0:00
/
0:00
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 13, 2025 - Hour 2 - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - (855)560-9900 24/7 Hotline
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 13, 2025 - Hour 2 - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - (855)560-9900 24/7 Hotline
0:00
0:00
0:00
0:00
About this episode
Ron Ananian dives into a variety of automotive issues in this episode, tackling listener calls about specific vehicle problems. From diagnosing a 2019 Chevy Blazer's AC issues to discussing the complexities of fuel injectors in a 1996 F-350, Ron shares his expertise and practical advice. He emphasizes the importance of clear communication between mechanics and customers, illustrating the challenges faced in auto repair. The episode also features anecdotes about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the automotive world, highlighting the nuances of vehicle maintenance and repair.
Topics:
diagnosing ac issues
fuel injectors
mechanic communication
cold engine misfire
brake pad complexities
thermostat problems
customer service in auto repair
engine temperature sensors
vehicle maintenance advice
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Thermostats, Cold Misfires, Dual-Tank Gremlins & Shop Truths
Ron opens with “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” then dives into rapid-fire diagnostics: a 2019 Chevy Blazer that loses A/C and power assist when a bad thermostat skews engine temp strategy; a 2017 Ford Explorer with P0300/P0316 cold-start misfires and how to prove cause using Mode 6, freeze-frame, power balance, and residual fuel-pressure tests; a 1996 Ford F-350 dual-tank fueling issue caused by check-valve logic/recall history; a quick clutch-interlock switch hack; and a Toyota Highlander Blackstone oil-analysis follow-up. Plus: why parts updates (hello, brake pad tape) and better shop communication matter. Practical steps, scan-tool tips, and straight talk for DIYers and pros.
Chapter Markers (condensed)
-
00:00 – Tease: “Good, Bad & Ugly” open; straight to the phones
-
01:11 – 2019 Chevy Blazer: thermostat fault, A/C & EPS cut by strategy
-
05:44 – 2017 Ford Explorer: P0300/P0316; Mode 6, freeze-frame, power balance, residual pressure plan
-
17:50 – 1996 Ford F-350: dual tanks pumping into each other; check valves & recall history
-
24:02 – Quick tip: clutch-interlock switch adjustment workaround
-
26:14 – 2015 Toyota Highlander: Blackstone oil-report results & contamination prevention
-
30:39 – Close: parts changes (pad adhesives), customer approach, and shop relationships
- Grab your Car Doctor gear – T-shirts & more at CarDoctorShow.com
-
Follow the wrench – Instagram @ronananian for shop life & behind-the-scenes
-
Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
-
Got a car question? Call the Car Doctor Hotline 24/7 – (855) 560-9900
-
Join the conversation LIVE – Saturdays 2–4 PM Eastern
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Filter:
|
Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Car
Chevrolet Blazer
"...ybe it'll be next week. Chad, Louisiana, 19 Chevy Blazer. What's going on, Chad?"
Car
Ford Explorer
"Yes, sir. Let's go to Gary, Wisconsin, 17 Explorer. I mean, Explorer, did I say that?"
Car
Audi 100
"...nce art in a setting as stunning as the show. For 100 years, the Elsonor has attracted audiences from a..."
Car
Ford F150
"That doesn't work. You know, a 2022 Ford F-150 pickup, you can't buy the coil boots separately."
Car
Ford Fusion
"So you know the ugly, the ugly was the Ford Fusion, it took four sets of brake pads"
– Tease: “Good, Bad & Ugly” open; straight to the phones
– 2019 Chevy Blazer: thermostat fault, A/C & EPS cut by strategy
– 2017 Ford Explorer: P0300/P0316; Mode 6, freeze-frame, power balance, residual pressure plan
– 1996 Ford F-350: dual tanks pumping into each other; check valves & recall history
– Quick tip: clutch-interlock switch adjustment workaround
– 2015 Toyota Highlander: Blackstone oil-report results & contamination prevention
– Close: parts changes (pad adhesives), customer approach, and shop relationships
Select text to request an explanation
This is an I Heart podcast, guaranteed human.
This year, get her the gift she really wants.
Get her a garage door.
Specifically, a garage door where she doesn't throw her
back out every time she has to open the thing.
And if you do, go to my friends at All About Garage Doors.
All About Garage Doors are a three-generation family-owned
and operated business.
All About Garage Doors will happily come out
and give you a free estimate.
And if your garage door is one that has trouble opening,
falls off the tracks, All About Garage Doors
is offering $180 winter tune-up special.
