Call Summary for this episode of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor
1. 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8:
Ron says: Buy low mileage, get a 5-year warranty, and don’t settle. V8 HEMI is solid with proper oil and service.
"Don’t negotiate with yourself."
2. 2000 Lexus RX300 Battery Drain:
Likely an intermittent draw. Use a thermal imager and min/max meter to catch it.
"Draws aren’t always constant."
3. 2011 Honda Pilot Brake Pedal Sinking:
Probably a bad new master cylinder. Plug ports to test.
"Even OEM parts fail."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to Ron and Nanian The Car Doctor, nationally
recognized auto expert trusted by Mechanics, Weekend wrenchers and vehicle
owners alike. Ron brings over forty years of hands on
experience and deep industry insight to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the Conversation live every Saturday from two to four
pm Eastern by calling eight five five five six zero
nine nine zero zero. That's eight five to five five
(00:25):
six zero ninety nine hundred, your direct line to honest
answers and practical advice. Looking for more, visit cardoctorshow dot
com for past episodes, repair tips, and Ron's latest insights,
and be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube
channel for exclusive videos, real repair footage and more. Now
start your injuries. The Car Doctor is into garage and
(00:47):
ready to take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
All right, let's let's get right into it. I see
the phones are little already and I want to take
this first call. It sounds interesting. Let's go to Stephen,
New Jersey comments about buying a new Jeep. Steve, Welcome
to the Car Doctor. Sure what's going on?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah, yeah, thanks for taking my call. Ronne. Nice to
talk to you. Again, I talked to you about five
years ago. I came up to your shop. But that's
that's another story, okay, Ron, I'm thinking about getting a
I'm trying to get a twenty twenty three jeep Wagoner,
I mean Grand Wagoneer. Grand Cherokee got it right with
(01:27):
the V eight and uh, you know that's like the
Overland or Summit. I'm wondering what you think of the
the the jeep if you've had any experience with the
V eight, the he me there, the five point seven
and the car as a general, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
How many miles around it?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Steve, Well, I haven't gotten it yet. They gotta, they
gotta find a they find a V eight. They found
one has had like one hundred thousand miles on it.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, you don't want that, you know, mileage, mileage in age, brother,
all right, I want something, you know, something two years old.
I want thirty thousand miles on it or less?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Really?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, okay, that's just the way I'm built, you know,
And I'll pay more for a lower mileage vehicle. Reason being,
reason being and think of think of me, right? Can
imagine going car shopping with me?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Reason reason being less mileage means less likelihood somebody worked
on it and made a mistake, right, and I would
I would pay for that, I really would. Now, I'm
going to tell you the way I think about Jeep
and Chrysler, and no offense to Jeep in Chrysler owners.
I think you know, Jeep and Chrysler are still in
one of my top five choices. They're not at the
(02:49):
top top.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
But.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
There some reliability issues, some of the things that break
and fail. I don't think I would buy a new
or used Jeep or Chrysler without putting an extended warranty
on it. And that's just being honest.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
You know, would you go for a three year or
a five year five? Five?
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Five?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
All right? I think it's I think it's worth the value.
Jeeps are funny. Je well, jeeps are funny critter Steve,
all right. You know, it seems that there are some
out there that fifty thousand miles they need an engine,
and there are some out there one hundred and fifty
thousand miles and they're running strong, and I can't figure
it out. There's no rhyme or reason. I've got customers.
I've got one customer, his son's got a fifteen Wrangler.
(03:34):
It's got one hundred and sixty three thousand miles on it.
He changes the oil, he does his regular maintenance, He
lets us do the big services and so forth. And
that thing's a brick. It just keeps going. And then
I've got some other ones that same service, same treatment,
same driving habits, and they're junk. They're just it just
(03:54):
doesn't hold up. And you sit there and you scratch
your head.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So you know what, I think the V eight is
a little more reliable than.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
The Yes, yes, as long as it doesn't have any
of the valve train issues and you stay up on
your oil changes. And let me tell you that vehicle
is that engine has some specific oil requirements, and I
would follow it like religion.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
All right, Is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I would? I would, Yeah, I would. I would be
using Chrysler Speck oil in that vehicle, and I would
be dumping it every five to six thousand miles every
five to six months. I don't care what the manufacturer
tells me. I don't want to hear about extended oil
drain intervals and all that nonsense, because it sounds like
you're going to buy this and try and get one
hundred and fifty tw hundred thousand miles out of it. Yeah, definitely.
(04:43):
And the reason I say a five year service contract
is because you know, if if it gets to that
seventy five eighty mile one hundred thousand mile mark and
nothing's gone wrong, you got your value out of it.
But if the engine pukes at sixty five thousand miles,
at least it's covered, right, and you know it's you're
you're not buying You're not buying a cheap automobile.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
All right, No, it's you got to get the overland
or the summit to get the VA right.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
And it's all the bells, all right. Listen, there's a
reason my jeep guy. You know, listen, every business owner
has a has a guy. Right, I've got a guy
that sells me jeep parts. I got a guy that
sells me GM parts and so on. My jeep guy
drives a Ford Mustang, okay. And I asked him, I
said why and he said how many times do you
(05:35):
call for parts? And I said, well, quite often, he said,
And that's the reason, because he sees what breaks. And
it's it's not that you know, listen, all cars break,
but Chrysler seems to have some issues with parts distribution.
It's gotten better, but you know, I'm just cautious, man,
(05:57):
I'm just cautious. Would I like to own a Jeep? Yes,
I just don't have time to fix one. And that's
and that's the bottom line. But but but if you
really like that twenty three dreep Jeep Grand Cherokee, and
you like that V eight, and you've driven that vehicle,
and I know the vehicle you're talking about, if that's
the vehicle that floats your boat by it, by all means,
(06:20):
just just find a guy to work on it, regular maintenance,
a service contract, form a relationship with the dealership if
that's where it's gonna go, right right, and just enjoy
the vehicle.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, yeah, thank you, Ron. I have another question. I
contacted to another friend, a whose card dealer down in Corny.
Now see, I'm at a new car dealer now and
they can only draw from their dealership. Now supposedly they
(06:55):
have fifty one dealerships, so maybe they can get the
V But this used car guy, obviously he probably got
it with an auction and it's in Tennessee or something,
but he had three V eights, and I don't know
if I'm going to be able to get a V
eight with this, uh, the dealership deal.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Don't negotiate with yourself, Steve.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, just hold to the Hold to the V eight.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, hold for the VA. Don't negotiate with yourself. You're
buying it. Listen, you're buying a premium product, right, you're
buying a premium product. You want to deal with the
front of the horse. Okay, okay, and you tell the
dealership that you know what life's about relationships, man, it
really is. One.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
If I went with the used car dealer down in Cornie,
what should I go with their warranty?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, my concern is it's a used car dealer. Nothing
against used car dealers, but you know, it's a I
think it's a little easier for that used car guy
to go out of business and reopen under Fred's used
cars rather than Joe's used cars versus the dealership that's
got fifty one dealers across the country.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, but the thing is he's he might be the
only one they'll get me a VA twenty three. You
don't know that, Well that's true. No, No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Right, and listen as long as we're doing this a
V eight twenty three. You know, as long as we're
doing this, don't we want to get something that maybe
the dealer's service, maybe the dealer is going to get
one in on trade from the area dealer purchase. There's
no guarantee that that car coming out of Tennessee isn't
a flood car, isn't from Arizona, isn't from Florida, isn't
(08:44):
from Texas. Not that's anything wrong with those states. But
you can't listen. I try not to take I take
cars personal, all right. I try to look at cars
as what they are and where they're from, because you know,
there's a certain element of I can't think of the word.
