The Ford F-350 is a bigger, heavier-duty pickup truck than a typical F-150. It’s often used for towing and tougher jobs. The podcast mentions it because this truck also uses a 10-speed automatic transmission.
A thermostat is a temperature control valve. If it’s built inside the system, the transmission fluid has to get hot enough for the thermostat to open, otherwise a flush won’t really move the fluid through the right paths.
An external thermostat is a temperature control part that’s easier to access or manage because it’s outside the main unit. The hosts are saying this type is generally more workable for flushing than an internal thermostat.
A flush machine is a device a shop uses to replace old transmission fluid with new fluid. If the thermostat doesn’t open because the fluid isn’t hot enough, the flush won’t work as intended.
Term
super hot
They’re saying the fluid has to get hot enough to let the system flow. If it doesn’t reach that temperature, the flush won’t really move the fluid through the right places.
The Ford F-150 is a popular pickup truck. In this segment, they’re talking about a 2023 F-150 with a 10-speed automatic, and that matters because the transmission fluid has to be heated correctly to flush properly.
A 10-speed automatic transmission has more gear steps than older multi-speed automatics. That can affect how the transmission behaves and how hot the fluid needs to get for service to work correctly.
Transmission fluid is the fluid inside an automatic transmission. It keeps the moving parts lubricated and helps the transmission shift gears smoothly.
The transmission pan is the bottom part of the transmission that holds fluid. Taking it off can let you drain some fluid and check for metal bits or gunk.
A transmission filter is like a small screen inside the transmission that catches debris in the fluid. It can help, but it won’t fix problems caused by dirty or degraded fluid by itself.
A fluid exchange is when you replace some of the old transmission fluid with new fluid. Doing it more than once can help remove more of the old fluid than a single drain.
In an automatic transmission, the valve body is like the control hub that directs fluid to make the transmission shift. If it’s updated, it’s often because the original design can cause problems like rough shifting or failures. Replacing it can be a targeted fix rather than replacing the whole transmission.
A billet part is made by cutting metal from a solid chunk, which can make it stronger or more precisely shaped. In this case, it’s used inside the transmission’s valve body to change how fluid is routed. That’s part of the “no thermostat” upgrade strategy.
Term
ran through all the gears
After servicing the transmission, you cycle through the gears to make sure everything shifts properly. It checks that the fluid is reaching the right parts and that each gear engages. Doing it on a hoist helps keep the process controlled and safe.
Term
fluid looked nice
They’re talking about how clean the transmission fluid looked after they drained and refilled it. If it looks cleaner, it usually means there wasn’t as much gunk circulating. It’s a quick way to judge whether the service helped.
A re-manufactured transmission is a rebuilt one—usually starting from an old transmission core. The key point here is that the rebuilt unit should include an improved valve body setup. That’s meant to prevent the same kind of failure from happening again.
A bypass is an alternate route that lets fluid go around a part of the system. Here, it’s being discussed as a change to how the cooling system moves coolant so the engine warms up correctly.
Your car has a temperature valve called a thermostat. When the engine is cold, it stays closed; when the engine warms up, it opens so coolant can go through the radiator to cool it properly.
A service bulletin is like an official instruction from the car maker to mechanics. It tells them what problem they’re seeing and what fix the maker recommends.
Term
transmissions die
When someone says a transmission “dies,” they mean it fails early and starts acting up or stops working. The speaker is saying the bypass/cooling setup is important because it can affect how long the transmission lasts.
Drain and fill means you remove some of the old transmission fluid and add new fluid back in. It’s a simpler, often cheaper approach than doing a full flush.
A full flush is when the shop replaces a lot more of the old transmission fluid than a basic drain-and-fill. The tradeoff is it usually costs more and takes longer.
E85 is a fuel blend made mostly from ethanol. Some cars can run it, but if your car wasn’t designed for it, you usually need special tuning to use it safely.
BTU is a way to measure how much energy is in a fuel. If a fuel has fewer BTUs per gallon, you usually have to use more of it to travel the same distance.
E15 is regular gasoline blended with a smaller amount of ethanol (up to 15%). It usually means you don’t have to burn as much fuel as you would with higher-ethanol blends.
The BMW 3 Series is a smaller luxury car made by BMW. The podcast is specifically talking about the older E30 version, which is a well-known model from that family. It comes up because people compare costs and parts for that older generation.
A flex-fuel vehicle can run on different ethanol blends. The car’s computer adjusts so it can handle fuels like E85 without you having to manually change settings.
The Ford Flex is a family vehicle with a crossover-like design and a roomy interior. The podcast is talking about what kinds of gasoline it can use, including flex-fuel blends that contain more ethanol. In simple terms, it can run on certain higher-ethanol fuels depending on the version.
The Honda Odyssey is a popular family minivan. The caller is worried about a specific engine system issue (VCM) and asks whether they should install a device to stop that system from operating.
VCM is a system that can shut off some cylinders to save fuel. Some owners report problems with it, so people sometimes look for fixes or ways to prevent cylinder shutoff.
The Toyota Sienna is another popular family minivan. The host is basically saying it’s a strong alternative to the Odyssey if you want something dependable.
A factory warranty is the official coverage from the car maker. The host is basically saying don’t mess with it if you want to keep that warranty protection.
The maintenance light is the car’s reminder that it thinks service is coming up. The host recommends not waiting for it if you’re trying to prevent problems.
Term
gummed up
“Gummed up” means parts get coated with sticky deposits. The host is saying that buildup can lead to failures.
An oil system cleaner is a chemical you add to the engine oil to help break up gunk inside the engine. It’s usually run briefly, then you change the oil so the loosened dirt gets removed.
Piston rings are like seals on the pistons. If they get stuck from oily gunk, the engine can start burning oil or not run as well, because the seal isn’t working right.
