The Ford F-150 is a very common Ford pickup truck. This episode is talking about a recall letter for it, because the transmission might shift unexpectedly into a lower gear.
A “lower gear” means the transmission selects a gear ratio that typically increases engine RPM and engine braking. If it happens suddenly due to a fault, it can change how the truck accelerates and slows down, which is why it’s often addressed urgently in recalls.
A recall letter is a message from the car maker saying there’s a safety problem with your vehicle. It tells you what risk it could cause and what you should do next—often bringing the car in for a fix or sometimes stopping driving until it’s repaired.
The transmission is the part that helps the car shift gears and send power to the wheels. If a recall mentions the transmission, it usually means there’s a problem that could make the car act dangerously or get damaged if you keep driving.
A stop driving order means the car maker is telling you not to drive the vehicle for now. They do this when they think the problem could be dangerous before they have the repair ready.
Sometimes a recall is issued before the repair is ready. In those cases, the company sends warnings and tells you what to do until they have the parts or the fix, and they may even tell you to stop driving if the danger is high.
Overdrive is a “cruise” gear that helps the engine run slower when you’re driving steadily. If your car unexpectedly drops out of that gear, it can be a sign something in the transmission isn’t working right.
First gear is the “lowest” gear and it’s meant for getting moving from a stop. If the car unexpectedly drops into first while you’re driving, it can jerk or slow you down abruptly, which can be unsafe.
High idle just means the engine is spinning faster than normal while the car is sitting still. A little extra idle is normal when it’s cold, but if it stays high for minutes, something may be dirty or not adjusting correctly.
Your 2022 Subaru Outback can idle faster when it’s cold, to warm things up. But if it stays high for too long, it can be caused by gunk on the throttle body, which affects how the engine controls idle speed.
Emission system cleaning is a service meant to remove gunk that can build up in parts that control exhaust pollution. The host also mentions doing throttle cleaning/relearning afterward so the engine runs right again.
CRC is a brand that makes engine-cleaning products. The “GDI service kits” are meant to help clean deposits in engines that inject fuel directly, and the host uses them as part of a cleaning routine before adjusting the throttle settings.
Reprogramming here means the car’s computer is updated so it knows how the throttle is behaving. After cleaning, the computer may need to relearn the correct idle settings.
Carbon buildup is gunk that collects inside the engine’s air path over time. If it builds up on the throttle body, it can make the valve not move smoothly, which can cause the engine to idle too high.
“Battery goes dead” refers to the battery voltage dropping low enough that the car may not start, often after leaving loads like interior lights or headlights on. The discussion links this to battery life and reserve capacity, implying that deep discharge followed by recharge can significantly reduce usable capacity over time.
Reserve capacity is basically how long your battery can keep going before it’s too weak to start the car. Think of it like “how many minutes of usable power” you have. If it’s lower, leaving lights on or draining the battery once can make it die again quickly.
AGM batteries are a type of car battery that uses a special internal material to hold the battery fluid. They tend to handle repeated draining and recharging better than some older-style batteries. That’s why people often choose them for cars that get lots of stop-and-go or frequent battery cycling.
Deep-cycle means the battery is built to be drained more than a little bit, then charged back up, multiple times. Regular car batteries are usually not meant for that kind of heavy draining. Deep-cycle designs are more tolerant of it.
A lead-acid battery is the standard type of car battery most people think of. It’s mainly meant to provide a strong burst of power to start the engine, not to be drained a lot and recharged repeatedly. If you do drain it deeply, it can wear out faster.
The Oldsmobile Cutlass is an older American car model. The podcast mentions a noise coming from the camshaft area, which is part of the engine that helps control valve timing. If you hear a new or louder engine noise, it’s usually a sign to have the engine checked.
A carburetor is an older-style fuel system that mixes gasoline with air before it goes into the engine. If it’s not working right, the engine can run rough or stall.
“Flooding” is when you accidentally put too much fuel into the engine while trying to start it. The engine then gets “too rich” and runs rough or can stall until things balance out.
ICM stands for Ignition Control Module. It helps control when the spark happens in the engine. If it’s failing, the engine can run rough or even shut down.
Term
distributor block
The distributor block is part of the ignition system that helps send the spark to the right cylinders. If it’s worn or failing, the engine can run unevenly or shut down.
The check engine light is a warning that the car’s computer noticed a problem. It usually means there’s a code stored that can point to what system is acting up.
ECM is the engine computer. It decides things like how much fuel to inject and when to spark. If it’s bad, the engine can run rough, but it’s usually more common for sensors or wiring to be the culprit.
A wiring harness is the car’s wire bundle that connects sensors and computers. Over time, wires can rub through and cause intermittent problems like rough idle or stalling.
The camshaft sensor reports camshaft position to the engine computer. If it’s not reading correctly, the computer can’t time spark and fuel properly, and the engine may run rough or shut down.
The crankshaft sensor tells the engine computer how fast the engine is turning and where it is. If the signal is bad, the computer can’t time spark and fuel correctly, and the engine may run rough or die.
The Park Avenue is an older Buick sedan. The host is mentioning it to show that even non-sports cars can develop rough idle or stalling from old sensors, wiring, or fuel injectors.
A misfire is when the engine doesn’t burn fuel in one of its cylinders the way it should. That makes the engine run rough and can cause shaking or even stalling. Restarting may temporarily improve things because the computer resets its adjustments.
Roughness at idle means the engine feels shaky or uneven when the car is just sitting and running. It can happen when fuel isn’t being delivered correctly or when combustion is being disrupted. In this segment, it’s used to point toward injector or carbon-deposit problems.
Car
2026 GMC 3.0 Duramax
This is a diesel engine in a GMC, called the Duramax. Diesel engines can be great for pulling and efficiency, but they depend on clean fuel and the right additives to keep the fuel system healthy.
They’re talking about whether you should add a diesel treatment every time you fill up. The advice is to use it consistently to help protect the engine’s fuel parts.
Hot Shot Secret makes fuel additives. The recommendation here is to use their diesel treatment regularly to help protect the diesel engine’s fuel system.
Injectors are the parts that deliver fuel into the engine. If the fuel isn’t clean enough (or lacks lubrication), injectors can wear out or get clogged.
Some fuels help keep the fuel system parts from wearing out too quickly by reducing friction. If emissions rules change the fuel, that protective effect can be reduced, so people may discuss additives.