(09:05):
I'm looking for spirituality to a car. It's not a
cold piece of metal. It just doesn't, all right, it
just doesn't. I want to know where it came from.
I want to know who worked on and I want
to know who touched it. And if I can't, if
I can't get a car, if i'm you know, you're
buying a hot.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Rod, Steve, I would look to have this car.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Steve.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
You're buying Steve, you're buying a thirty two four five
window coop and yellow?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Am I wrong talking?
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Right?
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Am I wrong?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Talking? Brother?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
You are right?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So you want this thing? You want this thing dead
nuts on the money in plain English. And if they
can't find you at twenty three, why don't you find
out if you can order a twenty six? Because christ
Are just brought back the V eight. They just brought it. Yeah,
I don't think it's in the not yet. I I
(10:00):
don't know if it's there yet. But they just brought
back the what is it the Road and Track Department.
There was a big write up on it in the news.
Once you go research, it is the VA. You know,
if you have to wait six months for Jeep to
catch up and do this, isn't that worth isn't that
worth waiting for? I understand it. I understand They opened
up the the order desk for Hemi Trucks and they
got over ten thousand orders in the first three days.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Oh. I believe it. Oh, I definitely I believe it.
So you know that Hemmy's been around a long time.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
And you know what, if you.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Got a two thousand and three truck that was probably
your first year, you get a Henry, it's since.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Right, Stevie, I gotta run all right.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, Ron, thank you so much. It's pleasure talking.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Enjoy your hot rod, brother, Thanks you well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Five.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Welcome. I'm running ady in the car doctor eight five
five five six zero nine nine zero zero. I'll be
back right after this. Let's go to Curtain, Tennessee.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Kurt.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Welcome to the car doctor, sir, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Weren thanks for taking my I've got a twenty five
year old RX three hundred Lexus that's my wife's car,
only like a like one hundred and five thousand miles
on it. Yeah right, and it eats up batteries now.
I usually get the three year full time warranty from
autel Zone, even though they change their battery warranty. So
(11:22):
I made out all right on acause they always seem
to go. I've had some go at seven months, nine months,
a year and a half, and I had two different
mechanics do a parasitic draw test on him, and both
of them said there's no draw. But the last one
I talked to that was a mechanic he's retired now.
(11:44):
When we pulled the fuse box cover off in the
engine department, there's a fuse that looks like a fuse.
It's pure white, but it has it's not fifteen amps,
not twenty. It has no designation to it. So when
you pull that. What we found was that if you
(12:04):
pull that that white thing that they actually call in
the cover a short Okay, I guess it was tiny
Outa's way of they would pull that fuse when they
had the car on the parking lots. That way there
they could save battery.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Life or coming down the assembly line.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Yeah. So the only other thing she got t boned
about twenty years ago on the passenger side, and nothing's
been right since. You know what I mean. Sometimes they
hear he makes noises, but the car runs like a champ.
Any idea, Now, like I said, we have a place
in Tennessee, we have a place in Connecticut, and we
(12:42):
go back to Connecticut. All my other cars in the truck.
I have a fifty five Chevy too. None of those back,
even though I disconnect the turbinos on the fifty five.
But my truck, I have a two thousand and seven
niece on frontier that always starts if we're up there
for a month or a month and half. But you
come back the lutches doesn't want to start, and I
(13:03):
have to. I have a battery charger, so I'll charge
it all right.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
There's no you know, there's no rule, Kurt that says
a draw has to be all the time. It could
be there in a high moisture day, it could be
there on a cold day. It could be there on
a hot day, and they can be a bugger to find.
One of the things that I will use, which we
don't really talk about here. We haven't talked about it
(13:28):
yet today and I've had a few parasitic dream calls,
is I will use a thermal imager where the vehicle
goes to sleep. I'll prep the vehicle beforehand. And you know,
and you know, one of the things I wanted to
mention in one of my previous calls was he was
doing it where he was sitting in the car pulling
the fuses on the under the back seat, leaving the
doors closed, and it's kind of cramped. I'll trip the
(13:50):
door latches, I'll put the latches in the closed position,
sit in the car, or I'll put the latches in
the closed position, leave the doors open, and take covers
off the few boxes. Let the vehicle sit, Let the
vehicle go to sleep, and I'll just let it sit there.
And from time to time I'll walk around with a
thermal imager. Is anything waking up? It's anything all the
time looking at a digital voltometer, you know, looking for
(14:12):
a parasitic draw.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Now, now, what's a normal fifty million?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Anything anything less than fifty milliams? Fiftyis right, Let's see
if anything less than fifty milliams.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Yeah, I guess my question, Yeah, I guess My question
to you is should I just put the terminals off
the battery when I go back to Connecticut?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I mean, you know you could try it. A two
thousand isn't so smart, You're it's you know, it's going
to learn transadaptive pretty quick. Does the vehicle sit outside
or is it in the garage?
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Oh no, it's been garaged. Like I say, the last
time that you know, when I put my tester on it,
it was down to like eleven two, right, and that
was only the car was only said about two weeks. Well,
that's what I decided to have another mechanic take a
look at it.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
It's gotta have it's got to have a draw. My
suspicion is it's got a draw. And one of the
things I would do in a situation like this is
I would set up the battery and follow what I say.
I would put a jumper wire. I would disconnect the
negative battery cable. I would put a jumper cable from
(15:24):
the negative battery post to the cable. I would then
connect my meter to the negative battery post to the cable.
I would wait forty five minutes an hour. All right,
turn I turn my meter on. All right. I would
disconnect the jumper, being careful not to let the meter
(15:47):
get disconnected at that moment. What are you going to
read on the meter? Whatever? The actual draw is right,
And the beauty part of that is you're catching it
under real conditions. Now, if it looks normal, and you
can let the car sit there, put the meter in
min max minimum maximum recording. It will record. And you
(16:10):
can do this with a fresh nine vault battery. The
worst that happens is in twenty four or thirty six
or forty eight hours, ever long it lasts, you'll kill
a three dollar battery. Who cares?
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Right, That's an idea. Like I said, I tried what
you did? You know? But I didn't you know? I
didn't want to sit forty five minutes. You know, I
was just looking for the simple garage mechanic, weekend mechanic
to a draw on it. And again, since you don't
have any charts, and it's funny and if you look
up the charts for a two thousand, I bought her
(16:42):
another car. So and it's it's hard to convince the
wife that she loves this car. She don't like to
do one.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Well, you know, if mama's not happy, nobody's happy.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Broll's That's why I told her. I said, look, I'm
seventy eight years old. I don't want to lay on
my back wiring up bufflers on the twenty five your
old car.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Right exactly. Now, now, let me ask you this question.
