The Honda Stream is a minivan, meaning it’s built to carry passengers comfortably with lots of usable space. In the podcast, it’s discussed as part of a travel setup with an air-stream camper and two batteries. The key idea is that the van’s electrical system is being used to support camping power needs.
Concept
camper side
“Camper side” means the extra power system for RV/camping equipment. Many campers use a separate battery, so the car’s charging system has to manage both batteries correctly.
The start battery is the battery the car uses to start the engine and run the main electronics. With two batteries, the car can warn you that the start battery is low even if the other one is okay.
A trickle charger is a slow, gentle charger that keeps a car battery from going dead. It’s meant for long-term use when you’re not driving the car much.
Amperage is how much electricity is flowing into the battery. If the charger is working, you’ll usually see the current change as the battery fills up.
Battery voltage is a measurement of how much electrical power is left in the battery. Lower voltage usually means the battery is weak or not charging correctly.
If a car battery reads under 12 volts, it usually means the battery is weak or not holding charge. When the engine is running, the voltage should be higher because the alternator is charging it.
A voltmeter is a simple meter that measures electrical voltage. Here, it’s used to see if the battery is strong when the car runs and if it drops too low after sitting.
A failed battery is one that can’t store or provide enough power. It might work for a short time, but after the car sits, it can drop too low to start or to run normally.
Unplugging one battery cable is a way to stop the car from using power. If the battery doesn’t lose much voltage while disconnected, the battery may be fine and the problem is likely something in the car that’s draining it.
Think of a circuit like a specific electrical “loop” in the car. The goal is to figure out which loop is accidentally using power and draining the battery.
A battery maintainer is a device that keeps your battery charged while the car sits. It’s smarter than a basic charger because it checks the battery and avoids overcharging.
A flooded lead-acid battery is the older, common battery type with liquid inside. Since it’s different from AGM, the charger settings should match the battery type.
A battery tender is a charger that keeps your battery topped off safely. It’s meant for cars that don’t get driven every day, so the battery doesn’t go dead.
The Kia Optima is a regular passenger car (a sedan) meant for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it in connection with a battery charger/maintainer, which is used to keep the battery from going flat when the car isn’t driven much. The focus is on battery care so the car starts reliably.
AGM is a type of car battery that’s sealed and uses special material inside to hold the battery fluid. Chargers that support AGM are designed to charge it correctly without damaging it.
Power sports batteries are the batteries used in things like motorcycles and ATVs. They can be different from car batteries, so not every charger works the same way.
Diagnose your battery means the charger checks whether the battery is healthy or not. Instead of guessing, it looks at the battery’s electrical condition.
A power seat is a seat that moves using electricity instead of a manual lever. If it only won’t move one way, the problem is often the motor or switch for that direction.
The seat switch is the button/control that tells the power seat motor what to do. If it breaks, the seat might move in only one direction or not move correctly. The host is saying you can test it before replacing the motor.
Norman Products is a company that sells the replacement part they’re talking about. The host is saying you can buy the seat switch from them if yours fails. That makes the repair more straightforward.
Advance Auto Parts is a store where you can buy car parts. The host is saying the seat switch is something they can get there. That can save time compared to hunting for a rare part.
The motor is the part that actually moves the seat. If it doesn’t move when you command it, the issue could be the motor itself or the wiring/switch that controls it.
They’re talking about lightly tapping as a temporary test. If something is stuck or contacts are flaky, a tap might make it work—but it’s not a real repair.
In car stereos, “protection” means the system may limit or shut off sound to avoid damage. The host is suggesting the audio isn’t just broken—it may be protecting itself.
Aftermarket speakers are replacement speakers made by other brands, not the one that made your truck or car. People use them to fix bad factory speakers and sometimes get better sound for less money.
A U-pull-it yard is a place where you can go and pull parts out of junk cars yourself. The host is saying you can often find used speakers there for much less than new ones.
Speaker size (like 3.5-inch or 6x9) matters because the new speaker has to physically fit in the spot in your car. The host is talking about common sizes they used when replacing speakers.
A four-speed transmission is the set of gears that lets the engine spin at the right speed for driving. When you shift gears, the truck can feel different—especially if something about the shift or driveline isn’t quite right.
Third gear is one of the gears in the truck’s gearbox. The caller says the problem shows up around 35 mph when they’re in third gear and then shifting into fourth, which is useful for diagnosing what’s going on.
Fourth gear is the higher gear the truck goes into after third. The caller says the bucking/surging happens when shifting into fourth around 35 mph, but it smooths out after they give it more gas.
A carburetor is an older-style part that mixes fuel and air for the engine. If it gets dirty or worn out, the engine can run poorly because the mixture isn’t right.
The engine control module is the car’s control box that decides how the engine should run. If it fails, the engine can misfire or run badly because it’s not getting the right control signals.
The pickup coil is part of the ignition system that tells the engine when to spark. If it goes bad, the engine may misfire or not start because the spark timing is off.
Term
Durif mark
This sounds like the name of the specific control-box unit they’re referring to. The important part is that it’s a particular kind of ignition/engine control module that can fail.
Sludge is thick, dirty buildup formed from degraded fuel and contaminants. In a fuel system, sludge can break loose and travel downstream, contributing to deposits in a carburetor and causing drivability issues.
Fuel injection is a newer fuel system that sprays fuel in electronically instead of using a carburetor. Some cleaners are made for that system, so using them on older cars can be a little different.
The fuel tank holds the gas. If the inside rusts, that rust can break loose and end up in the fuel system, causing problems like a dirty or failing carburetor.
