September 13, 2025 • 33 mins
Flashing a School Bus (Legally): ABS Programming, Honda Axles, Hemi Misfires & EVAP Fixes
In this episode of Ron Ananian The Car Doctor, Ron opens with a shop story you won’t forget—flashing a 2008 Chevy short school bus after its new ABS module came in blank. Using the OPUS IVS 360 and remote tech support, he gets the “empty” controller fully configured and back on the road, proving why software and programming matter just as much as wrenches in today’s repairs.
From there, Ron tackles real listener calls:
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How to choose the right Honda Accord CV axles without paying $1,100 each at the dealer
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The smart way to service Honda automatic transmissions with DW-1 fluid and why pressure switches matter
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Diagnosing a cylinder-6 misfire on a Dodge Durango Hemi using volumetric efficiency testing and running compression
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Understanding Infiniti’s P0448 EVAP vent code and how to test before replacing parts
Packed with practical scan tool strategies, shop-floor economics, and repair insights, this episode is a must-listen for DIYers, techs, and anyone trying to keep their vehicle on the road longer.
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Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
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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 Alife. 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 to five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. That's eight five to five
(00:25):
five six zero ninety nine hundred, your direct line to
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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.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Now start your enginies.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
The Car Doctor is in the garage and ready to
take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm just warning you right up front and then thinking
about it, probably won't even sound good if we did
this in person, so pay attention flash a school bus
the other day. See, I told you it wasn't gonna
sound right, but there's there's no other way to say this.
I just knocked Tom off his chair. I'll give Tom
(01:13):
a minute to regain his composure. But it's the truth.
I had a flash one of those short, little yellow
school buses the other day. And here's what happened. One
of the shops in the neighborhood was working on a
yellow school bus and they had to put a new
ABS controller in it. Now, this was this is actually
(01:35):
one of those. It's the short bus, right, and it's
the one of those. You know. It started life out
as a two thousand and eight Chevy thirty five hundred
van looking thing, and then they cut off the back
and whack, and you know, they put the row seats
in the big yellow school bus body. So now you've
got a yellow school bus. Well, they correctly diagnosed it
(01:57):
needs an ABS controller, so they put an AB controller
and hydraulic unit in it. And you say to yourself,
g two thousand and eight, that's very old. That's yes, Jesus,
that's sixteen years old. Seventeen years old. That's old technology.
And when they were done, Josh took it for a
ride and he found out that now he's got an
(02:17):
ABS fault code that pointed to no configuration, meaning the
ABS controller was empty. It was empty software wise, it
had the mechanical functionality, so you know they've got it.
It's like buying a laptop, right, you buy a laptop,
you buy it, you get a hard drive, there's no
(02:38):
software on it, there's no operating system. So there's no
operating system in the ABS controller. So they brought it
to me and they said, could you flash the school bus?
And I said, I don't know. Is that legal in
New Jersey? I wasn't really, but they didn't get the
joke then either, But I just thought it was funny.
Like my wife always says, I always tell her, I
say it's a little joke, and she puts her thumb
(02:59):
and four finger about. You know, he goes, he had
very little. So yeah, I can flash the school bus,
I think. So of course I reached back into my
arsenal of diagnostic tricks and tools, and of course I
pulled out my OPIS, my OPIS IVS three sixty because
if anything could do it, that could I called up
(03:20):
and I spoke to Brian on tech support, who's always
a great time. Hi Brian out there in Arizona. And
you know, it kind of turns my head a little
bit because we're a repair shop in Waldwick, New Jersey.
Here's a guy working for Opus, an international company. Now
he's based out of Arizona, and he's pulling software from
(03:42):
god only knows where to Arizona to New Jersey to
go into this yellow school bus. And that's what we did.