Do you do you have wiring diagrams for that car?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
No? All right, actually, actually it was a Repall.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, you know this is a case where and I
encourage everybody, if you're trying to do a parasitic draw.
So you see the fuse you pull and that gets
rid of the draw. If it happened, how do you
know what those circuits activate? Because one fuse can power
twelve different devices and put the circuit in fourteen different directions,
so wiring diagrams become critical. Good luck to your Kurt.
(17:33):
Let me know what happens. I'm here. If you need more,
I'm running any in the car. Doctor. We're back right
after this. Would you please take off that white suit.
Let me sit down and keep dancing. Baby, I'm just
having so much fun.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh please, Now I need ible each.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
That John Travolta. I'll straighten him out too. There we go. Okay,
that's it. That's it. I've had my fun all right,
back to work. Let's go to Eddie and Maine. Is
that Maine or mass You gotta be Massachusetts. You gotta
be from somewhere. Baby, what's going on?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
I had twenty eleven Honda Pilot one hundred and forty
five thousand miles. Breaks pedal was very mushy. I ended
up replacing the Masta cylinder. Now I have a firm
pedal stops great, but if I keep constant pressure on
(18:32):
the brake pedal, it slowly goes down.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Brake pads are about fifteen hundred miles on all of them.
The caliper slides are free and oiled up. I bench
bled this Master cylinder before installation and then bled all
the calipers after installation. Is there a specific special way
(18:58):
of bleeding if the vehicle has abs brakes?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Okay, So let's back up a sec since since it changed, right,
is it a different pedal than it was prior to
the Master being replaced.
Speaker 6 (19:17):
Yes, much different.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
It's a better pedal, much better.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Did it sink before?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
Yes, spot, I mean very easily. You put your foot
down and it would just go right to the floor.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Okay. So, and this is difficult, right, And it took
me a while to find them. But I've got I've
got a bag of brake line nuts at the shop
that I basically put steel line through it. And some
of them are plugs, but some of them took steel
and put stel lines through it. I pinched them shut
and I braised them close. And I've made Master cylinder plugs.
I've kind of got like Ron's Universal Master cylinder plug set.
(19:55):
So I'll take the lines out of the Master, I'll
find the plugs that fit, I'll screw them in. And
do I have does it hold you know, I'll bleed it?
Does it does it hold pressure? Does it do the
same thing? If it does the same thing, I've got
a bad new Master. What what what? What brand? What brand? Master?
Did you put on it?
Speaker 6 (20:12):
I put em right from a hundred dealership.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay, I mean it's it's not likely, but it's possible.
And I never, I never want to overlook that new
means new means never ever worked. All Right, you got
to remember that. I find that I've I've had this
more than a few times OE after market more after
market stuff than OE. But it does happen. So let's
let's let's eliminate the Master cylinder right off the bat.
(20:39):
Let's just let's just go find some plugs and let's
just cap the Master bleed at Burpitt does the pedal hold? Okay, good, now,
if you want, just before you do it, I don't
like doing this, but I'll do it where I have
you ever see the vice scripts, But they have a
rounded jaw for pinching a hose. Yeah, all right, I
(21:00):
will pinch the rubber break hoses and does that affect
the pedal? Just on the chance I've got something weird
going on with a caliper. I don't think that's the
case with you, but I just want to mention it.
This is this is this is a plumbing issue, Eddie,
all right, this is a plumbing issue. It's it's where
do we have water where we're not supposed to, or
where do we have break fluid or we're not supposed to?
(21:22):
Why are we losing hydraulic pressure? Here's the problem with
all modern day ABS systems, in my opinion. And you
knew I was going to go here. There's there's no
easy way. Well there is. If if the ABS control
module sets an internal fault and it says it's it's
control module is bad electronically, then you get to change it,
(21:44):
and it's clear cut. But when you're dealing with this,
all right, you have to eliminate. You got to tell
me what's good, so I can tell you what's bad.
You know, I if the calipers aren't leaking, and I'm
going to say they're not, because if you've done all
this work, you're hard enough to know what a leaking
caliber looks like.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
If the calibers aren't leaking, if the lines aren't leaking,
if the master cylinder tests good, if you cap the
master and it tests good, where's the problem. And you're
smart enough you know this. You're just afraid to admit
it because you know the price tag, right, it's the
ABS controller. There's nothing left. Yes, to answer your question directly,
(22:26):
some modern day ABS systems and I don't remember if
an eleven pilot does. And I would just look it
up in a scan tool, all right, if it's in there,
because a lot of times even service information doesn't necessarily
tell us. But I would look it up in one
or two scan tools. How many times do I have
to go through this? But yeah, there could be a
specific bleed procedure. But the fact that you have a
(22:47):
decent pedal and then it starts to, you know, fade
out right, it sounds like it doesn't sound like an
air issue. If you pump it doesn't come right back, yes,
And does it hold?
Speaker 6 (23:01):
No, it will hold. But if I keep constant pressure,
it slowly goes down.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
It sounds like it's got an internal leak, like the
like the ABS controller is. Bypassing now sometimes if I
find the system does have an ABS module bleed, by
doing that, I work all the hydraulic valves. And if
something was sticky, stuck, restricted, blocked, jammed, open, et cetera,
(23:28):
I will unstick it. It doesn't work a lot of
the time. But I feel better when I have to
spend three grand on an ABS controller because I know
I tried everything, so you can go that routine. How dirty,
How dirty was the fluid?
Speaker 6 (23:44):
It was fairly dirty, not not real brown, but it
was on the on the.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Spikedra yeah, yeah, yeah, that's and that's the other problem.
We don't we don't flush break fluid enough in this country.
I see a lot of first time customers coming in
the masters. So there's it's it's it's not even yellow,
it's it's it's brown for all intentsive purposes. And then
it gets to that dark black brown color and you know,
it's just it's just so moisture contaminated somewhere along the way.
(24:12):
And it's going to be a chapter in the book
where I talk about a BS that that I just
it just became so critical to do break fluid flushes
that and the industry says, well, you know, moisture gets
in the system and break fluid is hygroscopic, and it's
it's it's not as strong a hydraulic action because it's weakened.
I understand that, but then they started blaming moisture on
(24:33):
you know, causing internal corrosion of components, and everything had
to be made out of stainless steel and blah blah
blah blah blah. And yet we still have these issues
where even with the cars that are flushed, I will
say that sometimes they end up with ABS controller problems.
But the ones that aren't, boy, I'll tell you what it's.
It's there more susceptible to the ABS module failure. I
will tell you this. You did all the right steps
(24:55):
from my seat here from everything you're telling me. No, listen,
you played it just the way you're supposed to. I
go through this in the shop if it was you
and me at absaying, Eddie, your car needs a master cylinder. Well, Eddie,
I think it needs a master. But here's why I
want to do a master first, and then I'm going
to tell you the expensive ABS controller. Because I can't
put an ABS controller on on a vehicle that's a
(25:17):
twenty eleven with one hundred and fifty thousand miles on
it with dirty break fluid and reuse the old master.
It doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
No, it doesn't, all right, It's.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Like replacing somebody's heart, not doing a transfusion, or not
putting clean blood in or not putting you know, it's
like using old engine oil inside of a brand new
engine or rebuilt engine. It just doesn't make any sense.