Fleet vehicles are cars used for business operations (like delivery, service, or company transport) rather than personal ownership. The host suggests fleet use can correlate with fewer engine problems because the vehicles are driven regularly and serviced on schedule.
A 2012 Chevrolet Impala is a regular GM family sedan. In this call, the problem is with the steering when the car is cold, and the discussion points to the power-steering system.
Hard steering is a symptom where the steering wheel requires more effort than normal. In hydraulic power steering systems, it often points to reduced hydraulic assist from low fluid, leaks, or failing pump/rack components—especially when cold.
The steering rack is the part that turns your steering wheel input into the motion that actually steers the wheels. If its seals don’t work well when the car is cold, the steering can feel stiff.
Power steering fluid is the fluid that helps your steering system work. If it’s low, leaking, or the wrong type, the steering can feel stiff—often more noticeable when the car is cold.
The power steering pump is what pushes fluid through the system to help you steer. If it’s not moving fluid—especially when cold—that can make the steering feel heavy.
If your brake pedal feels like it sinks too far before braking, that’s a “low brake pedal.” It can be caused by problems in the brake fluid system or brakes that aren’t sliding/moving correctly.
In many cars, the brake caliper slides on small guide pins. If one of those pins gets stuck, the brakes can feel wrong—like the pedal is low or braking isn’t as responsive.
The caliper piston is the brake’s “push rod” inside the caliper. When you press the brake pedal, it moves to squeeze the pads against the rotor—if it’s stuck, braking can feel weak or uneven.
Channel locks are adjustable pliers. Here, the host is saying you can use them to gently push the brake caliper piston back in to see if it moves freely.
The master cylinder is the part that turns your brake pedal push into brake fluid pressure. If it’s not working right, the pedal can feel low or the brakes may not respond normally.
Caliper slides help the brake caliper move smoothly so the pads can clamp correctly. If they get stuck, the brakes can drag or feel wrong, and the pedal may not behave normally.
Berkeley One Classics is an insurance company that specializes in classic and collector cars. They help set a value up front, so if something happens, you don’t have to argue about what the car is worth.
An agreed value policy means you and the insurance company agree on what the car is worth before anything happens. If the car is lost, they pay that agreed amount instead of trying to lower it later.
Collector car coverage is insurance designed for special cars that aren’t driven like normal daily vehicles. It’s often set up to protect the car’s real value, especially when it’s stored.
A roadside emergency toolkit is a bag of tools you keep in your car for problems like minor breakdowns. The idea is to have the basics on hand so you can deal with an issue quickly.
Company
advance auto parks
They’re mentioned as the group giving away a roadside emergency toolkit. It sounds like an auto-parts-related company, but the name in the transcript may be slightly off.
An “electrical leak” usually means a parasitic draw—something in the vehicle keeps consuming power when the car is off. That can drain the battery over time and often points to a wiring fault, a stuck module, or an accessory like an audio unit.
Power locks are the electric door-lock switches and motors. If they stop working along with other interior electrical items, it can mean the car’s electrical control system is having trouble.
The dome light is the light inside the cabin that turns on when you open the door. If it doesn’t work along with other interior features, it can suggest a bigger electrical problem.
The body control module is the car’s main computer for things like interior lights and power door locks. If those start acting up at the same time, the module (or what’s feeding it power/communication) may be the problem.
A radar sensor is what the alarm uses to “notice” motion near the car. It sends out radio waves and looks for changes that suggest someone is trying to get in or mess with the vehicle.
A “pain generator” is a type of car alarm deterrent that can shock someone if they try to mess with the car. Some states banned it because it could seriously hurt people.
Handheld tasers are portable devices that deliver an electric shock to incapacitate a person. In the transcript, the host uses them as an analogy for how the alarm’s “pain generator” deterrent works—electric shock delivered through the alarm system.
This sounds like a 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 truck. The caller says it shakes briefly when they speed up around 50 mph, especially if they press the gas more firmly.
Spark plug wires deliver the electricity that creates the spark at each cylinder. If the wires are old or damaged, the spark can be weak and the engine may misfire.
AC Delco is a parts brand that makes things like ignition components. The point here is to buy the cap and rotor as a matched pair instead of mixing brands.
The distributor is an older ignition part that sends spark to the spark plugs in the correct order. It works with the cap and rotor to make sure each cylinder gets spark.
Brake rotors are the spinning metal discs your brake pads squeeze to slow the car down. They’re used as an example of how some parts prices have gone up.
This is a classic 1955 Chevrolet pickup truck. The conversation is about why it won’t run right, and they check things under the hood to find the cause.
A carburetor is the part that mixes fuel and air for the engine. A one-barrel carb has one main “path” for that mixture, and if it’s acting up, the engine can flood and foul the spark plugs.
“235 six” is shorthand for an older Chevrolet inline-six engine. If the truck sits for a while, fuel and spark problems can show up fast, especially as fouled spark plugs.
Some older cars used a 6-volt electrical system instead of today’s 12-volt setup. If parts are converted incorrectly, the ignition can act weird and the engine may not start properly.
Most cars today run on a 12-volt electrical system. If an older car gets converted to 12 volts, the ignition parts have to be right too, or the spark can be weak or inconsistent.
Breaker points are an older ignition method that mechanically turns the spark on and off. The coil needs that on/off action to make the spark, so worn or faulty points can cause starting and running problems.
The condenser is a small electrical component that helps the ignition system switch cleanly. It works with the points so the coil can generate a strong, consistent spark.
A test light is a basic tool that lights up when electricity is present. The host uses it to confirm whether the ignition circuit is switching properly when the points move.
Pertronix makes aftermarket ignition parts. In this story, it’s suggested as an upgrade that replaces old breaker points with an electronic system to help prevent point-related ignition issues.