E85 is a fuel blend with a lot of ethanol. Some cars are built to use it, but if your car isn’t, you can get problems like rough running or hesitation.
Car
Duramax V8
Duramax is a type of diesel engine made by GM. When it’s a V8, it’s the bigger diesel version that many trucks use for towing and getting good fuel economy. The host is saying some shops will work on the bigger one but not the smaller diesel versions.
The Chevy Colorado is a smaller pickup truck. The host is saying that when it has a diesel engine, repairs can get very expensive and some shops won’t work on those diesel setups.
“Out of warranty” means the free/covered repair period is over. After that, if something expensive breaks, you pay the full cost yourself—so the host prefers getting rid of the vehicle before warranty ends.
“Fuel savings” just means you spend less on gas or diesel because the vehicle uses less fuel. The host is saying that can be worth it, but only if you manage the risk of costly repairs.
Maintenance is the regular upkeep and repairs a vehicle needs over time. They’re saying diesel trucks can cost more to keep running than gas trucks, depending on your driving.
An oil change is when you replace the engine oil. It helps protect the engine, and they’re pointing out that doing this kind of routine service can cost more on diesel vehicles.
Fuel economy is how far you can drive on a tank of gas or diesel. They’re saying diesels can stretch fuel better, but you still have to factor in maintenance costs.
Cost per mile means how much it costs you for each mile you drive. They’re using it to compare diesel vs gas running costs based on real driving habits.
Cummins makes diesel engines that are common in trucks. The hosts are mentioning it because lots of people commute daily using diesel trucks, not just for long trips.
Power Stroke is Ford’s diesel engine line. They’re listing it with other diesel brands to show that many people use diesel trucks for everyday commuting.
“Three-quarter ton” and “one ton” are labels people use for bigger, heavier pickup trucks. They usually mean the truck is built to carry more weight and handle tougher jobs than a smaller half-ton pickup.
The “spread” here means how much more diesel costs compared with gas. If diesel gets much more expensive than gas, it can erase some of the savings you’d expect from diesel’s better efficiency.
EcoBoost is Ford’s name for a turbo gas engine. The turbo helps the engine make more power, but it usually benefits from good oil changes and not abusing it right after starting or right after hard driving.
A turbo engine uses a device that compresses air into the engine to make more power. Because it adds extra parts and heat, it can be more important to keep up with maintenance.
This means the car has a 2.0-liter engine and it uses a turbo to make more power. Because it’s working harder, you have to keep up with maintenance like oil changes.
A trans fluid change is replacing the fluid that helps the transmission work smoothly. If it’s been too long, the transmission can shift worse and wear out faster.
This is a 2015 Ford Explorer, and the defrost is part of the car’s heating/air system. If defrost doesn’t work, it’s often not the “AC” itself—it’s more often a door/motor inside the HVAC system that decides where air goes and how hot it is. The discussion here is about those HVAC parts and how they can fail.
“Heating wire” means the electrical wiring that helps the car’s heating/defrost system work. If there’s a short or a broken connection, the system may not respond even if other parts (like AC) still seem to work. Electrical checks (like inspecting connectors and fuses) are often part of diagnosing this.
Here, “doors” means small flaps inside the dashboard heating/AC box. They decide how much hot vs cold air you get and where the air goes (like to the windshield for defrost). If a flap breaks or gets stuck, the defrost can stop working.
These “motors” are small electric motors that move the HVAC flaps inside the dash. If the motor fails, the car can’t adjust the hot/cold mix or airflow mode correctly. That’s why defrost can stop working even if the AC still seems to run.
“Jammed” means the HVAC flap/door is stuck and can’t move. If it’s stuck, the motor can’t reposition it to send air to the windshield for defrost. That’s why the system can act like it’s “broken” even though the motor might be the part you notice first.
They’re using a diagnostic computer tool to look at what the car is “telling itself.” It can show error codes and live info so you can figure out what part isn’t working.
This is an electrical fault meaning the wire or connection isn’t making a complete path. If the circuit is “open,” the part can’t get power or signal, so it won’t move.
Some older HVAC mode/temperature doors are driven by vacuum actuators instead of electric motors. If the vehicle loses vacuum supply, those systems often “fail safe” by defaulting to defrost to keep the windshield clear.
“Blend” here means the system mixes different air settings together—so you get heat where you want it, but also some airflow that helps keep the windshield clear.
A 2018 Jeep Compass is a small SUV with a four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. Towing adds a lot of strain and heat, so the question is whether the transmission and its cooling system can handle it safely.
Here, “cooler” means a heat exchanger that helps keep the transmission fluid from getting too hot. If it’s not cooling properly, towing can overheat the transmission and shorten its life.
A “hot flush” means you flush the system when the fluid is warm. Warm fluid moves better, so it helps clean out gunk and lets you check that the passages are open.
A “trailer” is what you’re pulling behind the vehicle. The weight you put on it matters, and the hosts are saying you can’t just fill it up to the maximum and expect everything to be fine.
Towing capacity is the maximum weight your vehicle can tow safely. The advice here is to not use the full number—real towing includes extra weight and stresses, so staying well under the rating helps avoid problems.
A roof rack is a set of bars or mounts on top of a car for carrying extra stuff. It can make the car less aerodynamic, so the car has to work harder—especially at highway speeds or in wind.
Drag is the air “pushing back” against the car as it moves. Add things on the roof and the air has a harder time flowing around the car, so it takes more effort to keep speed.
Towing weight is how much a vehicle is rated to pull. And it’s not just the trailer—stuff you carry in the car and on the roof also adds to the total load the vehicle has to handle.
Wind resistance is how hard it is for the car to move through the air. When you add bulky stuff on the roof, the air pushes back more, so the car has to work harder.
A “nine speed automatic” is an automatic gearbox with nine gear ratios. It’s meant to help the engine run efficiently, but if the transmission needs major work, it can be expensive.
“Remanufactured” usually means the part was taken apart, rebuilt, and tested to work like it should. It’s often a middle option between a used part and a brand-new replacement.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a common Jeep SUV. Here, they’re basically saying that if a transmission is going to cost a lot to fix, you might consider switching vehicles instead—depending on the situation.
A tow rating is the maximum weight your vehicle is allowed to pull. If you tow more than that, you can overheat the transmission/engine and make the car harder to stop and control.