Rust inside the fuel tank can break loose and travel through the fuel lines. That debris can clog or foul the carburetor, making the problem come back even after cleaning.
“Granny low” is an extra-low gear that helps a truck move very slowly without struggling. It’s used when you need lots of pulling power at low speed, like towing or rough terrain.
A distributor is part of the ignition system that sends the spark to the right spark plug at the right time. If it goes bad, the engine can run poorly or not start, and replacing it can fix the problem.
This is a Ram 1500 pickup truck. The important part here is that it has air suspension, which uses air pressure to control the ride height—so if the system leaks or fails, the truck can ride very low and feel harsh.
“Air ride” means the suspension uses pressurized air instead of just metal springs. If it leaks or breaks, the truck can sag and ride hard because it can’t hold the right air pressure.
A purge valve is a small valve that opens and closes to control flow. If one fails, it can let pressure escape or prevent the system from working properly, which can make the suspension sag or ride wrong.
They talk about how to figure out what’s wrong with a truck’s air suspension when it starts leaking. They also explain why repairs can be expensive and why not every shop wants to work on these systems.
Instead of using outside air, this suspension system uses nitrogen gas. Nitrogen is drier, so it can help reduce rust/corrosion inside the system, but the system can still fail and get expensive to repair.
“Internally failed” means the problem is inside the suspension system itself. That usually points to internal leaks or broken parts, not something like a hose that’s just leaking from the outside.
Term
hard feather
They’re describing how the truck rides when the air suspension isn’t working: it feels stiff and harsh instead of smooth. It’s like the suspension can’t “float” correctly anymore.
This means the suspension has its own stored nitrogen pressure inside the system. If something goes wrong, you can’t just “refill it” like older designs—so repairs can be more complex and costly.
Standard shocks are the regular, non-electronic shock absorbers. They’re usually easier to replace and diagnose than fancy adjustable suspension parts.
A conversion kit is a set of parts that changes your suspension from one type to another. For example, it might swap an air/adjustable setup to regular spring-and-shock parts.
Some suspension problems are hard to figure out without the right diagnostic tools. The host is describing how techs use scanners to check what the suspension is doing.
The compressor is the pump that makes and maintains the air pressure for the air suspension. If it breaks, the suspension can’t work the way it’s supposed to.
Topic
dealer vs independent shop decision
When suspension repairs are expensive, you often choose between a dealership and an independent shop. The host suggests picking the shop that’s willing to look at it and give a straightforward next step.
This is a 2020 Ford Explorer ST, which is a sportier version of the Explorer SUV. The caller says it starts acting up in hot weather—specifically related to getting the car out of park and shifting.
The gear selector is what you use to choose the car’s gear (like Park or Drive). If it’s not working right, the car may refuse to shift properly—like getting stuck in Park.
The brake light switch tells the car when your foot is on the brake. If it’s faulty, the car may not think you’re braking, and that can prevent shifting out of Park or cause other weird behavior.
It’s extra coverage you buy from a company other than the car brand to help pay for repairs after the original warranty ends. The big difference is the fine print—coverage and approvals can work differently than the factory warranty.
A factory warranty is coverage tied to the car brand itself, not a separate company. Because it’s manufacturer-backed, the rules for repairs and payment can be different.
In warranty repair disputes, “escalate” means moving the case up to higher levels within the warranty provider’s process when a shop can’t resolve the issue. The segment implies that escalation is sometimes needed to get approvals, additional diagnostics, or alternative remedies.
An aftermarket company is a third-party warranty provider. Their coverage rules and how they pay repair shops can be different from the car brand’s warranty.
A deductible is the part you pay yourself first. After you’ve paid it, the warranty is supposed to cover the rest—so if the problem keeps coming back, people get frustrated.
A body control module is a computer in the car that manages lots of electrical features. Here, it’s also part of the safety logic that decides whether the car will let you move out of Park.
A diagnostic scanner (OBD scanner) reads fault codes and live data from the car’s control modules. Here, the scanner is used to monitor what the BCM thinks is happening (Park status, brake input, and cruise switch state).
The brake switch is what tells the car you’re pressing the brake pedal. If it’s not reading correctly, the car may think you’re not braking and won’t let you shift out of Park.
Shift interlock is the safety feature that stops you from moving the car out of Park unless you’re doing it correctly. When it says “open,” it means the car is currently allowing shifting, assuming the other requirements are satisfied.
“Read codes” means checking the car’s computer for error messages. The point here is that just following the code without checking live signals can lead to replacing the wrong part.
“Scan the codes” means plugging in a scanner to read error messages stored in the car. Those messages can help a mechanic figure out what part is causing the problem.
This is a 2016 Buick LaCrosse that the caller uses every day. The issue is that the key fob sometimes won’t work, so the car won’t unlock or start the way it should.
Remote starting means you can start the car without being in it, usually using the key fob. If it works sometimes and not others, it can be caused by the fob not sending a strong signal or the car not reading it correctly.
“Unresponsive key fobs” describes a keyless-entry remote that intermittently fails to communicate with the car. Common causes include a failing key fob battery, damaged fob circuitry, or issues with the car’s keyless receiver/antenna.
In this context, the receiver is the car module that picks up the key fob’s signal. It can fail independently of the fob battery, which is why a dash message like “low battery” may persist even after replacing the fob battery.
OEM parts are the same type of parts the car manufacturer uses from the factory. For key fobs, OEM can be easier to get working correctly with your specific car.
The instrument cluster is the dashboard screen/menu. On some cars, you can program a key fob right from that dashboard menu instead of going to a dealer.