You're putting all the dirt and contaminant back into the system,
back into the component you just replaced. So you're doing
the process right now. As a tip, I don't know
(25:46):
if you have one of these, but you may find
if you like to work on your own vehicle. Do
you have a local Advanced Auto Parts?
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Get down to your local Advance Auto or you can
probably find it online at Advanced Auto Parts's website and
see if they because I got mine from my Advance
and I just got a replacement set. They're like a
set of hydraulic syringes, but you it's a break bleeder set,
so it's a it looks like it looks like a
super big it's probably an echine diameter over exaggerated doctor's syringe,
(26:19):
like an old needle, an old you know, for a shot.
But on the end it's not a needle. It's got
a rubber hose and you would fill it up, fill
it up with break fluid, push it up until you
get break fluid out. Put that on the bleeder and
you can reverse bleed and push any air up into
the master and let it burp out through the top
of the master.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Oh okay, that's it.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
That's a real old tool. It's been around forever. I've
seen them. I just got mine from Advanced two weeks ago,
as a matter of fact, so I know that. I
know they're still out there. They're somewhere in their tool catalog.
You'll probably find it online. It's just it's just a
break bleeder syringe kit, I believe they call it.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
I'll try that out, thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
All right, So if there's any air trapped in there,
you'll reverse bleed it back up and hour. But chances
are you're headed towards an ABS controller, not to ruin
your day.
Speaker 6 (27:11):
Okay, at that, I'm going to hang up now.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
All right.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I'm sorry, Eddie, So go have some ice cream. You'll
feel better today.
Speaker 6 (27:17):
All right, thank you so much for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You're very welcome anytime, Pal, you'd be well. Hey five
five five six zero nine nine zero zero. I am
ronning Ay and the car doctor. I'll be back right
after this. And we're rolling along this hour and I
just figured out why it looks like Tom's not paying
attention because his video froze. So Tom, if you can
hear me, you're frozen in time, brother, But I'm still
(27:40):
communicating with you. You really want to look at me?
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Huh?
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Well, you know it's either that I've got a picture.
All I see in front of me is you looking
down like you're ready to jump off a bridge. So well,
you know I'm listening to you. I mean, what do
you think I want to do? There you go?
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
There you are? Okay? You think you can manage to
find the button and put Brian from Philadelphia on.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I can do that.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I can also take you off and watch America would
be upset, Brian Philadelphia. How are you today, my brother Ron?
How are you good?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Sir?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I have a question.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
I'm using my father's car along with mine twenty twenty
three Hyundai Lantra. No problem with the car running, but
since he's been injured, you know, he's put not that
many miles on and this car takes synthetic oil. So
the thing is, I'm under the miles, but I'm worried
(28:30):
about the time because you know, I don't I wouldn't
want the oil to sit too long because it probably
loses its lubrication properties. So if I'm under miles, would
you help? What would you recommend? I change it as
far as a time interval, because I'm not going to
hit the miles.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Did I ever tell you the story about the engine
in the hot rod where you know it was? It
was a it was a it was a blank check thing.
I told it. I told the engine builder at the time,
Ron Ross, simonek performance. We haven't talked to Ron in
a while. I said, I want such and such horsepower
on the street. I want a single four barrel. I
just wanted to be reliable. I wanted to work blank check,
just fill in the number and just you know, build
(29:08):
me an engine. So, needless to say, it was a
fairly expensive investment, right, that car goes in the fourteen
years since I did that car, Because it's fourteen years now,
that car has gone six thousand miles. Think about that. Yeah,
it's pretty low mileage, right. And you know, just the
(29:31):
other day I changed the oil and it came out
looking pretty clean. But just for giggles, I pulled one
of the valve covers off because I wanted to look
at something and I was amazed at how much moisture
was in the top of that valve cover, condensation from
lack of use. And it made me understand. And this
(29:51):
is the second or third time I've run across this
with that engine and others, but it made me really
understand the concept of condensation and moisture and how moisture
causes oil to break down. So in the case of
the hot rod, it's a no brainer, right, what's cheaper
an oil change or an engine? So I come back
to your father's hun day. What's cheaper an oil change
or an engine?
Speaker 4 (30:11):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And I look at time, right, I stop and think
about time. I'm still I'm a very seat of the
pants mechanic when it comes to this, Brian, And you
know what, they could put numbers down in front of me,
but I've just seen too many things that convince me
that I'm right. Five to six months, five to six
thousand miles, good synthetic oil change, looking for the problem,
(30:34):
looking for the things that occur, putting proper tire inflation
in a correct oil change. In this mechanic's opinion on
the average vehicle is roughly thirty minutes. Some vehicles as
long as forty five minutes up to an hour, depending
upon what it is, if you're doing the job right
and looking at some of the things you're supposed to
(30:55):
be looking at. And it's it's just that simple. And
I'll tell you what. It's proven because the ones that
change the oil seems to be the ones that go
the longest. And that's just that's just the bottom line.
So if it's been five or six months since Dad's
oil has changed, change it.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
He's done everything else, all the other maintenance is up
to date. You know, it's not the money, I mean,
the money for an oil change willingly spendin maintenance costs
and having a major.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
You're you're you're you're not You're not gonna hurt anything.
And at the very least, okay, at the very least,
with the way tire pressure changes based on seasonal adjustment,
hot cold, hot cold and so on, just having correct
tire pressure is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Well.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
I monitor that all the time on my car, and sure,
because it has the tire pressure or you know, it
gives me all that. I keep it all up, especially
in the cold.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
It loves this, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
But you'll do that, you're a car guy. For everybody
else that's listening. Let them know that that's one of
the advantages of doing an oil change on a timely basis.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
They called me a pilot because I write everything down
in a log I have a log so I do
so somebody will say, oh, my battery win, I said,
how many years? Because I don't know. How would I know?
I said, you write things down like a log.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yep, and I would expect you to do that. Brian,
sorry to cut your short, kid. Ooh, I gotta go.
I appreciate the call, and I hope your dad's feeling
better soon. Enjoy the car. I'm running any in the
car doctor. I am back right after this. Hey, I
want to wind it down with an email from George.
George writes, and hey, Ron, should one change fluid's anti
freeze for example? If so, how often? And this is
(32:34):
an older email, so I apologize. I'm just getting to
a George. You know, anti freeze is, yes, still a
regularly serviced fluid, all right. And one of the choices
you get to make when you're picking an anti freeze
is do you mix it on your own or do
you buy pre mixed? And that's what I want. This
conversation to be about. I strongly recommend you consider pre mix,
(32:55):
and I'll tell you why. Go look up fluid requirement,
for example, a twenty two Chevy Silverado. Look it up
and in the service information. I looked it up the
other day in all data, and it tells me that
the coolant has to be fifty to fifty decks cool
and tapwater. GM says tapwater out of the faucet is acceptable.
Now go look it up for a twenty fifteen Jeep.
(33:17):
I just ran across this the other day. Chrysler calls
for fifty to fifty. They all call for fifty to
fifty mix half and half, but Chrysler wants fifty percent
ethylene GLI call and fifty percent distilled water. Where are
you gonna get the stilled water from the supermarket? Commission
sure every repair shops running down to the local supermarket
(33:38):
to buy distilled water before they fill the cars with
cooling systems. It's impossible. That's why if you buy a
pre mix like what you'll see from Peak Coolant, get
out to OWI dot com and start reading about Peak.
