get
the pencil to move, You get the glow plug to move as it unwinds out, and the threads come all the way out of the hole. And now you can
clearly see the end of the threads in a little bit beyond, and then it stops again. Now I can't
get it to go in at this point. It's sort
of stuck in that position. So now I've got this
diesel with almost three hundred thousand miles on it, with a glow plug that's hanging out of the cylinder head, and it stopped. Now I thought about starting it up,
because I said, well, diesels do have high compression. I
bet I could blow it out of the cylinder head, but boy, that would probably go off like a bullet, and god knows what damage it might do to the cylinder head. I didn't want to. I thought that that
was the little kid in me saying, Gee, what would happen if we did this? You know, it's sort of
like when you played with them eighties as a kid.
What could happen? Oh, don't worry about it. So I
slowed down, right, I soaked the area actually, and I thought about it. I said, what do I have that's
going to break up carbon? How about a throttle body cleaner? Right,
grab some CRC throttle body cleaner that breaks up carbon.
Gave it a couple of spritzes, a couple of turns, a couple of spritzes, and eventually, in time the CRC throttle body cleaner on a diesel glow plug. Mind, you
broke it down enough where it slowly started to come out.
I worked it back and forth, worked it back and forth.
It's not exciting, it's it's definitely not sexy. But you
know what, sometimes the best and the fastest repair is the one that takes the longest. Eventually the glow plug
came out. But the job really wasn't over, because now
I've got a little bit of cleaner as judicious and gingerly as I was. You know, I've got this cleaner
that's into a cylinder on a diesel. In nineteen eighty three,
I went to the first GM diesel classes being offered here in New Jersey, and I remember the question I asked.
They were explaining, you know how diesels work, and you know what goes on and how the combustion takes place inside of a diesel cylinder. And I asked the question.
I said, so how much clearance is there in a diesel?
And the instructor looked at me. Von Trapp. I'll never
forget this guy, and he said none. I'll never forget
the way ron there's no room in a diesel. Always
assume that. So you've got to clean out the cylinder. Now,
you know, what do you do? Crank it over? No,
you can't do that. I took a little I took
a blowgun. I took a real thin blowgun, took a
piece of rubber hose, snaked it inside the globe plug hole.
So I got the rubber hose inside the cylinder through the tip of the globe plug and I just I just blew it out. I just blew it until all
the crud came out my way. Whatever there was, it
wasn't a lot. I just wanted to be sure. I
didn't want to leave any liquid in there. You know,
diesels can also hydrostatic lock liquid in a cylinder, try to compress it, bend the connective. We're not okay. Now
you're going to buy an eighteen thousand dollars engine. People
always ask, you know why repairs cost what they do, and I think it's because of the time that it takes a shop. You know, it took me a little
bit longer to do it my way. I know some
guys go out there and they just you know, they don't care. They'll crank on the globe plug. Oh well
it breaks the globe pluggy body, you need an engine, not my problem. I don't know. I don't think that's
the way it's supposed to be. I think you've got
to show some due diligence and care. You know, it's
it's you guys are paying for something you never see in a repair shop. Repair shops are worried about risk.
Repair shops are worried about are they displaying the right judgment, the responsibility. But you guys are paying for experience. You
guys are paying for the wisdom to know when the pull went to push, when the tug went to turn.
Once I put a wrench on that engine, like so many other repair shops out there, we're responsible for what happens next it comes apart gently, Hey, everybody's happy, you know, if it doesn't, suddenly everybody wants to know who's paying for that engine. And that's part of the reason why
professional automotive repair has value. You're not just paying someone
to replace a part. You're paying someone who understands what
can go wrong, how to avoid it, and when to slow down so the job is done. Safely and cost efficiently.
Sometimes the most valuable tool in the shop. It isn't
the scan tool of the socket set. It's experience and
you've just got to recognize it when it's displayed. I'm
running any in the car Doctor. When we come back,
let's talk about some of the other scene risks repair shops except every day. Give me a call at eight
five five five six oh nine nine zero zero. I'm
here waiting. Let's go to Gary, Connecticut as we kicks
the garage doors open this week Gary, run an any in the car doctor at your service, sir, how can I help?