So if you're looking for a new garage door,
go to the top dog in the industry, All About Garage Doors.
Ready to buy a car, a home,
or just want to take control of your money?
Your FICO score matters,
and 90% of top lenders use it to make decisions.
Check your FICO score for free today
without hurting your credit score.
Visit myfico.com slash free
or download the My FICO app today.
My FICO gives you the score lenders use most,
plus credit reports and real-time alerts
to help keep you on top of your credit.
Visit myfico.com slash free
and take the mystery out of your FICO score.
You're listening to Ron Ananey and the car doctor,
nationally recognized auto expert
trusted by mechanics, weekend renters,
and vehicle owners alike.
Ron brings over 40 years of hands-on experience
and deep industry insight
to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the conversation live every Saturday
from two to four p.m. Eastern
by calling 855-560-9900.
That's 855-560-9900.
Your direct line to honest answers and practical advice.
Looking for more?
Visit cardoctorshow.com for past episodes,
repair tips, and Ron's latest insights.
And be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube channel
for exclusive videos, real repair footage, and more.
Now, start your engines.
The car doctor is in the garage
and ready to take your call.
For the record, I had a really great open
about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I was gonna tell you something good
that happened at the shop with a customer,
but, because I know you never hear that from me,
I'll leave you to ponder that,
because right now we have a lot of phone calls,
so let me get to the phones.
Maybe we'll squeeze that in this hour,
maybe it'll be next week.
Chad, Louisiana, 19 Chevy Blazer.
What's going on, Chad?
How can I help?
Yeah, one day my wife came home there.
She lost her AC and her power assistance on it
and it showed a PO-128 code.
I put my reader on and it's low temperature,
not reaching the proper-
Minimum engine temp, right?
Right.
Happened again to her next week,
and I took it up, I wasn't gonna take it to the shop,
but we didn't have it covered, so I did it myself.
We took the thermostat off
and it had part of the rubber that was curled up,
so it was part of the problem,
but my question was,
would that cause the AC to turn off
and the power assistance to go out?
Yes, because it's gonna go into default.
If it thinks the engine is running
at an incorrect temperature,
it will limit operation of other functions.
A, they're concerned about engine survivability.
B, they're trying to make you uncomfortable
so you get it fixed.
Ah, gotcha.
All right, there's a strategy here.
This goes back to the late 90s, early 2000s,
when a lot of the imports,
well, call them imports,
now they're domestics as far as I'm concerned,
but Toyota's, Honda's, a lot of the vehicles
would turn on every single dashboard light
for a bad O2 sensor or a fault code in the engine.
They would limit the way safety functions would operate.
So yeah, that we call that operating strategy.
I call that an attention-getter.
So is it solved?
Is it operating properly now?
Yeah, it's doing good.
I just didn't want it to come back on.
So I'm curious if it would be something else or...
Well, the other side of that is,
you know, so let's say it comes back, right?
Chad put a thermostat in it.
I'm sure you got a good quality thermostat,
whatever you got, right?
Okay, right, so you gotta know we stat.
And let's say the problem comes back
and let's say it's not related to the rubber seal bypassing
because that's what it was doing.
It was allowing coolant to leak past
and run at a lower engine temperature.
What would you look at next?
I'm gonna make you think.
Oh, I would check the sensor.
Well, right. Which I was gonna change,
but the way they have that sensor in there,
I didn't have the tool to get it out.
Right, I think that's the one that's down on the head
and it's under a ledge.
Yes. Yeah, so nobody has that tool.
I was thinking of a crow's foot,
but it might be getting it, but I'm not too sure.
Yeah, you have to get it.
What you do is you have to sacrifice a crow's foot.
Here's what you gotta do, all right,
if you wanna know the truth.
You have to go to Harbor Freight.
You have to buy a crow's foot and an extension
and weld the two pieces together.
Or, you know, spend three times the money,
go to your local snap-on guy,
buy a crow's foot, buy the extension
and weld the two pieces together
and you'll make a tool or you're gonna cut a wrench.
There's no known tool.
I haven't, because I know exactly where this sensor is.
I've looked at it going,
God, that's gonna be horrible to change
if and when it goes bad.
So, you know, it's gonna be one of those,
we're gonna make a tool kind of a thing.
Oh, God.
Yeah, that's, but yeah, you're right.
I would look at the temp sensor,
I would look at the dashboard readings.
I would take it out for a ride with my scan tool
and monitor everything.
And I did that.