You'll see that they've got pre mixed, the correct water,
the correct coolant, I'm Ronning Ay and the car doctor.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
Come.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See you
You're listening to Ron and Nanian The Car Doctor, nationally
recognized auto expert trusted by Mechanics, Weekend wrenchers and vehicle
owners alike. Ron brings over forty years of hands on
experience and deep industry insight to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the Conversation live every Saturday from two to four
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nine nine zero zero. That's eight five to five five
(00:25):
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channel for exclusive videos, real repair footage and more. Now
start your injuries. The Car Doctor is into garage and
(00:47):
ready to take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
All right, let's let's get right into it. I see
the phones are little already and I want to take
this first call. It sounds interesting. Let's go to Stephen,
New Jersey comments about buying a new Jeep. Steve, Welcome
to the Car Doctor. Sure what's going on?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah, yeah, thanks for taking my call. Ronne. Nice to
talk to you. Again, I talked to you about five
years ago. I came up to your shop. But that's
that's another story, okay, Ron, I'm thinking about getting a
I'm trying to get a twenty twenty three jeep Wagoner,
I mean Grand Wagoneer. Grand Cherokee got it right with
(01:27):
the V eight and uh, you know that's like the
Overland or Summit. I'm wondering what you think of the
the the jeep if you've had any experience with the
V eight, the he me there, the five point seven
and the car as a general, you know.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
How many miles around it?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Steve, Well, I haven't gotten it yet. They gotta, they
gotta find a they find a V eight. They found
one has had like one hundred thousand miles on it.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, you don't want that, you know, mileage, mileage in age, brother,
all right, I want something, you know, something two years old.
I want thirty thousand miles on it or less?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Really?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, okay, that's just the way I'm built, you know,
And I'll pay more for a lower mileage vehicle. Reason being,
reason being and think of think of me, right? Can
imagine going car shopping with me?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Reason reason being less mileage means less likelihood somebody worked
on it and made a mistake, right, and I would
I would pay for that, I really would. Now, I'm
going to tell you the way I think about Jeep
and Chrysler, and no offense to Jeep in Chrysler owners.
I think you know, Jeep and Chrysler are still in
one of my top five choices. They're not at the
(02:49):
top top.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
But.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
There some reliability issues, some of the things that break
and fail. I don't think I would buy a new
or used Jeep or Chrysler without putting an extended warranty
on it. And that's just being honest.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
You know, would you go for a three year or
a five year five? Five?
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Five?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
All right? I think it's I think it's worth the value.
Jeeps are funny. Je well, jeeps are funny critter Steve,
all right. You know, it seems that there are some
out there that fifty thousand miles they need an engine,
and there are some out there one hundred and fifty
thousand miles and they're running strong, and I can't figure
it out. There's no rhyme or reason. I've got customers.
I've got one customer, his son's got a fifteen Wrangler.
(03:34):
It's got one hundred and sixty three thousand miles on it.
He changes the oil, he does his regular maintenance, He
lets us do the big services and so forth. And
that thing's a brick. It just keeps going. And then
I've got some other ones that same service, same treatment,
same driving habits, and they're junk. They're just it just
(03:54):
doesn't hold up. And you sit there and you scratch
your head.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So you know what, I think the V eight is
a little more reliable than.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
The Yes, yes, as long as it doesn't have any
of the valve train issues and you stay up on
your oil changes. And let me tell you that vehicle
is that engine has some specific oil requirements, and I
would follow it like religion.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
All right, Is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I would? I would, Yeah, I would. I would be
using Chrysler Speck oil in that vehicle, and I would
be dumping it every five to six thousand miles every
five to six months. I don't care what the manufacturer
tells me. I don't want to hear about extended oil
drain intervals and all that nonsense, because it sounds like
you're going to buy this and try and get one
hundred and fifty tw hundred thousand miles out of it. Yeah, definitely.
(04:43):
And the reason I say a five year service contract
is because you know, if if it gets to that
seventy five eighty mile one hundred thousand mile mark and
nothing's gone wrong, you got your value out of it.
But if the engine pukes at sixty five thousand miles,
at least it's covered, right, and you know it's you're
you're not buying You're not buying a cheap automobile.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
All right, No, it's you got to get the overland
or the summit to get the VA right.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
And it's all the bells, all right. Listen, there's a
reason my jeep guy. You know, listen, every business owner
has a has a guy. Right, I've got a guy
that sells me jeep parts. I got a guy that
sells me GM parts and so on. My jeep guy
drives a Ford Mustang, okay. And I asked him, I
said why and he said how many times do you
(05:35):
call for parts? And I said, well, quite often, he said,
And that's the reason, because he sees what breaks. And
it's it's not that you know, listen, all cars break,
but Chrysler seems to have some issues with parts distribution.
It's gotten better, but you know, I'm just cautious, man,
(05:57):
I'm just cautious. Would I like to own a Jeep? Yes,
I just don't have time to fix one. And that's
and that's the bottom line. But but but if you
really like that twenty three dreep Jeep Grand Cherokee, and
you like that V eight, and you've driven that vehicle,
and I know the vehicle you're talking about, if that's
the vehicle that floats your boat by it, by all means,
(06:20):
just just find a guy to work on it, regular maintenance,
a service contract, form a relationship with the dealership if
that's where it's gonna go, right right, and just enjoy
the vehicle.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, yeah, thank you, Ron. I have another question. I
contacted to another friend, a whose card dealer down in Corny.
Now see, I'm at a new car dealer now and
they can only draw from their dealership. Now supposedly they
(06:55):
have fifty one dealerships, so maybe they can get the
V But this used car guy, obviously he probably got
it with an auction and it's in Tennessee or something,
but he had three V eights, and I don't know
if I'm going to be able to get a V
eight with this, uh, the dealership deal.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Don't negotiate with yourself, Steve.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, just hold to the Hold to the V eight.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, hold for the VA. Don't negotiate with yourself. You're
buying it. Listen, you're buying a premium product, right, you're
buying a premium product. You want to deal with the
front of the horse. Okay, okay, and you tell the
dealership that you know what life's about relationships, man, it
really is. One.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
If I went with the used car dealer down in Cornie,
what should I go with their warranty?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, my concern is it's a used car dealer. Nothing
against used car dealers, but you know, it's a I
think it's a little easier for that used car guy
to go out of business and reopen under Fred's used
cars rather than Joe's used cars versus the dealership that's
got fifty one dealers across the country.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, but the thing is he's he might be the
only one they'll get me a VA twenty three. You
don't know that, Well that's true. No, No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Right, and listen as long as we're doing this a
V eight twenty three. You know, as long as we're
doing this, don't we want to get something that maybe
the dealer's service, maybe the dealer is going to get
one in on trade from the area dealer purchase. There's
no guarantee that that car coming out of Tennessee isn't
a flood car, isn't from Arizona, isn't from Florida, isn't
(08:44):
from Texas. Not that's anything wrong with those states. But
you can't listen. I try not to take I take
cars personal, all right. I try to look at cars
as what they are and where they're from, because you know,
there's a certain element of I can't think of the word.
