Your car battery is what gives the first burst of electricity to start the car. When it gets really hot, the battery can wear out faster and may not have enough power to start the engine.
The starter is the part that actually turns the engine over when you try to start the car. Hot weather can make it less reliable, so the engine may not crank.
A jump pack is a portable battery you can use to start a car when the main battery is dead. You connect it, give the engine a boost, and then the car can start.
A hot soak is when you turn the car off but the engine bay stays super hot for a while. That lingering heat can make electrical parts—like the battery and charging system—more likely to have problems.
Idling means the engine is running while the car isn’t moving. In very hot weather, sitting there with the engine on can keep things under the hood hotter than you want.
Opening the hood lets heat escape from the engine area. When you’re not driving, the engine bay doesn’t get as much natural airflow, so opening the hood can help it cool down.
Heat dissipation just means getting heat out of the engine area. Cars cool down better when air is moving around the engine.
Concept
hot silk
The host is basically saying that when it’s extremely hot, the engine area gets “stuck” hot and everything works harder. That can make starting and charging problems more likely.
This is a Chevrolet Colorado pickup with a small four-cylinder engine and an automatic. The host is talking about a problem where the engine oil and coolant seem to be mixing, which can happen with a head gasket.
The head gasket is a thin seal that keeps the engine’s oil and coolant separated. If it breaks, they can mix, and you may see weird colored goo in the oil.
Term
coolon
I think they meant coolant, the liquid that keeps the engine from getting too hot. They’re saying they don’t seem to be running out of it, even though the oil looks contaminated.
PCV is a system that vents gases from inside the engine back into the intake. If it’s not working right, you can get extra gunk or moisture where it shouldn’t be.
The air cleaner is the part that filters the air going into the engine. Taking it off can give access to other parts underneath it.
Term
VC
“VC” is shorthand for the valve cover area. Oil mist and engine vapors can collect there, and if moisture gets into the system you can see a milky or foamy residue.
Blow-by is when some hot combustion gases sneak past the piston rings and get into the engine’s lower area. Those gases can mix with moisture and oil vapors, which is why you might see a milky or foamy look under the oil cap.
Transmission fluid is the fluid that helps the transmission shift gears smoothly and protects internal parts. If it gets contaminated, shifting can get worse and damage can happen.
The crankcase is the part of the engine where the crankshaft sits and where the oil collects. Checking the dipstick tells you what’s happening in that oil.
Coolant is the fluid that helps keep the engine from overheating. If it ends up in the oil, the oil can’t lubricate properly and the engine can wear out quickly.
Main bearings are part of the engine that hold the crankshaft in place. If the oil gets contaminated, the bearings may not get proper lubrication and can fail, which is very expensive.
“Spin a bearing” means the bearing has failed and can’t hold up under heat and friction. When it happens, it can damage the crankshaft and often requires major engine work.
The blend door is a small flap inside the heating/AC system that mixes hot and cold air. If it’s not moving correctly, the van may not heat or cool the way you expect.
An actuator is the little motor that moves the HVAC flaps inside the dashboard. If it’s failing, the heat/AC controls can act weird until it finally stops working.
The mode door is the flap that decides where air comes out—like the windshield defroster or the floor vents. If it breaks, the airflow direction can stop working.
The heater case is the main housing for the heating system inside the dashboard. If an internal plastic flap breaks, the fix often means replacing the whole housing, not just the flap—so it’s a big job.
Term
VN number
They’re asking for your vehicle’s VIN (vehicle ID number). That helps the dealer pull up the exact parts and diagrams for your specific car, since different trims/options can use different HVAC setups.
In this context, a schematic is a service diagram that shows how the HVAC system’s components and actuators are laid out and connected. Dealers and repair shops use schematics to identify the correct part location and wiring for specific actuator failures.
Term
VN
They’re asking for a vehicle identifier so the dealer can look up the exact diagram for your specific car. That way you don’t get the wrong parts info.
“Serviceable” means you can fix it by replacing just that part. Sometimes you can swap the motor/actuator; other times you have to replace a bigger assembly.
Term
AC
AC means the air conditioning. It uses power to cool the cabin, and in hot weather it matters for how hard the car is working while you’re stopped or idling.
Auto start-stop turns the engine off when you stop, then turns it back on when you’re ready to go. Since it restarts the engine repeatedly, it can be harder on the battery and starter.
A Subaru Forester is a smaller SUV/crossover that’s designed for daily driving and family use. Many models come with all-wheel-drive, which helps when roads are wet or snowy. The podcast mention from a 2021 owner suggests they’re talking about how the car runs and how efficiently it uses fuel.
The Chrysler Pacifica is a family minivan. The host is talking about one that had auto start-stop, and how it seemed to turn off and restart in traffic enough to affect the air conditioning and make them doubt the fuel savings.
Glassmat batteries are a special kind of car battery (AGM) that’s designed to better handle repeated start/stop use. That’s why some newer cars use them instead of the older style battery.
Term
lead acid
Lead-acid is the older, more common type of car battery. It can be less ideal for cars that restart the engine a lot, like with auto start-stop.
Start-and-stop is a feature that turns the engine off when you’re stopped and turns it back on when you start driving again. It can save fuel, but it also makes the battery and starter work more often.
“Engine gunk” just means the oily dirt that collects in the engine area. Cleaner products are made to break that grime up, but you shouldn’t blast the engine with random soap and water.
A self-serve car wash is where you spray the car yourself. Spraying the engine bay with soap and water can be dangerous because water can get into sensitive parts.
Term
engine hot
They suggest warming the engine first so the cleaner can work better. Even then, you should be careful not to spray water or chemicals into electrical parts.
