This Is A Call In Car Repair Show Helping You Save Money for the DIY Repair
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50:11
Concept
DIY Repair
This show is about DIY car repairs—fixing things yourself instead of paying a mechanic. The goal is usually to cut costs by doing the work with help from the podcast.
Company
Berkeley One Classics
This is an insurance company that specializes in classic/collector cars. They may be better at covering your car the way it’s actually worth to enthusiasts, not just based on normal used-car prices.
Term
replica OEM wheels
These are replacement wheels made to look like the factory wheels your car came with. They can save money, but you still need the correct size and bolt pattern so they fit safely.
Car
2009 Chevy HHR
They’re working on a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The car’s computer noticed something wrong, so it turned on the check engine light and stored a code.
Term
misfire
A misfire means the engine doesn’t burn fuel correctly in one or more cylinders. When that happens, the car can shake and run rough. It can be caused by spark problems or fuel problems.
Term
spark
Spark is what lights the fuel in the engine. If there’s no spark, the engine can’t run, so you test it early.
Term
fuel injector
Fuel injectors are the parts that spray gasoline into the engine. If you unplug one, that cylinder may stop getting fuel, and the car’s computer may try to compensate.
Term
catalytic converter
The catalytic converter is an emissions part that helps clean the exhaust. If unburned fuel gets into the exhaust, it can make the converter run too hot and get damaged.
Concept
fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign where people try to raise money for a good cause. In this segment, the car giveaway is tied to charity support.
Car
2018 GMC 1500
A GMC 1500 is a full-size pickup truck. The caller is asking whether it’s okay to use higher-ethanol fuel blends in that truck.
Term
E15
E15 is gas with 15% ethanol. It’s a smaller ethanol increase than E20 or E30, and some vehicles may be approved to use it even if they aren’t approved for higher blends.
Term
hidden screw
A hidden screw is a fastener concealed behind trim pieces, caps, or behind the door panel’s edges. These are a common reason DIYers get stuck, because they don’t see the last fastener until the panel is partially removed.
Term
clip
Clips are plastic fasteners that snap into place to hold trim panels. They often require a specific pulling force and technique; pulling too gently won’t release them, while pulling incorrectly can break them.
Term
airbags
Airbags are the safety cushions that pop out in a crash. They’re usually safe, but you can accidentally trigger them if you mess with the wiring or connectors.
Part
reman transmission
A remanufactured transmission is rebuilt using a core transmission, with worn internal parts replaced and the unit tested before installation. It’s commonly used to reduce cost versus a brand-new transmission, but proper installation and correct fluid/learning procedures still matter a lot.
Concept
oil changes
Oil changes keep the engine lubricated and help prevent buildup and wear. Fresh oil also helps the engine run cooler.
Term
bearings
Bearings are small parts inside the engine that help moving parts slide smoothly. Good oil helps them last longer and prevents metal-on-metal wear.
Company
Justice Brothers
Justice Brothers is a company that makes engine additives—products you add to oil. The host is saying they use it to help reduce wear inside the engine.
Term
reduces friction on metal
Friction is the rubbing between metal parts. If an additive helps reduce that rubbing, it can help parts last longer.
Term
thermostat
The thermostat helps control engine temperature by deciding when coolant should start flowing. If it’s bypassed or wrong, the engine may not cool or warm up correctly.
Company
car-part.com
Car-part.com is a website where you can look for used car parts. It helps you find parts without calling around to junkyards.
Term
OEM replica wheels
OEM replica wheels are replacement wheels that look like the factory ones. They’re meant to fit your car and keep the same style.
Company
Road Ready Wheels
Road Ready Wheels sells replacement wheels that look like factory wheels. They’re meant to fit your car and be easier to buy than some dealer options.
Term
winter tires
Winter tires are made to grip better when it’s cold and icy. Using a second set helps you swap tires for the season without ruining your everyday tires.
Concept
agreed-valued coverage
With agreed-value coverage, the insurance company and you agree on a price for the car ahead of time. If something happens and the car is totaled, you get that agreed amount instead of arguing about what it was “worth.”
Car
2019 Chevrolet Silverado
They’re driving a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. The problem is that the truck starts, but the transmission won’t go into gear (like reverse or drive) until later.
Term
updated valve body
An updated valve body is a newer version of the part that’s meant to fix a known problem. If the old one is failing, the shop might swap in the improved replacement.
Term
backordered
Backordered means the replacement part isn’t available right now. That can slow down how fast the shop can finish the repair.
Term
sludge
Sludge is gunky buildup inside the engine from old, dirty oil. It can make the engine not lubricate as well as it should.
Term
paddle shifters
Paddle shifters are the little switches behind the steering wheel that let you choose gears. If you accidentally leave it in manual mode, the car may keep revving like it’s “stuck,” even though the throttle isn’t the problem.
Term
coil pack
A coil pack helps create the spark that lights the fuel in the engine. If it fails, the engine can misfire and run rough.
Company
Advanced Auto Parts
Advanced Auto Parts is a store where you can buy car parts and tools. They’re being mentioned because you can also buy the roadside kit and related items there.
Brand
DieHard
DieHard is a brand that makes car-related maintenance products, like batteries and tools. In this episode, they’re giving away a roadside tool kit under the DieHard name.