(09:05):
I'm looking for spirituality to a car. It's not a
cold piece of metal. It just doesn't, all right, it
just doesn't. I want to know where it came from.
I want to know who worked on and I want
to know who touched it. And if I can't, if
I can't get a car, if i'm you know, you're
buying a hot.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Rod, Steve, I would look to have this car.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Steve.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
You're buying Steve, you're buying a thirty two four five
window coop and yellow?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Am I wrong talking?
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Right?
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Am I wrong?
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Talking? Brother?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
You are right?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So you want this thing? You want this thing dead
nuts on the money in plain English. And if they
can't find you at twenty three, why don't you find
out if you can order a twenty six? Because christ
Are just brought back the V eight. They just brought it. Yeah,
I don't think it's in the not yet. I I
(10:00):
don't know if it's there yet. But they just brought
back the what is it the Road and Track Department.
There was a big write up on it in the news.
Once you go research, it is the VA. You know,
if you have to wait six months for Jeep to
catch up and do this, isn't that worth isn't that
worth waiting for? I understand it. I understand They opened
up the the order desk for Hemi Trucks and they
got over ten thousand orders in the first three days.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Oh. I believe it. Oh, I definitely I believe it.
So you know that Hemmy's been around a long time.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
And you know what, if you.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Got a two thousand and three truck that was probably
your first year, you get a Henry, it's since.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Right, Stevie, I gotta run all right.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, Ron, thank you so much. It's pleasure talking.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Enjoy your hot rod, brother, Thanks you well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Five.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Welcome. I'm running ady in the car doctor eight five
five five six zero nine nine zero zero. I'll be
back right after this. Let's go to Curtain, Tennessee.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Kurt.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Welcome to the car doctor, sir, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Weren thanks for taking my I've got a twenty five
year old RX three hundred Lexus that's my wife's car,
only like a like one hundred and five thousand miles
on it. Yeah right, and it eats up batteries now.
I usually get the three year full time warranty from
autel Zone, even though they change their battery warranty. So
(11:22):
I made out all right on acause they always seem
to go. I've had some go at seven months, nine months,
a year and a half, and I had two different
mechanics do a parasitic draw test on him, and both
of them said there's no draw. But the last one
I talked to that was a mechanic he's retired now.
(11:44):
When we pulled the fuse box cover off in the
engine department, there's a fuse that looks like a fuse.
It's pure white, but it has it's not fifteen amps,
not twenty. It has no designation to it. So when
you pull that. What we found was that if you
(12:04):
pull that that white thing that they actually call in
the cover a short Okay, I guess it was tiny
Outa's way of they would pull that fuse when they
had the car on the parking lots. That way there
they could save battery.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Life or coming down the assembly line.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Yeah. So the only other thing she got t boned
about twenty years ago on the passenger side, and nothing's
been right since. You know what I mean. Sometimes they
hear he makes noises, but the car runs like a champ.
Any idea, Now, like I said, we have a place
in Tennessee, we have a place in Connecticut, and we
(12:42):
go back to Connecticut. All my other cars in the truck.
I have a fifty five Chevy too. None of those back,
even though I disconnect the turbinos on the fifty five.
But my truck, I have a two thousand and seven
niece on frontier that always starts if we're up there
for a month or a month and half. But you
come back the lutches doesn't want to start, and I
(13:03):
have to. I have a battery charger, so I'll charge
it all right.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
There's no you know, there's no rule, Kurt that says
a draw has to be all the time. It could
be there in a high moisture day, it could be
there on a cold day. It could be there on
a hot day, and they can be a bugger to find.
One of the things that I will use, which we
don't really talk about here. We haven't talked about it
(13:28):
yet today and I've had a few parasitic dream calls,
is I will use a thermal imager where the vehicle
goes to sleep. I'll prep the vehicle beforehand. And you know,
and you know, one of the things I wanted to
mention in one of my previous calls was he was
doing it where he was sitting in the car pulling
the fuses on the under the back seat, leaving the
doors closed, and it's kind of cramped. I'll trip the
(13:50):
door latches, I'll put the latches in the closed position,
sit in the car, or I'll put the latches in
the closed position, leave the doors open, and take covers
off the few boxes. Let the vehicle sit, Let the
vehicle go to sleep, and I'll just let it sit there.
And from time to time I'll walk around with a
thermal imager. Is anything waking up? It's anything all the
time looking at a digital voltometer, you know, looking for
(14:12):
a parasitic draw.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Now, now, what's a normal fifty million?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Anything anything less than fifty milliams? Fiftyis right, Let's see
if anything less than fifty milliams.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Yeah, I guess my question, Yeah, I guess My question
to you is should I just put the terminals off
the battery when I go back to Connecticut?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I mean, you know you could try it. A two
thousand isn't so smart, You're it's you know, it's going
to learn transadaptive pretty quick. Does the vehicle sit outside
or is it in the garage?
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Oh no, it's been garaged. Like I say, the last
time that you know, when I put my tester on it,
it was down to like eleven two, right, and that
was only the car was only said about two weeks. Well,
that's what I decided to have another mechanic take a
look at it.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
It's gotta have it's got to have a draw. My
suspicion is it's got a draw. And one of the
things I would do in a situation like this is
I would set up the battery and follow what I say.
I would put a jumper wire. I would disconnect the
negative battery cable. I would put a jumper cable from
(15:24):
the negative battery post to the cable. I would then
connect my meter to the negative battery post to the cable.
I would wait forty five minutes an hour. All right,
turn I turn my meter on. All right. I would
disconnect the jumper, being careful not to let the meter
(15:47):
get disconnected at that moment. What are you going to
read on the meter? Whatever? The actual draw is right,
And the beauty part of that is you're catching it
under real conditions. Now, if it looks normal, and you
can let the car sit there, put the meter in
min max minimum maximum recording. It will record. And you
(16:10):
can do this with a fresh nine vault battery. The
worst that happens is in twenty four or thirty six
or forty eight hours, ever long it lasts, you'll kill
a three dollar battery. Who cares?
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Right, That's an idea. Like I said, I tried what
you did? You know? But I didn't you know? I
didn't want to sit forty five minutes. You know, I
was just looking for the simple garage mechanic, weekend mechanic
to a draw on it. And again, since you don't
have any charts, and it's funny and if you look
up the charts for a two thousand, I bought her
(16:42):
another car. So and it's it's hard to convince the
wife that she loves this car. She don't like to
do one.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Well, you know, if mama's not happy, nobody's happy.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Broll's That's why I told her. I said, look, I'm
seventy eight years old. I don't want to lay on
my back wiring up bufflers on the twenty five your
old car.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Right exactly. Now, now, let me ask you this question.
Do you do you have wiring diagrams for that car?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
No? All right, actually, actually it was a Repall.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, you know this is a case where and I
encourage everybody, if you're trying to do a parasitic draw.
So you see the fuse you pull and that gets
rid of the draw. If it happened, how do you
know what those circuits activate? Because one fuse can power
twelve different devices and put the circuit in fourteen different directions,
so wiring diagrams become critical. Good luck to your Kurt.