Hey, thanks for taking my mind.
Call Robert welcome.
I took my.
Two thousand and twenty two Honda Pilot Sport in for a recall, which I heard about on the news.
So I made an appointment.
I didn't even waste for the letter to come and bottom line was all they did was tighten a bolt.
But while I was in there, they also did a walk around and sent me a video and said I needed thirty three hundred dollars worth of repairs. They said
that I needed a new front strut and control arm, and that the bushing was cracked and not that I don't love my car dealership, but I'm just a little skeptical that, you know, they get you in there for something and then they're always going to find something. And
I have no way to know if it really is broken, because obviously I'm not a mechanic.
Right.
How many miles are on this car? Gary?
About forty thousand?
Okay? Does it sound reasonable to you that a forty
thousand mile never breaks down, runs forever, Honda needs three thousand dollars worth of front endwork.
It doesn't make any funny noises. So I think that
forty miles or four years, I thought it was still too new to need that kind of work.
I mean, unless it unless it clipped the giant pothole somewhere, but gee, physical damage should be present. I will tell
you the story this way, so if you go and not trying to send you somewhere, but go to my Facebook page and or Instagram. I think it's up there too.
But you know, at Ron and Aian we we recently had a new customer to the shop. She had taken
her her well, what the heck was That thing was a Nissan and she had taken it into the Nissan dealer for a recall. Does this sound familiar? And they
found five They found five thousand dollars worth of work that the car needed and one of the things that it needed, and they actually send out a video. Now
I was kind of impressed with, you know, to the elite of you know, high technology that dealerships have become to explain here's what your car needs.
YouTube.
Yeah, they send you a video. So in the video
Sarah's car, they show, Okay, the outer tirod boot are dry rotted. Are they open no? Are they leaking Greece?
No?
Will they need to be replaced? Yes? Today?
No.
Then they go on to point out that the lower control arm bushings have dry rotted and all these have to be replaced. And I agree, yet someday, just not today.
And that's part of the question. You have to go
back to the dealer with how critical is this? Everything
seems to dry rot and age, especially in the Northeast harsh winters, harsh summers. All right, So barring Gary hit
a pothole on I ninety five somewhere doing sixty five, okay, is this just normal age for four years of harsh winters and summers. Is this something that's going to have
to be done in the next two years. Are they saying,
gee whiz, Gary, You've got to do it today. You're
taking your life in your hands. And that's one thing
I don't see repair shops do a lot of They don't balance cost need against how the vehicle's being used, and it's very important in the end. Sarah decided at
my suggestion, I wouldn't deal with any of this right now.
The car is safe, the car's not going anywhere, the control arm bushing isn't going to fall out next week. Right,
she's in the process, she's just married. Maybe maybe she's
going to be fortunate and be blessed with kids. She
might need a bigger vehicle. She's got three to six
months to think about it. You know, it's not a
man rush. And my suspicion, although I have no way
of knowing this exactly with you, Gary, is you're probably in the same boat. Right.
It's almost the same repairs, struts, control arm and practicalaty.
Right, it's always a handy, convenient way to generate a couple thousand dollars.
Yeah, so I'm right to be skeptical. YEP, I usually
feel that way. I hate to generalize, but that's how
I feel about dealership repairs as opposed to a local shop that I've been working with for twenty years.
Right, I trust them, right. You know, there's something to
be said about that steady hand of the doctor you're always and it's It's one of the reasons I admit it.
I get nervous traveling by car, you know, because if I break down now, I've got to walk into a repair shop. I don't know, I don't care if the
car is under warranty, and most of the time it would be right. I've still got to trust what they're doing.
And I want that. I want that bond. I want
that connection with my repair shop. I want that connection
with my landscaper, my plumber, my doctor and so on.