I hooked up my Opus IVS, I gave him the
VIN We went through the you know, the formality and
the paperwork and the introduction, and he uploaded and stalled
and configured the software from remote. What's the point of
(04:02):
all this. The point is that in a repair shop,
you never know when you've got to turn and do
it from a different angle. And as the complexity grows,
and yeah, unfortunately, cars are going to get even more complicated.
I know that sounds difficult to believe, but they are.
They're not going to get simpler anytime sooner. I always
(04:25):
say this, carburetors and points are long gone, and you're
going to need some sort of diagnostic software passed through
Flashing platform. You absolutely have to have it. I think
it's going to become essential. I think it's going to
be the backbreaker that's going to keep people from fixing
their own cars. An ABS controller is something most of you,
(04:47):
most of my di wires. Most of my listeners really
if they're mechanically inclined and so want to could install
it's if you can install a master cylinder, you can
install an ABS control unit. But the mechanical portion, even
as far back as sixteen, seventeen, twenty years ago, still
(05:09):
is not enough. You've got to be able to install software.
You've got to be able to put an operating system
into that component. And in this case it was an
ABS controller. So, you know, kudos to Brian. I appreciate
his patience. He kind of bailed me out because it
sort of came up quick at the last minute on
Friday this past week. And Opus has always been very accommodating.
(05:33):
I've got to tell you, if you're looking for a
tool or if you're looking for a support system, they
were great. Called up spoke to explain to them, Hey,
this is a school bus. We need this to go
out on the Monday morning run at eight o'clock. They
need this to take the kids to school. And they
snuck me and actually I actually think Brian gave up
coffee break. Not that it was longer than a coffee
(05:55):
break to do, but Brian sort of Brian's always very accommodating.
It's just some thing like all the folks at Opus,
they just do a great job and it's done. Of course,
then I got the road tested, so I put Danny
in the back and we took a right around Waldwick.
I wasn't meant to be a school bus driver, I
can tell you. There's just I don't have that kind
(06:16):
of coordination to.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
But Danny my mechanic, he's he's just the big kid
at heart. I had to keep him from climbing out
the windows and doing all the things that school kids do.
So I mean you could just see it right driving down.
Two guys tired, and we were tired. This week. It
was I don't want to tell you it was a
brutal week, but it was a brutal week. We were busy,
we did you know, we did one hundred and twenty
percent over what we normally do in terms of volume
(06:42):
of work. It was just crazy. It was just absolutely
off the wall. And we did it on less vehicles,
which is I keep watching that number grow that you
people are spending bigger money on older cars, and you know,
I think if there's any indication of what kind of
shaped the economy's in. I think that's it, and I
think that that, you know, the interest rate is hurting
(07:02):
people from buying new cars, and they're hanging on to
the older ones. And I think the age of the
fleet just keeps growing. I'd be curious to know what
that is. And I'm not trying to be political here.
I'm just telling you an observation from the bay that
I'm seeing. You know, we had one fella put sixty
two hundred dollars into a twenty ten Honda Fit with
one hundred and fifteen thousand miles on it. It made
no sense to me. Well it didn't. It didn't, but
(07:26):
you know, just just crazy numbers, just absolutely crazy numbers.
So but in any event, kudos to Opus and Brian
and all the folks out there. My IVS three sixty
does it again, I can say I flashed the school bus.
I have to be careful how I say that, though,
because I'm going to get myself in trouble and that's
that's not my intention. So I'm sure you'll hear about this.
(07:46):
I'm sure this will be in next week's Open. I
can see Tom's already foaming at the mouth that he
wants to include this.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Oh, I'm already figuring out songs that'll go with this.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Well, but it's the truth. It is the truth.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Listen, you're just you're you're just taking it in the
wrong connotation. Uh, you know, it's.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, I can see you guys going up the street
in that bus.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Now, I wish I saw that. It really was pretty funny.
I think research Kathy has a picture of it, because
Danny's Danny's at the back of the bus. You know,
remember that episode of Two and a half Men when
they put Jake on the bus and they send them
to school wearing the beige pants because it's it's it's
color neutral and they don't offend anybody, right, That was Danny.
