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Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 6, 2025 - Hour 2 - OverHeating, Clutches & Carbon Cleaning: Quick Diagnoses, Smart Maintenance - (855)560-9900 24/ 7 Hotline
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 6, 2025 - Hour 2 - OverHeating, Clutches & Carbon Cleaning: Quick Diagnoses, Smart Maintenance - (855)560-9900 24/ 7 Hotline
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About this episode
Ron Ananian tackles a variety of automotive issues in this episode, focusing on quick diagnoses and smart maintenance strategies. Listeners call in with problems ranging from overheating engines to clutch replacements and steering play in vehicles. Ron emphasizes the importance of thorough diagnostics and regular maintenance, offering practical advice on parts and services. He also discusses the significance of building a relationship with a trusted mechanic and shares insights on the latest automotive technologies and services.
Topics:
overheating engines
clutch replacement
steering issues
diagnostic advice
maintenance strategies
trusted mechanics
carbon cleaning
aftermarket parts
fuel system services
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor
Fast phones this hour: real overheat triage, clutch/flywheel choices, steering play sanity check, BG carbon service for DI, modern sludge cures, and value axles.
Chapter Markers
-
00:00 – Open / Tease
-
00:58 – Mark (Bronx) – Sudden Overheat, 4-cyl Honda
Steam + gauge pinned = real overheat. Don’t drive; tow. Check thermostat/coolant/pump; rule out head gasket. Pull codes & vitals. -
07:29 – Alan (MD) – ’99 Sentra Clutch
Start OE or LUK. Machine shops scarce—consider kit with flywheel. Inspect rear main & PCV while in there. -
11:48 – Quick Note
Mitchell1 award mention. -
12:21 – Frank (DE) – ’16 Silverado Steering Play
Get true alignment (proper gear, printout); inspect for looseness.
16:07 – PM: DI Carbon – GM recommends BG fuel service; use bgfindashop.com. -
19:12 – Kent (ME) – ’08 Wrangler 3.8 Tick/Ping ~2k
Likely carbon/valvetrain age. Start with BG clean, plugs, full baseline; pay for diagnosis. -
27:03 – Alex (IA) – Drop the Pan?
Modern engines: use chemistry, not pan pulls. Stiction Eliminator example; 5k oil/quality filter. -
32:16 – Mailbag – ’07 Accord Axles (200k)
Skip pricey OE; Advance/Carquest new axles = solid value/fit.
- 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
Porsche Cayman
".... I read about this guy who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman that was well-loved."
Car
Jeep Wrangler
"What do you got? Well, I got a 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 145,000 on it. It's a stick shift."
Car
Ford Ranger
"...ct. I had a, I had a valve tick in my little shop ranger forever. Everything I tried, nothing got rid of i..."
Car
Ford Bronco
"...n weiner, donks gone wild? Or chased down a white Bronco before legged kind? It's all happening in the new..."
– Open / Tease
– Mark (Bronx) – Sudden Overheat, 4-cyl HondaSteam + gauge pinned = real overheat. Don’t drive; tow. Check thermostat/coolant/pump; rule out head gasket. Pull codes & vitals.
– Alan (MD) – ’99 Sentra ClutchStart OE or LUK. Machine shops scarce—consider kit with flywheel. Inspect rear main & PCV while in there.
– Quick NoteMitchell1 award mention.
– Frank (DE) – ’16 Silverado Steering PlayGet true alignment (proper gear, printout); inspect for looseness.16:07 – PM: DI Carbon – GM recommends BG fuel service; use bgfindashop.com.
– Kent (ME) – ’08 Wrangler 3.8 Tick/Ping ~2kLikely carbon/valvetrain age. Start with BG clean, plugs, full baseline; pay for diagnosis.
– Alex (IA) – Drop the Pan?Modern engines: use chemistry, not pan pulls. Stiction Eliminator example; 5k oil/quality filter.
– Mailbag – ’07 Accord Axles (200k)Skip pricey OE; Advance/Carquest new axles = solid value/fit.
Select text to request an explanation
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The worst part about loving cars
might just be buying them and all the parts,
but on eBay, behind every car and part
is a story waiting to be shared.
I read about this guy who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman
that was well-loved.
I mean, there are plenty of Caymans
in great condition on eBay,
but this one needed some work.
This guy buys it and rebuilds the whole thing
all with parts he found on eBay,
and now that nearly scrapped Cayman is out
tearing up the track.
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You're listening to Ron Ananian,
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,
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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 CarDoctor 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.
All right, let's get right into it.
Let's go to Mark on the Bronx, O6 on the court.