I want to know the guy that's making my sandwiches is having a good life, all right. You know, I'm
just I'm just built that way, brother. I don't want anybody. Yeah, So,
you know what, the fact that you made it out of the dealership alive and the wheel didn't fall off, I think it's probably time to go visit. You know,
your your trusted general repair shop, the guy around the corner, and you know what, let's make it a lesson. Maybe
it's hey, can you take a look for this? Maybe
he charges you a half hour, maybe he doesn't carry, but it's it's it's peace of mind. And you know,
how critical, how fast, how bad do you need this repair?
And if it's general age wear and tear at forty thousand miles that this Honda needs all this, it's time to get rid of the Honda.
Frankly, I'll admit that there's a lot of potholes in my town. Sure charge a lot in taxes, but they
don't fix the potholes. And there's a lot of speed
bumps around too, But that should be normal wear and tear.
I would think I.
Would think, you know, I would think I like I said, I think this is a question of how much, how fast, and and you know, do you need it? This moment
is this life and death? You know if if and understand,
I've got customers that I have a great relationship with, and I'll tell them, hey, three to six months from now, this is what you're gonna need. The majority of them, Ron,
just do it now, get it over with.
Because you were in my neighborhood.
I'd go to you right, Yeah, I get that.
I believe me. I hear that all the time. You know,
problem is, i'd have to I'd have to have a shop that would extend from Maine down to Florida out to California. It's it's just crazy, But that's what you're
looking for.
Digital recall was It's like one sentence if you want to hear what the original Yeah, what was it? The
problem centers around the rear subframe, which can corrode at suspension mounting points and cause the rear suspension to fail.
Yeah, I've heard of this, and I think it's something.
I think it's something in the way it was assembled or not assembled properly on the assembly line, and they're just.
They told me. All they did was tighten the bolt
and then for the next two days it made a funny noise when we backed up, But the noise stopped.
It dissipated right because it settled itself into the metal.
I will tell you this from a positive side, and it seems to be Honda's Mostly when Honda runs a recall program, independent repair shops get very busy because they get they do. I'm just stating in fact, you know,
you know what three grand. Three grand is a little
I've had people come in from the Honda dealer recall program.
You need seven thousand dollars of g whiz. How could
you be driving this car the street. I'd be so afraid.
And I look at it and I go, well, yeah, it's due for breaks. The rest of its nonsense.
Wow, you know you're confirmed my suspicion, and unfortunately you're making it sound even worse like it's a conspiracy that they all do.
Listen, you gotta get you gotta get a second opinion in this case. Like I said, it could be one pothole,
but what if it's not right? You know it's I'll
leave it here, Gary, I'll say it like this. You know,
during the course of the year, struts, exhaust catalytic converter specifically are probably the least repairs we do now because cars just don't need it. Good luck to you, kiddo.
I hope you find out what's really going on. I'm
running any of the car Doctor. We're back right after this.
Promises seats to the open road tonight.
We'll keep your Doctor Car Advice to write. You know,
the thing you have to remember in Gary's case, right, is to be fair. The other side of that conversation
is there's great dealers out there, and this might be a good dealer too, the Honda dealer that he's at, but they're just not explaining it properly. What's the level
of need, what's the how important is it? Where is
it on a risk sale of one to ten, ten being the worst? Is it a three? Is it a nine?
And that's what I think is missing from a lot of repair explanation dealer, an independent shop otherwise. And I
think that's what sets the industry off and gets everybody thinking, Gee, they told me I absolutely needed this, and I'm still driving the car three months later. So it's it's it
really comes back to that relationship and the explanation. So
just food for thought, just something to think about. Let's
go over to Matt and Virginia Mett. Welcome to the
car doctor, sir. How can I help?
Thank you? I got a ninety seven electric.
Glide Okay, nice bike, Harley.
Yeah, I want to want to be the I want to be the motorcycle doctor for a little bit.
Sure, go ahead, I'll play.
Okay, so we got kickback or I think I fixed my problem. But But what I called you originally for
was that you hit the starter button and you get a kickback on the motor and it puts a lot of wear on that Uh, that clutch gear in this right.
The clutch assembly sure for the start of the starter clutch.
Yeah, I was trying to fiure out why it does that.