Breaker points can wear out or stop working correctly, and that can ruin the spark. The host is saying electronic ignition kits can help avoid those point problems.
They’re using duct tape as a quick fix to cover something on the engine. It can work temporarily, but it’s not a real repair for how the engine is supposed to be sealed and protected.
The choke helps a carbureted engine start when it’s cold by making the fuel mixture richer. It’s basically a starting aid so the engine can catch and run until it warms up.
A classic vehicle is an older car that people care about because of its history or style. In general, how complete and how well it runs can strongly affect what it’s worth.
Car
51 Ford tractor
They’re talking about an old Ford tractor from 1951. A tractor is a farm machine used for work like pulling equipment or moving heavy loads. Here it’s just where the person put an insurance card.
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Here's the show.
This is Under the Hood.
Welcome to the Under the Hood Show.
We are glad to have you with us.
We're joining us under the hood.
Ross Evans is here to answer your automotive questions.
Yeah and with a short yell we'll probably find Shannon.
Oh there he is.
Shannon Nordstrom is here to do the same.
Welcome hoodies.
Thanks for tuning in so we can help you tune up.
You're late.
He's probably because all the yelling on Facebook you've been doing lately.
I don't yell on Facebook.
Hey jumping and yelling.
Trying to think what you're talking about but pouting when our trip was over.
I've seen video of you jumping and screaming on Facebook.
It was AI.
Yeah exactly.
Yeah there's been a little bit of that in my life.
I got my wife a super grok subscription so she can have fun waking some videos for
the family and just wipe the polar bears out completely.
Yeah and yeah she's using a little water here and there.
866-594-4150.
I'm Chris Carter here to answer your calls like this.
Dean you're on the Under the Hood Show.
What can we do for you Dean?
Hey guys how you doing?
Fantastic.
Yeah I got a question here a couple of my pickups.
My 2020 F350 and my 23 F150 Roush they both have that 10 speed automatic in
and I was thinking about having this automatic transmission fluid changed in the F350 for sure.
I talked to my local dealer and they do not do a flush unless there's a contamination and
what they do is just they drain it and pull the pan off and clean it and put a filter in.
But I it's and it's maybe because they don't have a flush machine either I guess but I just
like your recommendation on those two.
The F350 gets pulled just about all the time and works and the F150 doesn't.
I just kind of like know if it was your pickup how would you handle that?
Oh this is a good question.
I wonder if there'll be different opinions here.
Well I'm going to yield to Russ on this because I would probably just follow the manufacturer's
recommendation and cut it short depending on how I'm using it but that depends on like
said the equipment they have in their shop could affect their decision.
Russ go for it.
What do you what do you think?
I feel like I should talk like this today because
somewhere in between the people are like we can't hear as you want them this week.
Chris you got to talk like this too so we can everybody just turn the radio away.
I woke up this morning and I had puberty.
Oh good for you.
Yeah there's a lot of exciting things happening in my body right now.
Yep move along.
So internal thermostats on these new ones not good.
Some vehicles have external some have internal.
When you got an internal thermostat you're not going to be able to flush this thing because
if you put a flush machine on it you got to get it super hot.
You got to put it in gear you got to hold the foot on the brake and the gas at the same time
but only for so many seconds and then off for so many so you don't overheat it.
And these are same same for both of these.
That's what he's got on these.
23 F-150.
Yeah with the 10 speed.
So you got to get it hot enough for the fluid to start flowing so it'll flush.
If you don't get it that hot it's not going to flow.
It's not going to flush but it was going to happen.
It's going to something's going to come out maybe a couple quarts and then it's going to stop.
It's got to get hot again and just moving that fluid around on the trans
circulating it and then a little more comes out.
So you got you'd have to go through three times the fluid to get it out because it's not
continuously coming out as it's going in.
It's not good.
So therefore a lot of people just take the pan off dump some fluid out put the pan back on.
I don't see any point in putting a filter in it because the filter is not going to do
is not going to do any good.
The only thing it's there for is to catch big things as they go through.
And if you took it apart and your filter was full of sediment you got another problem.
So with my own vehicle I have dropped the pan down drill the hole and put a drain plug in
the low spot in it.
It has a low spot built in it.
Why didn't they put a drain plug in it?
Not good people trying to find the word but just just to say hey it was a dumb idea.
So I put a drain plug in mine.
So now when I hit about 30,000 miles which is where I'm finding out hey it's starting to get
a little browner than I like pull the plug out drain it fill it up twice.
You've already got a drain plug in your 10 speed.
Yeah well I put it in when I when I hit 35,000 miles because I pulled the pan down.
Yes Chris we're different.
Well it's a 21.
So we're looking five years old.
Let's see what the fluid looks like.
So I pulled the pan down and went that is already starting to get dark.
But we know the problems we have for those transmissions right.
Why would you not want to at least inspect it?
I get it I just that wasn't the first thing on my mind.
I don't have 2,000 for a valve body.
So if I did I would put the new valve body in with no thermostat.
That's what you if you have to update one of these transmissions make sure you get that done.
Our re-manufacturers are doing that.
They're building them that way when we buy them.
They're expensive but they're expensive because all those transmissions not because
they've updated it.
They do put the updates in but they take the thermostats out.
They bypass them with a billet part inside of the transmission as part of the valve body.
So I just drained mine.
I saw it was dirty.
I put the plug in it, put it back on, ran it for a few minutes,
ran through all the gears on the hoist, drained it again,
filled it and then the fluid looked nice.
But I would be doing that.
I would drain it and you do it a little earlier.
You're not going to get all of it out but at least you can do that.
And if it ever does fail make sure you get the re-manufactured unit with the upgraded valve body
with with no thermostat.
It should say that specifically in the paperwork.
This has been upgraded without a thermostat.
