Focus 580; Car Care

Good morning and welcome back to the second hour folks 580 This is our morning talk program money is David Inge and we're glad to have you here. The producers Harriet Williams and Travis Stansell and Henry frames at the controls. We're also pleased to have back here on this program Rick arch from Rick's automotive service in champagne. We try to have him on here several times a year generally once a season and we try to answer your questions on car care. If you having a problem if you will call land and describe the car give us the make the model and give the best description you can of what's going on. Rick will see if he can do a little diagnosis there and suggest where you might look for a solution. 3 3 3 9 4 5 5. That's the champagne Urbana number we do also have a toll free line and that one is good anywhere that you can hear us. Eight hundred to 2 2 9 4 5 5 we will certainly take as many callers as we can we have some people ready to go. Welcome back what have you glad to be here. Urbanists first line number one. Hello or good morning.

I got a car in 1991. It's a difficult one. I've heard of it. Transmission Shop three tanks. They don't seem to find anything wrong with it at the time I bring it and they test drive it in the truck. They put the attempt is to hook up a monitor to it to see if the transmission is one thing the problem is that it's an intermittent problem which is the worst of all problems and it seems to gain a thousand RPMs while you know my foot on the accelerator. Same uniform pressure etc. and it will sometimes rev up sometimes run down but only does this on an intermittent fashion. So I can be on the highway it'll gain a thousand RPMs as I say and then also when I take my foot off and it digs celebrates the same fourth digit curs it will downshift a thousand RPM. They said the transmission is fine do you have any insight. Could it be something else that's causing the problem other than the transmission.

As a transmission serviced recently it has not been served. No. Well that would be the first place to start. Get the correct fluid in there all by service of the correct fluids in there it was that color. That's up to the usual approval level. Ok sorry. Well as far as probably what would be the first place to start checking I would think with that would be my monitoring system pressure where they'd actually hook up a mechanical gauge and monitor the pressure and then driving on the highway. Sounds like from what you just said the highway seems to be duplicated more than in town. Is it only because I'm usually longer on the highway when I am not around town it seems to be the case. So I can go days without it slipping then other times it flips and it varies depending on the gear. No they said they did check it out and the transmission fine at the track you know at the shop. This time it's fine it's a there's nothing physically wrong with it and I don't know what all the

tests they had performed on it so I'm assuming they're good in charge of anything which was great because I've had a doctor three times you know. So I'm a little bit of guilt in a while I don't know where to start. They said someone else had mentioned something about a computer module or something that might be bad and suggesting that to the folks at the transmission shop they said well we'll have to have it in this performance take the machine and there what it does to see to account for what's wrong. Right now this has overdrive. Yes No Have you ever driven it. Not you know overdrive. Yeah I've driven it without the without the overdrive and it also has a power switch on me and I play all sorts of games with it and that doesn't change anything. Different changes have also left it in first gear and driven it and second gear and I think at the same you don't vary performance in terms of the slippage.

At this point what I would suggest is that the pressure gauge be installed and it be positioned in such a manner that you can observe it while driving. Pressure to monitor system pressure of the transmission. Typically something like this would be related to the torque converter again. But that's the only way it's going to be resolved. OK so you should then go back to the same shop and ask them to just ask them if they might be interested in doing that and say I'll be willing to drive the car and monitor the pressure and then report back to the hole I see so I would take it from there. You would do that. Oh yeah I think you know very good very good. OK any other suggestions there are you know I think that will give you some direction give them some direction. Great thanks thanks so much. You're right that it's good luck to somebody else here will go too. We have somebody else cell phone and Coles County won't get them on line 3.

Well good morning. Yes are you doing Chad. I've got a 97 Toyota Camry that has begun running ragged. It's like back in the days when we had points and plugs in your distributor cap would get wiped. That kind of thing. I changed plugs and plug wires late in the fall probably have less than 10000 miles sometimes. The truck ran fine for the most. Part although it had a tendency to have one of the plug wires kind of popped up and I would push it back down to be OK. This has been doing this for a few weeks now though mostly when I have tremendous stops and go to accelerate it. It hesitates and stutters out once I get up to speed it seems to run better but my gas mileage is really gone. Last week I pulled the wires all the plugs and made sure that they all looked good and checked the gaps imam's put everything back and they didn't have any benefit. So I'm wondering if you've got any any guesses at all.