Part
cordless tire inflator
A cordless tire inflator is a small air pump you can use in your car. If your tire pressure is low, you can top it up right away.
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Welcome to the Under the Hood Show podcast.
Thank you very much for listening.
Also, check out our YouTube channel and the Facebook page.
We do the show live on video as we record the podcast
you're about to hear, which is brought to you by
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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 here to do the same.
Welcome, hoodies.
Thanks for tuning in so we can help you tune up.
I'm Chris Carter here to answer your calls at 866-594-4150.
866-594-4150.
We've got calls coming in.
Let's go right to John.
You're on the Under the Hood Show.
John, what can we do for you?
Hi, guys.
I got a 2009 Chevy HHR.
It's got quite a few miles on it.
I've never had any issues with that.
But all of a sudden, I went to head into town the other day
and my check engine light came on.
I scanned it and it set a misfire on cylinder number four.
So I replaced plugs.
It still showed it.
I replaced the coil.
It still showed a misfire.
And I replaced the injectors.
And it's still showing a misfire.
And it runs, you know, obviously runs rough
due to the fact that it's got that misfire.
Any ideas?
Is there any other thing that would cause that?
Would it be like a bad valve or?
And specifically, you mean, is there anything that is cheap
that would cause this, right?
I mean, yeah.
OK.
I did just my old work in the thing.
I mean, it's been reliable all this time.
And it wasn't something.
It just, I mean, it just happened, boom, you know.
Spark plug.
And strike one.
Coil.
Strike two.
Injector.
Strike three.
That engine's out of there.
Good chance.
If you if you've replaced all three and you replace them
with good parts, that leaves you with other options
we've seen in our shop.
A mouse chewed a wire.
I've seen mice chew the injector harnesses on those car.
So step one, we find out, do we have spark?
We pull the coil out, put a spark plug in it.
In the coil.
Yep.
Crank it.
Does it spark?
If it doesn't, we'll address that.
You'll fix your misfire.
If it does, unplug the injector.
Get a test noid light across there.
See if it's flashing with the engine cranking and running.
If it does, now we've got spark.
We've got fuel.
We've got a problem inside.
Then you can check your compression and leak down.
You may have a valve issue.
Those engines are pretty tough.
I got one in the shop right now,
which is awkward that we have our first call
about a whole heritage high roof in a long time.
And I have one sitting in the shop.
The fuel line rusted right through front to back.
So I've got to replace the whole thing.
Other than that, it's good.
But the engines, their problem was not usually one single valve.
It was usually oil burning and the motor was done or knocking.
But they were tough.
They went so many miles.
Yeah, we had that one that we,
yeah, we ran a lot of miles with one.
Yeah, this got, you know, 240,000 on it.
It doesn't knock, tick anything.
It just all of a sudden, I got that check engine light
with the misfire and yeah, I'm just was wondering
if it was something else and I'm just going to, yeah,
I'll probably do a compression test on it.
You might be time to bring it over to you.
Do a leak down on it.
Keep the cylinder sealed up and with the valves closed
and put pressure in there and see if it's leaking by anywhere.
You know, we got that fuel management system where it shuts off.
Can he just shut off the correlate,
like go in and lock off the other correlating.
I've got three other cylinders.
What do I need this one for?
Wouldn't that be great if an engine still runs smooth
and then it doesn't work that way.
But I have, okay, now that you mentioned that,
I have had a couple of customers over the years
unplug a fuel injector
and disconnect the coil and drive a car that was dead on one cylinder
because they figured in their mind,
they were smart enough to know that if I've stopped dumping fuel in there,
if it's dead on that cylinder anyways,
why can't I keep driving it as long as it's a valve and not something.
Now it's going to affect everything else
because the car runs its whole fuel trim based on
the unburned fuel going down the exhaust or oxygen.
It's probably not a long-term fix.
No, but it could run way longer than you think.
Longer than not and then happen because it's gone.
Exactly.
I'd be curious how long you could actually,
if you had a six cylinder,
if you could disable one cylinder completely,
how long you could drive it?
I bet it would be way longer than you think.
I think so too.
John, you want to try it?
Maybe a couple years.
If you try it, let us know.
Well, you know what?
I may, that would bring me back to my days of a U-Go, but.
Yeah.
The thing is no fuel.
You've got to have,
you would have to have the injector disabled no matter what.
The spark is fine,
but if you had that fuel pouring in there with a cylinder not firing,
you're going to ruin the catalytic converter overheated,
plug it up, wash out the cylinder.
Gas is going to get in the oil,
but if you shut that injector off, if it's dead anyways,
and you're like, well, my choice is stop driving the car of that.
And I don't know how the performance,
how safe it would be that way,
but it's all up to you.
There are things you could probably do.
John just sounds like a guy that might try it.
I think so.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm not going to put an HHR, you know.
Yeah.
All right, John, let us know.
And then erase this call and take us off your phone memory.
You know, don't.
No, he doesn't have to do that.
Yeah, don't get us involved.
You know, yesterday, Russ, ironically,
you say you have an HHR in the shop.
Do you know who stopped to visit me yesterday?
The people that only HHR?
Dwayne Walk.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
And Dwayne Walk won an HHR as a resurrected ride,
as a fundraiser for muscular dystrophy association.
He stopped to see me after he was here.
The car didn't.
But yeah, he won an HHR that we gave away.
And that's how I got to know Dwayne.