And if you go back to those GMs we tell you about the external thermostat that you should
just take off and put the bypass in.
Some people have been saying well I don't want to run it that cool.
It needs to warm up.
Well until the thermostat opens and your radiator gets warm anyways,
it's never going to warm it up so that doesn't matter.
And GM has specifically said in a service bulletin,
remove it and put the bypass in.
They are telling you to do it because it's one of the primary reasons these
transmissions die.
So on both your forwards put a drain plug in them,
drain and fill when you think it's necessary by looking at the condition of that fluid.
So the dealer is giving them the right advice
compared to what you would say too.
It would if they were to do a full flush it is very expensive.
You're going to need a lot more time and a lot more fluid.
And it's probably going to be at a dealer probably close to 900 bucks to do that.
And it just wouldn't make sense.
Does that help you out there Dean?
Yeah I got another question related to these pickups too.
Well not definitely these pickups but I've got a fuel dealer around here that I can buy
E85 for $1.66.
It's a station about 16 miles away.
Now is it practical or impossible if you had a non E85 vehicle to convert it over to E85?
Or is that just way out of the realm of cost prohibitive?
Sure you could tune it but it's going to cost you money to do that.
And while the money to do that some of them is just as simple on newer ones as as simple as
putting a different tune in it so it's able to look at some things and change the software to
adjust for that other ones you can't do it.
But on the ones you can you're looking at about a $600 to $800 tune at least.
You take that and divide it by the number of gallons you're using per month and you're going
to say wow I probably could have gone three years on that difference of what it cost me the $600
for the tuning. A few cents isn't going to make a lot it's got to be a lot of dollars.
Well and that's why now it is yeah and but that might not last.
No that's funny isn't it funny now how the price of oil is pre-war price and the gas is still so
high yeah nice um oil companies love you um we just want our I don't care what it is I just want
my gas cheap but the the price of fuel. Hold on a second there Russ I like the moves there that
was quite the tap dance you did. Anyways um the less BTU you have with the 85 the more alcohol
the more fuel you're going to burn so your cost per mile is going to go up or your fuel per mile
your usage is going to go up per mile dramatically drastically using 85 compared to a low ethanol
E15 or less so you're going to lose have that dollar difference there too
for the average person like Doug who as of it I'm talking to you producer Doug
yeah he's now listen he's busy with another caller I love it um he his benefit right now
by saving a buck a gallon he's actually saving money using E85 but when it's not that low when
it's only 30 to 40 cents difference he goes with E30 and then he saves money that way
E30 is the best way to go if you've got a vehicle that can take flex fuel put that I would go with
that well and then also when you if you did convert that to an 85 tune it's not a switch you can
switch and turn back and right so if you're out on the field out in the road and you want to take
that truck somewhere and all of a sudden you can't find the 85 right you kind of put yourself into a
box that that'd make me a little bit nervous yeah there are more stations where you can find
if your choice is regular fuel like up to E15 10 15 or zero or a flex fuel higher than that
it's usually E30 there are some E85 stations quite a few of them but overall when I looked at the
fuel finder lately it looked like there were more E30 stations than E85 I think it's because
people listen none of the hood show and they know that if they got a flex fuel car they want to run
an E85 they're better off run an E30 right Dean 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 talk to Tom
in Pennsylvania you're on the end of the hood show Tom what can we do for you hi guys great show thank
you looking to buy a new minivan doing my due diligence and researching we've decided on a new
Honda Odyssey then I start reading about VCM problems they had in the engine in the past and
supposedly it's gotten better but people are bypassing the system putting some type of musler on it
so my question is do you recommend if we do buy a new Honda Odyssey to put this bypass system on
no buy the Odyssey if that's the vehicle you've picked it's a good choice the Odyssey
the Toyota Sienna they're they're both very very good vans I there's others I mean but I that's
the two that are at the top of the heap typically when they get reviewed and as far as the legacy
of the brand and dependability and reliability they've always been solid both those brands
and again I'm not saying the others aren't good I mean there's plenty of wonderful Pacifica
lovers lovers out there there's you know our one of our friends have got a a key a carnival that
they just absolutely love it's one of the new ones and so it's like it's one of our employees here
and they really do enjoy it we haven't had enough experience with that particular model to see what
they do in 10 years but you know so far so good and you're gonna have a good factory warranty
and I wouldn't want you messing with that and I think if you maintain that vehicle
at the factory recommendations and stick with it you're gonna you're gonna be in good shape the
oil is the biggest thing just keeping that oil clean more and do it more often than they say
because there's probably what's the maintenance light gonna do on that from the factory I think
it's like 8000 I would do more and it will not hurt a darn thing if you put some oil system cleaner
in it every time the system gets gummed up that's what causes the failure in these things it is
it is not a problem to run oil system cleaner in in vehicles we've got some customers that use that
Justice Brothers oil system cleaner in every one of their oil to run it through not yeah not to put
in and leave it they drive it to the shop and say can you change my oil today sure the oil system
cleaner goes in we start the car we come back inside we get everything ready to go we pull the car in
five minutes or so is gone by then we change the oil it's it's just that simple and it it keeps it
clean and it's it's just a good idea if you keep it clean it's you're gonna have a lot less issue
it's kind of it's very similar to a person there are people that reach 100 and you hear them on
the radio you know you chris you got somebody's like oh look we had a lady made it to 110 today
her secret is Snickers bars every day and smoke out of brandy before she goes to bed and eggs for
breakfast and bacon and she just mayonnaise and she made it right well overall most humans will
live longer if they keep the insides clean most cars will by stats will live longer if you keep them
clean will some make it a long time if somebody's changing the oil every 10,000 miles I have no idea
how it happens but some cars do and it might be the same model you might have 10 of the same model
one of them never gets an oil change and somehow it makes it to 100,000 and the other ones are dying
at 75 80 when they're when they have like the equinox some of those are failing 60 70,000 miles