A capless fuel system is a gas-filling setup where you don’t screw on a gas cap. It still has to seal properly, and if it gets dirty or worn, your car can show a warning light.
An emissions device is part of the car that helps reduce pollution. In this segment, they’re saying the warning is tied to that system so the car can catch leaks that would release harmful fumes.
Dorman makes replacement parts for cars, especially older ones. Here, they’re being suggested as a place to buy a replacement part for the fuel-filling area.
An OE fix means an original-equipment-style repair—parts or a solution designed to match what the manufacturer originally used. The host is contrasting that with an aftermarket approach (like a replacement filler neck or a cap-style workaround).
“Scan it” means plugging in a diagnostic tool to read what the car’s computer is reporting. It helps you figure out what’s really wrong before you start replacing parts.
The fuel filler cap seals the tank opening so fuel vapors can’t escape. If the smoke test shows smoke coming out around the filler cap area, it usually indicates a poor seal (or a related leak) that can trigger an EVAP/emissions warning light.
An EVAP purge valve releases stored fuel vapors from the charcoal canister into the engine intake to be burned. A faulty purge valve can cause abnormal EVAP behavior—like internal leakage during a smoke test—resulting in an emissions warning light.
An EVAP vent valve controls airflow through the charcoal canister so the system can store and then purge fuel vapors. If the vent valve is stuck or faulty, the EVAP system can’t regulate pressure correctly, leading to internal leaks and EVAP warning lights.
“Internal bleeding” here means the smoke isn’t escaping outside the system; instead, it’s leaking or moving through internal EVAP passages/valves. That pattern suggests a valve or internal routing issue rather than a simple external hose or cap leak.
The fuel door release unlocks the little door where you put the gas nozzle. You press/pull it from inside, then open the door to refuel.
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Here is the Under the Hood show podcast. Thank you very much for listening.
This is Under the Hood.
Welcome to the Under the Hood show. We are glad to have you with us.
Russ Evans is here to answer your automotive questions.
Thanks for joining us Under the Hood.
Shannon Nordstrom is not here to answer your automotive questions,
but I'm Chris Carter and I am here to facilitate your phone calls.
866-594-4150. Got a lot of questions coming in on chat.
And we have some news, but we've got calls coming in from all over,
so we should probably get to that first.
Because I don't want anybody to wait too long when they call.
I try not to... We try to make it as quick as we can.
Keep them moving.
866-594-4150. Let's talk to Carl.
You're on the Under the Hood show. Carl, what can we do for you?
I recently got a recall letter from Ford about my F-150
that the transmission could suddenly drop into a lower gear.
How worried should I be about this?
Get it done. The recalls are there. They're safe to recall.
They're not doing anything about it.
Then why did you get a recall letter?
It just says, hey, we want to let you know your transmission
could cause something serious damage, but we can't fix you.
What's the letter say?
What it says.
It doesn't say that we're waiting on parts.
We're waiting on a fix, something like that.
What does it say? Stop driving?
They don't have a fix for it yet.
Just a warning that it could happen.
Well, I suppose they're trying to protect themselves,
so if it does happen, then they say,
well, we told them about it and gave them the chance to not drive it.
That's usually not the way they go.
They usually issue a stop driving order until you don't drive it.
It's a safety issue, or they say, we have a fix.
Bring it in, or we don't have the fix.
We're awaiting the parts, but it's going to be soon,
and it'll be a very unlikely chance of it happening.
They've got to have a reason behind it.
With recalls, they usually pick the lesser of two easels,
either paying the price if somebody does get hurt
when there's a problem or fixing it.
I mean, they're notifying you to let you know what happens,
but I don't know, I'm not a car lawyer for that kind of thing,
but you got to get it.
As soon as the recall comes to you,
you got to get in there and get it fixed,
but you can also get a hold of the dealer and really have a discussion
whether you bought this thing, get a hold of them,
get on the phone with them right now and say,
hey, I got this letter.
What's this mean?
And am I safe?
Am I going to drive this?
Have them put it in writing if you want.
I mean, if you really want to go there,
but I can't imagine what if you're hauling a trailer down the road
with it, you're pulling your boat, headed down the road,
and all of a sudden it drops into a low gear and causes a problem.
Is it just one gear it's dropping down,
or is it dropping all the way to low?
I don't know on this one,
but I wouldn't feel comfortable thinking that it could be a safety issue.
And if it is a safety issue and they're suggesting to not drive it,
you'd think they would offer some kind of reimbursement
for not being able to drive it.
I don't know.
Carl, your phone's going bad there.
Sorry about that.
We just lost you, I think.
You got a recall on the phone.
You make bad choices, Carl.
As I look in, I was just looking over here while you guys were talking,
and it does the 1.4 million vehicles in his range,
and it does say you can call and there is a fix that they have.
Maybe they don't have it right at the moment,
but I think somewhere in there it should say you can check it.
I think there's more to this than we know.
But you got to call them.
Whenever you get a letter like that,
you call because that's a serious safety issue.
If you've got a vehicle dropping down a lot of gears.
If it's just dropping one gear,
if you're an overdrive and it drops down one gear,
you can live with that.
It's not going to hurt anything,
but if it's dropping into first gear,
because there's a problem,
which vehicles have done this in the past, other ones,
that would be a serious issue.
Your wheels will lock up.
If Shannon were here, if Shannon,
I'm going to fill in, I'll play the part of Shannon.
What would he do?
He would say that he doesn't know
if 1.4 million 11-year-old vehicles
should be their responsibility anymore.
That's what he would say.
He would say at some point,
you can't expect the manufacturer to cover every incident.
And now we're at 1.4 million trucks,
and it's 2015 to 2017.
So that's a long way out.
That's what Shannon would say.
And I would say, that sounds like somebody at the top
of the org chart rather than the bottom that he would say that.
Well, yeah, if the fix is to replace the transmission.
It's not.
If it was, can you imagine?
I mean, there's people that are like,
I bought this car.
Yeah, what if the faulty sensor isn't
and the transmission is going to have, yeah.
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of variables in there for sure,
you know, especially if you can't afford to fix something.
Something big, if it was several thousand dollars,
then that changes the views and a lot of its politics
and what gets fixed doesn't, doesn't get fixed.