Where it's so it's a constant problem now. I'd say about 80 85 percent of the time sometimes it runs smooth but that almost seems to be more a happy accident than anything else. Do you have the ability to check for a vacuum leak. Do you know how to do that. I don't know how. OK first reaction is number one is to try using some fuel injector cleaner. Yes actually dump in the gas tank typically on a Camry. It's one of two things it's a vacuum leak or it's an injector problem. OK because you've already ruled out the plug connectors. Well I just so what. I've had a put a key I had someone who suggested that as well right. So I thought. Bottle of injector cleaner and ran that tank of gas through. So but he said it to put it in every other tank for two or three tanks and see how that goes. Well if that isn't helped then the only way it can be analyzed is now

hook the machine Cilla scope up to the engine and monitor both the ignition and the fuel system to determine which ones at fault them. OK all right well thank you very much. All right thanks for the call. You have before you recommended that for people who have cars that have feel injection and now there are a lot to do periodically I think you I think for time of year for soso every season basically you're suggesting that people do that go out and go to a place where you can buy automotive supplies and may know where you can just go and pick up one of these bottles of things off the shelf you don't check cleaners and your suggestion is when you fill up the tank put a bottle of the stuff and that will help the car. Yes just preventative maintenance. That's what happens to a fuel injector it's a it's a very tiny little orifice or nozzle is only like for thousands of an inch hole so when you shut the car off there's like a little drip of fuel that just kind of hangs there. And of course with the heat of the engine it

will eventually evaporate but as it evaporates it leaves a residue on the tip of the injector. It's kind of like if you go to your. You know your garden hose the little sprayers that you buy some of when you spray and it all goes off to the right or to the left or you know it's not very atomized. Yeah that's exactly what happens to an injector when it gets dirty. So what you want is a nice even even right spray because what happens when you have big drops of fuel coming off the engine can really can burn all of that effectively and then your mileage of course drops. OK. So once every season put a bottle that's just in there and that'll help. Right. Rick Karcher is our guest from Rick's automotive service in Champaign He's here every once in a while we talk about cars and if you have a problem you can call in and talk about it with him and he'll suggest where you might look for a solution. 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5. The next caller is in Indiana and on line four. Oh yeah 98. Oh it will be over oil. Straight

Facts are the battery goes down you get up in the morning up in nothing. I've been to three different places I've been going to a place for almost 20 years so I you know I trust these guys and. They said they have checked the alternator and checked the battery replaced the batteries it seems to be one of the ploys it's always done and sure enough it lasted for a little while then once again and after a couple of rechargers my wife got bent out of shape and thought these guys don't know anything so I took it to another place I've had sort of a you know reputation in town as finding electrical shorts cars pretty easily. They did the same thing said they need a new battery you can really check it with the battery like you have now so we got a new battery. Another two weeks that went down so I decided to take it to a dealership. We don't have an Oldsmobile here now but we have people who have been in General Motors for some time Buick some Galax they say they check the bulletins. Got into this as well you know it better you've got two

good robber should have a new one and will run a check on it. Well almost to the day two weeks later which was a couple mornings ago it went out. No no fire at all so it's back to the dealership and they're there doing a diagnostic study now and far as I can tell the fellows I've been with for 20 years have done everything imaginable used only in a computer hookups and putting the alternator through different tests and the battery and they can't come up with anything except. Most likely it's a relay switch so when you get out of the car you turn it off and healing or whatever and listen for some sound which we've been doing for about 4 months now no sound. I've got crazy gun in the trunk to see if the light would come on you know it came on but that wasn't what it was so nobody really knows. And at least they're now they're being pretty honest about it and I thought that over the years I've been listening you pull things out of the air a number of times I thought maybe you could help me on this one. Has anybody actually monitored the current draw which they have. Unfortunately I have those kinds of questions and I get these looks like of

course sir. With us is a reputable well have asked for the number. OK. Is there anything aftermarket on the car like you know. No Ariens snow is straight you know it is straight and it's you know always until the time we got it. I guess that's when you know you have been run pretty well to very good shape and everything and they always check for a draw as the first thing you do and they never feel that some of kept it for a few days in each time you know they get out no drawl starts and the people I've been with for a long time said that's the way the world is with relay switches and that there is a you know innumerable number of them and they don't slice aside the ice open that some way they can you know bring it down to you know five or six things you know I was in the place Roger start replacing them because my wife will not give this car up. She loves it and my idea was to trade it in and get another one but that hit a blank wall so if there's anything at all you sick you can suggest you know