A VCM muzzler is an add-on that changes how a Honda’s engine behaves when it tries to save fuel by shutting off some cylinders. The idea is to keep the engine from spending too much time in that “some cylinders off” mode.
The Honda Odyssey is a family minivan. The discussion here is about a device meant to change how the engine shuts off some cylinders to save fuel, and whether that helps prevent long-term problems.
Cylinder deactivation is a fuel-economy strategy where the engine temporarily shuts off some cylinders during light-load driving. In this segment, Dane explains it as shutting down cylinders at steady speeds or coasting to improve fuel economy, but the caller reports long-term side effects like carbon buildup and oil-burning around the 75,000-mile mark.
A GMC Yukon is a large SUV meant for carrying people and gear, and it can also tow. Cylinder deactivation is a system that can temporarily turn off some parts of the engine when you don’t need full power, to save fuel. You may notice the engine behavior changes depending on driving conditions.
The OBD-II connector is the standard plug under a car’s dash that lets you connect tools to the car’s computer. In this story, someone says you can plug in a device there to affect how the engine’s cylinder deactivation works.
Fuel economy is how many miles you can drive on a gallon of gas (or how much gas you use). The host is saying turning off the fuel-saving feature will likely make you use more gas. So your MPG would probably drop.
“Ten thousand miles” is just the distance interval the host is talking about. The takeaway is: don’t wait for a dashboard warning—check the oil yourself rather than trusting the car’s estimate.
The oil light is a warning on the dashboard that’s supposed to tell you when the engine oil isn’t doing its job. Here, the point is that the light may not come on even when the oil level is getting dangerously low, so you still need to check the oil yourself.
Burning oil means the engine is using up the oil faster than it should. The key problem mentioned here is that the car may not warn you with the oil light even while the oil level is falling.
Oil life is the car’s estimate of when it thinks you should change the oil. It doesn’t tell you how much oil is in the engine right now, so you can’t rely on it if you’re worried about low oil.
Oil level means how much oil is actually in the engine. The host is saying the car’s “oil life” message can look okay, but the oil level can still be low—so you need to check the dipstick.
A dipstick is a simple stick you pull out to check how much oil is in the engine. If the oil is low, you can add more before it causes damage.
Term
VEN number
They’re asking for your vehicle’s ID number so the shop can order the right parts. It helps avoid getting the wrong part for your exact car.
LIVE
Not a phrase.
You got a Mercury.
Ma Chevy to the litty batt Lisa.
Good afternoon, and welcome to the car show on fifty five Carsie.
I'm Dane Donovan.
You're listening to the car show on fifty five carsee again taking your car questions. The number to call five
one three seven four nine fifty five hundred. That number again,
five to one, three seven nine fifty five hundred. I
hope everybody enjoyed their Father's Day weekend. I uh, well,
not unfortunately, but I spent most of my well, I would say, majority of the day at the baseball uh facility.
My son had a was in a tournament, and we did this last Father's Day and and uh uh darn if they don't go all the way to the very end and then lose at the the they came in second.
There were sixteen teams. They came in second. They lost
by three runs. But we're at the ball field from
nine am till six thirty pm. So it was a
long day in the sun. And but you know, it was,
it was, Uh, it was.
I'm sure it.
Will be times that I will remember and never forget, you know, spending Father's Day at the ball field. So
it was it was a good time. So Igat, I
hope everybody enjoyed their Father's Day weekend. So uh again
taking your phone calls and over recall five, one, three, seven.
Four, nine, fifty five hundred. Listen.
I had kind of led up to this, like, as soon as we get into this extreme heat, we're gonna have a lot of car problems. And now is the
time to start thinking about I'm sure you you if you're in your car listening right now, you probably have the air on.
I know I did on my way in.
And you know, the other thing is when when we get these these you know, when we get cold snaps or heat snaps like this. I mean, it's gonna be
extremely hot this week, so make sure again you stay hydrated, make sure that your car is protected, and uh, you know, make sure that your battery.
You know, we when we get heat like.
This, we have a lot of battery problems, starter problems, alternator problems, and you know, uh, you know, we see it a lot. So uh, my middle son, Nolan, is
in a baseball tournament. He had a game at eight
o'clock this morning, he had a game at noon, and he has a game at six. But anyways, my wife
calls me at about about nine thirty this morning and says, hey, my car is dead. I'm at the ballfield. I was
gonna come home and get Declan, but my car won't start.
It's dead as a door now. And she's like, I
don't have anything on. What you know, what? What what
could have happened? I'm like, really, that's you know, that's
what happens with with these vehicles. This extreme heat will
wreak havoc on a battery. So she and again, so
I had to run to work at the jump pack and uh rescuer go out there and jumper and the battery only had ten and a half volts, so it was low and it wasn't she didn't have anything on.
But you know when a battery or an alternator or a starter, you know, when you're driving in these types of this type of heat and you stop and you know, you just shut the car off and go do your thing, go to the game. Right, Well, your car does what's
called a hot soak, right, so all that heat is just you know, it's just trapped and underneath that hood, right, so it again it wreaks havoc on your starters, your.
Alternators, and your batteries.
If you have the ability, and I was doing it today at the game, if you have the buildy if you're gonna sit especially if you're idling your vehicle, if you're gonna idle your vehicle. I saw several mothers at
the baseball game who were just sitting in their car and it was running.
Okay, there's nothing.
Wrong with that, but all that heat because the car you're not driving, right, so all that heat is just trapped.
So it's really really not good for the cars.
You know, if you're gonna run the car for ten fifteen minutes, okay, but if you're gonna sit there. I
saw a mother, you know, I was in our car for I want to say, forty five minutes. You know
that that's really really hard on all the components.
Of the vehicle.