Danny had his face pressed up against the glass. It's like,
(08:28):
you know, just that like he was like he was
twelve years old, least, it was his face pressed ump
against the glass. Well, as far as I know, I
was busy watching the road. You know. I got to
give credit to school bus drivers too. Isn't a side
that those mirrors stick out a good distance. Getting that thing,
I got to tell you, getting that thing in and
out of the bay was harder than actually doing the
flash work because it's it's such a tight those mirrors
(08:50):
are so far out and everything hangs off that bus.
You know, we don't give bus drivers enough credit for
what they do. That that's a tough gig. That really
is that. That taught me a lesson and maneuverability and all. So,
but hey, you know, think of it like this when
you want to flash a school bus. Count on your
opus eight five five five six oh nine nine zero zero.
I'm running any in the car, doctor, I'll be back
(09:11):
right after this. Hey, let's do this. Let's jump down
to Kentucky and talk to Dave O seven Honda Cord. Dave,
what's going on? How can I help?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Oh? Thanks for taking my call. I've got this seven
two thousand and seven Honda Cord. It needs some drive
chefs the CV axles, and I like to use OEM
as much as possible. But when I checked on Honda
Dealership to get the OEM axles, they said eleven hundred
dollars each ouch twenty two hundred dollars for a pair. Obviously,
(09:43):
I'm going to do a pair at a time. Yep,
Because it's got two hundred thousand miles on it, well,
when I check Rock Auto and local deal Auto Parts
Advance and all that, you know they're between one hundred
and two hundred. So, man, I'm really wondering, are these
aftermarkets any good or is there one that I can
and really trust.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
So let me let me comment about Honda axles from
the dealer for a second. It's really amazing to me
the price disparity at the dealer between certain models for axles.
I have purchased brand new axles from Honda for newer
odyssees and newer records for three hundred and fifty bucks
(10:25):
three fifty three fifty. Now that's newer stuff like twenty eighteen,
twenty sixteen, things like that. It just, David, doesn't make
any sense to me. It's the same piece of steel,
it's the same set of boots, it's the same amount
of griefs Like, I don't get it. And then yes,
there are some it seems that as they get older
(10:45):
they go up in price. I've priced those one thousand,
eleven twelve thirteen hundred dollars axles. It's it's kind of
mind boggling. And you know, is the argument here or
is the conversation here, Well, they're trying to push us
out of the old car and get us into the
newer one. You know, I hate the thing negatively about
the world, but sometimes that's there, that that that is
(11:08):
a truer statement.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
We want to take it into the dealership to get
anything checked, come out with a shopping list of all
these things that need to be replaced with extra hip
yep ps on them.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Yeah, I get that. I you know, I can always
tell for the record. We're a little of subject here,
but that's okay. I can always tell for the record
when Honda is having a recall because I get a
variety of people, regular customers, new customers, old customers walking
through the door with a laundry list. You know, it's
one of those sheets of paper that they drop it
(11:41):
and the sheets unfold and hit the ground from top
to bottom. And I look at them and I go,
let me guess, recall. Yeah, had you know? Okay, let's
see what year is the car? They tell me, and
I kind of have this theory in my head. I say, yeah,
let's see, it's seven years old. You must need sixty
three hundred dollars worth of work. Yeah, had you know? Well,
you know it's it's sometimes I think the manufacturers do
(12:04):
recalls to generate work for the shop I I you know,
or they'll they'll they'll target a set group age group
of vehicle because all of a sudden it's, hey, you know,
let's let's scare Dave out of his eight year old
Honda and maybe he'll come in and buy a new one.