The first time it happened to her,
it was only getting up to 195
and when I changed the thermostat
and actually got up to above 200.
Right, it typically runs in the 205 range,
which to me is mind-boggling
that we run cars that hot,
but it's been that way for 20 years.
So, that's what it is.
All right, kiddo.
All right, I do appreciate it.
I'm very well, you're very welcome.
And I was surprised to get the call.
So, well, no, listen, that's what we're here for.
We're just trying to help you guys.
Hey, listen, I did it this week.
I called the gentleman in North Carolina
during the day from the shop.
I thought the guy was gonna fall off his chair.
You know, but I mean,
I'm just trying to help people fix cars, brother.
That's all this is about.
Chuck, now I like buying older vehicles
of their lot easier to work on than the newer one.
Right, well, you know,
I wonder if you're gonna say that in 10 years.
You know, is the car,
is the 2025 whatever Chevy Blazer today
in 10 years will you say it's easier to work on?
My vote is yes.
And the reason is
because we've got 10 years of experience fixing it
and we know where the pattern failures are.
Got it.
So, but you know, that's always be open to that.
That's probably what's gonna happen.
I gotta go, kiddo.
A pleasure.
Thank you.
You be well.
Yes, sir.
Let's go to Gary, Wisconsin, 17 Explorer.
I mean, Explorer, did I say that?
P0300, what's going on here, Gary?
Well, like you just said,
I get a 17 Explorer with a P0300 code
and a P0316 as well,
according to the Ford garage.
Okay.
I can't get that on my code reader
but they picked it up.
Right.
Well, cause they're picking it up on,
they're picking it up under year make model.
You may not be able to get that on OBD too.
And they're telling you,
and they're telling you what's at fault.
Yes.
No, they're, go ahead.
Gary, they're saying what's at fault.
Have they diagnosed it?
Yes or no.
On the first visit, they said,
just put in spark plugs,
but the spark plugs had already been replaced
with Ford Motor Company plugs
and less than 5,000 miles.
So on the second visit,
they said what you really need
is a injector service
and coil boots for the spark plugs.
Okay.
Can I tell you,
stop you're right there for a quick second.
This is a V6.
This is a V6, no turbo motor, right?
Or is this the four-cylinder?
No, this is a V6, it's got the 3.5.
Are they charging you for this alleged diagnosis?
Yes, they charge me about $200 so far,
but that's not a lot of money.
I don't think they've earned their pay yet.
I'm not hearing anything
definitive, right?
How does the car run?
It runs fine after the first one minute,
I suppose a minute and a half somewhere in there.
Okay, so. The very first is just low rough.
So this is a cold engine misfire?
Yeah. Okay.
Have they verified that?
Or is that just,
is that just Gary telling them what he experiences?
Well, what, no, they haven't been able to duplicate that.
They just, they do, they haven't put it this way.
On the third visit, after looking over more closely,
they decided it must be an injector leaking.
Okay.
And therefore,
and therefore, contaminating in,
I suppose in the lower,
Well, it's gas washing the cylinder.
Let me ask you something, Gary.
All right?
How confident are you these guys know what they're doing?
Not 100% satisfied with them though.
Brother, you're right on the same page.
Here's how I would approach this diagnosis, okay?
And I try not to armchair quarterback,
but man, I gotta jump in on this one, all right?
Customer comes in,
Hey, Ron, you're the customer, right Gary?
Hey, Ron, my car's got a, it's got a misfire.
Sure, Gary, let me take a look at it.
Gary, it's misfiring.
It's got a P0300,
which is random multiple cylinder misfire.
Doesn't have to be ignition.
Doesn't have to be fuel.
Could be mechanical.
Could be a bad harmonic balancer
causing the serp belt to slip.
I mean, anything that would make the crank stutter,
so to speak, right?
So you've got a P0300 and you've got a 316,
which means it's detecting a misfire
under a thousand revolutions on startup.
Okay, hey, no, Gary,
let me go do a little deeper diagnosis.
I'm gonna get into mode six.
Mode six is the binary language of when that fault occurs.
I'm also gonna go look at freeze frame.
Freeze frame is the video snapshot of an approximation
of what the engine was doing when the fault occurred.
I'm gonna see, hey, Gary,
you know this happens during warmup?
Once the engine gets to 195 or 200 operating degrees,
the misfire goes away.
Yeah, okay, hey, Gary,
I'm dealing with a cold engine misfire.
That took me, that took me, I'll be lazy that day.