And now that's how we get.
Now he's a good friend and he has been,
he's quite the ambassador for Hope Haven.
Oh, sure.
And Hope Haven does an amazing ministry of helping people
with wheelchairs in Africa and other places.
And he was out stumping for them yesterday
and we got a chance to talk.
It was good to see Dwayne.
But yeah, he won an HHR, ironically.
866-594-4150.
Let's talk to Paul.
You're on the end of the hood show.
Paul, what can we do for you?
Hi, I got a 2018 GMC 1500.
And I thought I've heard before that some people run,
it's not flex fuel, but some people run E20 in their pickups.
Is that advisable or no?
Yeah, people do it.
I mean, people do it all the time.
I know some people.
E30, E20, E15.
I know a guy.
The 15 is the one that they certified to run it,
but the E88, which is E15.
But yeah, I mean like, it's not something that they have endorsed,
but we personally have used it for tens of thousands of miles
in GM cars of our own.
My Silverado is no longer a new Silverado.
It's a 22 and it has got just crossing 50,000 miles here pretty quick.
And I have ran, it's a 6.2 and I've ran E30 in it since it was brand new.
Occasionally, I'll be on the road and I'll put a tank of whatever's available
because they don't have E30 or don't have those things.
But if I'm around my home base, I'm going to stop at,
we're from the Sioux Falls area here,
but I'm going to stop at Midway Filling Station or Palisades Oil
and they both have blender pumps and I'll put in E30.
And I've had no problems.
Now we have an older vehicle.
It's an 06 Range Rover that I fixed up
and it has got a 4.4 Supercharge in it.
And that one doesn't like that fuel.
And I think it's just because the vehicle's older
and the state of tune's not as clear for the clean, for the adjustments.
Might not be able to adjust.
It might have a limited, a narrow band sensor in it.
Yeah, but I learned the check engine light came on and we quit doing it.
Yeah, the check engine light is a telltale.
It'll tell you if it doesn't like it.
And if you're using E10 all the time,
what's that difference to E20 is going to be negligible?
Well, they push to get E15 as a fuel that was certified for everything
and they're pushing for 20.
They want to keep pushing more and more and more and it can be done.
I mean, there's places, look at Brazil,
they're running 98% in all their cars.
They've got some of them where you get to the higher elevations,
like, well, that's south, but it gets very cold up there.
They're just opposite of us.
The further south you go, the colder it gets.
So you get up at the mountains and stuff.
Those cars have to have gasoline injection to start
so they can run on their alcohol because they've set up their economy
that way with alcohol in these cars, which is great.
The corn?
A war is never going to upset the corn.
Well, it could if it was here in the United States,
but, you know, if the corn comes from here and it goes to your car,
it's easier than a hauling than a barrel from somewhere.
So they'll try.
We'll see what happens.
Paul, thanks very much for the call.
866-594-4150.
That's the number to reach us here at the end of the hood show.
Let's talk to Brad.
You're on the end of the hood show. Brad, what can we do for you?
I've got a 2012 Subaru and two unfinished projects.
I went out to the U-Pullet and I pulled the steering wheel
so that I could replace the voice buttons
to allow me to use the phone over the Bluetooth.
And one of them is broken.
And I also had a side mirror that was broken on the right hand side.
Is it wise for me to try to do that steering wheel pull myself
and replace it with the other one?
And how would I repair that side window?
Let's start with the mirror.
I'm trying to think on that Subaru.
I think it's a pretty easy operation.
I think on the Subaru, you know, some cars have got the mirror,
some vehicles like some trucks now, the mirror is mounted down low on the door.
It's in the body of the door.
Whereas that Subaru, it's in the sale position.
It's like right where the angle of the A pillar comes down to the base of the...
Where the wing window used to be.
Yeah. And so that mirror is mounted right there.
Those are typically quite easy to do.
You've got either a plastic panel that will separately come off
or you've got to take the entire door panel off.
And I would recommend, if you haven't taken a door panel off before,
to go watch a YouTube video of somebody else taking a door panel off first
or go, if there's a new enough one out at a self-service yard,
go practice on another one first.
There's always a hidden screw or a clip or a clip that's stronger to pull
than you think you should have to pull if you haven't done it before.
That's usually the hardest thing for people to get used to when we get a new dismantler.
But you've got to pull... No, pull harder.
No, pull a little harder.
But you don't... That's a feel you have to get.
So, I don't know particularly, but I know I think you might just have to take off a small
plastic panel and you can get at some 10 millimeter bolts
and then there'll be a small pigtail harness that'll probably drop down into the door.
You've got to pull up and there'll be a connector and that connector comes loose.
And sometimes they're right at the base of the mirror, right in the body of the mirror.
And other times they're down in the door with a pigtail hanging off the mirror.
I don't know on that particular one how it is.
But that's going to be a pretty easy operation as far as that goes.
Now, the steering wheel, a little trickier.
Gotta have a wheel puller.
Yep. And you might consider, I guess I don't know for a fact,
on some of those, you might even look once you get it off to see which steering wheel is in
the best condition. Because sometimes you can unscrew or disassemble the switch from the back
side and just pop the switch in. And, you know, if one's the wrong color, I mean,
just things to consider when you get into it.
Yeah, okay.
But as far as the airbag removal on the driver's side airbag,
it can be a little tricky sometimes to get them out if they use the clip style.