with the piston ring gum up problem and they're getting that oil changed a lot but see most of
them they're not doing it Tom you've looked at both both the odyssey in the sienna oh yeah and in the
past in the past we have both we had an odyssey in the old days and I have a sienna right now
and both are great but we go to Florida and we need the room in the back the new ones are new
Toyota sienna's you can't take out the uh the proceeds do the odyssey windows still roll down
the big side ones the back windows and the odyssey still roll down oh I don't know we had an older
one with I mean it's gone 10 years now but I mean we keep them till the wheels fall off and the sienna
is great it's just that I got 150,000 miles if you're on the road you're better off if you got a car
that's on the road our customers that have the Hondas and Toyotas that use them for fleet vehicles
are not having engine problems with them because they're always on the move it's the ones that are
10 to 15,000 miles a year that have more problems than the long longer ones
in Florida you're not going to use you're not going to roll those windows down it's so it's
all the time no never it's like it is here today all the time yeah yeah Tom thanks very much for
the call good luck 866-594-4150 let's talk to Bob and Michigan you're on the end of the hood show
Bob what can we do for you we have a 2012 Chevrolet Impala standard v6 136,000 miles intermittent
hard steering uh the worst one it's cold can happen warm but usually in the first thing in
the morning kind reminds me the old GMX cars where they had what they called morning sickness
I was just going to say that yeah I don't know if I thought they cured that years ago I must have
got the the one lucky one where they didn't well there's a really good chance that the the seals
in the rack in opinion when they're when they're cold or not sealing properly and you're losing
some assists most likely on that that's still a hydraulic system check your fluid make sure you
don't have any leaks get into the pump yeah do you have any noises is it growling
it at all or squealing at you at all or anything no it's not offering me any diagnostic routes to
check out no everything is quiet no leaks somebody told me there's a bulletin out that they put GM
put the wrong fluid in some of these cars but this thing is so old I think it would have had issues
before that however I cannot find a bulletin on that yeah no that that with this age it wouldn't
be a problem but it may be low on fluid if you can even I've I've checked I've checked out oh you
found it because we have a lot of customers say I can't even find it because it's so far down behind
the engine to get to it now I understand if it's full get yourself a if you can get a light down
in there and just kind of peer in there as the engine's running see if the fluid is circulating
in the pump if it's not that pump is really weak and that could mean the pump and the rack are bad
could also mean that just the pump is bad but if it if it's not moving at all then you know
definitely the pump's out for sure at least that that part of it and you can start with that and
then flush it out and see if it helps but the if they see fluid just really churn it in there
like a waterfall it's really moving and it's full and that pump is is running but the rack is just
the valving and it's not working anymore it's it's gummed up and dirty and old and failing
one other question have you guys run into a low brake pedal problem on this
generation of impeller no not not from normal normal there's not one normal common thing that
does it but on all cars if you have a sticky caliper pin slide or a caliper that's stuck out
you'll get a low pedal so the first thing to do on those after the fluids checked and make
sure everything's blood well as we pull off the calipers and make sure the pins slide back and
forth full full travel by hand they shouldn't need a tool at all and make sure that the caliper piston
can be easily pushed back in with a pair of channel locks or something like that all the way
if all those are good then you may have a master cylinder issue or an abs pump issue
but if any one of those calipers is hard to push in or the slides are stuck it's going to do that
on any car so that's it yeah i agree that's great advice and i will follow up and let you guys
know how i do thanks very much thanks bob 866594415 oh that's the
number to reach us here at the end of the hood show we're going to take a break in just a second
and uh dale you'll be up next but before this i have to talk to you about something very quickly
oh my while while i still can while it's not too late oh my i saw a video on youtube from the
builders convention recently and they have fump tubes for people oh they have pneumatic
elevators okay where you get in the tube and it doesn't i wish it i i hope there's a setting
where you can just go and you're at the next but it's it's normal it's normal speed so i just
wanted to get that to you before you make any before we finish the lift over here yes yes we
could probably get one from his office to here right across i just think a clear one so all
right that's all i just i have questions the fump is the sound of the sudden stop yeah i have i
have questions okay the end of the hood show podcast is brought to you by exclusive sponsors
like berkeley one classics celebrating 50 years your key to collector car insurance and by car
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when i got my first specialty car i called up my agent and had him put it under my regular
auto policy and had very minimal coverage even dropping coverage in the storage months to keep
the cost down that was before i met the professionals at berkeley one classics i'm shannon northstrom
host of the under the hood show with russ evans and chris carter berkeley one classics ensured
me with an agreed value policy that means if you suffer a loss there's no haggle over the value
of your vehicle they also show me that i could ensure my vehicle for what it was really worth
and keep my coverage year round and still save money i did not know that my homeowner's policy
did not cover my car when it was stored in my garage for the winter for 50 years berkeley one
classics has ensured a wide range of vehicles from sports cars and rare exotic cars to antique
vehicles including cars trucks tractors and motorcycles berkeley one classics makes it easy
to get a quote just visit them on the web at berkeleyclassics.com and use their online quote
tool or give them a call 1-800-603-3330 that's 1-800-603-3330
welcome back everybody it's time to get back under the hood with a motor medics
866-594-4150 that's the number to reach us here at the under the hood show don't forget
if you miss an episode you can always find it wherever you get your podcasts and you can watch
the show on our youtube channel if you subscribe to that and join the hoodie fan club at under
the hood show dot com you could win a hoodie like Jerome Finkelstein okay or is it steam
i don't know i that's a you did well i think anyways i'm i'm you should just rolled with it
all right i'm rolling with a pretend i didn't hey congratulations from our friends over
berkeley one classics they're celebrating over 50 years of collector car coverage and you can also
if you uh join the hoodie fan club sometimes we just give prizes away stuff stuff stuff like well