Danny interrupted me and I had two cups of coffee.
That took me 35 minutes.
Where am I here?
You know, what am I looking for?
Right?
So I tell you what, sit tight.
Let me pull over real fast.
Take this pause and I'll come back.
We'll finish up with you real quick,
but I wanna give you some ammo.
I'm Ron and Annie in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
When it tastes as good as takeout
and leaves you feeling like
that's Kevin's Natural Foods.
Protein-packed meals, clean ingredients,
shockingly delicious flavor.
Get that clean eating feeling
with Kevin's Natural Foods in the refrigerated aisle.
Why fight Portland traffic
when unforgettable nights are waiting in Salem?
The Elsonor Theater is your local spot
to enjoy standout music, comedy,
and performance art in a setting as stunning as the show.
For 100 years, the Elsonor has attracted audiences
from across the world
and has reclaimed its rightful place
as the cultural and artistic center of Salem,
bringing outstanding live entertainment to the community,
creating lifelong memories.
And yours is next.
Step inside.
Visit elsonortheatre.com today.
Gary, Wisconsin, you're still there, sir.
I certainly am.
Gary, I'm gonna make a mechanic out of you, all right?
In the next seven minutes,
I'm gonna make you smarter than the guys at the Ford garage.
You ready?
All right.
Okay, you got a pencil and paper?
I do.
Okay, you can write.
Good, you're already halfway there.
So my first 35 minutes I've established
when the fault occurs, what fault occurs,
and I'm going to go look at Mode 6 and Freeze Frame
to verify what engine conditions were going on
and which exact cylinders are actually misfiring.
Some may misfire more than others.
I have that.
They did a Code 6 and they came up with cylinder one
misfire twice in 10 drive cycles
and number two twice, number three, three times,
number four, two times, number five once, number six once.
Okay, so it's spread out over all of the cylinders.
Yes.
And when the car warms up, the problem goes away.
Yes.
All right, next.
Can we do a cylinder power balance test?
Can we see if one injector is more offensive than the rest?
Right?
Cylinder balance, yeah.
Now Ford, and it's really great,
a Ford factory scan tool gives you the ability
to do a cylinder power balance test
right from the seat of the car.
You don't have to lift the hood or anything.
There's nothing to do, you plug in, you get to the test
and it will show you which cylinders
and can I do that test warm?
Is this truly a cold problem?
Why not?
Let's see, that'll take me 15 minutes.
I'm done, 335 minutes for,
I've now got, what am I, 50 minutes into the car?
Right, the last 10 minutes I'm gonna hook up a fuel,
the last 10 minutes I'm gonna hook up a fuel pressure gauge,
verify fuel pressure
and I'm gonna shut the car off.
I'm gonna go get a cup of coffee.
I'm gonna come back in 20 minutes,
has the system held residual pressure?
It should hold residual pressure for 10 to 20 minutes
after I cycle the key off.
If it's zero, I'm thinking I've got an injector
that's peeing.
It's okay, I can say peeing on radio,
that's not a bad word.
Oh, all right.
And then which cylinder misfires the most when I start it?
Maybe I'm gonna go to that cylinder.
Do I have a mechanical leak down issue?
All right, but you know, well,
maybe you need spark plugs, maybe you need coil boots,
maybe you need injectors.
That doesn't work.
You know, a 2022 Ford F-150 pickup,
you can't buy the coil boots separately.
Don't ask me how I know.
You have to buy the whole coil.
So if you think you've got bad boots on a three-year-old truck,
it's $182 a coil times eight.
We're gonna spend, you know, $1,600 on a gas.
We better learn how to diagnose cars, right?
So, and that's my point.
So, yeah, I agree.
An injector cleaning might be a wonderful thing.
It can't hurt, but you know, how many miles are on this car?
Now I'm gonna ask mileage, right?
If you notice, I haven't asked mileage yet.
How many miles are on this car?
Yeah, 108,000.
Okay, so have you ever done spark plugs?
I did at 105.
Okay, and the problem happened after that.
Or the problem was going on at the time.
Yeah, what, no, it happened after that.
Right.
Do we think maybe we installed a spark plug,
or I'm sorry, an ignition coil room?
Is it possible we need boots
because we didn't use any dielectric grease to seal them?
Let me ask you.
I don't know.
Right, I'm speaking, I'm speaking, you know,
off the top of my head.
Have these been your guys all along?
Yes.
So let me ask you, it's just you and me, Gary.