Right, So if you have the building, if you're sitting in your car and you're gonna idle it right, do yourself a favor. And if you want to prolong the
life of your start, of your alternator, your battery, and just the components underneath the hood, pop your hood, open it up. Let that heat dissipate, let that heat get out.
So my wife's car was idling. I had her hood
up my car, my truck. I just I had just
parked it, but I just I lifted the hood and just lifted. Nothing's you know, nothing's gonna hurt. It's not
gonna hurt anything. But you want to dissipate that heat
when it's as hot as it is, because again it's what's called a hot silk, and everything's just bacon in that heat. You know, it's ninety five degrees outside or
ninety close to close to ninety and your car running at you know, two hundred degrees and all that heat's just trapped. So if you have the availability and you
know how to pop that hood, just leave it open while you're sitting at your son's game or wherever you're doing it. And again, if you're idling it, pop the
hood and uh, let that heat get out there.
Okay.
Now, obviously if you're driving, it's fine because you've got the airflow, you get the you know, so it's something to think about. But again I talked about it, and
I was leading up to it. Now's the time that
you know we're gonna get I'm sure on Monday we're gonna get a tremendous amount of vehicles that are broke down with the vehicles not starting or alternator's not working, or again the cars won't start because the batters can't handle this type of heat. So you need to make
sure that your car is ready, especially if you're going on a trip. You know, it's where the first day
of summer I believe was yesterday, and you know, so.
Welcome to summer, Welcome to Cincinnati weather.
Right, it was like, you know, seventies eight, you know, seventies it was pretty warm, and all of a.
Sudden, boom, here we are we rid in one hundred degree heat.
And uh so, if you don't like the weather in Cincinnati, wait ten minutes, it'll change for sure. So again I'm
taking your phone calls, and never call five one three seven four nine fifty five hundred. That number again, five
one three seven nine fifty five hundred. Let's go to
the phones we have. Is it Roscoe? Hey, I don't
think great. Hey, thanks for the phone call. How can
I help?
Thanks for taking my call too? Two thousand and nine
Chevy Colorado four cylinder automatic decent knowledge aboute hundred thousand.
I'm driven at about ten thousand miles. I keep an
eye on my oil and stuff. About a month ago,
I pulled a dipstick and I got the dreaded brown goo all over it, light brown chocolate, caramel colored goo all over.
My dipstick, and I know what that's supposed to be.
Right off the bat. Oh my gosh, I've got blowe
head gasket. But the thing never runs hot, doesn't overheat,
so I think, well, I'm just gonna keep on driving a little bit watching it. So I've driven it for
probably one hundred two three hundred miles on it, and I'm not using up any inner freeze. I never go
past halfway on the temperature gage. But every time I
check my oil, I've still got that Brandon that meat caramel colored brown goo all over it. I saw somewhere
said maybe the pbcval PC of Evalve was bad, so I'm trying to find it. They said take off the
air cleaner. So I take off that air cleaner off
the top, and it's probably got two cups of this brown, gooey water in it. I kind of check it out closely.
It's not any freeze, you know, it's not slippery, it's not oily or smelly. It's just brown water. So, but
there's like two cups in there, So I'm stumped. I
took it to one shop and he kept it for a while and said, oh, we just need to rebuild the motor for four thousand dollars, and I said, truck's not worth that. But he charged me one hundred and
eighty dollars for his opinion. But I don't think that's
quite what it is.
So what do you think?
I mean, typically, if coolon is introduced to the oil, it's gonna be a white, cloudy type. It's gonna be
cloudy and white, not necessarily brown and gooey.
I mean, what when.
You you said you're not using any type, You're not using any coolant.
Correct, it's not I'm not losing any coolant.
Correct.
And it overheats, doesn't over hit, blowing any smoke out the tailpipe.
Okay.
And then this that you said when you took the intake off, it was kind of where what you said there was two cups or how much fluid?
Probably yeah, probably easy twelve ounces in the air cleaner the plastic box. And I took it off the which
is on the top of the valve cover. I took
that off a good feel or something slashing around it, so I tilted it and poured it all out, and it was just you know, milk, you know, like when it looked like root beer water coming out of it. Jeezus,
stuff online. Let's say say something about it's coming up
through the VC PIEC of E valves something like that.
That possible, No, I don't think so.
No.
I mean the PCV valve, all it does is it acts as a vent so it's just PCD stands for positive crank ventilation, So all it does is vent the engine.
So I know the PCV valve wouldn't cause that. I mean,
I believe Here's what I think. I don't think if
you're not using a type of cool and it's not overheating, I think most likely you've got moisture in the air. Right,
So if moisture is being introduced to the intake hose or possibly the PCV valve or a lot of times, like if you take your oil cap off, A lot of times you'll take your oil cap off and look underneath it and you just see this white, cloudy substance that just means moisture has been introduced.
So it could literally just be that.
Air is getting in there where there's more Obviously there's moisture in the air, and it's just being introduced to You may have what's called a little bit of blow by, right, so you're the oil is blow and past the rings and it can make it up through the intake into the the intake hose. I think personally that it's just
being introduced to air that has moisture in it, which would cause white cloudy, kind of foamy type, maybe even like what you described as kind of kind of a brown soupy kind of system.
But I don't think it's cool.
And if it's not overheating and you're not using coolant, now that doesn't necessarily I mean, do you know if you have coolant or oil cooler lines going to the radiator?
Do you know if you have those or not? I
mean every year making model a little bit different.
I could tell if I pop the hood, But if you pop your hood and look down the sides of the radiator, you're gonna see lines that go in. You'll
have an inlet and an outlet. Usually you'll have one
for oil, one for transmission fluid. You know, if you
have those, I.
Know how to check it. I had that happen once speak.