So I take the start around and I bring it, bring it to a guy and he he goes, man, you guys are you Harley guys always want that clutch gear replaced wh's role with those Harleys. He's saying he's
an aftermarket guy and that and anyway that that's why I thought i'd give you a call. But I think
I nailed down my answer.
What do you think it is?
Well, I did a couple of things. First, I checked
my timing I got. I tried to dial that right
in that That helped a little bit. Of course. I
checked the battery. He got to make sure the battery
was good. And then I, uh, it's not the compensator.
Everybody says, oh, it's the compensator, that's that's not it.
And then I went ahead and switched over to a single fire ignition and that's well, it helped it a lot, right, So the guy I bought the bike from me, you know, I really pampered my Harley's and he had an aftermarket starter in there. I went and finally it went bad,
and I was so I was so happy it went bad.
I'm like, God, I can now I can go put a decent starter in the bike. And and between the
starter and the single fire ignition, I think I got it nailed down.
And I would I would say you do, because those are the areas I was going to send you to.
It's generally ignition or somebody's modified the ignition system, or they're playing with timing, or they're trying to make it run better because they know better, and you know, it doesn't.
It doesn't work like that. And frankly, whether it's a
car or a bike, you know, the actor's got a reason for doing things the way they do it. And
every time you modify something, you've got to compensate somewhere else or just for something else and make changes.
Yeah, you know, I'm on that page. So I'm on
that page. Everybody. Everybody wants to fix their hardly better.
And it's he kind of I mean the fact that he did things for a reason. I'm with you there.
You know, well, you know what I always think about, think about it, just for some reason. This is the
example that sticks in my head. Met think about you know,
in the sixties, the seventies, in the eighties, before the dark times at General Motors, think about how many millions of engines they've built.
Yeah, I do, And.
You know how many? How many two eighty threes and
three twenty sevens and three fifties that just ran and ran and ran and ran and ran.
Exactly. They know what they're doing.
They know what they're doing. It makes you wonder what's
going on now. And not just GM, but a lot
of the car companies. You know, if you ever got
a chance to sit around with a bunch of mechanics and you know that are old like you know, people line there and you know what went wrong? We'll tell you.
We think the majority of stuff today is junk. It's
made like junk, it acts like junk, it breaks like junk.
There's just no longevity to it. Eighty ninety one hundred
thousand miles all of a sudden, here I'll tell you a lesson in stupidity. I had a twenty eighteen be
my therapist for a minute, Maddie, I had a twenty eighteen Jeep Grand Cherokee this week. Customer complaint, young couple
having their second child driving a ninety six thousand mile Jeep, which, right away, that's a problem because it's right on the verge of everything failing. The air conditioning doesn't work. She's
seven months pregnant. She needs air conditioning. Okay, I get that.
The AC compressor doesn't kick on. It's got a full
charge of refrigerant. Electrically, it's not turning on the compressor.
I trace out the fault.
Now.
The way you do this is you take a scan tool.
I look, I can bring up the command control for AC and I can hit the button on the dish and I see the scan tool change from AC request No to AC request yes. So the button is working, right,
the control head is working. I can see, hey, turn
on the air conditioning. What are you doing? That control
head sends a request out to the powertrain control module, the engine controller. The engine controller grounds the blue yellow
wire on Pin nine that feeds up to the power distribution center under the hood. The AC relay. As long
as that has two powers in another ground will then activate and energize the AC compressor and you've got cold, right, So I one step through another I pinned it down. Hey,
i've got a bad AC relay. Good good, I need
an AC relay. You know how much that relay was?
I hope it was ten dollars on thousand bucks. That's
ridiculous now you know why No, Because they attach the AC relay to the main board of the power to distribution center. Yeah, and it's a solid part. You can't
it's the one relay you can't change. Actually, the horn
relay is in there too. You can't change the horn
relay or the AC relay. It's it's ridiculous. It's a
thousand dollars piece of plastic.
Yeah, that's ridiculous. And that was that worries me. So
the single fire ignition I put in, I wonder how long that's going to last me? You know, I mean
the mission that was in the bike. It's a thirty
year old bike. It was working. It's just I think
it works better now. But I just don't know that.