We're sitting at a soda fountain having a Coke, right?
Okay.
These guys don't seem to exude a lot of confidence from you,
do they?
No, they don't.
And they've had 100,000 miles to prove themselves.
Oh, that's true.
Wow.
What's...
Oh, that's true, wow.
There's some...
Maybe 60,000 that was used.
All right, so it was 60,000, it was used.
If you were dating these guys, wouldn't you call this a bad date?
Isn't it time...
Right?
Isn't it time to get...
Isn't it time to get out of the ring?
It's time for a divorce, isn't it?
Yeah.
I mean, this is a bad marriage, brother.
And I just don't see it, you know?
Listen, you come to the...
I had customers this morning.
I was in the shop this weekend because we were so busy
I couldn't deliver all the cars by the end of the week on Friday.
So I had to go into the shop this morning to actually get some cars out, right?
And we're joking and kidding around and we're talking about this
and we're talking about that.
But I can do that because, you know what?
I know the car's fixed.
I've got a great relationship because the relationship is the biggest,
most important part of the repair process.
You've got a bad relationship here.
These guys are just...
I mean, either that or you're lying to me, Gary.
And I don't think you are.
I think you're a straight shooter.
No, I'm not lying.
Yeah, these guys are kind of dopey.
You're just a number to them.
You know, they're like little robots.
Nobody's explaining anything.
Nobody's taking the time to sit down and talk to them.
So I think it's time, you know,
it's time for you to go talk to your service writer
and say, look, you guys have been my guys
for the past 60,000 miles X number of years.
I want you to be my mechanics.
I need a mechanic.
I don't want to go somewhere else,
but I'm not getting a lot of warm fuzzies here.
Every once in a while,
you got to have that cup of coffee conversation
with your mechanic and say, you know,
if the relationship isn't great
because it sounds like we're guessing.
Right?
Yeah, they've even said on the second visit
they're guessing
and that just spurred me somewhat.
I just want to find out what's the matter.
Have they tried selling you a new car yet?
No, I know they haven't.
That's coming.
All right.
You call me back next week.
That's coming, Gary.
They're going to say, you know what?
You need a new car.
This one's eight years old.
But think about it.
All right.
Those are some of the things I would look at.
Those are some of the tests they need to do.
We've got an hour in this car, Gary.
We've got an hour in this car
and we already know more than them.
Go at it.
Don't be afraid.
Time to get a divorce.
Maybe.
Good luck.
Let us know.
I'm Ron Ananey in the car doctor.
Dating advice.
I'll be back right after this.
Somewhere somebody's going,
what's a four barrel carb?
Let's go to Robert in Nevada.
Robert, welcome to the car doctor, sir.
What's going on?
How are you doing?
It's always a pleasure.
Thank you, sir.
What's cooking?
I love to show.
You know, I got a F-350.
It's a 96 flatbed.
It's got the 460, the large motor.
Right.
About a year ago, me and a buddy changed the gas pump
in the front tank.
And because it was going out in a week
and I changed the filter
and it started pumping.
When you're on the front tank,
it'll pump and pressure the back tank.
Right.
The point where the side's dripping,
it'll shoot gas out.
It'll take the cap off.
Right.
So about three weeks ago,
I replaced the back pump.
So I had it in a shop for a few other things.
They redid all the brakes and stuff.
And I asked them to fix that or do whatever.
They never fixed it.
I had it in there two more times.
They were supposed to fix it.
I gave up on them.
And about three weeks ago,
the back tank started going out.
So I replaced the pump in it.
And now it pumps to the front tank.
And then the other day,
two days or three days ago,
it hit me because I heard one of your commercials
and I was like, man,
I got to call the doctor
because I've been talking to people and...
Here's the deal, Lucille.
All right.
If we built a time machine,
we went back to 1998.
All right.
When that vehicle was under recall
for problems with the check valves
that were built into the fuel pumps
for this exact problem,
all right,
because there was an install issue at the factory
and they slowly developed over time.
So when you say you put a fuel pump in this,
did you put just the pump
or the whole assembly?
Well, no, I had to take it...
No, I had to take it apart
and then put pieces together
out of the old pump.
Okay.
Because...
See, it's hard for me to answer
because I don't know if this vehicle
had the recall done to it or not.
Most of them did.
Most of them...
There was a recall where the external check valve
may be on the pressure line
in each tank assembly.
If the check valves were installed,
there may be one in the tank
where the new fuel pump's being installed
and that causes it to pump to the opposite tank.