So you're saying that they need to be removed in order to do that?
In order to get the steering wheel off, you have to remove the airbag.
From the middle of the steering wheel.
Yep. And it's more of a physically getting it out can be a challenge than the electrical or the
risk of explosion. Because the system's pretty well safeguarded.
But if you have the power off and you're disconnecting that and you've let it sit for a
little bit, you're not going to have a problem. And there again, you can watch a,
I mean, I'm guaranteed there's a hundred people that have done it on YouTube.
Probably most of them have done it right.
Well, here, here at our recycling facility,
since Dave Underberg, we have never had an airbag accidentally go off.
That was a car that had a fire on it.
And that was that was pre SRS systems with multi modules.
We had one of the mechanical ones on a Jeep go off one time too.
They used to be called mechanical.
And then the other one though was like from the 80s.
Wasn't like 86 or seven 86 or seven first year of an airbag in a topaz or a temple.
It was not the regular air.
So as far as modern day airbags go, let's say from 2000 on, we have
our 1990, we have dismantled thousands.
And we've never had one just go off or go off on the shelf or anything like that.
We had another event.
I'm just thinking of things that happened.
And it was because one of our dismantlers had taken the airbag control module
and I bolted it from the floorboard, right?
And he moved it while everything was still connected to take the connector off.
He set the airbags off.
That's a different story.
Yeah.
But that's, that's so airbags are pretty safe in most cases, unless you're cutting wires.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So the days of, you know, just disconnecting.
I need to reassurance about.
Yeah.
It's just not for as far as just if you take one out of a dash and unplug it,
the second you unplug one as you're pulling the connector apart before it comes apart,
it moves out about an eighth of an inch and two little metal bars
clamp on each side of the airbag connector inside, shorting it across so it can't get
any static discharge.
And by the time the wires disconnect from the wires in the bag,
they have already shorted together preventing any kind of electrical discharge.
So if you wanted to, like, get in there and try to physically set the airbag off,
if you connected wires to it, it's just going to spark.
You have to remove the tab or plug a connector into it.
The last four that I've done, Russ, I've still unplugged and plugged from the passenger seat.
There's no reason to, but just out of the way.
It's, it can be nerve wracking on ones that are operating properly.
We had some of those Hondas that just went off.
I know a guy at a dealership had stuck, we did a story, we were talking about where he
stuck his hand through the steering wheel, through the hole in the steering wheel,
to start the car.
Don't, don't tell the story.
Well, we've told it before a couple of times, but to start it, because he was changing the oil,
but he stuck his hand in there and turned the key on as soon as he turned the key on,
the airbag went off and he was injured pretty bad.
It was surprisingly, it wasn't worse, but didn't lose a hand, but he broke some bones.
It's like, why did the airbag go off?
For no reason.
And they did a recall on a lot of those modules and replaced them.
But that wasn't a huge thing either.
It was, you know, very, very, very, very rare.
Yeah.
This is one where Brad, by asking the question, almost answers the question for you guys.
If he's, if he thinks he can take that off, if he, then it, it's probably, because that's
not always the case, but it's one of those where if he's, if he thinks he can do it,
that's, that's what you need more than anything is the, the confidence to do it.
There are some vehicles too, that the switches on the back in the steering wheels can be removed
without removing the steering wheel on some of them.
There's, there's some that they, they hold in with pressure.
That's like the wheel.
They just pop them out of the front.
That's a huge thing right there, right?
Brad, go search 2012.
Just to make sure.
Screw switches and see what people are doing.
Thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
866-594-4150.
Let's go to Texas and talk to Daniel.
You're on the end of the hood show.
Daniel, what can we do for you?
Hey fellas, I have a RAM 1500.
Just put a remanufactured, uh, jet, the engine in it, had the NDS deleted.
That's about 9,000 miles ago and the transmission just went out.
So I just put a reman transmission in.
Yeah.
But the good news is the drivetrain is practically new.
What recommendations would you say, like transmission, um,
additives and just, I want to keep her going because I really like the truck.
And you have a huge investment.
Yeah.
That's, is it running good though?
Yes, sir.
She's perfect.
She's literally a beautiful truck running great.
Just in fine engines have been good for the last 9,500 miles.
I just want to, uh, maybe help secure my investment a little bit.
Maintain it very well from here on out.
The, the oil changes, I would be three months, 3000 miles on that RAM engine for sure,
with a good quality oil.
You know, if you want to protect the, the bearings and things in that,
we use a product from Justice Brothers called Heavy Duty Vehicle and it is a
uh, additive that reduces friction on metal and therefore wear.
And we put that in the, in the engines.
I use that on, on my newer vehicle and on my old ones as well to prevent the, the wear.
Do you add that between, like between quarts of oil in an oil chain?
Yeah.
I put one quart in, then I put a couple ounces and I put another quart in a couple ounces.
No, I put the whole thing in.
But I mean, do you just, just open it and put it in now without emptying anything?
Oh yeah.
You could do it now with dirty oil or you could do it with the original,
but it's made to be put in every time you do an oil change.
So I put, you know, eight quarts in a vehicle and then it's got, I think it's
six ounces that go in for, for that.
Five.
It might be, yeah, it's, it's four, it's three ounces per, for, for five quarts.