our friends over at advance auto parks are giving away another 73 piece diehard roadside emergency
toolkit it's got the tote and everything with it it's great it's everything you need for a roadside
quick emergency where you need i find myself needing tools now and then it's a it's a great
thing and they've got a lot of other tools that advance auto parts as well too so if you need them
think about that if you're like oh where can i go to get a this or that and it's sunday afternoon
you're like well there you go how many times have you had a toolkit and it was just the 65 piece and
the one the piece that you needed wasn't in there that's why you need 73 yeah and diehard who knows
that name everybody yeah it's been around forever thankfully they took it over falls minnesota yes
when sears sears went away thankfully somebody picked it up and that's advance auto parts so
thank you for that but we're giving away one so get go enter under the hood show dot com there you go
866594415 oh let's talk to dale you're on the end of the hood
show dale what can we do for you yeah i talked with you guys several months ago about uh on that
2003 shivvy pickup that i had an electrical leak and i put in a remote control battery bypass
and that seemed to work just fine for several months but you know i was just doing shorter
drives you know 20 30 miles i drove it out to mitchell uh month or so ago when it was hot too and
i think i fried something in it because it quit working or didn't want to work anymore
so i did pull the uh bash cover off and unplug the radio because you guys said a lot of times the
radio is is what was causing that and that did cure it so i ran a few days without the radio
in it and i thought well i know what it is i'm just going to plug the radio back in
but now things are kind of wonky i haven't put a new radio in it
uh like the dome light doesn't work when you open the door the power locks don't work
you suppose whatever was wrong with the radio deteriorated more when i unplugged it and plugged
it back in that's all by the way dale that's always how electrical calls go
it always ends with and then everything started going wonky yeah and then wonky becomes our mystery
to figure out right yeah and it exploded you got a bigger problem than the than the radio
that was a symptom more than likely if you start losing dome lights and all that which are on a
different circuit in an o3 more than likely a body control module has got an issue with the module
itself or something going to it you need to get it into a shop where they can take a look at it but
we have replaced countless body control modules on those vehicles over the years for multiple
electronic issues they're just a weak point in that truck and that controls your your horn your
lights your windows your locks your radio runs through that
wipers run through that your crews runs through that there's a lot of stuff that runs through
that because it's a body control module so it's controlling body functions it's like
got a problem with your heart you got a problem with your body got problem with your brain you
got a problem with your body doesn't matter how good your hands are if your brain doesn't work your
hands aren't working there's a terrible analogy i mean that your credit where credit is due
sometimes a a1 analogy is that one i want when he said it was leaking electricity i was picturing
like getting a shock going up grabbing door handle cause he sweaters dale you got a little
bit of work there to do sorry about that good good luck in it it's not gonna the remote switch
isn't gonna it lasted a little while kept there but that's not gonna they so chris along those
lines you said the door handle i hadn't thought about it till now so we we had a thing back in the
late 80s early 90s like 89 90 that you could add to an alarm system shannon probably remembers
those fancy alarms we had over at dash the ones that cost a lot of money like the alpines with
the radar sensor you put your hand over the top of a convertible i think you got one didn't i put
one in your trans am convertible i didn't have that in there i didn't get an option okay we had a
good we put a good one in there but i didn't have that option is you you could put your hand over
the seats and the alarm remember those were the alarming motions and they had those well they
had an option called a pain generator which was made illegal in some states california outlawed it
because what you would do is you would hook up remember that sounds terrible the thing about
this chris the handheld tasers you remember those where you just push the button and you stick it
you see him in the movie the and they would hurt and burn basically it was an electric fence
in a handheld like a cattle prod yeah so we would hook up the same equipment that would
you you would use on a cattle prod into the car one lead goes to the body right so when the alarm is
on the pain generator is on if somebody came up and touched the car the door handle which
where they were all metal back then they would get the shock of an electric cattle prod as you can
so you can see they wouldn't smart in the rain they had problems with them but boy on a nice dry
day if that thing was on you have to pick who in the shop's gonna test it is it working get jim
jim we gotta test the system can you imagine put those little charcoal nubs on the car jim
866-594-41 5 oh let's talk to Kelly and Louisiana Kelly welcome back to the end of the hood show
how are you today fantastic great i just wanted to call and thank shannon for the tour yesterday
i tell you impressive place and when you ride upon a motorcycle and you see a motorcycle parking
area it's like these people are okay and then there were three motorcycles and a cdue now not a
cdue on a trailer there was a cdue on the pavement i thought i'd like to see how they got that there
but uh anyway i just wanted to call and say it rains a lot and then and uh they floated in yeah
right deep deep snow you know the the muddy gravel road coming in on a motorcycle was was
quite a thrill we have a paved road uh kelly i i had to inform him that with a little a little
more advanced knowledge i could have had him avoid that with our paved road that comes in from the
north thanks google yeah if everybody at google maps and apple maps could send in a whether they
have a little help thing on there if everybody could send it in especially if you're a local guy
and all this stuff say hey there's a paved route that should be recommended maybe that would get
changed but otherwise it takes you right down that gravel road and when you're on a
a good-looking motorcycle when it just rained an inch and a half the night before that's
you don't want to drive down that and i i give you a huge credit for doing that we should point
out kelly is on a cross country road trip on his motorcycle he is and uh right yeah where
are you at today kelly are you uh are you out in the black hills i'm on uh iron mountain road
near keystone uh south kota and uh gonna be riding the needles highway right after this
and then edin to badlands uh this afternoon or tomorrow morning perfect yeah kelly stopped in
and i was just i happened to be in the lobby i was getting ready to go with an employee on a
on a job annual review and uh i said i go kelly i said i go i want to show you around if i can