And then, again, if it wasn't done
and now you put a fuel pump with a check valve,
we could be going in the wrong direction.
Holy crap.
Yeah, that's probably the word I would use
or something there.
Sorry, man, no, I...
This is a check valve-related issue.
So the question is,
the question is,
what did these pumps originally have?
Now, in theory, if you change the front pump,
just the pump and not the assembly,
and I've got a feeling you changed the assembly,
all right?
If you just put an electric pump in the front unit
where you pulled out the whole module and all
and just swapped out the pump,
you shouldn't have changed anything.
The fact that it changed when you put
the fuel pump assembly in it
tells me that you probably put an assembly
with a check valve in it
and now you've got it.
And I bet there's a check valve on the frame rail, too.
Would that be by the filter?
It used to be.
You know, where it is after 40 years.
Right.
Anybody's guess, brother?
Right.
It never had this problem,
so I changed the first pump
and put in the other pump and it's the exact opposite.
But there's something to think about.
Yeah, I really think that if you go back
and look, you probably put
an electric pump assembly in the front
and then whose pump did you use?
I would call that manufacturer, whoever it was,
whoever's pump it was,
and I would talk to tech support and say,
here's the problem I've got.
Does your pump assembly, as I purchased it,
have a check valve built into the pump or not?
Right.
And get an answer from them because they'll know how they...
Because I always wondered, I'm not surprised at this question,
because I always wondered since Ford did an external recall
and they changed the check valving on the vehicles.
I always wondered, I said,
I wonder what's going to happen when the aftermarket
gets a hold of this?
How bad could the aftermarket screw it up?
And what sort of fuel pumps they're going to put out?
So...
Right.
That gives me a...
Yeah, I would ask the manufacturer.
Listen, you know, the industry hasn't gotten any smarter.
I'll tell you the ugly.
All right, I'm going to tell you the ugly real quick.
I was going to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.
Here's the ugly car from this week.
I had a 19-fusion in the shop.
I had to do front brakes.
I bought the brake pads.
I bought the rotors.
Same brand, good brand.
Love the brand.
Always working.
Right?
And I had the same complaint that the customer had
when we did them three years ago,
where they would clunk once in a while.
And I kept thinking about it.
Why do I get a brake pad clunk?
And now I'm like aware of it.
I'm more dialed in.
I kept going through.
I had to order four sets of brake pads,
1653s, 812s, 1853s, and so on.
And it turns out somewhere along the way,
a long story short,
because we've only got an hour radio show left today,
Ford changed the part number of the brake pad
from this to that.
The new pad has a piece of double-sided sticky tape
so that they actually glue the caliper
right to the bracket base
so it doesn't shift around.
I've got a stack of brake pads in the shop
that are going back on Monday.
Wow.
Why do we have to go through this?
Why can't we call manufacturers
and have them know what the hell they're selling
in plain English?
Well, it's all in the engineering.
Right.
And it's all in the engineering
and it's all in the supplements
and it all does the information,
you know, work its way downhill.
You got time for one quick question
about the truck?
Real quick.
Two minutes.
So when you hit the clutch
and it doesn't want to,
you got to really kick it sometimes.
And I believe there's an adjustment.
What do I got to replace or do
because it seems like it's just going out
or one of these days
it's just not going to want to start
because that clutch will...
Wait, so in other words,
if you don't push it far enough,
the starter won't engage?
It won't start, yeah.
Okay, so there's going to be a switch,
like a brake light switch on the clutch pedal.
Okay.
Any slop in the linkage?
Is the switch...
Is the switch worn?
Is the switch sitting in the hole
cocked to the side
that the pedals hit it so many times?
How many millions of miles
are on this truck?
Watch this.
Well, the truck's probably 420,000
but it's got a new factory block motor.
Well, yeah, but when you
change the engine block,
did you change the clutch linkage
under the dash?
No.
No.
Well, there you go.
See, that's what I mean.
There you go.
So...
So crawl under the dash,
all right,
and take a flashlight with you
and you'll see,
as you depress the pedal,
there's going to be a stop
that has to hit a tab
that's the brake light switch.
All right.
Now, if the linkage is worn
and you can't get at the contact
to switch any better
because some infinitesimally
obsolete part that no longer
exists on the planet isn't around
and you need to make the pedal
contact to switch sooner,
take a vacuum cap.
You know, the old days,
vacuum cap, carburetors,
vacuum lines, that kind of thing.
Right.