Yeah, Mark, what's going on?
Tell me the whole story.
Well, the car was running, you know,
like a top all along and then all of a sudden,
it just abruptly got a overheating condition.
It became very rough, idling,
and when I come off a highway to come to a stop,
it would stall on me and hard to start it up as well.
But it just happened all of a sudden.
I mean, the car was fine and I don't know.
And the needle went on the temperature gate
all the way to high.
After like a few minutes now when I try to drive it.
And there's enough cooling in the system.
I checked the radiator, all that stuff.
I'm wondering what might be the cause of this.
Four cylinder?
Four cylinder, yeah.
Okay.
Four cylinder, yeah.
I mean, automatic of course, but the lowest of four cylinder.
Anybody try to, anybody done any work to this?
Any sort of diagnosis performed at this point?
No, no, the only thing I did on my own
was I changed the PCV valve.
Just thinking maybe that would help matters,
but not at all, not in this case, but yeah.
So, and how many miles are on this mark?
Well, this is a lot of mileage, it's 216,000.
All right, so I mean, from my seat here,
if it's really overheating
and we're gonna believe the gauge,
and I'm not saying not to,
but a vehicle that all of a sudden is good one minute
and the next minute it's boiling over
and the temp gauge is reading high,
I'm gonna start to look for why is it overheating?
Is it a stuck thermostat?
Is it low on coolant for some reason?
Do I have a water pump impeller that's not spinning?
And then if it's physically affecting the way the engine runs,
that the engine is running rough and rough idle
or loss of power, is there a loss of power
associated with this?
No, not power, but just like I said,
it sluggishes and it just dies after a while,
you know, just when you come to a stop.
There, I believe there's enough coolant in the radiator,
check the overfill with it at the low stage
with it when it's cold, of course.
And yeah.
Well, what I don't, back up a second,
if it's overheating, okay,
if the temperature gauge is pinned at hot,
is it pinned at hot?
How are you driving this?
Well, here's the thing,
you know, only after three or four minutes,
I have to stop because it goes up to the pin at hot,
but there's no, now, and there's,
as you stop, you smell or you see the steam coming out,
like, you know, of the engine itself,
but you don't actually see any coolant leak.
Like, there's no coolant leak at all.
So, that's what I don't understand,
but it's kind of strange, actually.
Well, why can't this have a head gasket that's failing?
Causing it to run hot, causing it to run erratic.
How's the idle quality?
Is the idle quality changed?
Yeah, that's the thing.
The idle quality is okay when you're revving it,
of course, but then when you...
Well, revving it is not idle.
I'm talking about in-drive at idle,
how is the idle quality?
It goes low, it does go low.
And it looks almost like ready to stall at that point.
Right, so it struggles.
Right.
All right, and if you put it in park,
is it still struggling,
but the idle RPM comes up a little bit?
Yeah, it still struggles at park, actually.
So, it needs a diagnosis, check engine light on?
Yeah, it only comes on, it's interesting.
The check engine light will only come on
after the needle pins to hot.
Well, it's so, yes, so the check engine light is on.
It's a yes or no question.
All right, it's yes or no.
So, we've got to check engine light.
Has anybody retrieved fault codes?
I did bring it to kind of a mechanic sort of,
and he checked it, and he noticed that there was the...
There were three things that actually came on.
And he said it wasn't even worth trying to fix it
because there might be engine problems down the road.
But one of those three things is the coolant system sensor.
Another one was the, something with the valve.
And I don't know, and I forgot what he said
when the third one was,
but that's why when he said the valve,
I got scared that maybe it's not even worth going crazy.
Was one of the fault codes related to a cylinder misfire?
No, definitely not.
Okay.
It really needs a diagnosis, Mark.
You've got a lot of great information,
but you can't take anything I or the other mechanic
or anybody says until somebody physically A
puts a scan tool on it, spends some time looking at basics.
How's manifold vacuum?
What does the map sensor look like?
What's throttle angle?
I mean, there's a half a dozen vital signs.
It would be like calling up the hospital saying,
you know, I don't feel good.
What's wrong with me?
And they're going to say, well, you know, heart rate.
What do they do?
Heart rate, blood pressure, vital signs.
Yeah, could I give you a couple other pieces
of information?
Number one, I haven't heard the electric fans
on this thing go off in ages.
I don't know if that has something to do with it.
Well, it means it's running hot.
Yeah, well, that's the thing.
I'm wondering if maybe there's something wrong
with the fan, you know, sensor or whatever.
I don't know.