I'm at the place where I'll give it a try. Well it sounds like it's obviously an intermittent problem. Yeah so. If they can't seem to find it or duplicate the problem there's a simple solution. There is a what they refer to as a battery isolator. You know and you put it in series between the battery in the vehicle OK and if the battery voltage drops down to a certain value I don't remember the exact number because it varies with manufacturer knowing the factor. It has a relay internally within this isolator unit and it opens the circuit between the vehicle and the battery. And then you get in the car and turn the key. And if that circuit opened you'll turn the key and obviously have no dash lights nothing. And what you do is you step on the brake pedal and it reactivates that circuit completes the circuit and the car starts. But.

It's kind of hard you know it could be something along the lines of an alternator related problem sometimes when they do these things. I've run into him too and can get very frustrating because they're so time consuming unfortunately from their standpoint they can't really bill you for every hour they've got in the project. So they'll just you know everybody does the same thing he check the basics and if it doesn't duplicate then well sort of I'm sorry. The only suggestion I might have to you is that you make sure all of the whatever you're doing when you last drive the car. Yes you always do the same way. OK. You know make sure the glove box door you know lights or not you have it in the garage at night. You know it's outside so it's outside. We might walk outside every once in a while and see if you see a light anywhere that's come on. Sometimes when there's a drain particularly if it's an alternator in particular if you just put the back of your hand on it will be kind of warm.

But. A quick solution is what I mentioned is that isolator and that's it is called the battery isolator right. OK I mean if I go go to my friendly Buick dealer he's got the Garneau I say can you guys put a battery isolator. Well he'll understand you understand General Motors to my knowledge doesn't quite mean a factual one. It's all aftermarket full aftermarket Yes so you might call your local parts store and ask them OK. Most of your major battery manufacturers you know offer them as well. OK. You know it wouldn't be a nice little enjoy there and you know it would end your problem you know. What do you think a lot of credit and thank you go on here next call would be on line number two and that brings us here back to Urbana. Hello it does and the problem is a mouse that died in my car. Yeah well I think it was a moth I don't think it was anything larger. I mean I know what it pulled yarn up under the dashboard.

I put my phone on like my car guy suggested putting mufflers on the you know the vents. Right and I think that actually that's what killed the mouse. But after that Snow went on the Flies went they're still sort of a residual amount you know that I've noticed again now I mean the dead mouse. Now you know it's still there. Yeah any idea for what they need to do is remove the blower motor. OK. For your heating or can I did what you did. Well it's not that it's not that bad but not as involved as you think. All right you have to remove that and look up inside that duct work and clean it OK and then you can buy different fresheners to minimize the odor you can put baking soda under the seats just cut the lid open of the boxes and put them under there. What I find works quite well is I buy up a can of Lysol. Yeah and on just the plain stuff that doesn't have any odor to it. Yeah and put the start the vehicle up put the fan on high and then at the base of the windshield or your windshield wiper blades are. Yeah there's those little black grates Soko across

there. That's the inlet for the air conditioning in the heating system and then just start spraying Lysol there and it will drop right into the engine. Why the passenger compartment. Yeah and it will in effect you know if there's any mildew or anything like that will take care of that as well too. But you know that's a bit but they've got to get the mouse out. Well I might just get one surprise finish there is a lot of money. Well you know I'm sure there are risks. You know better than me all right. Well we're motor you know these need to remove the blower motor and get up in there and I usually use a vacuum cleaner so I don't have to touch anything. OK. And then just pray at the bottom of the demential represent the outside with when you left while it's running. With my fan on high in the family I don't do it thank you so much. Thanks very much. So that also would would take care of that mildew smell that sometimes you get when you do that same thing right.