Here, “transmitter” means the part in the key fob that sends the signal to the car. If the dealer can’t find a problem with the fob, the issue might be the car’s ability to receive that signal.
TPMS is the system that watches your tire pressure and warns you if a tire is low. If the warning light keeps coming on, it can sometimes be related to the car’s sensor communication, not just the tires.
Car
1941 Plymouth B12 special deluxe
This is a 1941 Plymouth model that runs on a carburetor, not modern fuel injection. The caller is dealing with a fuel delivery issue where the carburetor isn’t getting enough gas, so the car repeatedly runs out of fuel.
The fuel pump moves gas from the gas tank to the engine. If it’s weak or not feeding fuel reliably, the carburetor won’t get enough gas and the car can quit.
Vapor lock is when fuel gets so hot that it turns into gas in the fuel line. If that happens, the engine may not get the fuel it needs to run. A little extra fuel pressure helps keep the fuel in liquid form.
A fuel regulator is a device that controls fuel pressure before it reaches the carburetor. It helps make sure the carb doesn’t get too much fuel pressure. That can prevent problems like flooding.
A return line is a second fuel line that sends extra fuel back to the gas tank. It helps keep the carburetor from getting too much fuel. Some fuel pump setups need this extra line to work right.
An inertia crash switch is a safety switch that can shut off the fuel pump after a crash. It’s triggered by the sudden stop of an impact. That helps prevent fuel from continuing to pump if something goes wrong.
LIVE
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Thanks for listening to the Under the Hood Show podcast.
Here's the show.
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.
I'm Chris Carter here to answer your automotive question calls at 866-594-4150.
We got calls coming in and I don't want to slow those down because it's just you and I today.
Let's get rolling.
So let's get rolling.
We can answer some questions here.
I say we and I mean you can answer some questions.
And if I stop talking and say hi, you're on the Under the Hood Show, it goes a lot better.
Dan in New York, you're up first.
Go ahead.
A neighbor has a 2021 Mercedes Ben 2500 spinner van and it's got an air stream camper.
And it has the two batteries, the chastity battery and then the other one for the camper side.
He keeps getting messages that the start battery is low and he's even
forgetting these messages even when it was left on his trickle charger.
And the trickle charger appears to be working.
See that the amperage going to the battery cycles.
And the one time how I got involved, he was away and he had me go over and I put on a regular
charger and that cleared his message.
And he keeps getting this message even when he was on the road traveling,
stopped, had traveled a lot of mileage the day before that night.
He ends up getting this battery voltage message.
And the battery is, it's low, it's 11.5, 11.75.
He had the electrical system checked out by a Mercedes and he said everything's fine,
but this keeps occurring.
And clearly when he's on the road, when he's home, he leaves it on the trickle charger.
But then on the road this keeps happening.
Not certain what's going on or whether it's a big problem or not.
Well, either that battery is failed, it's shorted and it's not allowing it to charge.
The vehicle won't charge it because it sees there's a problem with it.
Or there's a problem with the charging system because it sounds like it's doing the right thing.
If you say the battery is below 12 volts, then it's definitely going to turn that light on.
So the vehicle says we're low.
If the vehicle battery was at 13.5 volts or so and it had that message,
I'd be looking at the body control module to make sure it sees voltage at it.
And that thing determines which battery to charge or both batteries to charge based on that voltage
level and then it sends power out to them.
And I believe that one is completely controlled by the body control module.
But the one thing that disturbs me is that Mercedes is wrong if they're saying that there's
nothing wrong with it and it is acting up while it is in the dealership and it's showing
under 12 volts in the dealership, there's definitely something wrong.
There's, I would go in, right back to that dealer that worked on it.
And if you've got a voltmeter and you can start the vehicle and you could put the
voltmeter on the battery and it shows under 12 volts, it should be 13 something with it running.
But if it shows under 12 volts, I would just ask them, look them in the eye and say,
you say everything's good with this, but why is this battery at this level,
which it's not supposed to be, it's supposed to be over 13 and I have a message.
So what is it?
I'm sorry, I think might have misunderstood.
The message comes when the after it's been sitting idle for a period of time.
So it doesn't occur while it's running and the battery does recharge.
It's just, if you leave the vehicle idle, it loses its charge.
If you're leaving idle, then it's got a, then you've got a current drain or a failed battery.
The first thing you can do at home as a quick test, when it is fully charged,
disconnect one of the terminals and leave it disconnected.
And after the same amount of period that it would normally drop 34 days a week,
two weeks, whatever it is, measure the battery.
And if the battery has not gone down at all, the battery is probably okay.
But if it has dropped voltage and it's down under 12 volts, just from sitting,
that battery is 100% failed.
And if it holds its charge, it means that when it is connected, something is dry.
It's pulling it.
That's when you need to do an amperage draw test and find out what circuit in the vehicle is
drawing the battery down.
And then I want to real quick, Dan, that thanks very much for the call.
Let me ask a question on your behalf.
When he says trickle charger, we want to make sure he's not over trickling it.
Yeah.
I mean, you want, we want a modern battery maintainer on it.
Modern battery maintainer, like a Optima battery maintainer,
something that can look at the battery, monitor the battery and operate properly to keep it
charged and something that can switch between AGM, a standard flooded lead acid battery.
Old fashioned trickle chargers.
Can I even go buy one at?
Oh yeah.
There's a few of them out there.
Most of them have changed over to a, at least a automatic shutoff type maintain charge,
but there are still some out there.
Okay.
And there's a lot of people that still buy the old found one in the garage sale for five
bucks.
So they bought it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what I'm worried about.