Find the right size vacuum cap,
put it on the end of that switch
so it depresses the button
but you'll probably have to trim
the rubber a little bit
so it can depress down.
Right, all right.
Well, that's better than duct tape.
Right, that's better than duct tape.
Yeah, I'm always better than duct tape,
trust me,
and see what that does.
All right.
All right, that's it.
That's all I got.
Thank you, sir.
You're very welcome.
You're very welcome.
I'm out there in Nevada.
Nevada.
I wonder if I'm still on the billboard.
855-560-9900.
Tom's like, no.
I'll be back right after this.
And we are rolling down the highway.
Let's go back to Frank in Illinois
and return call from a couple of weeks ago.
Frank, what's the status
on this 15 Highlander?
What did you find out?
Well, I got the results back.
Okay.
Of course they give
partial averages.
They call it 6600.
This was done at 3,300 miles.
The report came back stating
that the wear materials
are at the lower level of the mats.
A good sign that the wearing parts
of the engine are operated
in a healthy manner.
No contamination turned up for fuel,
coolant, water, dirt,
viscosity, red,
and the 0W-20 range.
Low insolubles and silicone
showed effective oil and air filtration.
Exit results overall.
The only thing I noticed
on the report
that might be a little high for 3,300
was the calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, and zinc levels for 3,300
might have been a hair high,
but it wasn't over the universal averages.
So the only thing I can assume
is when it was serviced at the dealer,
I don't know how they got
all that gold speck and flakes
and stuff in that engine,
but kind of cut the filters open
to at that time.
Nothing was in there.
So it's somewhat still a mystery,
but the V6 is running whisper quiet,
so I guess I don't know for sure.
Well, you know, is it possible
and we're assuming,
which is a dangerous word
for a lot of reasons, all right?
Right.
You know, one of the things
I did in the shop
a good couple of years ago
is I built a funnel rack.
You know what I mean by a funnel rack?
We took some two-inch white plumbers pipe
and we basically made an octopus
and we bolted it to the wall.
Right.
It all comes down.
It all funnels down.
It all necks down to one pipe
and then it drips into a pail.
And that's our filter rack
and we, you know, the oil filter
because we probably have
14 different oil filters
for all the cars.
But the one thing
I didn't like about that was,
and of course,
how else would you store
all the filters?
You're tripping over them.
They fall all over the ground
no matter what you do,
is you're exposing the face
or the outside of the funnel
to atmosphere.
Shop's a dirty environment.
So we ended up
research Cathy
through her due diligence
and research, hence the name.
She found funnel covers.
So every time we do an oil change
we take the filter down,
we take the cover off,
we put it in the car,
dump the oil in,
put it back in the rack,
put the funnel cover back on,
the lid so it doesn't get dirty,
it doesn't get contaminated.
Maybe that material got in the engine
because they're not careful
with their funnels
and raw material, wrong material
got in the engine
as a result of that.
That could be the only reason
I could see because, like I said,
other than them serving the sip
when I initially had bought it
from them,
I changed the oil and filters,
I wipe all the plastic funnels,
I put them in plastic bags,
seal them,
I re-wipe them when I change the oil again.
So it had to come from them somehow
but they put a lot in there,
I can tell you.
Either that or they had a lot
of contaminant in the air.
I worry about outside contamination
like that,
but that's the only way I could think
oil would get contaminated like that
or did it come out of the dealership
like that,
but I don't see how.
I don't see how their oil would be
that contaminated
because it's coming out of a bag
or a box or something like that.
You would think that would be
a cataclysmic failure
on that stretch.
Like you said,
they bought it used from them,
they serviced it up
and at the first dump
is when all the flakes and the
spec showed up,
I was shocked,
I called you and you said,
well, it's a good place
for a Blackstone oil report
and that's how it comes back.
Let's see,
you know what,
time will tell if that engine
is still running in a year
and I would expect it to be,
Blackstone's accurate.
If not,
it's all smoke and mirrors.
You know,
you're going to be our guinea pig,
Frank, alright?
So,
you keep listening,
you call us in a year,
you let us know
how that engine's doing,
alright brother?
I'll let you know down the line,
the results.
You're very good.
Thank you, Frank,
you be well,
you have a great rest of the weekend.
855-560-9900,
Ron and Amy and the car doctor
coming back right after this.
I want to finish today
talking about the good and the bad, right?
We were going to talk about the good,
the bad and the ugly
and we had so many calls,
but let me finish here.