Usually the mildew smell occurs in the summer. Yeah. And it's because the air conditioning drain is restricted or even plugged up or something. Some cars you you literally go around the corner you can hear water sloshing in that and that's because the drain so when you shut your car off in the summer you should see water dripping out. And usually it's on the passenger side about where the passenger's feet are approximately in that area. That's normal. If you don't see that then you will get that smell. And is that relatively easy to clean out if if they are that's plugged up OK and it's easy it should be easy for anybody to make sure that they have that they can tell that that's water that's dripping and not something one of the other fluids from the car. Right. All the other fluids typically in the car or have a significant color either red or green or yellow. The only one that's fairly clear in color is brake fluid. Get some power steering fluids. Next we have a caller in Urbana. Why number one

hello. Hello. Yes Rick. I don't have a mouse but I have a similar problem. I have a 1994 Dodge Intrepid and last year I was having problem with a musky odor when I turned on the air conditioner for the heat and I brought it to the dealer and they checked the air condition system for leaks and they found the evaporator and drier to th failed line and failed leaking they replaced here conditioner evaporator. The line dryer an expansion valve and a recharge the to system and monitored it and well it seemed alright for a little while but then I noticed that. Andy when I turn on the DI Frost I get that musty odor and it's gotten increasingly worse. Now before I brought the car to the dealer I had sprayed some anti mildew at

the base of the windshield as you were talking about. And then when it seemed to work for a couple days but then. Didn't That's why I brought brought the men and now you know I told him that you know I was still having some problem they said well they didn't understand because they had you know a chip checked everything out. So I noticed you know I still have it when I turn it on defrost. Do you have any suggestions you know if ur suggestion is or thought is that the drain for the evaporators is restricted and the water's not being able to exit the bottom of the car when you have the air conditioning on. I would make sure that it's clean clear. And that would be the. Really About the only thing that I can think of I mean there's obviously water that's accumulated in their home. And the reason WHY would be would Tedy fall he seems to come I want to be Frost

Well in the winter that's when you turn on the defrost the air conditioning compressor turns on as well. And of course the other modes it's not. So that I don't know maybe it may have something to do with the location of the moisture or the location of the mildew. Oh. Well it sounds like a bad dream bro. OK so I should check the evaporator for see if it's restricted while the drain is where the water comes out and they will come out the bottom of the car. You know so that I used to sell it and saw that occasionally you know I remember there used to be some water on the garage floor at the bottom of the car. That's what supposed I haven't seen at least right and that's would explain your problem. The water still in there. OK all right. Well Chick can have that look that yes OK thanks for your welcome.

Very good we are at our midpoint already here with regards from Rick's automotive service and champagne and he's good enough to stop by here several times a year and these kind of questions have you having a problem with your car. Call in and tell us about 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 here for Champaign Urbana toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5. Next we'll talk with someone in Savoy line 3. Oh yeah they were. Yeah I have a Right now I have a train going by. It's OK but I'm going 91 see fifteen hundred. And every time I start the car and shut it off there's a flap in the heater area that quire like for about 10 seconds. And I'm thinking it's a vacuum problem but I would not go about fixing there. Yeah you're right it's a vacuum problem. When you drive the truck and you accelerate Let's say you have it under frost and if you accelerate kind of moderate to hard does it stay on the frost or does it start switching to the dash vents are coming out by your

feet. I've never noticed a change. OK. Because there's the reason I ask there's there's a reservoir that's supposed to maintain vacuum but the primary component also is there's a check valve in the check valve between the vacuum supply and the heating air conditioning system. But if you're hearing a flapping noise that's a diaphragm that's allowing a flap to move. Is the first so what I would do is verify that when you go to defrost it truly goes to defrost meaning that all the air comes out the vents none comes out the dash and then comes out your feet. OK and then go to vent and buy level and heat and make sure everything switches properly and if everything switches properly chances are. All the diaphragms and everything are OK and then I would be looking at that check valve. OK. And you tell me where it's located.