I don't know if this vehicle has, but I've had that happen before where I was getting oil into mi ani freeze through those lines. What doesn't it does not
show up in the crank case and that in that situation.
When you check, yeah, correct, when you check your dipstick, are you getting that white cloudy type?
I mean definitely not white no, no, white cloud or foamy is just absolutely like a caramel melted caramel milks, you know, milkshake type consistency, very very clear, distinctive, and there's a lot of it. It almost displaces the oil.
It's hard, pretty hard to check what my oil level is.
It kind of displaces it.
Right, Okay, well no, I mean.
It sounds like, yeah, potentially you could have I mean, you could have a a head gasket issue where there it's just introducing a little bit. It doesn't take much.
To be honest with you, I really would need to see it. But I mean it does sound like coolan
is being introduce. It doesn't take much. But the problem
is is if coolant's introduced, you know, that that coolant will run through the main bearings and it could spin a bearing. I mean it most likely he's gonna need
an engine. I would need to see it. I mean,
you're welcome, it says here. You're in Florence, You're not
too far from me. I mean, if you want to
swing it by, I'll let me just check your dipstick.
I would, I physically would need to see it. But
it does sound like coolant's being introduced to that oil, which is not good, and it probably would need to be replaced. But if or if you could, I mean
check the dipstick, take a picture of it and email it to me. And if I can see it just
on a photo instead of saving your time having to drive all the way to me. If you want to
tech or email it to me, I'd be more and happy to take a look at it for you, Okay.
I I'll be glad to bring I know where you are.
Be glad to bring it up there?
Yeah, bring it.
I like to sell this truck. It runs great, everything
is really nice about it, low miles, but she can't.
There's no way to sell it. Let me pull the
dips stick out and see all that. I understand you, Carmel,
They're not gonna they're not gonna believe my.
Story, right right, Yeah, bring it up. I'll be more
happy to take a look at it for you. I'd
love to do that.
Thanks very much for thank you for helping you.
Sho.
Absolutely take care, have a great weekend, all right. Taking
your phone calls and number to call five one, three, seven, four nine. Fifty five hundred phone lines were wide open.
Coming up. We have John. You're listening to the car
show on fifty five KRC the talk station.
This is fifty five KRC and iHeartRadio station.
Your car isn't just a machine, it's your daily partner, and with new cars becoming more expensive than ever, smart maintenance for your current vehicle just makes sense.
Hi.
I'm Dane Donovan, third generation owner at Donovan's Auto entire Center.
That's why at.
Donovan's we give you everything you need and nothing you don't, honest expert service to keep your car running longer. Donovan's
Auto entire Center Cincinnati's honest choice for auto repairs.
That's nineteen fifty eight.
Three locations in Blue Ash, pleasant Ridge and our new location near Xavier. Donovan's Auto form find yours at donovantire
dot com.
We may not hold ways to agree, but we can agree on one thing.
Fifty five KRC is the talkstation taking your car questions.
The number to call five one, three, seven, four nine A fifty five hundred. Again, the phone lines are wide open,
promised to get you in and get you taken care of.
So again I mentioned at the beginning of the show, it's extremely hot. You need to make sure that your
AC is charged, You've got your fluids topped off, your air pressure, and you know again, getting the battery, the altnator starter, getting all those parts checked. Now, I will
tell you that if a starter or an altnator is working, I can have I can test it today. It can
work today and then stop working tomorrow. That can happen,
same as your battery.
You know.
My wife again, I had to rescue her. I had
to go all the way out to my son's baseball game because her car wouldn't start because the battery was just completely done. She's like, I didn't leave anything on
and I'm She's like, I don't know what I did.
I'm like, you didn't do anything, I said, it just the extreme heat. We can't cause that so, and the
battery's not that old. Son. Even I working on vehicles
have car problems. Okay, so it happens, right, We all
have car problems. So, but that's why I'm here every
Saturday to answer your car questions and to try to help you and guide you, uh and give you the best advice that I possibly can. So again, then number
to call five one, three seven nine fifty five hundred.
Let's go to John. Hey, John, welcome to the car show.
How can I help?
Hey? Dan Nol?
Are you?
I'm great? How are you warm enough for you?
Oh?
Yeah, yeah.
I tried to hide in the shade at my son's baseball game and I still was sweating bullets.
So well, hey, that stinks. Anyhow, I'm working on a
twenty thirteen E two fifty work band and the blend door for the air conditioner. One day at work, the
next day at don't We've put in the actuator and all the everything. You know, it's got the vacuum to it,
and if you beat on the dashboard just right, it maybe wants to start working a little bit. But is
there an easy way to get to it or fix it?
I mean, I don't everything I've read says.
What you said, you have replaced.
It the actuator.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's just like right under the passenger side floorboard.
It's just bolt right in there. And yeah, which I
guess it hooks to the door of the glendor.
Well, you know, I.
Don't know if there's something wedged in there or what.
I don't you know everything I read you got to take the whole dashboard out.
Well, yeah, it depends because you have uh, what's called a mode door actuator. That's what gives you your defrost,
your vent or your floor.
You've got a bron door actuator.
That's what's that's what controls the heat in the in the in the cold.
Right, So did you you're in you know so?
And then if you've got does it have dual climate control?
Does it have you know, passenger and driver's side?
No?
No, No, it's just a word van, you know, just a single one. Did you didn't know there was two
different actuators?
Oh?
Absolutely?
Yeah.
So you've got a mode door actuator and again that's going to switch your mode to defrost vent or floor.
And then you're gonna have your blend door actuator, which again blends the air. You're hot, you're cold. You want
to make sure that you replaced the right actuator. Could
you have potentially done the mode door, not the blend door.
I've done the easy one. Does that count?
That's funny?
Yeah, I don't.