If the engine is physically running hot,
if you're seeing steam and the temperature gauges up,
it sounds to me like the engine's running hot
and the fan's being on would make sense
because they're trying to cool off an overheated engine.
So, you know, there's going to come to a point here
and I'm going to say this with Love Brother.
Don't go into analysis paralysis.
The car's broken.
You shouldn't be driving the car, right?
You should, you know, tow it to somebody
or get it to somebody within three minutes
of the house that you trust that's competent
that can, you know, sit down and go through the basics.
I'd be looking at, you know,
something from simple to involved.
I wouldn't make a decision on,
do you get rid of the car?
Do you keep the car?
What do you do with the car?
Do you mount it on the wall
and talk about it for the next 20 years?
Until it gets diagnosed, period.
All right, but you physically got an overheating condition.
Everything you're telling me
points towards a real overheat.
Now the question is why.
All right.
Right, okay.
Okay.
Yeah, no, I appreciate that.
That's lucky.
Thank you very much, Ron.
You're very welcome, Mark.
You be well.
Take good care.
Okay, thank you.
Bye-bye.
You can't go into analysis paralysis.
You can't go into what it could or should it.
You can't go into, maybe I'll do this, maybe it's that,
maybe it's this thing over here on the side.
There's a lot.
The question becomes, if it was a human being,
what would you do?
You would look at that and say,
what are the vital signs?
What are the statistics?
It's giving me all the information.
All the information is there,
but you can't drive it and you can't panic, Mark.
If you're still listening, brother,
it sounds like you're in a little bit of a panic mode.
It's only a car.
Take a breath.
We'll figure it out.
Let's go to Al in Maryland.
Let's see what's going on here.
Al, welcome, sir.
How can I help you today with your 99th century?
Hi, Ron.
Yes, sir.
Long time listener.
You've always been helpful
and thankful once again, taking my call.
You're very welcome.
It's a 99 Nissan Sentra basic vehicle,
278,000 miles.
Just broken in?
Just broken in.
As you might imagine, the clutch is slipping,
so I'm getting ready to put a clutch in it.
And nowadays, you always worry
about the quality of parts.
I've been pleasantly surprised.
There seem to be a lot of quality clutch kits out there,
and that's why I'm calling.
I'm kind of looking for your advice.
One clutch kit that looks kind of decent to me,
the company name is something called Clutch America.
They apparently have a line of various clutches.
The highest quality one includes, of course,
the pressure plate, the disc,
the throw-out bearing, the alignment tool,
and also the flywheel.
And I wanna buy the flywheel
because I'm sure the flywheel is scored by now.
Well, and I'll tell you why you wanna buy a flywheel.
Maybe you don't wanna buy a flywheel.
The flywheel issue is,
when we do a clutch in the shop,
we don't do many anymore
because there's not many clutches left on the road.
It becomes a case of we've got no more machine shop
to grind our flywheels.
That's right, that's right.
They're all gone.
They're all gone.
They're all gone.
The last clutch job I did,
I took the flywheel off,
I brought it to a machine shop.
I wouldn't even know where to hell to bring it now.
I don't know if there is a machine shop anywhere.
Right, it's there gone.
So then my next comment becomes,
before we start looking at clutch America,
which could be clutch overseas, you know,
what's in the name?
They say it's US made.
That's what they claim.
Okay.
You know, have you called Nissan?
Have you asked?
No, I have not called Nissan.
I would start with the manufacturer.
Okay.
I really would, I just,
if it's not them, I would go look,
there's a company, I'm gonna say the name wrong.
I believe it's Luke, L-U-K.
Okay.
We think of it as luck.
Good luck with the clutch.
Yeah, yeah.
But they make a great component.
We used to use them over time repeatedly
with great success.
Whether that company still exists at the level
where they'll come up with a kit
of flywheel pressure plate disc, et cetera.
Haven't bought a clutch for a 99 Nissan Centra in a while.
Yeah, right.
But you know, it's worth looking at.
Yeah.
And I've got to say that doing a clutch in this day and age,
I'm also going to, what does the rear main seal look like?
Yeah, yeah.
If I'm looking at the rear main seal
and it's seepy, I'm changing it.
Right.
I'm also gonna take a look
at the higher mileage, older vehicle,
what sort of shape is the crankcase ventilation system in?
Does it have a PCV valve?
Can I put a factory PCV in it?
Is there anything else that needs to be cleaned?
Yeah.
Because you want to go another quarter million miles
with that clutch.
I'm sure you do.
Yeah, yeah.
You know?
Any thoughts about this clutch set that I was looking at?