So it's, I think I put five ounces in on the, on my eight, but yeah, it, it reduces friction.
So it helps out with, I worry about lifter wear and things like that, but that prevents that.
So that's something that's important.
That maintenance is going to be really important on that truck.
And with the MDS deleted and everything, I think that truck should last a good long time,
especially in a little better climate like that.
And the transmission?
Transmission, you want to make sure that the cooler stays clean.
You know, one thing you can do for free is get your garden hose and rinse off that cooler up
front, make sure that trans cooler and the air conditioning condenser and the radiator all
flow well because you don't have a bunch of dirt buildup between those.
Summer's coming up here and we'll have summer tomorrow.
So make sure those things are clean to keep the heat down.
Heat will kill things faster than even poor maintenance.
And they probably took the thermostat off of that or replace it when they put the reman.
It came with that reman probably.
Yeah, it's in a hose up front and they usually just take that off and they bypass that cooler.
Because if it's still on there, tell them you don't want it.
If it still has a factory transmission cooler built into the line on that passenger side of
the radiator, tell them you want the bypass, you want to get rid of that.
You're in Texas, you don't need it.
Get rid of that line and put the regular standard line in that's just open with no temperature
regulating device.
Daniel, there you go.
Thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
The Under the Hood Show podcast is brought to you by exclusive sponsors like Berkeley One Classics,
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I'm Russ Evans with Shannon Nordstrom and Chris Carter.
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Welcome back everybody.
It's time to get back under the hood with our motor medics.
866-594-4150.
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Let's talk to Wayne in Minnesota.
Wayne, you're on the Under the Hood Show.
What can we do for you?
I have a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
I bought it new.
It only has 20,000 miles on it.
A little over.
This has happened about three times where most recently I backed it out of my garage,
left it sit until the afternoon, went to put it back in the garage,
and engine starts, but the transmission will not engage, not in reverse or drive.
I left it sit out overnight, tried the next day, same thing.
That afternoon pushed it back into the garage, which I do have some heat in there.
The next day, it starts up and moves fine, and that's been about 2,000 miles ago.
I have a question before we get into it.
Is that, if you have a seven or eight-year-old vehicle with that low of miles,
is that something that makes you worry about that?
Yeah, a little bit.
It's not driven a lot.
You could get some condensation build up in there.
It might have some moisture in that fluid causing the valve body to stick.
If it got warm and it worked fine, and it's worked ever since,
and you drove it a little bit, and it warmed it up, burned that out, or yeah,
sometimes when you don't drive it enough, it can freeze up.
The other time it happened was in the summer time, so that was not a fluid issue then,
because it's impossible to freeze, but there one thing these do have in common,
those transmissions have a, we see a lot of issues with them.
A lot of issues.
No matter the miles, we've had a lot of valve body problems with those transmissions,
so they can be fixed, but-
Do you have the six-speed automatic or the eight-speed automatic?
Do you know?
I've got the eight-speed.
There you go.
That's the one with the problems.
So the valve bodies, they've had some issues.
Your next step in this is going to be to take it to a transmission shop,
tell them the description of what happened, and make sure you tell them it's happened,
in the summer when it's hot, just as well as the winter, and how it came back,
and they'll probably go in and look at that valve body.
They may even want to just replace it with an updated valve body,
and if they can get one, some of them will be backwardered, so.
That's not what, that's not what Wayne wanted to hear, Russ, no, at all.
No, so checking the Chevrolet bulletins, I find no technical bulletins on there.
Do you know if there's been a part number change on that valve body?
They updated their valve bodies on these that had the problem,
but I don't know if there was a part number change.
They just, as they came out, they said, here you go, and this one's fixed.
I think that, now Wayne, you said it's right now working good, right?
Yeah.
As it always has.
Yes, like I said, this has only happened on three occasions that it's done that.
The other time in the summer, when it was not freezing temperature out there,
I just left it until the next day, and then it worked fine.
So, this unit does not get hardly any short drives on it, because I bought it new.
It's probably about half the life.
It is called a snowmobile trailer or a boat trailer.
Shouldn't affect it at all.
So, it's longer miles on it that's supposed to a lot of short trip driving.
I would be inclined to tell you to have the transmission inspected by a transmission shop,
tell them what happened.
They'll probably inspect the fluid.
It is seven years old now.
It might not be a bad idea to have them replace the fluid and put a conditioner in there,
and just see if things are going to be fine.
What is that?
That valve body issue is because they'll get just the tiniest amount of material in them,
and then they get finicky.
They start not working right, and it's just very frustrating,
but it could be that you had something that's passed now.
It's maybe passed through the valve body, and so I would have them inspected.
Change the fluid.
Replace the fluid and put a conditioner in there, and I would just keep on going,
because you don't need to, I don't want you to worry about it either,
but you don't need to spend $6,000 when it's working good.
That's what Wayne wanted to hear.
That is part, that's what he wanted to hear.
But if they get inspection done, and they look and they say,
we pulled your pan, we looked at your fluid, we got debris, we got problems,
there's material, or there's material now, we know that the material,
even if it was leftover slag from the one it was new,
that's probably gotten into the valve body,
and that's what's causing those occasional problems.
But let's just hope like a kidney stone, it's went through, and it's passed.
Seriously.