I don't know which one.
It was just the one that you know, you google it and Amazon delivered it and it's like, oh here, this bolts right in and it didn't do nothing for it.
So okay, So what I would recommend is you want to make sure that you replace the right actuator. Two,
what what potentially can happen to is the that what we call the door, right, the door that opens and closes.
It's plastic. That actuator operates that door.
What a lot of what will happen a lot of times too, is that door, that plastic door will break.
So a lot of times the actuators will break and they'll just keep moving, trying.
To move and move and move and move and the door until it breaks. The door.
Now, the problem with the problem with that is you can't replace the door. You have to replace the whole
heater case, which involves the entire dash coming out, which.
It's thousands much fun. No, it's thousands.
When when you're done, the only thing that's left is the the windshield.
That's it. Everything else has to come out. It's a
very very big job.
But what what I would recommend is we need to locate exactly which what you said, it's the heat right or the.
Air conditioning the air conditioner, yeah, sir, okay, So we want to make sure that blows. It blows there out
to defrost and then like some days that it blows it out the vents, and then other days that don't at all. So I don't know.
Yeah, we need to locate is it does the actuator itself make any type of noise, a clicking or anything.
Nook and you can push the switches back and forth and it just keeps blowing out of the defroster at the top.
Okay, So does the air conditioning ever not work? So
the air so the air conditioning does work.
Yeah, it blows cold air. If that just don't blow
it out the little round vents on the deskboard. It
blows it out up at the windshield.
Okay, So you need a mode door actuator.
So maybe you replace the blend door actuator and you need a mode door actuator.
That's what it's sounding like.
Yeah, so you need to locate.
So what I would tell you to do is you call you know, obviously you can call me. I don't
know exactly every year making model is going to be different.
So typically what I do on my end is I'll call the dealer and I say, hey, I need You'll call the dealer.
You give me your VN number.
All they need is the last eight digits of the vent and you just say, hey, I need a blow up of all of the actuators. Some vehicles have up
to they can have two all the way up to six actuators because if you've got you know, dual climbing and so on and so forth. Right, So you want
to call the dealer and or you can call me on Monday at work and give me your VN and I'll call the dealer and we can locate exactly where those actuators are.
Some of them. Most of them are serviceable.
You take the glove box or a lot of times the mode door might be on the driver's side, or the blend door might be on the passenger side.
Yeah, the one we replaced was on the passenger SIDDE.
So maybe you replace the blend door actuator and you need to replace the sounds. Like if it's only blown
out of the vent, you need to replace the blend door actuator. They're two different. So we need to find
out where the mode door actuator is. So if you
call the dealer, give them the last eight digits and your VN and just say, hey, I need a what's called a schematic. I need a schematic of all the
actuators in the heater case.
And and then you tell in the heater case in the.
Heater case, yes, you say, I need a schematic on the actuators mode door or all the actuators for the heater case.
And you know I can do it for you really quickly.
If you want to call me on Monday, give me your last eight digits of your vent, I'll call the dealer and I can locate it for.
You to tell you where it's at.
Sometimes they're serviceable and you can replace them. Sometimes you're
pulling the desk regardless.
All right, So I don't know that it's an old word van, I don't know if it's worth all that.
You know what I mean, right? I just feel like
you feel the cold air blown out. It's like, man,
can we just get this ere where we can use it?
Yeah, you need a mode door actuator. So if you
want to call me on Monday, I'll be at work.
Just it's just when you call, when you call, ask My guy said, hey, listen, I talked to Dana on the on the radio show on Saturday.
He asked me to call.
Make sure you have your life eight digit the then and I'll get it for you and I'll help you out.
Right, all right, I appreciate that.
Hi, John, all right, all right, take care, good weekend, stay cool. Huh bye bye, all.
Right again, taking your phone calls and a recall five one, three, seven, four nine, fifty five hundred.
The phone lines are wide open. Coming up. We have Patty.
You're listening to the car show on fifty five KRC, the talk station.
Do you have a.
Truck, camper, r V or trailer that needs body repair?
If so, call Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair located just All five seventy five or Route sixty three.
It's convenient to both Cincinnati and Dayton.
With over thirty years of experience including insurance work and fleetwork.
Franks knows the most important things are quality work and customer satisfaction. Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair prides themselves from
doing the job right and get in your vehicle back on the road. Call five one three eight two nine
ninety thirty eight two nine ninety thirty.
Taking your car questions the number to call five one three seven nine to fifty five one hundred. I'm Dan
Donovan from Donovan's Auto entire Center and you can always find your nearest location at donovantire dot com. Here every
Saturday again to answer your car questions. As I've reiterated
multiple times, you know, third generation business owner, love what I do. We've been in the Cincinnati mainly pleasant Ridge
area for going on almost sixty eight years. I think
sixty nine years and I'll have to do the math, but don't hold me to that. But anyways, again, I'm
here to help you out. So you know, don't ever
feel like, oh I don't want to ask that question, or it's a silly question or just stupid. No, That's
what I'm here for. I'm here to we don't It
doesn't always have to be so technical. It could just
be Hey, Dane, and I've mentioned just a million times.
Hey Dane, how how often should I change more oil?
You know, there's always mass confusion as when we should be doing it right and or Hey Dane, I'm getting ready to go on a long road trip. What should
I be looking for? What should I do? And again,
let's not wait till the last minute. You know, we
I know, we get busy in our lives, but far too often it happens all the time where people are going on a trip and they want to bring their card to me a day or two before.
It's not enough time.