But I would bet, yeah, that plays a big factor in,
if you're the manufacturer of a vehicle
and you know you have 1.5 million vehicles out there
that have this issue, if the fix is $10,
your reaction is going to be different than if it's $2,200.
Yeah.
And if most of them are failing instead of just maybe some,
yeah.
Oh, five of them might fail and what's the chance
that somebody's going to get really hurt when they fail?
Oh, it was just one, how much is it?
There's a lot of, a lot of things behind the doors,
I bet, which we don't want to see.
In their defense, that sounds very callous and cold,
but we all make that decision every day, right?
I mean, we all, that's how all decisions are made.
What's the outcome of this going to be that if there's a risk,
should I do it?
Should I go down this side of the ski hill or that side?
Well, I'm old and rickety, so not that one anymore.
That was scary.
Yeah.
But did you die?
Still here to talk about it.
866-594-4150.
Let's talk to Bill.
You're on the end of the hood show.
Bill, what can we do for you?
Yes, I have a 2022 Subaru Outback and it has a high idle,
1800 RPM when it started in the morning and it stays quite high for a minute or two.
Is that something to be concerned about?
They do idle pretty high when you, when you start them,
especially when the cars are getting a little bit of mileage build up on them and they're
starting to come into need of tune-ups, fuel system services,
the emission system cleaning on these vehicles.
I know we do a lot of emission system cleaning using the CRC GDI service kits to clean out
emission systems and then we reprogram the throttle body.
We relearn that so it relearns its base idle and all that.
If they get carbon build up in there and that blade is hanging open a little bit,
it thinks that's when you shut it off and restart, it thinks that's the base point
and that's where it should be and that's too much.
It'll cause it to idle high, so a simple cleaning of the throttle body can make
a world of difference on most cars when things like this start occurring.
But again, the Subaru's, they do idle up, they tend to idle up high when you first start them
and then they come down, but they shouldn't stay there too long.
You'll know the difference between, oh, that's what it always did to now, boy, that seems pretty high up.
I had a, with my car the other day, or not the other day, a couple weeks ago,
my car, same thing in the cold, it idles up right, you can definitely tell a difference between
starting it when it's 20 below and when it's 50 above.
And when we had our latest cold snap, it was idling high, no problem.
The next day I got in and it was kind of nice out, I started the car
and it idled high for just like a split second and then came,
it was like it was expecting it to be cold and like the car itself went, oh no, it's not that
bad out here. It really felt like that because I felt the same way when I went out in the garage,
I'm like, oh, it's not that bad. And then the car did the same thing.
I thought me and the car were some Pataco. That's what I thought.
866-594-4150, real quick, before we talk to John in Florida on the chat here,
Stephen says, I think referring to me letting my battery go dead.
It says anytime, they say anytime your battery goes dead and you recharge it back up,
the life of the battery is cut in half. Yeah, the reserve capacity is cut down.
If you go to our partners at AutoBatteries.com, they'll show you all that stuff.
With like AGM batteries, that's still the case?
AGM batteries are not as bad and a lot of those are made to be deep cycle.
If they're deep cycle AGM, they're made to do that.
But a regular lead acid battery is designed just because of the design of it.
Yes, you kill it and you recharge it. You're going to lose half your reserve capacity.
And I did mention that. I said I killed it.
So at some point, it's like, okay, I got a fully charged battery.
I got plenty of voltages. It'll start the car. But if you open the door and leave the lights on
for like a minute, the battery is dead. Otherwise, it'll start in a run just fine.
So that's your reserve capacity. How many minutes the battery can drain at a certain
certain amperage before it is too low to start?
So technically, if you'd run it dead and then restart it and you never let it, if you just...
Oh no, fully charged. So if you go buy a brand new battery off the shelf, put it in your car today.
And it's working. You can open the door and let's say the reserve capacity is long enough
that you can open the door for 60 minutes. Close it and it'll still start back up.
You got reserve capacity. But if you turn the lights and you run it 100% dead,
on day one that you bought it fully charged, it's completely dead. And then you recharge it
fully again. Instead of being able to leave the door open for an hour before it's dead,
it's 30 minutes. Gotcha.
You run it dead again, fully charge it.
And eventually you're going to get to the point where if you open the door, it's going to...
It's going to die fast. Yeah, it's just lower and every time.
By the way, I totally expect you and so does everyone to remember everything I said to you
in passing about my car. So when you said, like there, you were surprised about my battery.
And I specifically talked to you about it, but it was like six months ago.
Well, what about 30 years ago when you told me about the cutlass and it had that little
noise in the camshaft? That's the thing. That's your fault, by the way.
It is my fault. Yeah, because you normally do. So that's the... If you had fixed my car,
you would remember when you did it, what you did exactly, but me just talking about it.
That's not going to... Let's talk to John in Florida.
John, you're on the end of the hood show. What can we do for you?
Hey, guys. Thank you. Love your show. Your guys are terrific. We're here in Central Florida.
I haven't... My wife has an 89 Duke Park Avenue with 340,000 miles on it.
It's been most of its life in Florida. We've been having an issue the past year.
After you start the car about a minute later, it starts running rough.
And generally, if you wait long enough at idle, it stalls, like let's say a minute later,
a minute and a half. I have this problem with what feels like what you think from the whole
school, a loaded up carburetor, you know, you flood a car and then you get it started and it just
starts basically running really rough. That's effectively what it does. It starts kind of
running rough and then it just shuts down. If you start it up right away, again,
sometimes it's generally okay. And then other times after you start up, it will run a little
rough until it gets into... until you get into the accelerator and then everything smooths out.
I could basically run it, you know, on the highway for two hours at 70 miles an hour
and not a problem. It runs real smooth. But, you know, I've been having this
problem and it's been tuned up several years ago. The ICM and the
distributor block was replaced because of a check engine light, but had that had a little
rough idle before that. You know, other than that, full tune up, wires, plugs,
two old school mechanics I talked to. Don't believe it's the fuel pump or fuel related.
They suspect it could be a electrical issue in the water due to the age of the car.
No codes that pop up. One mechanic suggests replacing maybe the ECM.
And the fuel pump was replaced about eight years old, eight years ago. The OEM lasted 27 years.
I think that's maybe when that little rough idle started at traffic lights. That's pretty much it.