And as far as prices go,
I checked, you know, O'Reilly's in advance
and they all seem to be around the same price
and they seem to be sane.
Like I said, this one claims it's US made.
The flywheel is supposedly cast iron.
The pressure plate is what they call
ductile modular cast iron.
Right.
The springs are reinforced.
Which is nothing, which is nothing really unusual now
because that's the way all that stuff came out of the factory.
Okay.
And even the disc,
this copper ceramic disc pad's got six pads
around the circumference.
That's all rational.
You know, is there, let me say it like this,
if there's a forum, you know,
I love living in this modern age,
as mom would call it, right?
If there's a forum online for clutch installs on Centris,
what's everybody else using?
What are they using?
Right.
It's always the same example.
I always go to that.
I always think of that
and kind of take it from there.
All right, sir.
Yeah.
Thanks an awful lot Ron.
You're very welcome.
I do appreciate it.
Good luck to you, be well.
560-9900, Ron Anani 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 and part is a story
waiting to be shared.
Like this guy I read about
who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4 on eBay.
It was well loved.
I mean, there are plenty of Caymans
in great condition on eBay,
but this one needed some work.
That's just the start of the story.
So after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,
he rebuilds the whole thing
with all these parts he found on eBay.
Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,
the works, guaranteed to fit.
Next thing you know,
this nearly scrapped Cayman
was out there on the track as a full blown race car.
You're ready to go daily driver,
your next resto mod.
Hello Lotus Elon and the parts to finish it.
eBay has thousands of cars
and is the largest online selection
of vehicle parts and accessories.
eBay, things, people, love.
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The NFL playoffs are here
and wildcard weekend powered by Verizon is almost through.
Man, it all comes down to this.
The stakes are high, hopes are higher
and everything is on the line.
My goodness!
It's win or go home
and every moment counts on the road to Super Bowl 60.
It's a touchdown!
Wildcard weekend powered by Verizon.
Today at 8 p.m. Eastern, visit watch.nfl.com
for the full schedule.
Hey, quick kudos to the folks over at Mitchell One.
They have just won the prestigious
Shop Management Software Award
in the 2025 Professional Tool and Equipment News category
over there for their job view feature in Manager One
has helped them to stand out above the rest
when it comes to repair shop software.
So good luck and thank you to Mitchell One
for their continued efforts.
And if you're out in Vegas, Apex SEMA,
they'll be out there with a booth, stop by and see it.
Go take a look at their job view feature set
in Manager One, but they just won the 2025 P10 Innovation Award
in the Automotive Software category.
Congratulations.
Let's get back to the phones.
Let's go over and talk to Frank and Delaware.
16 Chevy Silverado, what's going on here?
Frank, welcome to the car doctor, sir.
How can I help?
Good afternoon, Ron.
Thank you for taking all.
Appreciate it.
You're welcome.
I've got two questions on it.
How much play in the steering wheel should there be?
It seems like I've got 61,000 miles on it.
And I noticed something in the last,
within the last year,
and I didn't pay too much attention to it.
I took it to the dealer twice
where I normally get my service done.
And they couldn't, they told me it's fine,
but it seems like I got like an inch
and a quarter of play.
And it's just more noticeable now that I know about it.
Are you always correcting the wheel,
driving down the road, Frank?
I'm going back and forth.
I mean, the unit, it steers straight.
Right, but I get it, there's a leg,
but I guess the question I've got is,
are you, first of all, does the wheel sit horizontal?
Does the wheel sit level?
Yeah, it might be a tad off now.
It's hard to tell with.
It's within a, if it was a clock face, is it within an hour?
Yeah.
Okay.
All right.
And then how far off of that hour does it go
before you get it to change direction?
Well, it's funny, it's that back and forth,
left, right, that it has a play, it's about,
like I said, an inch different, either direction
and it feels like I'm compensating.
Ever have a wheel alignment done?
Yeah, they had it done there and they said it's okay.
I brought it to there.
Do you have another shop you can take it to?
It's time for a second opinion
is where I'm going with this.
Yes, I'm thinking about that locally here
in the Millsboro area.
There isn't, and I'm going to contact them
next this coming week.
Right, and we wanna find somebody
that's gonna do a real wheel alignment,
nice piece of hunter equipment,
something that's not blow-toe and let it go,
somebody that's gonna look at all the angles.
And if there's any wiggle in that front suspension
steering something, lose something off.
You know, I always tell everybody
when I put it on the rack and wiggle it and shake it
and then do my calibration, I'm gonna find it.
So, you know, that's step one.
Where is the alignment?