I don't get that, but I do, But I don't
onto your onto your question, my friend, I flat out
(12:27):
absolutely as the best axle out there in the ftermarket
that I've got access to in my experience. Are the
drive axles from Advance. I've been through them all. I've
put all the junk in, I've eaten all the junk,
I've taken them back out, and I've been through everybody's pile.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Are they labeled as car Quest?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
They are labeled. When I look it up in the
catalog and I'm looking online my shop management system ties
right into my local Advance, it's labeled as Advance slash
car Quest. Okay, so it's you know, I I take
it as the Advanced car Quest brand. I think the
part number always begins with Nancy Charles Victor NCV. Right,
(13:10):
But don't don't hold me to that. They're typically you know,
a third of the numbers that you're talking from Honda,
and it's you know, it's listen. We all want cheap, right,
but we all want good. So I whenever I look
at a part I was telling the kid at the
gas pump the other day, I really don't care what
the gas costs as long as I can still get
(13:30):
it to a large degree, right, I'm happy to get
it as long as I'm getting the good stuff in
the car runs okay, you know, so like one more yeah,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Question half of you yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
On the training. Uh, this seems to have a pretty
good transmission in it. It's got almost two hundred thousand
miles and it seems to be doing okay. However, I'm
real confused about the fluid changes. Are we supposed to
do two or three fluid changes and then drive the
car forty miles between fluid changes for a fifty thousand
(14:04):
mile real fluid change.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
So that should be DW fluid Honda, you know, regular
Honda atf it's an older Honda. We will we will
change the fluid on those cars every thirty to thirty
five thousand miles. At most if we're if we're if
we get in there early enough, If we're getting in
there and it's older. Keep in mind, that's really a
manual gearbox, all right. That's not a true hydraulic like
(14:30):
a traditional automatic trends, that's a that's more of a
manual gearbox with a torque converter. Yeah, so the damage
is going to come mostly at the converter level, especially
with an overdrive clutch pack in it, with a with
a lock up and it has the fluid ever been changed? Uh?
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I think it's been changed. I know at least once
and maybe twice.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Okay, how long?
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Long? About every eighty thousand miles?
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Okay, So, like I tell everybody, you know what I'm
I'm a fan of changing fluid. But even if it's dirty,
if it's if it's going to break, I want to
know about it. I'm more aware of it. And if
in your mind, if in your mind it's gonna be Hey, Ron,
if the trans breaks, I'll put a trans in it,
because five grand for a trans is cheaper than fifty
grand for a new car.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Oh yeah, for sure, then I would.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I would put fluid in it. And yeah, if you
want to do if you want to do two fluid changes,
absolutely all right. One of the things that is common
to fail on those trans is are the pressure switches
second and third gear. Third gear. Mostly you'll get a
you'll get a P zero seven series fault code. Things
like that usually switches, especially on higher mileage. So don't
(15:40):
let that panic you. If you see a fault code
after you change the fluid, it's not as a result
of the fluid change. It's more the result of age.
But you know this is this is about longevity, Dave.
If if the vehicle's kind of chugging along and it
just needs axles and it needs a fluid change, and
you're willing to put a trans in it.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yeah, yeah, what about this switch? Is it available for
OEM or yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
It's available OEM, and they're they're different colored. The way
if and when you have that fault, the way you're
gonna match it up is you're gonna get a wiring
diagram and you're gonna look at the wire color leading
to each individual's switch, and the wiring diagrams, the factory
wiring diagrams, like all data will have the factory wiring diagrams.
Get yourself a subscription to All Data di y and
(16:26):
you will see that, you know, it'll it'll be a
white red or a purple blue, and it'll say second gear,
third gear, and so on. And they're located in various
places around the trends and it's it's like changing an
oil pressure switch. It's it's it's really that simple.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And really, yeah, really a very common thing.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
That's a very common thing.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And is there another common item too that's easy to replace?
Red than the whole training?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
No? After that, after that, you're in trouble.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
What about the filter that's built into uh? Does this
have a filter that I should change? At two hundred
thousand mouths.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Dave, I've never changed the filter Honda Trends. Okay, in
all honesty, I'm gonna tell you the truth. I don't
even know if there is one. I don't think there is.