But I had the doubt the ECM is bad that they just don't really fail on those cars. I don't know
if I've ever replaced one, but there's a couple things that I'd look at real close. There's a
wiring harness that runs down the front side of the engine that runs to the camshaft sensor and
the crankshaft sensor. It's on the passenger side there by the pulleys. Look at that real close
because they'll wear through and they'll chafe the wires and cause some weird issues with them
running idling, things like that. And then the other thing is those injectors on that car,
once they became 56 years old, we started having some issues with them. And you've got a
car that's a lot older than that now. And we've put a lot of injectors in those cars over the
year. So it's possible that you've got some windings breaking down that they just can't
open the injector to the amount open that the computer wants them to be open quickly enough.
So you're having some issues there. A car that old, when we get these engines in, whether they're
in a Fiero or a Cutlass Sierra or Park Avenue, occasionally we'll get one of these older ones
in like that. And a lot of the times, I'd say probably half the time we fix them, we put new
injectors in them, they sell them, they're available. Advanced auto parts carries those
pretty common parts still because there's a lot of those cars on the road. In our area,
we don't see as many because they've rusted and died. But down south, that's still a pretty popular
car to pick up as a used car because it was one of those more bulletproof vehicles at the time.
Good transmission, good engine, the body's held up and in warmer weather. So there's still a lot
of them out, so they still have readily available parts for those. But I would not be surprised
if you've got some injectors that have just failed. And they can just run poor, you start them,
they shake, misfire, and they'll die and you restart on the computer just a little bit,
then they'll run pretty good for a while, and then they'll, you know, they can give you that
little roughness at idle. The other thing that can cause roughness at idle is carbon buildup
behind the valves or just worn valves in those engines. But a lot of times it's just the injectors.
Yeah, the injectors that have been replaced. Okay.
John, thanks very much for the call. Good luck. The end of the hood show podcast is brought
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Welcome back, everybody. It's time to get back under the hood with our motor medics.
866-594-4150. That's the number to reach us here at the Under the Hood show. If you miss a show
anytime, don't forget, you can always find it wherever you find your podcasts. And you can
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Get ahold of them today, BerkeleyOneClassics.com. Marty in St. Paul, Minnesota.
No. Okay, good. Because I mean, not okay, good. That'd be neat.
Like Marty in Yuma, Arizona. I grew up with a Marty Bradshaw.
Marty Bradshaw. Yeah. Sounds like a, that sounds like you should be up.
Hey, it's me, Marty Bradshaw. Come on down.
You used car salesmen or a baseball player or NASCAR driver?
Waterbeds. Yeah, Marty Bradshaw over here at the Waterbed Factory.
Stop by, or auction, you made me just think of an auctioneer. Stop by down. We got a lot of loads
of, hey, we got four new heifers. You know, it's like a whole priced under market value.
866-594-4150. Got some stuff coming in on the chat. Hold on, let me switch my mice here.
Is it Marty Bradshaw? And go back to this screen. I have a 2026 GMC 3.0 Duramax.
Should I use Howells on every fill up or what do you recommend? Any problems to watch for?
I had a 23 Tahoe with a 3.0 Duramax and I loved the mileage. GMC Duramax.
I would say that you should be using the everyday diesel treat from Hot Shot Secret.
Okay. Every tank full. And yes, not every other tank full. You've got to run an additive in every
single tank to protect the injectors and the pump and the whole system.
Okay. That's really important.
Every one.
Every one. It's like saying, hey, should I put oil in my car after every oil change or not?
Can I run just...
Why isn't it just in there then?
In there?
Yeah. Money.
I mean, because they do that.
Money. They removed all the lubricating properties for emissions. So then we put something back in
there that I don't know.
So, and that is, that's fair that if diesel were another 10 cents, people would go,
I don't want to, I'll add my own additive, right? I mean, and I'm not...
Oh yeah. Yeah. Can you imagine if the pump, if one station had it, but it was 10 or 15 cents more?
But you didn't have to do the additive?
Whatever the cost of the additive is. And then the other one didn't.
They go for the cheapest pump.
It says the problem we're having now with people grabbing the E85 pump because it's the cheapest.
Oh, it's a $0.89. Let's put that in my car instead of $4.
Oh, why does my car run bad now?
That is tempting. I mean, not really, but I think of now with gas prices the way they are,
I'm really glad I don't have that car that burned gas anymore.
Because I didn't mind it when it was, you know, it was 215 versus 240.
Even though the gap is the same.
And in my, myself, I don't like, yeah, I like my gas to always be cheap when everything else goes
up because it's just something we've become accustomed to. But on the curve of inflation,
if we went back to 1980 when fuel was like 68 cents a gallon and we applied regular inflation
to that six, something a loaf of bread that was 68 cents or whatever it was.
Yeah.
What would, you could probably look that up, Chris, something that cost 68 cents in 1980.
What would it cost today?
I don't think we want to get into 12 bucks and anything up.
I don't think we want to get into reasons or no, I mean, just inflation in general.
So it would be crazy, but it's still is cheap.
But it's also something that drives the world.
I remember when they put the $1 sign up.
They had to, a lot of them had magic marker.
And then somebody went up to the sign and they spray painted the one in front of everything.
It was like 101.9.
We had the one station had the sign, the big sign that rotated made out of light bulbs.
And they had to add a new one to the sign.
And they couldn't just staple up a sign.
And I think they were, I don't think they were happy.
I wonder when the day is that they have to add a one in front of the,
will we still be using gas cars when they have to add another one to the sign?
Don't say that.
I bet there are some stations, I mean, most of them have gone digital now.
I think they, I,
I bet they, yeah, no, they're going to have to have you,
have you looked, do you remember?
I mean, I think all our signs around here that are digital have three digits.
I think they're digital.
Yeah.
And they have a spot for each digit.
So, but they have a spot for three.
I think $9 and 99 cents, I think.
And then it says 0.9 on the end and digital up on the corner.
They just switch, get rid of them.
The 0.9 just paint over that so they can use all four letters.
I'm going to go look now on the way back to the shop.
I'm going to look up at these stations and see if there's three or digits or four digits up there.
866594415
Oh, they'll go to the all flat one.
I think that's what we've got a lot of those big TV screen ones.
Yeah.
Let's talk to Chase.
You're on the end of the hood show.
Chase, what can we do for you?
Hey guys, I just wanted to get your opinion on the Freelifter and Max.