We're talking tiny little passages inside these things and electronically controlled,
and when they don't work, they just decide that it can be like that,
irritating little piece of popcorn skin that you get up in your gum there,
and you sit there and pick a way out, and all of a sudden you suck it out,
and you just spit it out like, oh, it's like brand new.
866-594-4150.
Wayne, thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
Let's talk to Dan in Connecticut.
Dan, you're on the end of the hood show.
What can we do for you?
Yes, I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with the 2.4-liter engine.
Recently went into the dealer, and the engine light was on.
He replaced the camshaft actuator, and the idle was fine, but as I accelerate 30 miles per hour,
it seems like the throttle's sticking, and the warranty's up on it.
So I don't know if I should bring it back to him.
I know the engine has a lifetime warranty because it could seize,
so I'm trying to hold on to it.
Just a couple things that are triggering in my mind as you talk about this.
2.4-liter.
2.4, yeah.
Class action.
I didn't realize they were doing that for a lifetime.
I know they're doing it for a long time.
It might be your lifetime.
I thought it was 150.
Some people can fly past that 150 in a hurry.
That's why it's probably a lifetime for you.
I have 88.
Yeah, that's probably a lifetime for you.
I've already got 35.
Yeah.
And they usually do put a time on there too.
They'll say five more years or 150.
You definitely want to check into that.
And some dealers were doing lifetime for the original owner.
Still selling vehicles with that.
Following their maintenance plan and doing certain things.
But that cam actuator, that shouldn't make the throttle seem like it's holding.
And there's nothing in there I can think of that you would have to touch in order to do that
portion of the engine.
Like you're not going to take off this that could affect that.
So I think it's a separate type thing you're going to have to have looked at.
Is there anything that it could be that could feel like that that you can, you know?
Not really.
Okay.
Except the floor mats stuck under there.
Push this thing down her.
Maybe, oh yeah, that could be.
It's my wife's car.
Oh, it happens.
I drive with you.
I get people, you know, people are really in tune when you do things.
We do a lot of engines, a lot of transmissions and things like that.
And we've had a number of people over the years will put an engine in or a transmission.
They'll say, my car is not working right ever since you worked on it.
And so I look at it and I like them to be there at the first time.
So when they come in, I can jump in the car.
Well, let me take it for a quick drive and see if it's something real fast I can fix.
You know, make them feel good because they had to come all the way back out.
And a lot of times, you know, be like, oh,
and I pull the floor mat out and said, look, I fixed it.
But if they drop it off and it's there for a day and I look at it and say, oh,
it's just a floor mat.
How do they know if it was really just a format?
But it's great when you can just,
but the look on their face sometimes when you just pull the floor mat out and say,
there's your problem.
They're like, oh, okay.
Or if you reach in, if someone you work with,
their car won't start and you reach in and put it in park and then tell them to try.
That's a good, that's my favorite.
That's my favorite.
I like that one.
Oh, it happens.
I've had a replace on this and I had the warranty.
Two valve cover gaskets leaking oil.
It doesn't seem to have the compression,
the power that it did at 35,000.
And I changed the oil religiously.
And I noticed at the end of the dipstick, a little darker, like sludge maybe.
When I changed it, I just changed it when I had that service done at 2000
just to be on the safe side with that engine.
Is there anything to be adding to it?
Is there, would you do anything that way Russ?
No, but that oil changes,
frequent oil changes are really important on that engine.
They just, they have, it's oil system failure, things start to get gummed up and
I will say though, if you feel like there's something causing your throttle to hold,
let's not speculate exactly what it is and you can't see anything restricting it,
please go in and get an inspection done.
Because just to make sure there's not something that's out of place.
If that valve cover has been off twice,
you know, there's different things that have been done under the hood.
Is something left wedged?
Just have somebody give it an inspection because you just don't want to have any problems.
But these newer systems, there's been accusations and there's been investigations,
but it is, it's going to be the most unusual thing in the world if a throttle were to stick.
Now we've had other people call in and we've realized that we missed some calls on,
on people that had paddle shifters and some different things that we weren't thinking about
when we talked to them that could cause some issues where the vehicle felt like it was sticking
the throttle because they didn't realize they were in a manual mode and they were,
they were in a gear that just seemed like it was revving the engine.
But other than that, if you think there's something doing that,
please get it back in there and let them look at it just to make sure.
Dan, thanks very much for the call. Good luck.
866-594-4150. Let's go to New Jersey and talk to Bob.
You're on the end of the hood show, Bob. What can we do for you?
I've got a 2015 Mazda 3 with a 2.0. It's been a real good car to me, 255,000 miles on it.
And outside of the regular consumables, the only thing I've ever put in it was a
coil pack, one coil pack. And so I'm religiously changed my, do a four-quart
drain and fill on my transmission every 30,000 miles because I do a lot of driving and every
traffic and stuff. So recently, I'm starting to have a slip between third and fourth when the
engine gets hot. And I'm not too familiar with that transmission. There's no error codes and
I'm just wondering, could it be something as simple as a solenoid or are we looking at a clutch pack
or what could it possibly be and what could I possibly look at?
When that happens on those, it's almost always a clutch that's just worn out. It's had its wear.
How many miles total on it again?