Is it, if you're especially with a, with a Sprinter van with two,
but you're going to need and want a modern battery tender, battery maintainer.
Our partner at Clarios through Optima has some really good battery chargers that,
you know, the maintainers that charge, charge maintained,
they switch between AGM and standard power sports batteries, everything.
Can tell you what is left.
I mean, that can diagnose your battery.
As soon as you plug it in, it's, it's important to have a well maintained
battery system in a vehicle.
And you can always go to auto batteries.com for a lot more information than we can give
you in a short segment on the show.
Dan, thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
866-594-4150.
That's the number to reach us here at the end of the hood show.
Let's go to Oregon and talk to Bill.
You're on the end of the hood show.
Bill, what can we do for you?
Yeah, I've got a 2011 F-150.
Got a power seat for the driver.
Got a switch down on the left-hand side that moves it back and forth, up and down, tilt.
Well, everything works except it won't, it won't go back.
What am I looking at?
Yeah, every time somebody gets in it, they move it forward a little bit trying to get it to go
back.
Like, oh, we'll go back.
Let me try forward.
Oh, now I'm an inch forward.
I still can't go back.
Yeah.
The switches for those seats fail often.
Sometimes the motors do, but more often the seat switch fails.
In the same motor that moves it forward, move it backward, though?
Yes.
That one does move it forward and back.
Some of them have separate ones for different things, but in this model, for sure, it's forward
and back.
So likely the motor is just fine if it'll go forward, but not backwards.
And usually it's the switch, and you can check the switch.
It's not too hard to take out.
There's about three screws.
You pull the whole thing back, and if you look on the internet, you'll find a diagram
for it and just look for the two wires that go to the motor.
And when you probe those two wires with your meter, one direction, it'll have a positive
battery voltage, and the other direction, it'll have a negative battery voltage as it
forwards and reverses that motor.
If it only works one way, then the switch is bad.
And the switches are available from her partner, Norman Products.
Advance Auto Parts carries those.
We pick them up once every four or five months.
We have a call for one, and it's pretty simple.
We just take that panel off, take the two screws out of the switch, plug the new one in,
make sure it works, put it back together.
You want to make sure it works first before you put it all back together.
So that way, it's still a part.
You can check wiring if you've got a broken connection or something like that.
But it's not too bad to fix.
If the seat didn't move at all forward or reverse, it'd be more apt to think you have
a broken wire or a really bad switch or a stuck motor.
And sometimes you can give them a little tap with a rubber mallet, and they'll take off.
But don't ever do that unless you have exhausted all other options.
You found out that you have voltage to the motor both ways,
but nothing happens, and you can give a little bump and it might work.
But if you've got a loss of voltage, which yours probably does,
I'm betting on the switch more than anything else.
If you had a broken wire, the motor wouldn't move at all, because it requires both wires
all the way to the switch to ground one side.
Is there a way to trick it?
Is there a way to jimmy it so I don't have to...
Can I put a penny in there or something?
In the worst case, if you didn't have...
Let's say you're out on the road, and you had a piece of wire,
and you couldn't make it work, you could take the switch out,
and you could just apply power directly to the motor to run it one way or the other,
until you get it where you want and then leave it unplugged.
I've done that in the old campground before when I can't move.
I'll just take the screws out, and I'll jump for it, and I've got a paperclip or something,
and I get it to move, and then get...
I want to... Part of what we want to tell Bill,
if you just push it all the way forward, it'll cycle itself and go back.
No, it won't.
But no, I won't.
It'd feel terrible if they found him four months from now.
Most people that come into our place with a window that goes one way,
but not the other, like down and up, of course, up, they wouldn't care.
It goes down, it will come in all the way down, and they'll say,
well, you know what, it went down a little bit and it wouldn't go up,
so I went a little more, and then I went a little more, and now it's all the way down.
Stop.
You know what direction it does go.
Keep trying to go the other way.
So if the seat goes forward, don't ever try to go forward again.
Just keep trying it in reverse, and maybe it'll go once or twice, but it probably won't.
Bill's laying in the thing because he has to recline all the way back.
They're like this, they're stuck in there.
Just laying flat.
Does that help you out there, Bill?
Hey, I got one more question on speakers.
It's got four doors, four speakers.
When I first bought the rig, they all worked.
Then the driver's side door quit working, and more recently, the passenger side in the front
quit working, so now I just have two back speakers, 67, and I don't think I've ever had a speaker go
bad in any of those vehicles, so I'm kind of curious what's going on with them.
You're playing it too loud.
We get older, we lose our hearing, we crank it up, and it's just gone.
We just keep...
It's a protection.
It's protecting you.
Ford speakers, F-150, is one of the vehicles that we see a number of factory speakers fail in.
You could pick an aftermarket car stereo replacement store to have them put in a good
set of aftermarket speakers, or I think you'd be just as well served to find a U-Pullet yard
for yourself to pull one out yourself or go to car-part.com and pull out a speaker.
I think those would be just as good, and they're going to save you a ton of money.
The aftermarket ones are nice.
They sound good.
Factory ones still, they're really good.
Factory speakers are still a really good speaker, and the difference between it,
like a U-Pullet yard is like $5, I think, for a speaker to 10, even car-part.
It's going to be very affordable.
Aftermarket's 100 bucks.
Well, aftermarket ones now too, I mean, you can get pretty decent speakers for pretty cheap,
and you can get acceptable speakers for really cheap, depending on what you're listening to
and what your plans are for it.
I mean, you can do all right for very little money nowadays.
When I was doing car stereo professionally, we had a bin of just, I need a speaker,
speakers, and they were three and a half inch to six by nine and five and a quarter,
six and a half, everything between.