it's gonna be quick uh so we got a hundred mile an hour tour and i haven't posted the picture yet
we took a picture he got himself a hoodie i had a i just had a new fresh stock of hoodies come in
for the store here we do keep some here at the auto recycling that they can be bought and it was
great to meet him such a nice man very accomplished i just love what he's doing he's out on the bike
and he's out taking in all the sites trying to get the challenge coins for all the
states there you go and he is also so organized that when this is all done his wonderful wife
will be meeting him at the end of the destination flying in a good way to get there so that she
lets him do what he needs to do and then they'll meet at the end and they're going to enjoy
the the destination when they get there so it's awesome mama flies mama flies first class when
it seemed like a good compromise kelly thanks very much for the call thanks for stopping in all right
god bless fellas thank you thanks kelly thank you that uh he's gonna eat the iron mountain road get
the tunnels mount rushmore good time to be there yeah today yep locally all the locally here we've
got you know the president's coming in to be in south dakota at mount rushmore for the fourth
and we're recording live today i wonder if kelly will get stopped like they'll be like hey you gotta
you can't go this way yeah you know what i mean there's a lot of prep going on ahead of time i'm
sure anytime anytime the president goes somewhere and i don't care what your political affiliation
it's the president of the united states and and they deserve to have the the protection and the
the the wheels set in motion for the visits that they make and i was gonna say that kelly picked a
bad time because it's been raining every day but he's picked a great time because it's been raining
overnight every night for like the last week but not as much during the day
ride safe kelly 866594415 oh let's talk to daryl you're on the
end of the hood show daryl what can we do for you i'm a 1998 gmck 1500 um when i get to right at
50 mile an hour range and if i try to accelerate uh let's say i just need a little more power
and i accelerate it shakes for just one or two seconds if i press on the accelerator very slow
it just goes past that but if i just sit up at that 50 mile an hour range and i need a little
extra gas um it shimmies for a second and then uh it quits i got all brand new tires on there
so i know it's not that i think it's more of a misfire ignition coil yeah probably yeah
you know well 98 still gonna be don't don't qualify this don't qualify let him talk okay
still gonna be a cap i will a cap of 350 cap rotor that's right man coil and if you look at the
coil you can just physically look at it and see between the plastic of the coil and the metal housing
if it's burnt and gray on both sides like like somebody that's had their hand against a car with
one of those pain generator runs uh jim then that coil is shot so it's we're talking to tune up and
tune up's more than spark plugs spark plug wires and a cap and rotor on this it's also a coil coils
are not very expensive it but make sure you get a good one make sure you match everything together
we use a lot of standard products in our shop and our partner in standard has a really good
match stuff you get a cap and rotor as a pair don't get a standard cap and an ac delco rotor don't
get them together because they were designed on that same distributor together cap rotor
plugs wires coil tune up stuff all together advance auto parts will have all that in stock
and that's what you need that is more than likely what's going on is there any chance that if i'm
driving a 98 and i have to get cap rotor plugs and it's going to be as cheap as it was in 1998 or is
it still gonna versus versus now versus if i had it not 98 to now i bet the price is about
doubled but it hasn't gone up like inflation right there those parts are pretty good there are some
parts that have gone up a lot but overall auto parts in generals have not met inflation it's
kind of like gasoline if gasoline went up from the from 1998 to now following inflation we'd be
what 12 bucks a gallon because it's inflation right but it hasn't same with auto parts brake
rotors that were 26 bucks in 1998 are now about 38 bucks in 2026 that is not following inflation
that is just a nice steady increase of the price of metal nice so we're lucky that that's followed
along i know one that's gotten cheaper if i'm wrong please correct me quickly in that truck the
distributor yes the whole distributor was about 350 bucks back then and now it's like a hundred
yeah that one is definitely a save because they they we started having failure unit we started
failures in those as they got into a couple 100000 mile range and that's good that's a good
thing 866594415 oh that's the number to reach us here at the end of
the hood show let's go to minnesota and talk to tim you're on the end of the hood show tim what can
we do for you i'm glad to hear from you guys i was wondering if you were going to be on a radio
after that storms you've had yeah you know the mean weather out there we're fully set up so far
they have been dodging us and and we've had some friends and neighbors that have had some serious
damage so it's very hard to watch when that happens but uh you know so far we've been dodged but
we've got uh you know like this whole heat dome that's kind of hit over the country on the edges of
that in the evenings when things change and cool down there has been some storms firing up and
they're saying the next couple of days continue more the same or the same wherever it happens to be
you're just around us we had a pocket that you drive through our little town of corson and there
must have been a downdraft to win there that knocks some stuff around then you go midway filling
station and to the north from there there's a big dairy operation that got hit another area that just
blew hard through there and then you know that's nothing compared to what happened out in our you
know high morse out the code out in our area 130 mile an hour plus straight winds buckled over wind
towers and everything you don't need that here that was it i think it's been five years ago now we
had our last windstorm we had one a few years before that where we had those 140 what were they
140 ratio winds were just crazy over 140 straight line winds which is it's scary but if we if we
have that here and hopefully we don't we can do this show from the parking lot with a with a
lighter cord plugged in we have that ability so we'll keep you guys going where
you're you're like hey it's sunny here in 85 i don't think we will well if if this i will we had
those winds here i probably would be occupied you'd be busy on the day i might be occupied with
other things but we could get a show on the air no doubt no doubt and we might we'd be live from
the carnage yeah tim did you have a question yeah um my brother who is the car guy and i'm kind of
the builder kind of guy and uh he just got done it took him three years but he just got done
putting together a g 2006 gto and so he's mostly retired and he's been sitting around for a week
and he started thinking maybe i'll get the 55 Chevy pick up going so he goes out there and he
talks to me in the meantime and and i says well what have you done to it to get it to go and he