If it's been a while or was it ever done?
Now the alignment was done.
Okay.
That was done at the dealer.
They give you a printout?
Did they give me a printout?
They probably did, and I need to dig that out.
I'll do that after I put the phone with you.
Right, right.
I'll dig it deep on my paper.
And then where are those numbers?
You know, and one of the things I hear so much,
and I'm just skeptical,
I'm skeptical about you've got a complaint, right,
that sounds valid, and I'm letting the guy
that's guarding the cookie jar tell me it's okay,
all the cookies are accounted for.
You know, I'd like to get Kebler out of there
and Mr. Nabisco come in and check the Oreos.
You know what I'm saying?
I just like a second opinion.
So, let's get an alignment done
and then we can talk further.
Second question.
I know there's a second question here.
Second question.
What preventative maintenance,
I got 61,000 miles on it.
I've been watching these YouTube shows,
car shows of carbon buildup on the top,
you know, with the direct injection.
Motors, mines, this is a 4.3.
The dealer doesn't have anything really.
Right.
And that's funny.
I'll tell you the story this way, Frank.
I just attended another class
with automotive training group,
and this came up because it was a class
about misfires and power contribution.
And one of the things they pointed out was that BG,
and you hear me talk about BG fuel system services
or BG automotive services all the time, right?
BG is now the rated recommended fuel system above all,
I mean, they do all their fluids,
but General Motors has come out and said
that BG fuel system services,
one of their recommended services as regular maintenance.
And it's because of the quality of the service
and what it does.
And the easiest way for you to get that service done,
if the dealer doesn't have it,
that's why I'm surprised the dealer doesn't have it,
because it's a recommended service by General Motors now,
is go out to bgfindashop.com, bgfindashop.com,
and you'll find a local shop who knows
maybe the shop does BG fuel system
as well as other fluid services,
and they'll do a wheel alignment
and you can get two for one.
Give me a call back and let me know what you happen,
Frank, and let me know where you end up with this.
I'm curious.
I'm Ron Anini and 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.
Hi, it's Eva, and I think it's about time
you discovered the world's first luxury hospitality brand
at Sea, the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.
Imagine setting sail on an all-inclusive voyage
where every moment is entirely yours.
Explore the Amalfi Coast, the islands of Thailand,
or Alaska's glacial fjords and the lagoons of French Polynesia.
Or maybe just stay aboard an indulgent asfade,
dining from Michelin-starred chefs
and kayaking directly from the exclusive Marina platform.
There are so many possibilities
and so much time to relax.
Every journey, unlike the rest,
the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.
Learn more at RitzCarltonYachtCollection.com.
The NFL playoffs are here
and Wild Card Weekend powered by Verizon
is almost through.
Man, it all comes down to this.
The stakes are high, hopes are higher,
and everything is on the line.
My goodness!
It's win or go home,
and every moment counts on the road to Super Bowl 60.
It's a touchdown!
Wild Card Weekend powered by Verizon.
Today at 8 p.m. Eastern, visit watch.nfl.com
for the full schedule.
Geez, a little bit of a long opening there, Tom.
That music kind of went, phew!
But that's okay, I'm here.
I'll take over.
And you notice how good I've been today, Tom?
I haven't once mentioned that tomorrow is the day.
Yes, the day.
The day.
Not just any day, but the day.
The day.
We don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.
I know it's gonna happen.
I won't be watching TV, I know that.
Why?
Your shoe's still stuck in it from last season?
No, just that I'll be waiting to hear from you,
because what time is the game tomorrow?
One o'clock?
One o'clock.
Yeah, one o'clock.
So I figured by 105,
Tom should be jumping off the roof of his house.
Tom Ray is the only individual, folks, just for the record,
that his wife made him move to a ranch, okay?
A one-story house because he became a Giants fan,
and in the last 10 years,
he keeps trying to go up to the roof to jump off
because he's just so upset.
So this way he lives on a ranch
while he ends up with his broken leg.
Yeah, that and she goes through bags of earplugs
because I'm constantly yelling at the TV.
How many TVs have you had in the last 10 years?
Oh, just a couple.
Just a couple, so tomorrow's the day.
Anyway, today's the day for me,
so let's go over to Kent and me
and talk to him about his 08 Jeep.
Kent, do you have a favorite football team?
Is tomorrow your day?
My favorite team is not playing tomorrow.
I'm sort of a Patrick Mahomes fan,
and I like the Chiefs even though I'm from New England
since we lost Brady, our team,
and not that much to cheer for.
Can I ask you a football question then
since you're the Patriots and all?