I'm looking to get a used one that's in like the 50 to 75,000 hour range.
All right.
That's, our phones are not, this is not great.
Yeah.
They're updating off site.
They're doing a update for pushing updates through and they had to push them through on
the day we're doing the show when they know that that's the only day they can't do it.
So, Chase though, I kind of heard what he said.
We just talked about it.
Three liter Duramax buying a three liter Duramax vehicle.
Is it, you know, good idea, bad idea?
Overall, I like the engine for the way it drives.
They're pretty, you know, they're economical and they're pretty good as far as, you know,
you keep them maintained there.
They run really well.
They're good for pulling what they're recommended to pull.
So overall, that's okay.
The thing I don't like about them is when they do break, they are super expensive to fix.
And a lot of shops won't touch them.
They'll work on a full size Duramax V8, but they will not work on those smaller Duramax engines,
just like they won't work on a lot of the Pro Masters and the Chevy Colorado and all those
things that have the small diesels, the Dodge diesel, the Ram engine they have in the Jeep and
things that just, they don't do it and it's crazy money and the parts are really expensive.
So that, that is an issue.
That's why for me, I wouldn't personally buy one.
If I was buying it for a business and I was going to buy it and own it and get rid of it
before it was out of warranty, like trade it in and get the next model.
I own it for three years.
I traded in and get the next model.
I don't want three years.
I would definitely do that because of the cost and the fuel savings and all that.
I think it'd be a good idea, but for me to personally buy one, especially one that was
three or four or five years old or more, I just wouldn't do it because I've seen how much it can
cost when somebody comes to us and says, I need an engine.
Now owning one, if you've, if you've kept, I mean, if you've had it forever and it's your,
they're great.
Yeah, as long until it breaks.
Right.
The driving of it and owning it, that, that experience is great.
It's the, it's when it breaks.
Plus, there is a big difference in what you're going to cost for maintenance.
If you have to maintain this thing, you know, your oil changes,
it's going to be expensive compared to a gas vehicle.
So depending on what your use is, if you're a person that's putting on
3000 miles every three months, I would definitely go with gas because it's,
it's going to cost you a lot less for maintenance and you're not running it like you would normally
a diesel that, but over the highway, as much as you can save on fuel economy.
I mean, that's, there's quite a spread between a gas and a, and a diesel on, on this.
So you might, I might run that route if I was going to be on the road a lot.
The, the takeaway I've always taken from you guys talking about it is
this is just like my, the general sense I get from you guys is if you don't need the power
of a diesel, don't, don't get one, your daily driver as a diesel or don't go
say, Oh, I got a good deal on this truck because it's a diesel.
And I like, if you don't need to drive the diesel, don't drive one.
Just kind of, I mean, that's pretty, right?
Our customers are spending between two and three times more per mile to keep
and own a vehicle and maintain it compared to a gas vehicle when they have a diesel.
So it's a, that's a lot.
If you're only using it, well, I just drive it to work every day.
And we have a lot of customers of ours that drive Duramax and Cummins diesels and power
strokes to work every day.
That's just their daily driver.
They never haul anything.
They got a three quarter ton or one ton truck and they just drive it to work,
never have a boat behind it, never put anything in the box.
It's just, oh, it's just my driver.
It's my old driver.
I got a good deal on it.
Like you said, because it's a, you know, it's just my truck.
Is there a, a mile, a mile limit where it starts to make sense?
Like you'll know what that is.
I mean, I drive a hundred miles a day.
Is that a hundred miles a day you'd have to get.
First off, you're going to pay a lot more for that oil change that you've done.
And it's a little longer all change.
The fuel is going to be more than the fuel economy is usually better on a diesel than a gas.
Quite a bit, but the fuel is more, but, but the fuel is more, especially now.
You get when the prices go up, the spread between gas and diesel widens.
You know, if you got, if you got $2 for gas, you might be 260 for diesel.
At $3, you might be four for diesel.
At $4, you're 54550.
So it just keeps getting white, which is really weird.
But there's, you have to have diesel, right?
You have to have diesel to run the trucks that bring everything to us.
So they know that.
They sure do.
Yeah.
866-594-4150.
Let's talk to Craig in Iowa.
Craig, you're on the end of the hood show.
What can we do for you?
I got a two, I just bought a 2017 Ford Skid SE four wheel drive with a 2.0
EcoBoost with $27,000 a mile.
I got it from my parents.
It's like brand new.
I'm just wondering what, is there anything I should be looking out for in kind of
upcoming maintenance I should be doing on it?
He had a service regularly.
They just put drive in and I took it over.
Yeah.
That's a pretty good vehicle.
Which engine's in it?
Is it the four cylinder or the six?
2.0 four cylinder.
The 2.0, okay.
Well, that's good.
The smaller engine, the turbo engine, that's a crap shoot.
You don't know what might happen on that.
But that's a pretty solid engine you have.
We don't do very many of those engine swaps at all in our shop.
We're doing a lot of...
That is an EcoBoost.
Oh, you got the two liter turbo.
All right, now I'm thinking of the other one.
Yeah.
I'm thinking of two.
Anyways, okay.
It's not the 16 though.
The 16 is the problematic one.
That's the one we're replacing all the time in our shop.
So...
Sticker under the hood says 2.0.
You've got to do your oil changes on that.
Keep that up.
Make sure you don't let the air filter get so dirty
that it's sucking it into the engine.
I've seen a couple of those lately.
You got to make sure you do the upkeep on that.
But transmission fluid is very important on these vehicles.
So many people just let them go and they come in.
The fluid's black.
They're shifting poorly.
They start having issues with them.
So definitely don't do that.
But overall, I think it's a pretty good vehicle.
I know.
I know he was a stickler for $3,500 to $5,000.
I'm a stickler for $3,500 for oil change.
That's better.
$5,000 is way too much on that engine.
On any turbo engine that's that small, it can't take it.
Okay.
Like I said, I know it's in a range there somewhere.
So I'm up.
I got a 27.
I put $3,000 on it in the last couple of months.
Should I take it in for a trans fluid change?
Or do I got some time or timeline on that?
If you don't know when it was done, I would do it now
because I bet it's way longer.
If you don't know when it was probably way longer than you think.
It may never have been done.
Okay.
All right.
That's all I wanted.
I really appreciate you guys.