You know, you got to wonder about the longevity of new products.
Well, you worry about the longevity. You worry about you know,
if you had gotten a replacement module or a replacement triple Strike or double Strike ignition for that Harley, would it work as well as the original?
Well, I was considering that, but I don't I don't know that anything I get now is geeze. I don't
know if I'd be able to get an original ignition without it being a used one from from eBay.
So maybe you carry an extra system in the saddle.
Bags I was.
I was thinking of that.
Yeah, it's you know, it makes you feel better because.
When you you know, carry if I carry it, I won't need it. Yeah.
Well, and that's you know, and this is this is the problem with vintage cars. Right, So someday I'm gonna
stop fussing and I'm really gonna drive my seventy two money Carlo. I'm gonna I'm going to relive my college days.
Right.
You can carry all the tools in your in your trunk.
Well, but I'll need to because you know, when I first drove that car in the seventies, I would go north to Maine and south to the Carolina's in Florida, and if I broke down, I could walk into any autoparts store and get half the car and we're done.
Yeah you can't. I challenge anybody to go find a
water pump for a small block Chevy on a Saturday afternoon, lickety split. It's it's not that easy anymore. And there's
you know there they it's become I won't say that made it that way, meaning the industry and society, but you know, the advancement of technology and the creation of the high tech automobile has eliminated, has eliminated simple, has eliminated where the parts houses could make profit on smaller parts.
And now they've got to carry everything electronic if they can even get it.
It's anymore.
It's it's no fun anymore, brother, it really isn't. It's
you can tinker and stay within the twenty mile radius of the house, but beyond the scope of Triple A you're doomed.
So no way, we're we're riding. I got I got
a group when we ride. So that's just the way
it's going to be.
You know what. You know what, Maddie, stay on the line,
have Tom, give Tom your information. I'm gonna send you
out to ronin any in the car doctor coffee cup, you and I can have coffee in the mornings together.
How does that sound. I enjoyed our conversation. You be well, sir.
I'm running any in the car doctor, I'll be back right after this. Welcome back. Let's go over and talk
to Jason Alabama. Jason, Welcome to the car doctor, Sir,
How can I help?
Oh?
Yeah, I got that miles of six two thousand and six.
These sis. I put a water outlet on it and
replaced it with a and put a starter on it because it's no crank, no start. I put the water
outlet on it because it was running out. I'm running hot.
The other water outlet it busted when I put that one on, and I thought it was a starter, so I replaced it. And now it's no crank, no start,
And I've tried everything that I can think of. Can't
get it running well.
The starter won't engage. You're saying when you when you
hit the key, the starter doesn't activate.
Well, it's I can't tell. I mean, and I done
run the battery down. I got to chase a good bad.
I just got to charge it back up. But when
it was the battery was hot. Even after I replaced
the starter, I couldn't hear a click or nothing. I
couldn't hear it engage. But it's a no crank, no start.
Okay, So well, well don't stop saying no start because if it doesn't crank, it won't start.
Right, let's yes, I'm saying no crank, right, no crank.
So we've got a no crank condition. How many wires
going to the starter?
Uh?
Too?
Right?
You got a heavy battery cable?
And well, it's just it's just one wire. It's just one.
It's the starter wire. But it's got a just a
knight on a on the starter. It's got like it's
got three but only one starter wire that runs to it.
But yeah, I do I have jumper cables?
Well, no, no, you have a you have a battery cable going to the stud of the starter, correct, yeah, right, And then you've got is it a black yellow, black purple?
You've got a singular wire that goes down to one of the spade terminals that pushes on it's black.
Right.
So if we were to disconnect that that solenoid wire and hit the key, and we had a vault meter hooked up right, one positive into that the other leg to ground, does the vault meter show power?
Well, that's what that was my nets. That was the
next thing. I was gone, travels hoped the mater up
to it and check that. But like I say, I
don't know if I said or not. I'm gonna do
that just so.