It would be out under the hood under the hood. Correct. All right and if you think I have a couple of books you know like you know what I'll be able to find it going there. I know what I'm looking for. If you find a vacuum schematic for the air conditioning system it should be shown in there. Basically what the check valve is it's a one way valve that allows a vacuum to go one way and not the other way. Also if you remove the vow of obviously if you blow in and drawn it you'll be able to check the internal ceding of the valve right. And what it's about called again it's just referred to as a check valve or if you see a fairly small there maybe the size of a nickel. OK all right I think. Very much OK to see we go next over to Crawfordsville Indiana line for Hello. Hi Rick I just wondered if it would be ok and not hurt anything to use jumper cables and jump in an old 6 volt battery on a farm

tractor with my pickup truck which is a 12 volt battery do you harm anything or can you get that done OK. Well it's not a good idea. Obvious one but it was years ago. I don't know just to kind of relate something to you and some of the older local icons used to be all 6 full. And I used to convert a lot into 12 volt for people which would involve changing all the bulbs obviously and and the generator. But the one thing I never changed was the starter unit. They seem to survive the 12 volt line. So my point to you is that if you want to do that obviously I'm not recommending it but if you do want to do it make sure everything is off. Obviously the starter is going to spin really fast. So most battery charges will charge 6 full. OK so that will be the best thing to do.

Is there a way to tell just from looking at the battery whether you got a 6 year old or a 12 volt. I got it. Kruk out here and a battery with four holes for the water and you know I was just looking to put a battery had three holes to put the electrolyte in that was six fold 12 0 and 6 correct. What would what if you see Barry's got four holes in there I don't know. It's from farm implement battery of some kind. There's no way to tell most vehicles would be a 12 I'm going or 64 pick up truck that would probably be a 12 should be hit with. Yeah yeah OK well thanks very much. Thank you. Over to Ashcombe for the next person here line number one. Well I don't got a call and I got a 99. Should he still rattle 5.3 later and I switched to gain an air filter. I got the mega flow exhaust I got the boss for prong spark plug and also got to roll tires and I'm trying to get the best fuel mileage I

can what other recommendations would you have besides the ones I've already covered. Solution I do not do it again and I need it the most I can get. Did you change the intake between the masseur flow sensor and the throttle body. Or just put a filter on it. No I just put a filter on there as it is just to keep regular Kanan airflow. OK you know you're not getting 16. Right in between 15 and 16 with all that I got it's and it's it's a model using it or have bought it. Yeah I've got some truck. Alright because I traveled thirty six miles to and from work right. I like OK. I had that I didn't OK I washed wash the truck in the TV show and stuff and I saw them recommend some the bought they got a computer we can change your timing and stuff. Yes that would increase a few miles but I don't know I don't know anybody Well Max

I'm not from Ashkelon just loading my truck to get my semi So I'm from Iowa and I'm more of a runner that does that with a computer. Yeah I've heard I think the most I've heard people get with the newer ones is some of them 17 or 18 and that's kind of unusual but most everybody I've talked to 16. OK so you're not far off course your right foot has a lot to do with that you know. Yeah. OK I did time. All right thanks very much. So what you're saying is that it's OK. This Peter would you drive will that depend have some influence on the mileage you create some vehicles are really funny though. I had a truck and if you went 65 it was the mileage really wasn't that good but if you want a 590 it got better. Yeah well that's kind of that's not supposed to work that last person to work that way so I don't I don't know. You know vehicles are a lot like people and you can have five

people and they all have the same car and they all get different mileage. And so I think it hard to say all right. Bloomington Illinois I think it's up next line number two right here. Hello hello good morning. I got a question for you talked earlier about fuel additives. Whenever I go to. Local auto stores I'm always a little bit confused about regular fuel additives and oil additives for that matter as opposed to ones that have instead of particles in them and I drive a 98 Camry my wife drives a 2000 Mazda Protege And these are the first times we've gotten away from our college cars which were made 80s Toyotas and we kind of want to get as much 170 out of these as possible so do you. Either way on the regular vs. synthetic additives and for gas or oil and do you recommend even an additive thing in the oil system. No I don't. OK. The only additive I suggest is fuel injector cleaner

for gas four times a year generally. Synthetics are better than petroleum based products. But my perspective on it is that. If oil additives were so good and they did everything that they advertise that if I was a manufacturer of a vehicle I'd put it in every car. Because. I'm sure if it does what it's supposed to do that my warranty claims should drop significantly. So if I add a bottle to every heart and only cost me two dollars and yet I save a significant amount of money over the long run then that tells me that if it was right that all the dealers would be doing. So that's why I don't recommend them. OK but with fuel additives the ones with that axe are generally very thin just controlling a baseball and only one team. What kind of additive you're referring to here.