They were $2.
So if you came in with this truck, we could say, I got a speaker and that $2 retail.
So two bucks plus the $20 put it in at the time.
Now it's more like $100 to $130 to put it in, to take it apart and put it in,
and that cheap speaker is now about 60 bucks, but I would, it was me.
I'd hit up the U-Polt yard and I pulled out.
Just pull some speakers out.
Can I help you out there, Bill?
Hey, sounds good.
Thanks very much for the call.
Good luck.
866-594-4150.
Let's go to Missouri and talk to Tom.
You're on the Under the Hood show.
Tom, what can we do for you?
Hey, guys, I have a 1981 Ford F-150.
Classic.
Ford will drive, got a 300 with a four-speed transmission.
And when I get to about 35 miles an hour in third gear and I go to shift into fourth gear,
it feels like it's surging or bucking, but once I get up over 35, start giving it more gas,
it'll even out and run fine.
I cruise down the highway at 70 mile an hour in it, but at 35, it feels like it's bucking.
Not surging, not with engine related.
And my thought is, for whatever unknown reason before I had it, and I've had it about eight years,
it's set for nine previous years.
And I've changed and it's got a new carburetor.
I run a new fuel filter on it every month, finally getting some of that gunk out of the gas tank,
and that's coming up and that's what's causing it when it's right there.
So have you replaced the pickup coil inside of the distributor and the electronic engine control
module box?
I have not done the engine control module. I have done.
Yeah, the EC module under the hood.
I've done the distributor.
You have done a whole distributor?
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah. Well, not a new distributor, but I put the top end in.
Yeah, the pickup coil inside of it.
Now, the box you're talking about is the big square box.
Is that a square box called a Durif mark?
Yep. Yeah, the EC module and it's square. It's about four inches by four inches and it's
an inch thick and it has two big round plugs on it.
Those fail often and so do the pickup coils.
When I get something, this was years ago.
This was 30 years ago, but when I'd get something like that was a little older,
like in 1990, oh, this thing's old.
I'm going to put in a new box and a new module.
I would start with that as a tune-up item and then make sure your spark plugs are good, of course,
and see what it does.
You've got that.
I did all that.
And you've also got some stuff going on with, if you have a fuel filter you're replacing,
you're still going to get some of that sludge by and into the carburetor.
And you could use some carburetor cleaner in there, but you're kind of on the fence
because you're putting a filter in it and you're gradually cleaning out.
The fuel itself is gradually cleaning out that extra gunk you have in there.
If you go and put cleaner in it, it's going to clean it real fast
and you're going to move a lot of it, but you're also going to dilute some of it.
I guess for me, I've used, after listening to you guys, I've used some of that
guaranteed to pass.
Yeah, seriously.
So I was thinking that on my own vehicle, what would I do?
And I might use that in a little lower concentration to clean it,
but I don't want to clean it all off real fast because it's meant really for fuel
injected vehicles, but people will use it in a little less concentration to clean
an older vehicle like that.
I've seen it done and I would be okay in my own vehicle doing that.
It may just take some time to drive them, but I would definitely get the module on there.
So you have that system done because if you don't, it could just fail.
My next step is changing out the fuel tank.
If it's a fuel problem, you could and you might want to just pull it down and look and see if
it's got rust in it because if it's got rust in it, it's going to kill your carburetor.
So you'd want to change that anyways.
And if not, you can take it out and clean it, have it cleaned.
The radiator shop, they clean fuel tanks if they're empty.
So that'd be one way to clean that thing out real nice.
Tom, good luck with that.
This is a Berkeley one class.
It is and I can remember driving this.
Tom, don't say what color it is.
I loved it.
I think it's gold.
I have a question.
Wait before you.
Is it a single color or was it two tone?
It was a single color.
Okay.
All right.
All right.
Yeah, okay.
Like gold, like almost a brown.
I'm going to say blue and it's the faded.
Now it's the faded sparkly blue, but wasn't at the first.
Tom, what color is the truck?
It was gray with a red stripe.
Oh, interesting.
I don't remember those.
Hold on a second.
Tom, we're going to get you a hoodie from Berkeley one.
That's a good, that is a classic truck there.
I remember driving them.
I met a girl who owned one and I drove it, you know, a lot as we were dating or whatever.
And I remember the thing.
It's a four speed, but it's really a three speed with a granny low.
So you take off in second all the time and so third is like second.
Can you just skip third and go right second to fourth and never get that loop?
You usually just go second.
No, it's Tom.
Oh, no, he's going to run into that.
But I remember we had this issue and we put a distributor in it, in that truck.
This was like 1985.
So it was only three years old.
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When I got my first specialty car I called up my agent and had him put it under my regular
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Even dropping coverage in the storage months to keep the cost down.
That was before I met the professionals at Berkeley One Classics.
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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.
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They're celebrating over 50 years of collector car coverage.
Congratulations Brandon.
I was just looking at the YouTube feed.
I have to shave.
I can't.
It's summer.
It's well and it's I didn't I haven't I don't see myself when I look in the mirror.
You don't see the gray?
No, holy moly.
I just noticed that.
Yeah that's gotta go.
You know what I just noticed like within the last three months you watch YouTube the gray is all
there now.
Yeah you're you're full of gray.
Three months.
Yeah.
I blame it on the war.
Yeah.
Yeah it's distress.
Why not?
Yeah just watching it on TV makes you.
Yeah I blame it on my obsession with everything news so I'm I got to the point now where since
the news is it's it's always oh it's good.
Oh it's bad.