says oh nothing he's just been cranking on it so we open the hood and there's a piece of duct tape
across the one barrel carburetor this is a 235 six popper and so i says well if you check the
plugs no so we pull the plug they're black with carbon or whatever and so we went out and bought a
new set of plugs and we put them in and uh we started checking the voltage across the the coil
and on the one side it was 12.9 somebody must have changed this over from a six volt system to a
12 volt system and on the other side we got eight or nine volts and should we be getting 12 volts
out of the other side of that well no no not always but most of these were 12 volt and to begin with
well were they yeah um okay i didn't know that yeah i've got a 49 up at the shop and it's always
been 12 volt now the way a coil works you've got battery voltage to the one side of it
always with the key on the other side goes from zero should go from zero to battery voltage
as if with a point system as the points open and close because those points are closed they're
drawn that coil down and then they open the condenser takes over does its job as it's
storing that energy and then it sparks so the negative side if you put a test light on it
with one side on the ground it's going to flash as the um as that coil opens and closes if it
doesn't you have a problem with your your secondary side of the ignition where the or the primary
side of the ignition where the um where the points are open and closing on it you can put
electronics like pertronics makes a system put an electronic piece in there which works great for
those to avoid the the points issue and they're under a couple hundred bucks for a set they're
they're pretty cheap um i would definitely go with that but it sounds it sounds like yeah you
got a problem going on and if it's been sitting that long that it had the duct tape over the
carburetor and that that'll flood it out and get your plugs so nice and black and wet with fuel
but it sounds like my brother put the duct tape on it probably years ago and forgot you know
i've seen that happen and then they put the air cleaner back on so like well why wouldn't you
have seen that that's what listeners are thinking it's like because we put the duct tape on and
then put the lid on the air cleaner to protect it right well yeah i've seen that he doesn't have
my air cleaner oh well there you go well then there's just things your brother that's so you
guys can have fun with it i didn't open the hood i had i listened to you guys and put a battery tender
on it 15 years ago it still cranked i was just gonna enjoy in the fact that okay i think i heard it
right he was the car guy and you were the builder guy yeah and so you're helping him to open the hood
he opened the hood but here's this duct tape over the over the one burrow carburetor and
what in the world he says well that's my choke oh i've done that on a lawn morn slap piece duct
tape crank it over a little bit then take the tape off put my hand over it and choke it out give me
had it backfire i have oh yeah yep well tim good luck now i'm i'm not i this is not i'm gonna say
this is not a berkeley classic yet no no no just let me let me hold on hold on because it doesn't
run hold on it would be when it gets running i want him to call back and we'll send them both
hoodies and we'll guess the color but right now it's not there's too much going on with berkeley
one classics they will ensure that vehicle yes taken apart not running as well as all together
because this is a classic vehicle and they ensure right now yes they had they're ensuring the value
of what it is there i think that that's a good way to take this chris all right i i do i think
i like that we're gonna give them some encouragement over the long weekend ahead if that's
you know how this hits yep and um then they're gonna both have an opportunity i i like that
i like that a lot and i heard this uh i heard someone say the other day that uh if you have
adult siblings that you're polite with but not super close then you had youth siblings you
didn't fistfight with if you fist fought with your siblings you're probably close now closer now
than if you didn't if your family was polite and normal you're not as close that's what aren't
your siblings like all 10 years older than you yeah did you fistfight yeah yeah you've told those
so now you're really tight yeah yeah the only one i want because you're like a little ninja
yeah i won because where did you get this information i just heard someone say it i thought
it was a pretty in in my case accurate so you heard someone say it just yeah he does radio he
gets all the best because where you fit it fit you and so you kept it yeah totally that's how i yeah
that's how i live that's how people do things i find quotes that fit me and then i own them like
you don't have to work you don't have to run that's what everybody does with the internet yeah
this whole show is based on they search until they find the answer that suits their outcome
uh and then they rub it in your face i don't like that yeah i just uh i i read on the internet if
someone says something you don't like just ignore them roger we're gonna have to get you after the
break so stay right where you are 866594415 oh that's the number
to reach us here at the end of the hood show russ mentioned the berkeley one classics and you
know what i i did again i i climbed the fence downstairs in the lobby and i placed my insurance
card under the seat of the 51 Ford tractor in the lobby so i i do change the insurance card every
year in that will you do me a huge favor what's that will you set up on the tractor one of those
alarms that give you a shock the pain generator yeah will you please set that up maybe even like a
radar assisted so if you reach over the fence you get a zap and then it plays a little bit of
stinking a pain or something you got the whole theme going so you could just get an electric
fence around all three when the kids climb on it that's gonna do it for this hour of the end of
the hood show until next time you can always find us at under the hood show dot com thanks for listening
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
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 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 ink
About this episode
Ross Evans and Shannon Nordstrom field listener calls on drivetrain maintenance and fuel choices. A key question compares whether to service the 10-speed automatic in a 2020 F-350 and a 2023 F-150 Roush, with discussion centered on internal thermostats, why full flushes are difficult/expensive, and why drain-and-fill plus filter/pan service may be the practical route. They also debate converting to E85, covering tuning costs, fuel economy tradeoffs, and station availability. The show ends with advice on buying a Honda Odyssey amid VCM bypass concerns.
It's Fourth of July Vacation time but we are geared up and ready to go for one more show before the break! Let's get Under The Hood and get you ready to travel. Here are today's callers! Ford 10 Speed Transmission. Flush it or not? Should you bypass and disable the AFM / VCM on a Honda? Odyssey van Why is my Power Steering hard to turn on my Impala? Body Control Module failure or not on my Silverado? A fan takes a tour of our show and facility 98 Silverado MIsfire 55 Chevy Truck has no spark