So you know the ugly,
the ugly was the Ford Fusion,
it took four sets of brake pads
and more hours
than I can count of research
to find the right set of pads,
as Ford has updated them
over the years
and they haven't told anybody.
The ugly.
And I realize the ugly comes about
because people don't know
and that's a very simple statement,
but it's the truth,
people don't understand auto repair,
they don't know,
they don't know how to interact,
they don't know how to communicate
and be social.
Fellow walked into the shop
one afternoon this week
about two o'clock,
how much to put
eight fuel injectors
in my suburban?
Huh?
You know,
how do we get here?
And I have the injectors.
I went to Rock Auto
and I bought six of these
and two of this
and they look the same
and whoa, time out.
And it's also got
a high mileage on it.
I think it was 300,000 miles.
Well, who diagnosed it?
I start asking all the questions.
Who diagnosed it?
Well, a buddy of mine,
he has access to a snap-on scan tool,
snap-on diagnostics,
proved this to be the repair,
it's got a fuel distribution problem
and so forth.
How much?
You know, where do you go with that?
How do you approach that?
That's like walking
in the doctor's office
and saying hey,
I need this knee replaced
because it hurts every third Tuesday?
Can you give me a price?
I don't understand that.
I don't understand how
some people think that
walking in and asking for a repair
without a diagnosis,
without any conversation
is the right way to go.
And I said to Steve,
you know what,
I calmed him down,
I didn't throw him out,
I was actually nice,
which I always am,
but sometimes
you just get frustrated.
I maintain my composure
like I'm supposed to
and I kind of walked him
through several steps.
I asked him to send me an email.
I've yet to see it,
but listen,
I did my part.
That's the bad.
Don't walk into a repair shop
and just assume they're there
waiting for you to show up
and that you're going to,
you know,
you're not going to bring your eggs
to the diner and say here,
cook them
because when they give somebody
indigestion,
somebody's got to be responsible.
The good,
the good with Sean,
Sean's a new customer.
Late model escape,
21-4 to escape,
walked in.
Hey, I need breaks on my escape,
walked out,
looked at it.
Yep, you sure do.
You know,
and I kind of walked him
through pricing
because pricing is very sensitive,
right?
Everybody has perceived values
and I wanted him to understand
what we're going to do
and how we're going to do it
and especially with breaks.
There's no cheating on breaks.
Some repairs you can cheat
at customer requests.
There's some things you can cut
and you will
and you'll explain it
to the customer
to keep them informed
because it's your obligation
to keep them informed.
But breaks,
better stop on a dime,
give you nine cents change
as the saying goes, right?
And it was a pleasure
and Sean was probably
the best customer of the week
and he hasn't even
given us any money yet.
And, you know,
it just made me think
every week has it.
The good,
the bad
and the ugly.
And that's the challenge
of auto repair.
Anyway,
I just wanted you
to hear that story.
I feel better.
Thank you for the therapy.
Ha ha ha.
I'm Ron and Annie
in the car doctor.
It's been an absolute pleasure
until the next time.
Good mechanics
aren't expensive.
They're priceless.
See ya.
This is an I heart podcast.
Guaranteed human.
Request an explanation for:
6 cars
6 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
Help improve this episode
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars
More from Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - October 10, 2015 - Hour 2 - You Love Your Car More Than You ThinkFrom the Car Doctor archives — originally aired October 2015. In this classic episode of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, Ron opens the hour with a thoughtful discussion about the emotional connection we develop with our vehicles—often without realizing just how attached we've become. Whether it's the family car that's been through years of memories or the vehicle that always seems to get us home, cars become more than machines. Ron then helps a caller diagnose cooling system problems on a 2007 Mercury Mountaineer and takes a call from a 2013 Toyota Highlander owner whose wheels were nearly left loose after a routine oil change, leading to an important conversation about trust, quality workmanship, and paying attention after service. Also featured is an interview with Derek Miller from ALLDATA, discussing vehicle repair information, diagnostic resources, and the growing complexity of modern automobiles. Ron rounds out the hour by answering listener emails about choosing the right OBD-II scan tool and diagnosing hesitation and rough idle concerns on a Toyota. A great mix of automotive advice, consumer awareness, and a reminder that our relationship with our cars is often more personal than we think.
Jun 4, 2026
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - October 10, 2015 - Hour 1 - Audi Codes, Airbags & Frozen Custard
Jun 4, 2026
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - May 30, 2026 - Hour 2
May 30, 2026
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - May 30, 2026 - Hour 1
May 30, 2026