Because if I have to do any type of major repair, let's say a wheel bearing or breaks or a tune up or something, you want to give it at least a week or two of driving the vehicle to make sure there isn't anything that pops up right. And so
you want to give yourself ample time. Again, we're in
the midst. It was the first day of summer. We're
in the midst of going on summer vacations, and if you're traveling, you need to make sure that you're thinking about it and getting that vehicle in now and checking it and getting it ready for summer and again, make sure your breaks are taken care of your tires, your fluids, make sure your AC's working properly.
Right, and.
Again I reiterated earlier in the beginning of the show that you know, if you're sitting at a ballgame, like you know I was earlier today and the cars sitting in there, you know, and you're idling it and you're sitting in the air conditioning, I get it. It's hot.
Pop that hood, leave it open. Make sure that heat
can can dissipate, you know. It's It's something that's so simple,
and it should prolong the life of all the plastics and the rubbers underneath that hood, right, so you're not just keeping that heat trapped in there. So all right, again,
taking your phone calls and overcall five one, three, seven, nine fifty five hundred.
We're going to go back to the phones. So we
have Patty. Hey, Patty, welcome to the car show. How
can I help?
Hi, Dane.
I have a twenty twenty one Subaru Forrester, and I've been listening to you talk about high temperatures and drain on battery and my subers got the auto start stop feature that shuts off the engine when it comes to a complete stop to save fuel. Blah blah blah. Do
you recommend turning that off? I know it's a temporary
turnoff on my car, But should I turn it off?
Leave it on?
Or I would absolutely turn it off if you have the So if you have the ability to turn that auto start, I know that I know that when you start the car, you're gonna have to. I know it's
kind of a nuisance. You gotta put the butt push
the button every time. But if you have an auto
art auto you know, stop and start, and you have the ability to turn it off, yes, I would recommend turning it off because it puts a tremendous strain on your starter, and it puts a tremendous strain on your battery, right because that car, you know, your car is starting and stopping a tremendous amount more times. Right, So then
you're replacing your starter quicker, you're replacing your battery start, or you're replacing your battery sooner. Uh so, yes, absolutely,
I recommend anybody that has the auto all, you know, the auto start stop, if you have the ability to turn it off, turn it off. Uh you know, I
had the probably about two years ago, we were down in Florida and we rented I think it was a PACIFICA or whatnot, and it had that auto art auto start stop, and you know, it would shut off and then it was you know, Florida, it's ninety five degrees, you know, and then all of a sudden, the air is not working, and then it would auto start right back up for thirty seconds. I'm like, how much gas
did I really save in thirty seconds? Or you know,
you just put a lot more stress on your starter and a lot more stress on your battery. So I
think it's a little bit. I understand that they're trying
to save gas, but I don't see any benefit to it.
All I see is that it's going to cost you more money down the road. The amount of money it's
gonna cost you replace the battery and the starter, you're you're not gonna get back from the gas savings. So
if you have the ability to turn it off, I would turn it off.
Great question, Great question, Thank you very much.
You're OK.
You're very welcome. I have a great day.
You know, I just don't stand by that feature. I'm
telling you these starters. Initially when it came out me
just being naive and just not having the knowledge at the time. I'm like, oh, maybe there's like a second
starter right now, it's your the starter that starts that car every time. So you think about you start your car,
let's just say twice a day. Let's just say you
drive it to work and back from home. Right, that's twice, right,
But if you have to start stop and you're in traffic, your startering your battery just work. You know, probably tenfold, right,
ten to fifteen times your car start and stopped. A
starter nowadays, I mean they used to be a couple hundred bucks. They're now thousand, you know, not thousands, but
I mean you're looking at twelve hundred and fifteen hundred dollars for a starter installed a battery.
Got a guy not too long ago, it's like, oh, I remember when batteries were thirty five bucks. Well they're not.
You know, some of these newer cars they have a GM batteries where they're glassmat batteries or not lead acid.
They're a lot more expensive.
And then you've got some of your hiring cars, your Mercedes, your BMW's, your Volvos, they have two batteries, one to run the electronics one to start and stop the car.
And uh, I mean I just put a battery in a Mercedes not too long ago, six hundred and fifty dollars just to put a battery in your car.
So if you can prolong the life of your battery and.
Turn and have the ability to turn that that start stop off, absolutely do it. Yeah, I'm telling you, it's
the amount of gas that you're you know, especially in this heat, when it's ninety five degrees and you shut you know, you come to a stop and it shuts off and then all of a sudden, thirty seconds later it starts back up.
How much gas? Did you really say?
No, you just put a tremendous amount of stress on that starter, in that battery. So if you have the ability, again,
it was a great question, turn it off.
If you can't, so U A guy that one of my.
Drivers that works for me, he tells his wife to turn it off every single time too, because it's a it can become pretty costly. So all right, let's go
back to the phones we have Joel, Hey, Joel, welcome to the car show.
How can I help?
Well, I can't build, but you just answered my question.
My first question was about the starter is not lasting on these cars that click on next to you and freak you out. Yeah, but you answered that, so that's great.
And now you told me I could wash my engine with like gunk or something and you know, rent it off.
What if I go to one of these self car washes and give it a blast of soap and then water.
Is that? Okay?
No, I wouldn't, that's.
No, so what I what I would recommend again, the can of engine gunk is probably you know, less and less in ten bocks.
Okay.
What you want to do is you want to start the car. I mean, if you let it run, get
it hot. You want you want that engine hot. Okay,
it cleans that that engine gun's gonna clean. That soap
is just kind of designed to get rid of dirt.
But you want the grease, the oil, you want that all things.
Mostly just it's mostly just browned up all over, Okay, I mean, but only oil is around where I fill it and I spill it.
Yeah, I mean.
I would just do it. I would just get a cannon.
I wouldn't do the soap from the from the car wash.