And for the record, I'm not a super serious football fan.
I kind of dabble in it.
I've got enough just to keep cars on my plate straight, right?
Do you think Brady was the reason they went
to all those Super Bowls
or was it the combination of him and Belichick
because Belichick went to coach in college
and it's a disaster?
What do you think of that?
Is that an unfair question to ask?
No, that's not an unfair question.
And even though maybe Belichick isn't doing that,
it's great right now at the moment with the college team.
I have to think it was somewhat a team effort.
Right, right.
And things are changing.
Belichick's getting older.
He's playing with different guys
and a different setup with the college team.
So maybe there's just...
He's probably distracted a little bit, right?
He's 73, he's got a 20-something-year-old girlfriend
so he's probably got a lot going on.
And he's dying to see what that 12-foot statue of him
is gonna come out to look like.
Right, so...
Anyway, core questions.
Let's go back to being a car show.
What do you got?
Well, I got a 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 145,000 on it.
It's a stick shift.
I've had it about two years.
By the way, thanks for your advice
on what radiator to use.
That went really well.
Good.
Because I called you about that.
Good.
But I've noticed, and maybe this has been going on,
still at a once in a while for almost a year
and I don't drive it all that much,
but especially after I warm up,
especially if I'm on a little bit of an incline
and maybe even if I've got a couple of hundred pounds
in the back while I'm accelerating
as I'm approaching 2,000 RPMs,
I start to hear a little bit of a faint ticking noise
that almost isn't even a tick.
It almost sounds like it might be pinging.
It's hard to describe what the noise is.
One thought I had was if you had a handful
of tiny little ball bearings
and you were dropping them into the bottom of a bucket
really fast, something like that.
And if it seems to be more noticeable
but also after it's warmed up
because I'm kind of noticing it doesn't do it all the time
and it doesn't do it when it's first,
when it started and not really warmed up.
All right, which engine is this, Kat?
That's a 3.8 V6.
All right, and when was the last time it had fluid services
or carbon cleaning or throttle body service
or any of that, never?
Well, as far as I know,
I don't know nothing about the history of it.
All I've done since I had it
was I've been kind of fanatical
about my oil changes as usual.
Good, oil changes are the start
but that's not where maintenance ends, correct?
Yeah, oh yeah, I know there's a lot more than that
and there's so many different things that it could be
and at that age it could need so many different things
that an amateur like myself could just dive in
and say, okay, well, I'm gonna check this,
I'm gonna buy one of these, I'm gonna do that
and I could go through a lot
and not really be going in the right direction.
It does have-
Well, what are your long-term plans with the car, Kent?
Because I bought it at a used car lot
and I still owe about 10 grand on it
and I got two years left to go.
You gotta waste a go.
Right, okay.
I want to get two years out of it
or at least if I could get,
you know, even when those are junk and having problems
they can still bring four or five thousand.
So listen to me, all right, listen to me, brother.
All right, these are known,
these have valve train issues,
these have carbon deposit issues,
these have lower end problems.
But let's eliminate the obvious.
Maintenance is always a great place to start
when you're dealing with something
and if it's never had a carbon cleaning,
if it's never had some of the other maintenance
that it should have had by now,
you might be experiencing old age
based on lack of maintenance.
So I want you to go to bgfindeshop.com, all right?
I want you to find a BG shop
and get a BG fuel system service.
They're gonna offer a bunch of other things
as far as fluids, transmission
and some of the other critical fluids of the vehicle.
That's great, but in your case,
I want to talk about that noise.
If this is a carbon deposit thing,
a carbon cleaning is gonna be a wonderful thing to do.
It's gonna add life to the car.
It's gonna probably eliminate your problem.
And it's just a good, you know,
it's a good place to start.
You can't go wrong down Wright Street
getting maintenance done if the maintenance is needed.
I was also wondering about plugs too, because I did that.
Well, yes.
And here we are, maintenance, right?
145,000 miles.
When did you buy it?
How many miles did it have on it?
I bought it two years ago.
It had 135.
I've only put 10.
I've only put 10 on it.
If those are original plugs, you know.
Or even, yeah.
Do you have a regular mechanic, Kent?
Do you have a mechanic you trust?
I don't.
And at this point here,
I almost feel like I should go to the dealership
because I had trust issues
with the guy that I had most recently been going to.
Right.
So understand what's gonna happen, okay?
You're gonna go to the dealer.
This is like, you're gonna walk into a doctor's office
and ask for open heart surgery at the age of 75.
They're gonna point out everything that's wrong with it
and probably scare the bejesus out of you.