(17:33):
Let me know what happens. I'm here. If you need more,
I'm running any in the car. Doctor. We're back right
after this. Would you please take off that white suit.
Let me sit down and keep dancing. Baby, I'm just
having so much fun.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh please, Now I need ible each.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
That John Travolta. I'll straighten him out too. There we go. Okay,
that's it. That's it. I've had my fun all right,
back to work. Let's go to Eddie and Maine. Is
that Maine or mass You gotta be Massachusetts. You gotta
be from somewhere. Baby, what's going on?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
I had twenty eleven Honda Pilot one hundred and forty
five thousand miles. Breaks pedal was very mushy. I ended
up replacing the Masta cylinder. Now I have a firm
pedal stops great, but if I keep constant pressure on
(18:32):
the brake pedal, it slowly goes down.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Brake pads are about fifteen hundred miles on all of them.
The caliper slides are free and oiled up. I bench
bled this Master cylinder before installation and then bled all
the calipers after installation. Is there a specific special way
(18:58):
of bleeding if the vehicle has abs brakes?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Okay, So let's back up a sec since since it changed, right,
is it a different pedal than it was prior to
the Master being replaced.
Speaker 6 (19:17):
Yes, much different.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
It's a better pedal, much better.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Did it sink before?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
Yes, spot, I mean very easily. You put your foot
down and it would just go right to the floor.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Okay. So, and this is difficult, right, And it took
me a while to find them. But I've got I've
got a bag of brake line nuts at the shop
that I basically put steel line through it. And some
of them are plugs, but some of them took steel
and put stel lines through it. I pinched them shut
and I braised them close. And I've made Master cylinder plugs.
I've kind of got like Ron's Universal Master cylinder plug set.
(19:55):
So I'll take the lines out of the Master, I'll
find the plugs that fit, I'll screw them in. And
do I have does it hold you know, I'll bleed it?
Does it does it hold pressure? Does it do the
same thing? If it does the same thing, I've got
a bad new Master. What what what? What brand? What brand? Master?
Did you put on it?
Speaker 6 (20:12):
I put em right from a hundred dealership.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay, I mean it's it's not likely, but it's possible.
And I never, I never want to overlook that new
means new means never ever worked. All Right, you got
to remember that. I find that I've I've had this
more than a few times OE after market more after
market stuff than OE. But it does happen. So let's
let's let's eliminate the Master cylinder right off the bat.
(20:39):
Let's just let's just go find some plugs and let's
just cap the Master bleed at Burpitt does the pedal hold? Okay, good, now,
if you want, just before you do it, I don't
like doing this, but I'll do it where I have
you ever see the vice scripts, But they have a
rounded jaw for pinching a hose. Yeah, all right, I
(21:00):
will pinch the rubber break hoses and does that affect
the pedal? Just on the chance I've got something weird
going on with a caliper. I don't think that's the
case with you, but I just want to mention it.
This is this is this is a plumbing issue, Eddie,
all right, this is a plumbing issue. It's it's where
do we have water where we're not supposed to, or
where do we have break fluid or we're not supposed to?
(21:22):
Why are we losing hydraulic pressure? Here's the problem with
all modern day ABS systems, in my opinion. And you
knew I was going to go here. There's there's no
easy way. Well there is. If if the ABS control
module sets an internal fault and it says it's it's
control module is bad electronically, then you get to change it,
(21:44):
and it's clear cut. But when you're dealing with this,
all right, you have to eliminate. You got to tell
me what's good, so I can tell you what's bad.
You know, I if the calipers aren't leaking, and I'm
going to say they're not, because if you've done all
this work, you're hard enough to know what a leaking
caliber looks like.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
If the calibers aren't leaking, if the lines aren't leaking,
if the master cylinder tests good, if you cap the
master and it tests good, where's the problem. And you're
smart enough you know this. You're just afraid to admit
it because you know the price tag, right, it's the
ABS controller. There's nothing left. Yes, to answer your question directly,
(22:26):
some modern day ABS systems and I don't remember if
an eleven pilot does. And I would just look it
up in a scan tool, all right, if it's in there,
because a lot of times even service information doesn't necessarily
tell us. But I would look it up in one
or two scan tools. How many times do I have
to go through this? But yeah, there could be a
specific bleed procedure. But the fact that you have a
(22:47):
decent pedal and then it starts to, you know, fade
out right, it sounds like it doesn't sound like an
air issue. If you pump it doesn't come right back, yes,
And does it hold?
Speaker 6 (23:01):
No, it will hold. But if I keep constant pressure,
it slowly goes down.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
It sounds like it's got an internal leak, like the
like the ABS controller is. Bypassing now sometimes if I
find the system does have an ABS module bleed, by
doing that, I work all the hydraulic valves. And if
something was sticky, stuck, restricted, blocked, jammed, open, et cetera,
(23:28):
I will unstick it. It doesn't work a lot of
the time. But I feel better when I have to
spend three grand on an ABS controller because I know
I tried everything, so you can go that routine. How dirty,
How dirty was the fluid?
Speaker 6 (23:44):
It was fairly dirty, not not real brown, but it
was on the on the.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Spikedra yeah, yeah, yeah, that's and that's the other problem.
We don't we don't flush break fluid enough in this country.
I see a lot of first time customers coming in
the masters. So there's it's it's it's not even yellow,
it's it's it's brown for all intentsive purposes. And then
it gets to that dark black brown color and you know,
it's just it's just so moisture contaminated somewhere along the way.
(24:12):
And it's going to be a chapter in the book
where I talk about a BS that that I just
it just became so critical to do break fluid flushes
that and the industry says, well, you know, moisture gets
in the system and break fluid is hygroscopic, and it's
it's it's not as strong a hydraulic action because it's weakened.
I understand that, but then they started blaming moisture on
(24:33):
you know, causing internal corrosion of components, and everything had
to be made out of stainless steel and blah blah
blah blah blah. And yet we still have these issues
where even with the cars that are flushed, I will
say that sometimes they end up with ABS controller problems.
But the ones that aren't, boy, I'll tell you what it's.
It's there more susceptible to the ABS module failure. I
will tell you this. You did all the right steps
(24:55):
from my seat here from everything you're telling me. No, listen,
you played it just the way you're supposed to. I
go through this in the shop if it was you
and me at absaying, Eddie, your car needs a master cylinder. Well, Eddie,
I think it needs a master. But here's why I
want to do a master first, and then I'm going
to tell you the expensive ABS controller. Because I can't
put an ABS controller on on a vehicle that's a
(25:17):
twenty eleven with one hundred and fifty thousand miles on
it with dirty break fluid and reuse the old master.
It doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
No, it doesn't, all right, It's.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Like replacing somebody's heart, not doing a transfusion, or not
putting clean blood in or not putting you know, it's
like using old engine oil inside of a brand new
engine or rebuilt engine. It just doesn't make any sense.
You're putting all the dirt and contaminant back into the system,
back into the component you just replaced. So you're doing
the process right now. As a tip, I don't know
(25:46):
if you have one of these, but you may find
if you like to work on your own vehicle. Do
you have a local Advanced Auto Parts?