Oh it's like you can't make it remind so that's what finally got me to quit.
I just like I think I'm done.
Well my hair going back I doubt it.
I'm just gonna start reading books.
I mean it's it's literally turning white in the last like six months.
Yeah I would say it's been six months.
It started but in the last three it's really gone and that's what that's what happened to my
my brother and sister to just one just like one Christmas to the next.
Poof.
No like within three or four months it just went massive change so it's probably hereditary
whatever.
Let's talk to Kobe you're on the end of the hood show.
Kobe what can we do for you?
Hey guys how's it going?
Good how's your hair?
How's your hair doing is it staying?
What what color is it?
Blue.
A lot fuller than it sounds like yours is.
Yeah no kidding.
Oh Russ is full.
Yeah I don't have a hair problem.
I just have a color.
I got enough for all three of us.
All right okay good well
Ram 1500 it's got the hemi in it and it's the Laramie Longhorn and it's on air ride
and so the recently I had basically like an air ride problem where we were trying to kind of
diagnose that we think it might be a purge valve but it's a leak somewhere because over
time it just slowly leaks out and then it's riding like it's like riding you know really
flat and really hard and so I'm trying to kind of diagnose and figure out where I started
out because the the codes that we pulled off the off of the the system didn't really say
exactly where where it be it just said air ride failure and kind of things like that.
Kobe hold on a second here before before Russ answers I want to jump in and ask Russ a question
Kobe you you do me a favor plug your ears and count to 10 it's broken they
they don't you can't it's it's a nitrogen system it's not it's not air it's not gonna so it's not
like sucking air in from outside and airing it up like the old ones it's internally failed
these things it's hard feather it's hard all right all right Kobe you can come back now
Russ has some bad news for me all right I'm back I'm back so um anyways this thing
it's these they use nitrogen systems on these and they're internal so they're just moving air
instead of pulling air in from outside which is wet and can cause corrosion and failure
they got this brilliant idea well let's just make it internal we'll have a tank that's charged
we'll pull nitrogen out the air up we'll suck it back out and put it in the tank to lower it
it moves up and down yeah no one then they break and they're very expensive to fix when they fail
and sometimes the dealer doesn't even want to mess with them because they're just a pain but they
will and they usually replace a lot of stuff and it gets expensive because you never really know
exactly what parts failed you can do some testing and they're the they're the place that can do it
there's some aftermarket shops that do them too but there's a lot of them that won't we don't touch
them they're just we've had our own vehicles our own employees that have owned these with this system
on it they're like nope just leave it I mean you can't leave it with it down all the time you can
do some conversion kits and convert them over just a regular standard standard shocks on them you
know springs and cars with struts that have that type type of thing but yeah it's it's hard to
diagnose and you have to have special equipment to diagnose it you know do you to check those
pressures you need to have a scanner that can read into the suspension system and see what's
going on with the valving in there and then you'll activate the valves and see if the pressure
transfers and all that it's a it's a process on this I I like the old standard systems like GM and
Ford and everybody that just even Chrysler when they just had air they had a compressor
that also didn't work and it broke right they have the compressor that would compress air and
yeah it into the shock and you're good to go and and if they broke you go down to the part store
and you pick up a part pretty pretty simple is that uh yeah it tells you what's wrong it tells
you it tells you that you got a lot of trouble but it doesn't really fix it for you it's going to be
one of those things where if I would say you've got two choices you can go to the dealer and prepare
to spend some money or you can ask independent shops do you fix these you already know we don't
on this one but do you fix these and how many do you fix how many have you fixed are you familiar
with them and if they start giving you a whole big story about how the system works and how this
fails and that fails they probably know what they're doing but if they go yeah we could probably take
a look at it and if they like you if they if they react like you did don't just go just go uh
I'm you know what I don't want to wreck your life or mine so I'll call someone else does that help
gotcha yeah that does help thank you guys I appreciate it thanks very much for the call good
luck could I I'm gonna open a shop in in a big giant metropolitan area because I can find and
I'm only gonna do jobs that nobody else wants you can do it and what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna try
and make connections and just find a guy that can do that thing and go hey I'm gonna I'm gonna send
this to you and I'm gonna send this other thing over there we used to have a shop in in our area
that was like the electrical shop if anybody had an electrical bugaboo it went there because they
were willing to do it and willing to try it whereas other people weren't doing it I'm gonna open a
shop like that that's just I guess those already exist they're called BMW shops yeah and there are
some out there that are that are basically called the world's most expensive auto repair and people
still go there because they want their car fixed right they don't care what it costs and they're
now they're usually high-end cars yeah that is like we we will go we just want it fixed that's
that's where that market is isn't it and they have a standard to live up to it better be fixed right
if you're paying that kind of money yeah no kidding let's talk to Dean you're on the end of the hood
show Dean what can we do for you hi guys thanks for taking my call you bet I think I got one for
your new shop when you get it okay good two years ago in the middle of January my wife and I
purchased the 2020 Ford Explorer ST okay car weren't everything worked great on the car till summer
came and I got above 80 degrees we made a trip to shoe falls we live in Huron and we got stopped
for lunch when we come out we couldn't get the thing out of park got the little round gear
selector down in between the seats oh yeah uh we called the dealership there in shoe falls and
of course it was a Saturday and it was an hour before they closed and they couldn't do anything
for us so we sat there for oh I don't know an hour and then we tried it again and it pops out of
gear and we make it home uh have had we've had trouble with it till it got cold in the fall again
putting it we took it to the local dealership and they replaced the gear selector and then they also
when we took it back because it kept doing it uh the brake light switch but uh again
through the winter no problems whatsoever they can't help us we've had it there a dozen time