This is the classic example of why I encourage everybody,
you've gotta have a relationship with a mechanic.
I don't care who it is, dealer, independent or otherwise,
but you've gotta have that relationship all along
because you can't wait till you're having the heart attack
to decide to go to the doctor and say,
what do you think's wrong?
There's a lot here, all right?
So I want you to make an appointment at the dealership.
Here's what I want you to do.
I want you to make an appointment at the dealership.
That's where you wanna go.
I want you to ask for a diagnosis.
You'll spend somewhere between an hour and two hours.
My guess is you'll spend between $150 and $300.
You'll have some answers.
They're probably gonna come back with a laundry list
of things that the vehicle needs.
And that's okay because you're into it.
You owe 10 grand on it, it's a good running vehicle.
Maybe you'll keep it another five years
and maybe this is the way to get there
because a new Jeep or anything in that category
of what that is, is between 40 and 60 grand.
So if you had to put a couple of bucks in it,
not that I wanna spend your money.
If you had to put $6,000, $7,000, $8,000 in it
and it was done properly
and it helps establish a relationship
with that repair shop, you know what?
You're coming out ahead in the long run.
So make an appointment for a diagnosis,
start the war there, get out to bgfindeshop.com,
get a carbon cleaning done if the dealership can't do it
and give me a call back if you need more.
Always good to hear from you.
855-560-9900, I think that's the phone number.
I've been doing that for a couple of years.
855-560-9900, I'll be back right after this.
Lately, car buying has become a pretty dull experience
but on eBay, behind every car in part
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Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman
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I mean, there are plenty of Caymans
in great condition on eBay
but this one needed some work.
That's just the start of the story.
So after this guy gets a great deal on his dream car,
he rebuilds the whole thing with all these parts
he found on eBay.
Performance brakes, suspension, body panels,
the works, guaranteed to fit.
Next thing you know, this nearly scrapped Cayman
was out there on the track as a full blown race car.
You're ready to go daily driver, your next Resto mod,
Hello Lotus Elon and the parts to finish it.
eBay has thousands of cars
and is the largest online selection
of vehicle parts and accessories.
eBay, things, people, love.
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Let's go out to Iowa and talk to Alex.
Alex, welcome to the car doctor, sir.
How can I help?
It's a question, thank you, Ron.
It's a question that I wanted to ask you
because you'd know.
Back when we were kids, my dad taught us
to take the oil pan off at that time
as a 53 Plymouth and take the oil pan off
and clean the gunk out of it
and then clean it with gasoline after
we scraped the stuff out of there.
Well, wouldn't the same situation be true nowadays?
Have you ever looked at a modern day oil pan, Alex?
I love the question.
Don't misunderstand.
I think it's a great question
because it shows a contrast
of how far technology has taken us, all right?
Some of these cars today to get the oil pan off,
you're gonna pull the engine out
or you're gonna drop exhaust
or you're gonna, the accessibility factor,
they're not 53 Plymouths anymore.
They're not 53 anything anymore, all right?
And I'd have to look it up, but you got a question.
You did that 53 Plymouth even have an oil filter.
Was that the reason we had to clean the pan
because of sludge formation?
Because not all cars in the 50s
had oil filters, believe it or not.
55 Chevy's, I know this for a fact, 55 Chevy's,
the V8s didn't have oil filters
with this dealer installed option.
Isn't that the craziest thing you ever heard, right?
Yeah.
So, technology can correct for this.
All right, if we think we've got sludge in the engine
because two, you pull the pan down, pick a car today,
I don't care, whatever it is, a 2021 Honda something,
pull the pan down, clean the pan.
If there's sludge in the pan,
isn't there sludge everywhere else?
And then it's, it's, it'll settle,
but it's even more critical in a modern engine
because of variable valve timing
and things we do to make the engine perform
at the level that it performs at, right?
We worry about oil.
They say that lubricating is, if on a list of five things,
lubricating is like fourth or fifth in order of importance
in terms of what an oil does today in a modern day engine.
So dropping a, dropping a pan to clean the pan.
Yeah, I think it's a wasted effort,
even if you could get the pan down,
which in a lot of cases you can't easily.
I'm gonna use technology.
If I've got an engine that's sludged up
or I've got a sticky lifter
or some varnish deposit issues,
I'm going to use something like,
like Stixion Eliminator from Hot Shot Secret.
All right, great product.
I had a, I had a valve tick in my little shop ranger forever.
Everything I tried, nothing got rid of it.
Two rounds of Stixion Eliminator.