I get home, right, I mean, and and listen and you'll see me do this still to this day. Whenever
I hook up a meter, I hook up the ground leg to the battery. I will take the positive leg
and touch the positive post of the battery. Do I
have a good And that tells me right off the bad good ground Just practicing good mechanics, right yeah. And
then it's just a matter of what do I have.
You know, do I have feed to the starter? So
if I have feed to the starter solenoid, then is the problem in that cable that runs down to the solenoid?
Could there be corrosion inside that cable? And then I
would have to vaultage drop that positive cable down to the starter or as you say, if you wanted, you could jump across it. Put a battery you know, positive
to jumper cable to the positive and then a jumper cable down to the battery stud or to the stud on the starter. If you can get to it, but yeah,
we've got to get at the crank over the engine ran the last time was this Has this car sat for any length of time or the engine just one day decided not to crank anymore?
Well, anaphrase, had had blown over everything up under the hood because it was coming out of the top at the other end of the hose or the water house.
Invested it was on this car. The starter sets on
top of the transmission and the waterhouse and sets right above the starter, right okay, And it was blowing water toward the battery post. So I'm wondering if that amount
of college corrosion on any of the negative and pause it.
It would have to be so quick, Jason, unless this car sat for an extended length of time just out of curiosity. The coolant level in the radiator is good,
it holds, it doesn't leak anymore. It's not mysteriously down
after sitting overnight. And then the oil level is okay.
Yeah, it's been setting for about a week and it's the still fully even after I put the new water housing on it.
All right, and then and then the engine oil level is good. No mysterious looking substances in there. I'm just
I don't think so. I think it'd be a reach
of me to say it, But I'm just thinking. Do
I have the potential for a hydrostatic lock issue? Is
there coolant in a cylinder keeping the engine from cranking over?
I don't think so. If there is a bolt on
the front of the crank, I would just, for giggles, try and turn the engine over by hand, just to see that the engine is still loose. But I think
the easiest thing you can do here is to just, you know, verify why doesn't the starter work? Simple couple
of wires and you know, checks of power and voltage and see where you go. And then once you know
if the starter is good or not, if the signal to the starter is good or not for that matter, take the starter back out, use your jumper cables across the battery, activate the starter on the bench, clamp it in avice. Does the starter motor work? Is it a
good starter? New doesn't mean good, and I've seen stranger things.
Let's focus on the starter motor for now. Jason, call
me back next week, let me know what you find.
I'm running andy in the car. Doctor. We'll be back
right after this. So a little bit of bad news
this week. The Ranger. Now, you know, I talk to
you guys about my cars like they're members of the family. Right,
it's got to be a weird dinner out sitting around the dinner table with me. But the Ranger that we've
been talking about here on this radio show since it can't be since two thousand and four when I got it. God,
have I been on the air that long. So the
Ranger has started to develop a sweet smell inside the car, and it's probably the heater core starting to see. Oh,
I can assure you it's not because you're sitting in it. Well,
it could be. I knew I gave you the opening.
Just be grateful I gave you the line. So yeah, yeah,
we didn't Royal change on it this week, and we noticed that, so we poured a bottle of KCl in ran it around and again. You know, here's another example
of using a product that actually works. Caceal actually did
seal the heater core. Now why would I do that? Well,
at two hundred and twenty nine and two miles, I don't see the point in taking the dashboard back out of the Ranger to reseal the heater core that isn't actually available from for it anymore, and I couldn't find one in a brand that I liked the aftermarket. I
have no problem with the kcal in there. It's gonna
work just fine. It already is working. It's it's sealed
that the smell has gone away. But the point is
sometimes you just got to look at those older cars and think outside the box to fix them, because hanging on to them might be the better way to go.
I'm running ad in the Car Doctor till the next time.
Good mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. Car Doctor Carr advice
to ride
About this episode
A Duramax glow-plug job turns into a lesson in risk management: a failed plug on cylinder three (P0673) can escalate if carbon buildup causes the tip to break, so the Car Doctor explains careful extraction, cleaning, and avoiding hydrostatic lock. The discussion broadens to how shops should explain urgency with a 1-to-10 risk scale, why second opinions matter, and how recalls, dealer pressure, and even electronics can change repair decisions.