I saw one I don't like mention manufacturers of talkback tech cron and it had. OK you're just talking about Techron is one of the best. OK yeah you just talk about a gas fuel additive for the gas tank. Yeah there was one. He's confused about weather and the people at the auto shop kind of shrug their shoulders and said you know you know they didn't know which one they would recommend either way. My number one recommendation is to run. OK well once every three you don't really need to do it more than that. No there is not. OK. Thank you very much. You're not getting the right things. Well what does that do to Tektronix. It's just a real high quality fuel injector cleaner. OK. It's really good stuff. We use different kinds we have we have some Tektronix a shop and we have just kind of a conventional I refer to. And if the car really isn't having any problems and it's just a normal maintenance every maintenance that we perform we add fuel injector cleaner to the car. Now if we have a problem with injectors and will always use a tecton.

It works so much faster. There's a lot more expensive than ever. It is a lot on stick So you're saying if you're going to do that you would stick by your four times a year but one of those four times you would you would suggest spend the extra money buy this this one or you know you don't have to only if you have a problem. OK OK. If you think you have a product that right otherwise it doesn't doesn't pay to spend that much and you know it doesn't. OK and nothing else nothing else that somebody would try to sell to put in the gas tank or Adam with the oil. You would say save your money. You don't think it's worth a try. I don't because of the way I tried to explain the manufacturer's perspective right. Right. What about gasoline particularly octane choices. It does if there is a really good make it can make a significant difference in price between the highest one the lowest one is they're really going to make very much difference in how the car performs you think.

Yes if a vehicle requires in the owner's manual it specifies that it needs 91 octane you have to stay with that. You can try some 89 the downfalls to it are spark knock or detonation and that is something that you would hear on a hard acceleration. It sounds like somebody put marbles in a coffee can sort of shake them. It's some people refer to his pain in the course that is. A bad condition because that's actually potentially can damage the engine internally. But in some cases people that have always used 91 octane and some vehicles and and I've looked at the literature I've told them to try 89 or 87. I mean a lot of times what happens is they actually get better mileage. The lower octane fuels aren't as volatile as the higher octane fuels. So sometimes it does help mileage. The bottom line is when people ask me that question that I just simply say if you've always used 91

try eating nine and see how it how it is for a while and if it seems all right then maybe try 87. And either it'll be pretty obvious we'll have starting problems. You'll have detonation or spark Not that I referred to earlier and then you need to go back up to the next grade. So it's basically 91 or 93 then you have like 89 and then he 7 is the lowest. OK so if people want to try you can try going down one seeing how the car responds to fit and monitor your fuel mileage at the same time. And sometimes you'll be surprised where you stopped somebody here next in Danville line three below. Oh yeah. Question another question about something that happens in an intermittent idiot fashion. I have a Chevy Venture van a 2000 and there is an intermittent shimmy as a drive that is felt

in the vehicle. Most noticeable on the highway about 50 plus. It doesn't seem to be a diagnosable when I take it in. Mechanic drives it. He says that you can feel it sometimes but it is not at the rate of happening that will allow him to detect what the problem is is. If that's enough information why is there a way to diagnose this without developing the shimmy to a greater extent. As far as the shimmy is concerned does it occur as you're accelerating. No it's as you're driving it. So if you put the cruise control on. That's right that's when you feel it. I know you feel it in the steering wheel do you feel it in the seat. Do you feel it in the car. The person sitting in the passenger front seat

can feel it. OK. But you don't feel it at all in the steering wheel. I would say no. OK. Then I would suspect the first thing to look at. Obviously they'd look at the tires if you've heard your brand new right. Then I would say it has to do with the drive train. If they need to look at is there any other because you know these are the GM people understand. And they say I just can't tell. So that tells me that there are options as to what it could be. Well are there others that you can think of. No because generally anything above 45 mile an hour in vibration related is typically associated with tires so the number one thing to do would be to rotate the tires in the drive.

You have in this case what you have to do is you have to start eliminating things and then you eventually get to the source of the problem. A lot of the General Motors dealerships have a tool. It's a tremendous tool in that. It monitors vibration by different sensors and you mount these sensors around on the car and you will drive it and it will actually isolate for example a left front left rear middle of the car wherever you put the respective sensors and they may have that tool because they know. The local dealer doesn't have it. So it's not a single through all but a series of censure sensors. Correct that all hooked up to a monitor. Well that is the garage that we're going to know is she in the garage. It's not a dealership so you shouldn't know about this. Well you could ask him you know I mean he probably doesn't have the tool maybe you know someone that does.