255,000. I was really hoping to hit 300 just to, you know, for my male ego, but I don't think I'm
going to make it. Usually that's about a 200,000 mile transmission at the most, more like 160,
170. I think your maintenance on that vehicle has really helped it to go a long way. So you've pretty
much doubled the miles that that thing would normally see. You've gotten a long way out of that
car. And if it's not like a ring all the way up and you just baby how you drive it, you might get
some more miles out of it. Yeah, could go a long way yet. I know if I'm easy on the gas, it will
go, you know, shift easy. And once I'm on the highway at highway speed, it goes with no problem.
It's just between third and fourth, that little area, once the engine is hot, it does that.
Yeah, sadly, if they do a fluid inspection, you'll probably find that that fluid is starting to get
discolored and probably has some, some material starting to float around in there just from
slippage, most likely. There's not anything in those taller gears typically that is on that kind
of a car that's going to say, oh, it's just something we can fix for a few hundred dollars.
It'd be nice. It'd be nice if it was.
Bob, thanks very much for the call. Good luck. 866-594-4150. My brother and I have a new past
time. I have though, I have one brother who's a car guy. He was the one who, he was always the car
guy. So we were talking once about how we live hundreds of miles away from each other. If we
ever end up in the same old folks home or we live right next to each other, we're going to get a
project car. And he doesn't want a project car. He wants to buy a car that's done. So we've been
going back and forth. So here's our new thing. We've decided, he and I have decided we're going
to get a car and we're not really, we're not really going to get it. But we're going to
talk about and argue about which car would work. So part of it is trying to find the car that
you like, that the other person will like. And then we usually end up arguing about
what a stupid choice that would be. It's become, it's very, it's a fun conversation to have via
text over a weekend. We pick a car and go, hey, what about this one? Ah, they're junk. What about
this one? That's ugly. It's just, we're having a blast on it. I have to tell you a story that
I think relates. Okay. It has nothing to do with the under the hood show. But it's, it's,
the place for compelling. Okay. We'll see. My, my wife and I and my, my daughter and my son-in-law,
we're in Reno. They came up and met us when I was out there doing my speaking engagement. So we
spent the day with them and we had stopped in a little circular bar area to get some, some snacks,
some little orb divorce snacks and right next to the sports book. And so we're in this little
circular bar area, sports books over here. So we're watching some games and then there's just
a seating area that's behind the sports book area, just kind of a general seating area.
Each one of us had noticed these two elderly gentlemen that were at a table just outside of
the bar area. Okay. We had noticed them because they were, we thought yelling at each other.
But it was very animated. Like, and the one gentleman had a cane and the other gentleman
was, you know, summer teeth and it was, they were, they were just, to the point where we were
worried that there was going to be fisticuffs. Try not to watch it. This was at two in the afternoon.
We were there for a while. It continued. We were there for a bit. We came back later to
watch the Timberwolves game because they had it on in the sports book. They were still there
going at it. And as we were sitting there, I couldn't take it anymore. And I told my family,
I got to go find out what's going on. They're, they're either arguing over a jilted lover
when they were young or they're talking politics or I don't know what it is.
And so we had all kinds of theories. Nobody wanted me to go talk to them. They're all embarrassed.
When I got up to leave, my son-in-law actually left because he couldn't believe I was actually
going to go over there and talk to these complete strangers. But my inside track was two of my
vendor friends from the industry were sitting right behind them. And they didn't know that.
That I knew. So I got up to go talk to the said
arguers because that would be something I would do anyway.
For sure.
And so I walked right by the arguers and I sat down next to my friends from,
I think they were from B-parts, a vendor that sells, sells parts on the internet.
And I looked at them. I said, Hey, you're right behind these guys. You watching them?
Oh yeah. So I go, what are they talking about? They said, everything.
They said they are talking about everything. And they had been sitting there for about two hours.
We're talking lots of energy being expounded. I can't paint this picture enough.
And so we're like, okay. And I never went and talked to them. And so then by then,
my family's like, they were at ease because I didn't actually go talk to them.
But I had the information I needed. It wasn't a jolted lover. It was everything.
I thought one of them stole the other one's wife when they were 20 years old and they just finally
met, you know, to discuss it or something like that.
So we leave, we go out for dinner. We leave and go downtown Reno. We go out for dinner
and we come back. So now it's nine o'clock at night.
And when did it start?
Two in the afternoon is the first time we saw. Okay.
So we'll come back and we're going by that same area. I'm like, I think they're still there.
I'm like, nah, we turn the corner. They're still there. And they're still going at it.
It's, it's you and your brother arguing about the car. But they're just, the arms are moving.
That he's got to go. And so, so I, I, at that point, I couldn't take it. I went over there.
I sat down next to him and I started talking to him and we got pulled in. My wife came over
eventually. My daughter came over. My son, why he sat in the back. He still didn't want to get
involved. And we talked to him. And it was, they had political opinions. They had religious
opinions that we talked about chess and a chess tournament that they'd been in. And one is a
vicious chess player. And the other one will take you to the end and then just let you win
because he wants to teach you. And then there's this radio show under the hood is the best. No,
the click and clack, they were the best. No, under the hood. So we got engaged. I ended up,
Doug, all of you will appreciate this. We gathered hands in a prayer circle and I prayed with them
in the middle of the casino. These guys were amazingly crazy guys that were on track with most
of the things they were talking about, but they couldn't agree about anything. So they were arguing
about everything, but it wasn't argument. It was like trying to get their point across with
animation. And the one guy was just taking it. You know what? It's you and your brother. I'm guessing.