You've taught me a lot.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thanks very much for the call, Craig.
866-594-4150.
That's the number to reach us here.
At the end of the hood show.
Question on the chat.
I have a 2015 Explorer and my defrost doesn't work.
I think AC works on all settings and heat does accept defrost.
The shop said some heating wire or something.
What's your opinion?
First of all, as a question.
Heating wire or something?
I think AC works on all settings and heat does accept defrost.
They think that.
He's got to be talking about the front defroster if he's saying AC works, right?
Not the back.
But when he says wire, I think the back.
No.
I think the heating wire is wiring in that like there's a short, right?
I mean, what is that?
Well, there's wiring that controls the doors to go from hot to cold.
So that's part of it.
And then there's motors that control the doors from hot to cold in the dash.
Now those motors fail a lot.
And the boxes that have the doors in them, they can also have the doors break.
So they can't be actuated by the motors any longer.
I got one.
Now we're putting in F-150.
We looked and the motor was bad, but it was bad because the door was broken and it was jammed.
And sometimes the motors can fail and twist the door too hard and break the shaft on them.
So he's got to find out one.
What we do is we'll scan it and see if anything weird comes up on the scanner data.
Step two, if that looks pretty good and it's not moving physically,
we will take the motor off the box and grab a hold of the shaft on the motor and turn it
and see if it goes from hot to cold.
And if we can flip it back and forth and the air comes out hot, it comes out cold,
that's working.
But we put the motor back on and it won't physically control it.
And we look at the data and we can't make it move on our scanner.
Then we know that that motor is bad or the wiring too, it's bad.
Usually it'll give us a code, open wiring, open circuit.
Is there anything that it tells you because the defrost is the one that doesn't work?
Because that should always work.
There's a mode door that switches from, so you've got several with the AC system these days.
We have a mode that goes from face to defrost to floor that switches that.
And then there's another one that controls the heat, hot and cold,
usually a left and a right on most vehicles now.
And it should fail in the defrost mode.
No, electric ones will fail anywhere they want.
The old vacuum ones, if you lose vacuum, they default to defrost for safety.
And when they're on heat on floor, they're always a blend of defrost and heat.
Because they figure if you need heat, it must be cold enough
that your windshield needs some defrosting.
866-594-4150, let's go to Idaho and talk to David.
You're on the end of the hood show.
David, what can we do for you?
My wife has this idea that she wants to tow our tent trailer with her 2018 Jeep Compass.
So I don't know, it doesn't have a hitch on it right now, but it's evidently
rated to be able to tow up to a couple thousand pounds.
But I didn't know if that was a smart idea,
because it's only got a four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission.
So I'm trying to get some impartial advice on that question to share with my wife.
Yeah, tell her we said no.
I wouldn't tow anything with that thing.
We put so many transmissions in these Jeep Compasses.
We've had a lot of cooler issues with them,
and that'll burn the transmission up with no towing.
And you don't really know until it happens.
Yeah, so it's good to have that checked if you can.
They'll flow test it with a hot flush and make sure that it's working and change that fluid.
It'd be just a great idea if you want to protect it.
No.
We'll put a lot of them in.
So you're saying I can have the cooler tested even before I do any towing?
Well, one, transmission service.
Or do any driving?
Transmission service.
Well, for just normal maintenance, transmission service.
And when you're doing a transmission service,
have them flush the cooler as well.
Do a hot flush and make sure it's flowing well because it might be collapsed.
But when you're, as far as towing goes, the best thing to tow with that is a bike rack
with some bikes on it.
Put your tent in the vehicle.
If you're pulling it, when it says it's rated to 2,000 pounds,
that means realistically about 12 to 1,300 pounds of towing capacity on that trailer.
Because you're going to have other stuff in there.
And it's got to be no more than about 80%.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than about 60% of what it's rated at,
just because we've had so many transmission issues.
We don't see many come in with trailer hitches.
When we do, they're usually coming in for a transmission.
They're just not, they're just not rated.
But they're just not really rated for that.
I think they were probably over rating for towing.
But we do see a lot of people put bike racks on them and kayak rack or something like that.
They seem to be fine.
Like a platform shelf.
Yeah, a shelf with boxes back there, a utility carrier.
Yeah, those cargo carriers, those seem to be fine.
Cargo carrier, there you go.
If you look around, you'll start seeing a lot of jeep compasses out there.
You will almost never see one pulling any kind of wheeled trailer behind it.
So much so that like on that one, others, you should use a cargo trailer,
I mean, a cargo shelf in the thing before you use a roof rack,
because the roof rack is going to drag too.
You get the weight and the drag.
Yeah, the roof racks will also obstruct a lot of the,
you know, they'll drag the vehicle down for,
then a lot of people don't understand if they've got a trailer,
let's say they're rated and they can safely pull 1500 pounds behind a lightweight vehicle like that.
They do that, but then they load up their roof with a bunch of stuff,
which adds weight to the car one, which is like towing.
So now you've added that total capacity, but it also,
that wind resistance might be the equivalent of adding a thousand pounds behind you,
because you're pushing into the wind.
That cargo weight, that towing weight includes cargo.
I mean, that includes everything else in the vehicle.
You, if the towing weight is a thousand pounds,
you can't put a thousand pound tow on there and put sandbags in the back of the seat.
Yeah, you can't.
And for people in the car and coolers and all your camping gear,
that that all adds up.
Unfortunately, I mean, I wish I could.
I was going to ask you, so I did hear you correctly when you said a lot of
Jeep compasses are coming in with transmission problems.
We have not even towing anything.
Correct.
We've had a number of the, out of all the Jeep vehicles,
we've done more transmissions and compasses than,
than any of the other ones, but they've had coolers that have failed on.
How much does a transmission replacement cost on one of those roughly?
I think the, the used ones we've been.
A nine speed automatic.
Yeah.
The used ones we've been doing, I think have been running about $3,800 installed
and the remanufactures were closer to $5,800, I think.
And that's an hour.
It depends on where you go.
It can range up and down all across the country, but that's a lot of money.
Before I did that, I'd be like, let's trade it in for a grand Cherokee before,
or a Cherokee before I would wait and put a transmission in one.
It'd be just, it's just, yeah.
If you can avoid it, just avoid the, the issue.
My car has a tow rating of 700, which I read as zero.
Yeah, that's zero.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Don't, don't do it at all.