OK if I if I went on and said that it did occur in the steering wheel as well that would mean it would be the front suspension or something in the tires right. I mean if you're driving at that speed sometimes if you just if you like such your hand on the floor of the vehicle. I'm assuming now that you can actually feel it. That's why I was asking if you if you felt it in your seat or near your feet or in the steering wheel I was trying to isolate things. Yeah. So as much of that information as you can provide is helpful. So it's either in the drive train or the tires and by saying it occurs in the vehicle tells me not testing will says it's in the drive train tracks right. Right. And this is not necessarily a safety problem.

Well I think I've been told I could go a periodic way on trips of about 800 miles duration and we've been told our it's ok it's not going to be anything. OK well then it's not a safety issue. Another quick question when this fiber ation does it is it worse when you first get on the interstate. You know it doesn't develop until about oh after 20 miles or OK it starts between the hand-holding and champagne. So I know it starts less than 50 miles but it's about 20 miles. Starts up I would be looking at the drive train. Is it a matter of there's something wrong in the drive train and you have to drive it to figure out what it would be or. That's why I think if you can find someone who's got those tools. Yeah. Look at areas of the drive train that are lubricated

meaning that as you drive it for 20 miles the lubrication when you first take off the lubricant is very thick. Earth the viscosity is very high and as it rotates and rotates and rotates of course it generates a little heat so that lubricant becomes thinner and thinner and as it becomes thinner if there's a clearance problem somewhere obviously that clearance increases it's magnified over time because the lubricant has thinned and that's why it's so hard for him to figure it out. But we bought this years we've had it since August and it didn't happen initially right. But it developed since then. Right. So those are my suggestions. Sorry I think you're home OK. We have here is our guest Rick cards from Rick's automotive service in Champaign. He's generally here with us every season we do the show and we have about 10 minutes left. We'll take as many calls as

we can. And the next person up in line is in Pike County and that'll be line number four. Oh yes I have a Subaru 97. A couple of years ago I noticed when I was driving it seemed to have a heavy noise it didn't. Mike I got to drive train and I took it in and I just drove with me for a couple of minutes but it's your bearings and I replaced them but my question is I'm sorry to hear that noise again. I would just like remember Mason about the math of the time and place are the bearings and the wheel and they go bad again in a couple a year. I really I'm so ignorant of this and would like some information on that. So it was definitely a wheel bearing to your room or the front one. It was a rear rear. Do they replace both of them or just one just one I believe. OK. So it's probably the other one now. Wheel bearings. Do you understand what they are. No I think I'm all right.

They basically allow the tire to rotate. You're kind of a roller skater kids or anything. Okay they've all got wheel bearings basically in the center of their wheels there. And when you have a wheel bearing that's bad on a car. If you go down the road in straight and then start weaving in other words weave to the left weave to the right as you load and unload a bad wheel bearing. It will become louder and become quiet and you can actually isolate that's how I determine which one it is. So you can do the same thing just fine a smooth road and to start weaving and you'll be able to tell which side it's coming from and how much that cost. On an average Oh I don't know everything. Price wise is different for his part. Yeah you know the labor without looking it up I was hoping. And now it's almost impossible to keep track of all the profit for everything. OK well thank you so much for your time A Sure.

All right very good we'll go back here to lie number one. Hello hello. Yes I have a question for me. I want to get. Back to injectors I have an old truck I mean 1984 Ford It's a three quarter turn but it's a diesel. Are you OK with diesel engine. You know it's funny. OK. And it's kind of an occasional vehicle as to say maybe we use it once a month. During the summer maybe three or four times a month. And it's been OK we had it repaired prairie you know international times. So but I was wondering you mentioned about just something to put into a tank. Right they make them for diesels as well. OK wood so. I could put that in and say no right. Yes and you read it. What is the name of that stuff. Well it's a fuel for Diesel's what it is is it.