The tick has gone and it runs,
this is a 227,000 mile 97 Ranger, right?
V6 three liter.
So, you know, Hot Shot Secret,
Stixion Eliminator just works great.
The other thing I'm gonna stay on top of is,
I'm doing my oil changes.
I don't care what manufacturers say.
I don't care what, you know,
how long can I go between oil change mentality is,
I'm doing my oil changes every 5,000.
Good quality oil, good filter.
And I'm not gonna have a sludger varnish issue.
I'm not gonna have deposits in the oil pan
or anywhere else in the engine
because the engine's always gonna be clean.
Maintenance always gets you there, brother.
All right, it really does.
It's a piece of machinery, okay?
And if we apply common sense
that marketing departments are trying to overrule,
I think we'll find that we would get longer out of vehicles
with less repairs by doing and going back
to regular maintenance on a much higher,
more qualified, more quality controlled level,
if that makes sense.
Yeah, I'm always in the trap of use cars
and then bringing them up to standard good usage, you know?
And it's great.
That's my journey, most of my life.
But I'll say this, I love the fact that you bonded
with your father over pulling oil pans.
I think that's cool, right?
You know, Tom was telling me the story
before we started the show.
I'll tell you real quick about the other day
I was driving around his neighborhood
and he saw a couple of kids working on a car
on the side of the house.
And he said, I stopped and he took a picture
because he couldn't get over the fact
that kids actually worked on a car in this day and age,
which I said, sure, I mean, that's, listen,
many a Saturday afternoon got me to this point
working on the car outside my mom's house
because that's how you learned
and that was the curiosity
and that's where the bug began, so.
Yeah, he taught me how to put a clutch plate,
pressure plate, how to make sure I got torqued at right.
Right, oh yeah, and those are the moments
that you bonded with dad that you'll never forget.
And you know what, sometimes I think
that's what society needs today.
Those moments with dad or mom bonding
and just talking about common sense,
rational everyday things.
I appreciate it to call Alex, you be well.
I'm Ron Anani 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 is the largest online selection
of vehicle parts and accessories.
eBay, things, people, love.
The NFL playoffs are here
and wildcard weekend powered by Verizon is almost through.
Man, it all comes down to this.
The stakes are high, hopes are higher
and everything is on the line.
My goodness!
It's win or go home
and every moment counts on the road to Super Bowl 60.
It's a touchdown!
Wildcard weekend powered by Verizon.
Today at 8 p.m. Eastern, visit watch.nfl.com
for the full schedule.
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All right, the last one today is gonna be an email.
Dave from Kentucky is checking in.
Hey, Ron, I need drive shafts for my 2007 Honda Accord.
200,000 miles.
I can't remember what brand of drive shafts I should install
for value and durability as someone recently recommended.
I've seen some of the prices from the dealer.
The dealer wants over $1100 each
and the local parts house has them for $200.
Do you know if any of the aftermarket parts
are over-manufactured or rebuilt
and there's one brand that is equal to the OEM
or at least 90%.
Thanks for all you do.
Love your radio show, Dave.
Dave, I'll tell you what.
Get down to your local advanced auto parts.
And you know what?
I could talk for hours about the quality or lack of
an aftermarket replacement axles.
And yes, I agree.
A lot of times the OEM manufacturer,
here's a classic example, right?
Here's a 17-year-old vehicle with 200,000 miles on it.
Do you need $2,000 worth of axles
from the manufacturer?
I don't think so.
Advance makes a great line
or carries a great line of axles
that'll be marketed under advanced car quests.
Remember car quest auto parts?
Advance and car quest merged some years back.
Advanced car quest line of axles.
It will likely be a new axle.
It will be a little bit more
than you'll find some of the cheaper stuff
in the aftermarket, but that's okay
because we've had very, very, very good success with them.
They kind of fit that price point and budget
and a very low comeback rate,
probably in the 2% range.
So advanced car quest line of axles available
at your local advanced auto parts store
and I think you'll be very happy with them.
They come complete as sets for each side.
So I appreciate the question, Dave.
I'm Ronanini in the car doctor.
Till the next time, good mechanics aren't expensive.
They're priceless, baby.
See ya.
The NFL playoffs are here
and wildcard weekend powered by Verizon is almost through.
Man, it all comes down to this.
The stakes are high,
hopes are higher and everything is on the line.
My goodness!
It's win or go home
and every moment counts on the road to Super Bowl 60.
It's a touchdown!
Wildcard weekend powered by Verizon.
Today at 8 p.m. Eastern, visit watch.nfl.com
for the full schedule.
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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.
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