I I really wouldn't, because again that soap has detergent in it, and it's gonna you know, it might clean it and make it look nice, but that detergent's gonna basically collect more dust and it's gonna stick to it. Right,
So you want to decrease the engine and get all of the grease and out of it. So you know,
so by just buy it's like I said, it's less than ten bucks. Get the engine hot, normal operating temperature,
open up the hood if you could leave it running, and you want to spray that whole engine, and then while it's running, you want to let that when.
You spray that degrease are all over the vehicle. You
want it running, and get your garden hose.
I wouldn't recommend high pressure, Like if you go to the car wash and do it and use that high pressure, that that water is going to get into your your you know, your spark plug tubes and get into connectors.
You don't want that. You want to load pressure, so
you just want to use your garden hose. Do it
in your driveway or you know, load pressure.
My driveway's asphalt. I don't want it running into the street,
and I need to find a place where I.
Use that yeah, I mean.
Because I can't use my gruge.
Yeah, I mean if you want to use, if you want to use the car wash, that's fine. But if
you're gonna use the high pressure, don't get close up.
You want to be step back and you want it just to you want to rinse it off.
You don't want to.
You know, a lot of people have the tendency to like, you know, you're not pressure washing here, You're you're just wanting to get it wet and get that degreaser ran off.
So uh, but now I wouldn't use the soap at the car wash. Just get a hand.
It's called it's made by Gunk. It's called engine degreaser.
It's made by Gunk. That's what we use. That's what
I recommend.
I used it. I used it fifty years ago.
It's still a great product.
So all right, Oh right, nik Joel, take care of having that one.
I would just want to run up those starters lasted very long, and they.
Don't you cut the life in half. If not by thanks.
By me and my wife will be proud to know that.
All right, we'll take care of have a great weekends, stay cool. So all right again, taking your phone calls
and number to call five one, three, seven four nine fifty five hundred coming up.
We have Susan. You're listening to the.
Car show on fifty five krc D talk station. Your
car isn't just a machine, it's your daily partner. And
with new cars becoming more expensive than ever, smart maintenance for your current.
Vehicle just makes sense.
Hi, I'm Dane Donovan, third generation owner at Donovan's Auto entire Center. That's why at Donovan's we give you everything
you need and nothing you don't. Honest expert service to
keep your car running longer. Donovan's Auto entire Center Cincinnati's
honest choice for auto repairs. That's nineteen fifty eight three
locations in Blue ash Ridge in our new location near Xavier, Donovan's Auto form find yours at donovantire dot com taking.
Your car questions.
The number to call five one, three fifty five hundred. Again,
Dane Donovan here from Donovan's Auto entire Center. And I
hope everybody's staying cool. Make sure you stay hydrated again.
My middle son has three baseball games today and uh at he won his first one. I have not been
updated on the score of the second game. It's still
going on, and then we have one at six o'clock.
So Oka, if you're out there, got your kids out there playing ball, make sure they stay hydrated as well.
So all right, let's go back to the phones. We
have Susan. Hey, Susan, Welcome to the car show. How
can I help?
Hi, Dane. I appreciate you being here working through all
these car issues. Your games there, Yeah.
Thank you.
My question is with regard to a twenty five Conda to see touring, and I thought it was going to be a turnkey vehicle, but I'm finding out through various chat groups and whatnot that there's some potential maintenance issues that need to be addressed that I didn't anticipate. What
I'm calling about today is a VCM muzzler on installing it on Odyssey, and I'm hoping that I'm explaining this right, but I'm sure you'll clarify if I'm not. And that
is something an aftermarket product that is installed so that these spark plugs don't get all dunked up and cause a bunch of problems later in the life of the car, like around seventy five thousand miles or after. Are you
aware of this, and is this something that you recommend?
Okay, So you're talking about the cylinder deactivation where the car will shut down certain cylinders so it gets better fuel economy.
Yes, is that what you're okay? So yeah, so I
am aware of it.
So my wife's vehicle is a GMC Yukon and what they call it is cylinder deactivation. So a lot of
these vehicles for a fuel economy, what they'll do is they have a s what they call cylinder deactivation, So as you're driving down the highway or if you're coasting at forty miles an hour, it'll shut down cylinders so that you get better fuel economy. But what happens is, yes,
that's correct, it will build up a lot of carbon and it'll start eventually get but about seventy five thousand miles it'll start burning oil.
It is a very it's a headache. It is a problem.
Now I know that GM has one where you just it's a it's a computer. It's a small little computer
that you plug into what's called the OBD two connector.
It's underneath the dash and it.
Already has the software and it all you do is you plug it in and it basically deactivates that system.
You don't have to do any type of programming or anything.
You plug it in and it deactivates that whole that whole system. Now are you going to go Is your
fuel economy gonna go down?
Yes? It will.
But in my opinion, if you want to get if you want to prolong the life of your vehicle, I would recommend doing that and doing that what we call cylinder deactivation.
M okay, And and does this do you know if this effects the warranty on the vehicle.
So the the little the computer that you buy again, it's plugged into the ob two connectors underneath the dash, so.
It's you're not putting any software in the vehicle.
So if you you know, if you take it to the dealer, just unplug it and they'll have no they'll have no knowledge of you having that in there.
I see. And is it necessary to do it firmier
or can I wait? Like I mean, I only have
ten thousand miles on this vehicle? Can I wait until
like say seventy five or sixty or something like that later?
And then yeah you can wait? Yeah you can wait.
I mean there's no real like signs to it. I mean,
I think the sooner you do it, the better you'll be, the better off you'll be. Okay, So, I mean I
have one on my wife's car because I unfortunately had to replace her, you know, rebuild her engine already once at one hundred thousand miles because because that silly cylinder deactivation and there's just no way around it other than you get this device.
Now. I found hers on Amazon. You might want to
do a little bit of research.