And it was something to behold. And then so they had got there. We found out at nine in the morning.
They had been there 12 hours and they said, Oh yeah, we'll be back tomorrow. We come in here
all the time. And they were saying the casino pays us to be here. And they must have been doing
some gambling or something. One had a drink. The other one didn't. It was something. It was
something. I had to tell that story to somebody, but yeah, I've been there when you've done things
like that. And I encourage it, except you'll always, you won't let it go. Like if I say,
this is what they're arguing. If I had a guess, if we were talking about what they could be arguing
about and you were like, I'll go find out. I'd be like, yeah, go find out. You're a guy who will
go over find out and then call over, call me over to either prove it one way or the other.
You won't let, you wouldn't let me go unscathed. I like to get right to the horse's mouth.
And whether it was, that is one thing. Whether it was you or me that were right,
you would make sure that I got the uncomfortableness so you couldn't just let me go unscathed.
Yes, I would. Right. Right. My daughter and my wife came over voluntarily and my son-in-law,
he just was like, he was okay to let us tell him what happened. Sure. And I'm surprised you didn't
go get him and bring him over. We tried. We waved him in, but he, he was watching some basketball
games and he loves basketball. So he was fine. He was pretending. He didn't know he was fine.
This is the after show. I think we got to everything on the, on the show show.
And we got a winner today of our advanced auto parts die hard toolkit giveaway. Everybody
could use a tool. Yes, you can. In their car. I could use one of these actually too. Maybe they
could get me one too. I could put one. Give the four of us one. There we go. Yeah. There we go.
We could couple. Do we know what's in it? What's in the tool tools? Safety items.
It was 73 pieces. Producer Doug had to straighten me out there. I said 79 pieces. It was 73 pieces.
I remember that from last week when we're reading it. It's, it's a really good roadside emergency
tool kit. And it's the kind of thing that everybody should have in their car. And you know, if it
comes from advanced auto parts and die hard, it's going to have the right stuff in it. And so
it's fun to be able to have these as giveaways, but you can also drop into your
advanced auto parts store and pick up things like that that you need to be a good road warrior.
Is that what you wanted to do there? Get yourself a cordless tire inflator. Everybody could use one
of those. How about a tire pressure gauge while you're at it? I tell you what, so many people
come into our shop. It's like, Oh, you check my tires. I think there's something's wrong. It says
low tire. It's like, no, that's check tire. It's not a low tire light. You've got 59 pounds of air
in the left front. You've got 25 in the right. They've been putting air in because it's got a leak
and all of a sudden they're like 60 pounds. Yeah. It said low tire. So they keep adding air, adding
air until it's too high. And then the light comes on because it's too high. So get yourself a tire
pressure gauge. Don't trust the ones at the gas station. They're often, often wrong. So far, so
Doug left. He's gone. Somebody's getting something for free. That's the point. Right.
Free is good. Doug, he threw us our paper and he just left. Left. That's it. He said,
I've had enough of this today. Good luck, guys. He says, he gives you this paper, but he goes,
Oh, you want to know here? Click this link. Okay. No, but he knew we were talking about the die hard
roadside tool kit that has the essentials you need to be prepared for breakdowns with the most
common tools for minor repairs. He knew that was written on here. We needed that. We were swimming
and pedaling a little bit there. Yeah. That's what it is. I mean, it's not just tools. It's
essentials you'll need on the side of the road. So it's a safety kit. It's an emergency tool kit.
It's an emergency roadside tool kit. I don't think we can talk about this tool kit enough
for what Chris is trying to do over there. I have no information for you.
All right. Should I? I think we're out. I think we should. I think we need to run with Doug wherever
he went. No kidding. Where is he? I want to go with. Thanks for listening and thanks for watching
the end of the hood show. With Russ Evans, this is Shannon Orts from thanking you for tuning into
The North's 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
underthehoodshow.com. Under the Hood is produced by Prairie House Productions.
All content is the property of Nordstrom's Automotive Incorporated and may not be used
without our permission. Copyright Nordstrom's Automotive, Inc.
About this episode
A call-in repair show focused on saving money with smart DIY troubleshooting and “check the basics first” advice. Russ walks through a 2009 Chevy HHR misfire case—after plugs, coil, and injectors, the next steps are spark/fuel tests and checking for issues like damaged wiring or internal cylinder problems. Other calls cover E20 fuel use in GM trucks, DIY steering wheel and mirror repairs (including airbag safety), keeping a reman MDS-deleted Ram healthy, and diagnosing intermittent no-drive behavior on an 8-speed Silverado. The episode ends with transmission slip expectations, plus a roadside tool kit giveaway and practical tire-pressure reminders.
Original notes
Needing Car Repair Advice? We give it all for free. Under The Hood is America's Favorite Car Talk Show. Free Car Repair Advice given to anyone who needs it. You can save money on car repairs and get your car going faster. Three guys hanging out talking cars and any repair problem you may have. Check us out on youtube too! Thanks for Tuning in and Tuning Up!
Here are todays callers.
Can I use e20 in my 2018 Silverado? Can I remove my own steering wheel in a Subaru? How can I make my 2011 Ram 1500 last longer? Why won't my 19 Silverado transmission move only sometimes? 15 Sonata won't accelerate well always 15 Mazda 3 transmission slips
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