half dozen times anyway and uh I think they just don't want us to bring it back anymore it's under
warranty we bought an extended warranty on and uh just at our wits end with this thing now with
the recent heat waves it's doing it again hmm I don't know if you guys have any ideas I'm going
to jump in here quick and just say it's a 2020 forward explorer seven years old not a 24 explorer
because I know some people heard that that way 2020 yep and is this a factory extended warranty
or is this a aftermarket extended warranty that you bought from somebody besides the factory
no we bought the car used so it'd be from the dealership when we well no it's a factory one I
think they sold this does it say Ford Motor Company on the cake so there's because there's
a difference if it says Ford Motor Company on that at what extended warranty you've got some
different avenues you can run as far as if they try to make that same repair three times in a row
for that same problem it won't come out of gear yeah they there's there's some things you need to
escalate that to to get some resolution but if it's an aftermarket company it's that they have
different rules and there's different things and and you might be getting it covered but you might
run into this where someone no one wants to work on it right um but they'll have to fix it and at
some point your new shop built quick yeah no kidding so extended warranties get extremely
frustrated and angry with shops when they make a repair they want to know what the guarantee is
and if they get a call back from their customer that says I've been in four times
for this same repair and they haven't been able to fix it uh you know and I paid my deductible
the first time they're going to get on the phone with that shop and they're going to start calling
and if they don't get resolution on their end they're going to call other people and get it taken
care of because they don't um and not good ones they they they get pretty frustrated people have
frustrations with extended warranty companies that don't want to pay and this and that but when
the extended company does pay and the shop doesn't do their job they go after that shop yeah um they
get really upset about it so um I think though which is not to say that everyone in this whole
situation is trying their hardest yeah they're trying their hardest but they're they're gonna
right right I understand that now so you cannot physically turn the knob right you step on the
brake and you can't turn it when it doesn't do it yeah it's it's stuck in park you can't I think
if you put a channel lock on it you just busted on you would but it wouldn't do anything wouldn't
work but here's what I want it's got an anti-theft what I want to know is when you take it in and
they can't fix it is it working fine does it work well they came over because my wife works
close they had to come get it it was locked in mobile service up on them and they had to come
with a tow truck and pull it up on the tow truck to haul it to their shop now when they got it into
the shop what we need to know is did they when they got it to the shop to start up and drive off
the trailer because if they can't see it they can't fix it and that's not their fault but
if it is acting up in the shop if I've got this vehicle and I'm looking at it and I'm at a four
dealer I've got my scanner plugged in and I'm looking at the body control module and it tells me
I'm in park I step on the brake it tells me my foot is on the brake and the cruise switch is off
for disengage that tells me the brake switch is working properly at that point it says shift
interlock open and I should be able to put it into neutral or drive or reverse or low whatever I want
as long as the engine rpm is not above idle because it won't let me shift out of park if it's above
idle so if all those conditions are met and it still won't unlock then I need to take my
voltmeter and I check the actual switch which has been replaced so that's probably not bad
and I see do I have the voltage there to unlock it if I don't then I go back to the body control
module and I measure it there if I've got it there I've got a break in the wire but if I don't have
it the body control module and all the inputs look good the body control module's bad so the next
step probably for them is going to be to replace that body control module and program it because
they've put a brake switch in it hopefully they've checked the wiring and they've put a park switch
at the parental switch in it that dial the only other component left is the body control module
that allows it to shift but they have to look at the data when it's not working and see what's
keeping it from being allowed to be activated and it'll it has all that information in there
but some a shop is only as good as its worst tech working on that vehicle at any given time
so if all they know to do is read codes say well it won't come out of gear I'm reading codes let's
just throw a switch in it well now let's throw a brake light switch in it and it doesn't work
so what's Dean's next step the next step is to he needs to have this conversation with the dealer
and say is it acting up when you have it in the shop but if they say yes they should be able to
fix it if they say no it's got to go in there when it's acting up so Dean's responsibility is to
find out how to make it act up the worst possible time for it to work you know if it's on this day
it's horrible bring it in on that day if if if this car comes to you you heard the story it comes
in on tow truck you get in it do you unthinkingly try to drive it in first oh yeah I start it and
if it works right away you're like I will do a minimum I'll scan the codes to see if there's
something that I see that all the time I'll fix that for you and it should fix it but if it works
and I don't see any codes I'm going to call them up and say no charge sorry man you got to pay your
tow because you got it here yeah and I cannot do anything if I if I guess we're both going to be
unhappy 8 6 6 5 9 4 4 1 5 0 that's the number to reach us here at the end of the hood show
I want to say let's go to Rick in Wisconsin because I see that he's driving all across
but he's probably not in Wisconsin let's find out Rick where are you calling from
I'm calling from about 20 miles down the road in southeast Sioux Falls okay no that's all right
that's all right Wisconsin stinks you're right I hate them yeah no green bit back yeah who needs
it all right go ahead Rick the people in Wisconsin on our radio station can't stand them either yeah
thank you not this guy that's Chris Carter care of under the hood show
excellent go ahead Rick 2016 Buick LaCrosse inherited mother-in-law car we've known the
car's whole life since a dealer for her and we now drive it a daily driver for my wife
was uh you know this goes right we're at a recent school event for some grandkids start
training them to concert go outside start the car remotely from a good distance away get to the car
and can't get in the door can't the fob won't work go back use my wife's
Bob and it starts so I changed Bob's and open the door started immediately so we've had a couple