I would buy a quality product. Make sure, I mean
I did my research. Make sure you buy a good
quality product that has I mean, you don't want to just you know, you're not going to find one a gas station. But I'm just saying you don't want to
buy one from a gas station is hook it up?
You want to do your research. There's gonna be people
out there that have that ability, and it's gonna be a little bit of a better quality, right, So do your research. I'm not saying you have to buy one
from ams on. There's other people out there that make them,
but no, at ten thousand miles. No, you don't have
to rush out and do something right now. But I
think the earlier you do it, probably the better off you'll be. And just make sure that you're checking the
oil regularly. Far too often these cars start burning oil.
Nobody knows. Everybody assumes that there's gonna be a light
that pops on that tells you that your car's low on oil.
But they don't ever. They never come on.
Never, Okay.
I mean I I have cars that come in.
I have Hannas come in almost daily that come in and I'll pull a half a court oil out of them.
They're supposed to hold five courts and I'll pull a half a court.
No oil light. The oil lights don't come on.
Wow, that's scary.
So if it's just make sure you're checking I know, ten thousand miles like you shouldn't have to, and I'm not saying you need to right now, but just being aware and conscious.
You know, everybody sits there and.
You know focuses on, well, my car says I've got ten percent life left. That's fine. That does not indicate
how much oil is in the car. That just tells
you the life right, So everybody has this pre notion.
It's like, oh I got twenty five percent left, I'm good.
And then the car has the car has no oil in it. That's just the oil life. That's not the
oil level, right, So you want to make quantity correct.
So I always tell everybody, don't people become complacent and focus on what the car, what the car says. The
car's not going to tell you it's low on oil.
It never will. They're supposed to, but they don't. I'm
telling you that right now. I what I've always been
and we've we should have never got away from it is just focusing on your sticker. The oil should be
changed every five thousand miles. I don't care what the
car says. I don't care what the guy who sold
it to you says. I don't care. You don't even
have to listen to me. But I'm telling you I
have a brand new car. I changed my oil on
my own vehicle every five thousand miles. That's what you
should be doing. I don't might might When I bought
my truck, they said, oh, change it every ten thousand the oils and they said in severe, severe, in severe.
Conditions, change it at seventy five hundred.
I'm not listening to the manufacturer or the I'm gonna change it at five thousand. Have a I have a
little Hona Civik that I've had for twenty five years.
I've changed the oil on that car every three thousand miles and that thing is running strong. So, uh, nine
out of ten times when I have to have a phone call or a conversation with somebody who their car is dead and I'm like, hey, listen, unfortunately your car needs an engine, nine out of ten times it's because it doesn't have any oil in it. So focus on
the sticker every five thousand make sure you're just checking it right.
Just not not every time, just maybe once a month.
Just pop the.
Hood, check the dipstick, just make sure it's full, and you will get three hundred thousand miles out of that vehicle.
And if you can do that cylinder deactivation thing, you'll be in great shape, all right.
And the cylinder deactivation, is that something that that I can have done in a shop such as yours or I mean, I'm not real handy with this kind of stuff.
And I understood what you said about you know, it's pretty easy deal to do. But is that something that
can be done in a shop if I if I bring it in or yeah, okay, yeah, absolutely, okay, And would you guys, get the part.
Or I could get the part for you.
Yeah, yeah, just call mek uh if you if you So, I'm at Auto form So I'm at Donovan's Auto four and uh huh just call me and uh, I'll need your VEN number, but call me just when you call it, just say hey. I spoke with Dane on the radio
show on Saturday. He asked me to call and then
I just need your VEN number and uh I can order it for you.
You can swing on by and yeah, I can do it for you.
Not a problem, fantastic.
All right, thanks, have a great weekend. Uh huh, take
care bye bye.
All right, what great great questions, man, phenomenal, awesome, love it and man, just keep them coming next week so uh again, I'll be back next week to answer all of your car questions.
Hear I have here.
My son did win a second game, so we have a third game at six o'clock. So everybody, enjoy the weekend,
stay cool, stay hydrated. I'll be back next weekend to
answer all of your questions. You're listening to the Car
Show fifty five k r c D talk station
About this episode
Extreme summer heat kicks off the show, with Dane warning that “as soon as we get into this extreme heat” drivers can see more battery, starter, and alternator failures—especially after shutdown when “all that heat is… trapped and underneath that hood” (hot soak). He recommends practical heat management like opening the hood during idling. Calls then shift to diagnosing oil/coolant mixing and HVAC actuator issues, plus advice on disabling auto start-stop, engine bay cleaning, and cylinder deactivation devices via OBD-II.
As summer is about to kick off, the heat is on, and so are the car troubles. This week's episode of the car show is all about staying cool and keeping your vehicle running smoothly in the scorching temperatures. From battery woes to engine maintenance, our host is here to guide you through the dos and don'ts of summer car care.
In this episode, Dane shares some valuable tips on how to protect your car from the extreme heat, including the importance of popping the hood and letting the heat dissipate when idling. He also discusses the potential pitfalls of auto start-stop technology and how it can put a strain on your starter and battery. Plus, he tackles a listener's question about a mysterious brown goo in their oil and offers advice on how to diagnose and fix the issue.
Dane also answers a question about a 2013 Ford F-150's blend door actuator and provides guidance on how to locate and replace the correct part. Additionally, he recommends turning off the auto start-stop feature on newer vehicles to prolong the life of the starter and battery. And he shares a tip on how to clean your engine with a degreaser but warns against using high-pressure washes.
If you're planning a road trip or just want to ensure your car is ready for the summer heat, tune in to this episode for expert advice and tips on how to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Dane is here to help you navigate the world of car maintenance and repair, so don't miss this informative episode!