It's a bike wreck.
David, thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
866-594-41.
5-0.
Let's talk to Dion in Wisconsin.
Dion, you're on the end of the hood show.
What can we do for you?
Well, uh, Ford Explorer, uh, fuel inlet, um, mill lights.
How much, why?
What is, I mean, I don't even understand the purpose of that.
Well, the code on the dash for that.
Yeah. You've got that capless fuel system, right?
You just open it up and they plug it in.
So yeah, we love those, right?
They, uh, they become dirty over the years.
I love it so far.
Well, they're fun to use.
Yeah. They're very convenient to use.
Yeah. Is there a way to bypass that?
Sort of to turn a switch so it isn't on the dash.
You know what I mean?
Just annoying.
No.
Check engine lights.
It's like, what?
It's there to tell you there's a leak in there
so you don't pollute the world and kill everybody early.
That's, you know, legally, you probably can't.
No, you can't.
It's an emissions device.
You can't go away.
But what I'm surprised, so it's pretty foolproof.
It works really good until it doesn't, you know,
on this thing, but look at it.
It's 16, 17 years old.
It's been working this whole time and they say,
well, why don't we just sell a part that a new filler neck,
like our partner over at Dorman?
Why don't they make an OE fix for that with a cap, right?
Just take, because you could put a cap on it.
It wouldn't know if it had one or not.
Well, here's why.
Because they do sell filler necks,
but they sell them for the capitalist ones,
because they lasted 16 years.
The cap one might only last that long too,
and they cost about the same to build.
So why not just fix it with the factory design?
So they do sell filler necks.
So you can buy those from Dorman.
But I think-
Is that what they're to fix the problem, the issue?
You're going to have to find out what it is,
and what they do is they scan it,
they see what the code is,
and then they'll do a smoke test.
They'll hook a smoke machine to that system,
to the EVAT system, and pressurize it very slightly,
and they will look for leaks.
If they see an external leak,
like smoke coming out of the filler cap area,
then they know that that is bad,
and that it'll need to be replaced.
If they do not see smoke there,
it's likely moving internally,
and you've got a bad vent valve, bad purge valve,
something like that, and it's allowing it to leak internally.
So it's got internal bleeding of the smoke,
and they can repair that by repairing whatever valve's bad.
They'll just unhook the hose and watch and see,
oh, smoke's coming out, and that valve's closed.
That valve is bad.
It can be diagnosed.
It takes a little bit of time,
but within an hour or two,
they can go through that system
and find out exactly what's causing your light,
and get it turned off,
so you don't have to worry about it anymore.
All right, all right, all right.
Well, it threw me off.
Remember when a girl forgot the vehicle,
and it was like, I went to put gas,
and I, what'd you do with the cap?
I've had, yeah, I remember those days
when they first came out.
I had a number of people call us up
at the repair shop and say, hey,
my car doesn't have a cap,
but I can't find one that fits it.
It's really small.
What fits it?
Like, nothing?
Like, well, what?
I like, I love it in the winter,
because I always, when I drive the other car now,
I always forget, so I'm out there,
and I'm freezing, and I get the pump turned on,
and I turn, and I open it, and I'm like, oh,
and then I got a, it's,
that three seconds of my life, right now, it's fine.
I don't mind now, now it's fine,
but when it's 22 below,
and I'm trying to stand in between the pumps
to get out of the wind, then I, I like it.
Nothing like 10 below zero,
and a 40 mile an hour wind hitting in the face, is it?
I'm sitting out there pulling the license plate down in the back,
trying to find the filler neck.
I own a car that still has a plate, you know, I own the one.
Oh, the one, the newest one.
The Monte Carlo's got a, well, the newest.
The newest purchase.
The Monte's got a gas cap onto the license plate.
The bug's got one onto the side, but some cars are,
they're just fun to find where the,
where the release is, like the hood release,
or the fuel door release, like, where is it?
And it's like, the hood release and the bug is where, Chris?
Oh, wait, I don't remember.
In the glove box.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it's a double one, you gotta pull it there
and then go up front and hit the button.
Yeah, the, what I always am surprised by is how,
like in my wife's car, I know where the hood releases,
but it's not there right now.
I know it's, I mean, and then I'm like,
oh yeah, it's another inch further,
but I never get that one right.
I never reach into my wife's car and pop the hood without,
yeah, without trouble, without having to go,
what the, did they move it?
At least they're very similar between models now, like GM.
They're all and about exactly the same place,
no matter what model it is.
Ford is doing that, Honda.
All right, there's no after show
at the end of the hood show today because we got issues.
Thanks for watching.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for everything.
Okay.
With Russ Evans, this is Shannon Nordstrom thanking you
for tuning into the Nordstroms Under the Hood Show.
Have a great day and remember PTLA.
The opinions heard on this program,
based on the many years of experience of Russ and Shannon,
are offered for entertainment value only
and as a guide to your repair needs.
No claim to repair or cause is given or implied.
Always consult with your own certified technician
and follow all safety procedures before attempting any repair.
To be a part of the show, call 866-594-4150.
Find out more by visiting undertheshow.com.
Under the Hood is produced by Prairie House Productions.
All content is the property of Nordstroms Automotive Incorporated
and may not be used without our permission.
Copyright Nordstroms Automotive, Inc.
About this episode
A Ford F-150 recall letter about a transmission dropping into a lower gear sparks a broader discussion on what recall notices really mean—warnings vs stop-driving orders—and what to do when one arrives. The hosts stress acting quickly, calling the dealer, and understanding safety risks like wheel lock-up. They also pivot into DIY troubleshooting and maintenance: high cold-start idle from throttle carbon and ECU relearn, rough running from injector issues or carbon buildup, and diesel/fuel-additive and wrong-fuel mistakes.
Money is tight and car repairs are expensive. Before you head to your shop call us for help with what might be wrong with your car. We are the Motor Medics working in our shop every day for decades now and broadcasting on over 250 radio stations and podcast helping people fix their cars and trucks since 1990. A F150 transmission drops a gear recall what is it? Why does my 22 Outback have a high idle? Why does my 89 Park Ave misfire? What fuel additive should I use in my Duramax? How do I make my 17 Escape last longer? Why does my Explorer 2015 Defrost not work? Towing with a Jeep Compass, or no? How do I fix a no gas cap code? Explorer