different expressions of that so I'm looking for some counsel on unresponsive key fobs we've also
had the expression of it where get in the car and you're holding the key fob and it's in the
in the secure spot down below the gear shift and it says on the on the instrument panel
no key fob sound so curious what you guys think it's probably got bad key fob or more than one
that we've replaced a lot of them god they just they don't last forever when they're in your pocket
they're exposed to rain they're they people they throw their keys and they land on the table
they drop them they just they're fragile and that's why they sell them for like I think it's
like 25 bucks for two of them on ebay and amazon they're really cheap and you can just reprogram
it and you that's that's where we would start I mean you could try new batteries but more than
like you probably already have um well most of them it's not a battery it's the it's the receiver
itself they just fail I had one I had to replace in a 21 model vehicle here a couple months ago
and it just I put so I'll put a battery in it because it kept saying low battery on the dash
so I put a battery on it it still says low battery so I got a new fob it's perfect
yeah I yeah to your point Russ I've changed batteries a couple times I keep it note on my
phone and even checked when I got home from this last trip and they were running about two
eight so a little low but not down in that 27 or lower range you guys might swap them out
I think so yeah the fobs at this point like this it's an original car to us so what we're getting
toward 10 years old and so I wanted about if I swapped out the fobs so I want to go with OEM
which I'm glad to do because the driver in the frustrating part of this field it's always you
know erratic right oh works perfect for six months typically and then all of a sudden one time
you got nothing uh so if you're gonna replace a fob on this uh what quality where would you
go to find one and what would you do I've always just done the the ebay amazon type one um you
can also purchase them at advanced auto parts they sell key fobs is this going to be one that he
has to bring in to get programmed or can he program it himself do you think do you know that rick
if you looked into that yeah you can do them both a lot I think that one you can do through
instrument cluster yeah I was going to check with you guys first two thoughts I think there's a
spot on the instrument cluster a lot of these newer ones on the gms have a spot you just navigate to
the menu and program key fob and as long as you have a working key and you can start the car then
you can program a second fob with it yeah when I was without a key fob on the Pontiac I ended up
I ended up finding having five key fobs because there was an extra one when I got it
and then I bought two and they and they could all be programmed in the car so yeah that was pretty
pretty simple those sevens yeah does that help you out there rick yeah one last thing I did take
it after one inch a year out of your going you know I went to a GM dealer with it and they
check the transmitter in the car they're receiving
they couldn't repeat the issues so is there is a possibility I guess there's a transmitter or
receiver in that car for an antenna for the fobs it could be an issue on the interior side of the
car too that also does the tire pressure monitors so if you don't ever have a tire pressure monitor
system that system is probably working just fine if you got a tpm s light that keeps coming on then
then that's then it could very be plausible yeah it's communication based rick thanks very much
for the call good luck 866-594-4150 let's go to Ohio and talk to Doug Doug you're on the end of the
hood show you got a couple minutes here what can we do for you hey gentlemen thanks for taking my call
you've got a free free fob car here okay I just had to hear fob one more time
my wife and I bought a 1941 Plymouth B12 special deluxe two years ago and we had to get it running
it needed a complete fuel system and we did that new tank new line new pump rebuilt carburetor
and it ran fine for a year now this last month like the last four times we went out
it has run out of gas in the carburetor and we
to get it running it first the first couple times it started on its own it finally got going
the next time we had to add gas into the carburetor and it ran and got its own and now this last
time it wouldn't get its own well I couldn't get gas up to the carburetor I've seen it the
bowl and the pump yep I've seen this before and I think I got a quick fix these are famous
they only work for 85 years right exactly um on these cars because of the heat and the fuel
content we have now and there's a lot of alcohol and fuel on my cars I have like that that have
carburetors I run a very low pressure electric fuel pump with a regulator up on the engine so
the the fuel pumps in the back and it's it's pushing the fluid the the fuel forward instead
sucking it up it's pushing it forward that little bit of pressure prevents vapor lock
and then the regulator protects the carburetor from too much pressure at the bowl and it sends
that back to the tank so you will need a return line you'd have to add a return line but for
parades and things like that where you're going to get high heat under the hood having a slightly
pressurized fuel line to get it up to the carburetor is going to save you a lot of headache
and that'll just come on when you turn the key on and go off when it shuts off and
you could put an inertia crash switch on it if you want but look up get on youtube or the internet
and look up adding a fuel pump to an old carbureted vehicle and you'll be able to see how to do we
don't we don't have time for this question but Doug what color is it black green
green there we go stay on the line for producer Doug and he can either get you a hoodie a hat
or a t-shirt thanks for listening to the under the hood show until next time under the hood show
dot com with russ evans this is shannon orts from thanking you for tuning into the norters 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 is 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 under the hood show dot 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
Calls and shop-style guidance cover several electrical and drivability problems. The hosts start with a multi-battery warning diagnosis—checking voltage, BCM logic, and using an amperage draw test to find drain—then move into power seat and speaker troubleshooting (often switch-related, with meter-based polarity checks). Later segments tackle a stuck-in-Park issue using live BCM data and voltage checks, plus key fob/TPMS communication and carburetor fuel delivery/vapor-lock prevention. Along the way, they also discuss air suspension leaks and why some repairs get expensive.
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. The call cost nothing but could save you thousands. Call us any day and leave us a message to get back to you or call live during the show. Thursdays from 9-11am Central. Here are today's callers.
21 Sprinter voltage drain 11 F150 power seat problems 81 F150 Ford surges and bucks 13 Ram 1500 air ride wont work 20 Exploreer won't come out of gear 16 Lacross Key Fob issues 41 Plymouth fuel system problems