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Get down to your local Advance Auto or you can
probably find it online at Advanced Auto Parts's website and
see if they because I got mine from my Advance
and I just got a replacement set. They're like a
set of hydraulic syringes, but you it's a break bleeder set,
so it's a it looks like it looks like a
super big it's probably an echine diameter over exaggerated doctor's syringe,
(26:19):
like an old needle, an old you know, for a shot.
But on the end it's not a needle. It's got
a rubber hose and you would fill it up, fill
it up with break fluid, push it up until you
get break fluid out. Put that on the bleeder and
you can reverse bleed and push any air up into
the master and let it burp out through the top
of the master.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Oh okay, that's it.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
That's a real old tool. It's been around forever. I've
seen them. I just got mine from Advanced two weeks ago,
as a matter of fact, so I know that. I
know they're still out there. They're somewhere in their tool catalog.
You'll probably find it online. It's just it's just a
break bleeder syringe kit, I believe they call it.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
I'll try that out, thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
All right, So if there's any air trapped in there,
you'll reverse bleed it back up and hour. But chances
are you're headed towards an ABS controller, not to ruin
your day.
Speaker 6 (27:11):
Okay, at that, I'm going to hang up now.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
All right.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I'm sorry, Eddie, So go have some ice cream. You'll
feel better today.
Speaker 6 (27:17):
All right, thank you so much for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You're very welcome anytime, Pal, you'd be well. Hey five
five five six zero nine nine zero zero. I am
ronning Ay and the car doctor. I'll be back right
after this. And we're rolling along this hour and I
just figured out why it looks like Tom's not paying
attention because his video froze. So Tom, if you can
hear me, you're frozen in time, brother, But I'm still
(27:40):
communicating with you. You really want to look at me?
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Huh?
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Well, you know it's either that I've got a picture.
All I see in front of me is you looking
down like you're ready to jump off a bridge. So well,
you know I'm listening to you. I mean, what do
you think I want to do? There you go?
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
There you are? Okay? You think you can manage to
find the button and put Brian from Philadelphia on.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I can do that.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I can also take you off and watch America would
be upset, Brian Philadelphia. How are you today, my brother Ron?
How are you good?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Sir?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I have a question.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
I'm using my father's car along with mine twenty twenty
three Hyundai Lantra. No problem with the car running, but
since he's been injured, you know, he's put not that
many miles on and this car takes synthetic oil. So
the thing is, I'm under the miles, but I'm worried
(28:30):
about the time because you know, I don't I wouldn't
want the oil to sit too long because it probably
loses its lubrication properties. So if I'm under miles, would
you help? What would you recommend? I change it as
far as a time interval, because I'm not going to
hit the miles.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Did I ever tell you the story about the engine
in the hot rod where you know it was? It
was a it was a it was a blank check thing.
I told it. I told the engine builder at the time,
Ron Ross, simonek performance. We haven't talked to Ron in
a while. I said, I want such and such horsepower
on the street. I want a single four barrel. I
just wanted to be reliable. I wanted to work blank check,
just fill in the number and just you know, build
(29:08):
me an engine. So, needless to say, it was a
fairly expensive investment, right, that car goes in the fourteen
years since I did that car, Because it's fourteen years now,
that car has gone six thousand miles. Think about that. Yeah,
it's pretty low mileage, right. And you know, just the
(29:31):
other day I changed the oil and it came out
looking pretty clean. But just for giggles, I pulled one
of the valve covers off because I wanted to look
at something and I was amazed at how much moisture
was in the top of that valve cover, condensation from
lack of use. And it made me understand. And this
(29:51):
is the second or third time I've run across this
with that engine and others, but it made me really
understand the concept of condensation and moisture and how moisture
causes oil to break down. So in the case of
the hot rod, it's a no brainer, right, what's cheaper
an oil change or an engine? So I come back
to your father's hun day. What's cheaper an oil change
or an engine?
Speaker 4 (30:11):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And I look at time, right, I stop and think
about time. I'm still I'm a very seat of the
pants mechanic when it comes to this, Brian, And you
know what, they could put numbers down in front of me,
but I've just seen too many things that convince me
that I'm right. Five to six months, five to six
thousand miles, good synthetic oil change, looking for the problem,
(30:34):
looking for the things that occur, putting proper tire inflation
in a correct oil change. In this mechanic's opinion on
the average vehicle is roughly thirty minutes. Some vehicles as
long as forty five minutes up to an hour, depending
upon what it is, if you're doing the job right
and looking at some of the things you're supposed to
(30:55):
be looking at. And it's it's just that simple. And
I'll tell you what. It's proven because the ones that
change the oil seems to be the ones that go
the longest. And that's just that's just the bottom line.
So if it's been five or six months since Dad's
oil has changed, change it.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
He's done everything else, all the other maintenance is up
to date. You know, it's not the money, I mean,
the money for an oil change willingly spendin maintenance costs
and having a major.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
You're you're you're you're not You're not gonna hurt anything.
And at the very least, okay, at the very least,
with the way tire pressure changes based on seasonal adjustment,
hot cold, hot cold and so on, just having correct
tire pressure is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Well.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
I monitor that all the time on my car, and sure,
because it has the tire pressure or you know, it
gives me all that. I keep it all up, especially
in the cold.
Speaker 6 (31:49):
It loves this, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
But you'll do that, you're a car guy. For everybody
else that's listening. Let them know that that's one of
the advantages of doing an oil change on a timely basis.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
They called me a pilot because I write everything down
in a log I have a log so I do
so somebody will say, oh, my battery win, I said,
how many years? Because I don't know. How would I know?
I said, you write things down like a log.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yep, and I would expect you to do that. Brian,
sorry to cut your short, kid. Ooh, I gotta go.
I appreciate the call, and I hope your dad's feeling
better soon. Enjoy the car. I'm running any in the
car doctor. I am back right after this. Hey, I
want to wind it down with an email from George.
George writes, and hey, Ron, should one change fluid's anti
freeze for example? If so, how often? And this is
(32:34):
an older email, so I apologize. I'm just getting to
a George. You know, anti freeze is, yes, still a
regularly serviced fluid, all right. And one of the choices
you get to make when you're picking an anti freeze
is do you mix it on your own or do
you buy pre mixed? And that's what I want. This
conversation to be about. I strongly recommend you consider pre mix,
(32:55):
and I'll tell you why. Go look up fluid requirement,
for example, a twenty two Chevy Silverado. Look it up
and in the service information. I looked it up the
other day in all data, and it tells me that
the coolant has to be fifty to fifty decks cool
and tapwater. GM says tapwater out of the faucet is acceptable.
Now go look it up for a twenty fifteen Jeep.
(33:17):
I just ran across this the other day. Chrysler calls
for fifty to fifty. They all call for fifty to
fifty mix half and half, but Chrysler wants fifty percent
ethylene GLI call and fifty percent distilled water. Where are
you gonna get the stilled water from the supermarket? Commission
sure every repair shops running down to the local supermarket
(33:38):
to buy distilled water before they fill the cars with
cooling systems. It's impossible. That's why if you buy a
pre mix like what you'll see from Peak Coolant, get
out to OWI dot com and start reading about Peak.
You'll see that they've got pre mixed, the correct water,
the correct coolant, I'm Ronning Ay and the car doctor.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
Come.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See you
Host
Ron Ananian
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