It also does several things. It helps clean the injectors and helps get rid of the system moisture. And it's also supposed to help in terms of fuel jelly. OK but it comes in a quart can basically you just put the whole quarter you know it depends on how big the gas tank is it'll have directions on oh a container. But in your case I would do that and then every fall. Since you're using it so little I would probably change the fuel filter. Yeah yeah. Family sit for maybe a couple months of rain during the winter wouldn't you know that the fuel filter the bottom of the fuel filter will have like a little drain to remove the water. That's in theory that's where it's supposed to end up so that's why I always remember him and every fall that you change the fuel filter on Diesel's because if there's water in there you'll get it out of the system before winter hits and then it freezes.

Correct. Yeah exactly. Re insert the name of this stuff but you know Commander why don't I just I knew you were going to ask if I could carry. Yeah they probably have it on the shelf and you can most all the parts stores have it ok. Specifically for diesel and it's a diesel mix. Sure for cleaning and clean the injectors right. OK OK. Yeah I think yeah same thing if you if you have a car you're going to and you use conventional gasoline you're going to do the injector cleaner is that again. How much of it you put in depends on how big the gas tank is or is it more of a. So you got to know how big your tank in rocks approximately. OK and the idea is that you should have a full tank right when you run this stuff there. That's what they recommend and sometimes a car's got some problems I purposely will dump a whole bottle in even if it's only a quarter of a tank is to increase the concentration a little bit.

OK. OK let's talk with lead off line to you. Hello. Thank you gentlemen for taking my call I have another had a depression must be an additive day today and that's OK. OK I drive my 1953 car some of the time and I noticed the other day when I was in my car started they had a ladder and I just went ahead and bought some good thing. Like the prudent thing to do or is it necessary to add a light addict or an older car with about that are not designed to run without it. Yes OK that answered my question from oh I just go by the bottle and then add the proper pressure to match and make sure I do that right. The only ones that don't require the lead additive meaning the older vehicles are the ones that have what the legit additive is for is to lubricate the valve seat in the Bell face because they're both the same material the cast iron some of the vehicles have what they refer to as a Starlight

seat insert in the soner head and those do not require the look how much you turn. You just have to consult the owner's manual you may have to do a little research in cylinder head design. If you and your particular vehicle if you can't find that information by putting the lead in there you're not hurting anything. OK I'm glad I called. THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOU ARE things. So in modern gasoline it's unleaded that they put something else in there to perform that same function or is nor is the car different and it doesn't need that any more. Well it's it's that and the fact that with the advent of emission controls Obviously everybody knows lead is dangerous. So in catalytic converters they don't live very long with lead because it coats the lead actually gets in the converter and coats and restricts it. Same with the oxygen sensors if you like with. I have a kind of a hard time with with race

cars with oxygen sensors which I run rock oxygen sensors on race cars to monitor the air fuel ratio in the exhaust. But I mean it's unleaded fuel. Well it room's them. So you just after when they don't respond then they become very very sluggish you just have to replace the sensors. We got time at least for maybe one more call at least go to at would line 3. Hello hello thanks for taking my call. I have a question about my car radio. I have a 1999 Jetta and I have one I bought it the AM radio didn't work. Super great but it still worked. And then I moved to the country and now I can't seem to get W I L L very often and even during the day when I have high power and this has been going on for a long time. But last week now it's affected my FM radio and the thing that I noted is that when I'm trying to listen to the radio and I blink I put

on my blinker and write the blinker sounds really loud. So not that one accelerates. It seems like that's connected to the radio and so I can't quite figure out what to do with this thing. Well the first thing to do is to make sure the intend is tight. Intent has to be grounded. Sometimes you can wiggle like if you sit in the car and start the car up and put in and allow and have somebody wiggly in Tanna in and see if that changes things. Obviously when they grab the intended they're going to become part of the antenna. But you should be able to hear as they wiggle it click click click in type noise through the radio kind of like with the turn signal. Oh yeah I'm familiar with it right. Yeah but it tells me there's a ground problem with the house. My grades a new antenna and it's is it one of the. Automatic in town as you know I don't really know it's a sort of in the middle of the roof. I don't really know. OK yeah but check that.

OK well thanks Roger Good luck and there we're going to have to finish it. I'm sorry we have one more person we can take at will try. June I think we're talking about having that they'll let me know. Thanks very much Regards from Rick's automotive service in Champaign. Here to answer questions on cars and we generally try to have him here every season so you can inspect when it comes to be summer back.