I think there's a screen in there, but I've never
changed the screen. I've never changed a filter. We've just
done fluids on a regular basis and we've never had
an issue that doesn't Okay, it's not possible. I'll tell
you what. Sit tight, Dave, Let me let me pull over.
(17:19):
Take this pause when we come back, we'll finish up
and get to the rest of your questions. I'm ronnin
Eni and the car doctor. Eight five five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. I'll be back right after this.
Don't go away. Let's let's get right back to Dave,
real quick, Dave, last question, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Okay, Let's see when I do this fluid change, only
about four quarts comes out. So that's that's why I'm
getting back to it. It almost takes two or three
times to really do a fluid changes a correct correct right.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
If you want to if you want to do it
all now, if you want to do if you want
to do a little at a time, do the four quarts,
put a couple thousand miles on it, let it work
its way through, drop it again, do another couple thousand miles,
and then the last time. If you want to do
multiple changes all at once, until the fluid color comes
back to a good resolution.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Back, real clear.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
And you said this is a manual, so there's no
digital programming required. If I flip the trainee out, I
don't have to take it to the dealership to get
a programmed no sarch to.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
My knowledge, that should be a straight in and out swap.
That's what we've done in the shop all the time.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Okay, there's a little bit of a jerk sometimes when
it down shifts, like going from fourth or fifth down
to third. Does that mean this pressure switch is starting
to get a little faulty.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
No, if well, if it is, the tolerance on all
the pressure switches are very tight. So if there's a
pressure switch problem, it'll tell you. You know, I take
a scan tool, go looking pending faults. All right, don't wait,
don't wait for all.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
That one pressure switch.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Yes, transmission, there's there's probably two to four pressure switches
on that transmission.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh and all data will tell us all about it, right, Yeah,
go take a look.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
At a wiring diagram for the trends. It'll show you.
It'll show you the electronics and the pressure. That's another thing,
and that's a that's another good reason and to have
an all Data subscription or a technical support subscription. But
you know, you can learn a lot looking at a
wiring diagram how a vehicle is built, because it'll show
you what components it has, so you're not you're not
hopscotching around ron.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Here's the last easy one. Who makes the good rebuilt transmission.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Honestly, my experience Honda, Honda, Yes, sir, I haven't, Yeah,
I haven't. I haven't found anybody else. And I know
that even my trans builder in town, he will purchase
a Honda unit. And you know it's it's you know, well,
(19:43):
you're I guess you're as safe as you've got somebody
to go back and talk to if there's an issue.
Is there somebody else out there? You know what, if
you're a trans builder and you've got an idea and
where to go by, all means, give us a call
to shoot us an email Ron at cardoctorshow dot com.
But you know, in my experience, Dave, I've seen I've
seen Honda build the best trands for those vehicles.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
So okay, all right, okay, And they're staying behind him.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
They stood behind him, yep. Not that they've had to.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
They usually if somebody else installs them or not talk.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
To them, it should not. It should not as long
as you're a certified and staller.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
So all right, okay, Hey, you're great, thank you, thank you, Ron.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
You're very welcome, Dave. Good luck to you. Let's go
over to my Let's go over to Larry, North Carolina.
I know who this is. I spoke to Larry during
the week full disclosure. How are you, Larry?
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Hey, you gave me a bunch of homework.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Yeah, so tell me. Let's let's bring everybody up to date.
Larry's got a twelve Durango with a five seven. He
put an engine in it. He's got a misfire on
cylinder six. Stop me where I'm wrong, Larry. And he's
done the preliminary work. He's done cylinder leaked down test.
The cylinder leaked down was good. He swapped around injectors,
he swapped around spark plugs and coils, and he still
(20:52):
has a misfire on six. Is that where we left it?
Speaker 5 (20:56):
That's where we left it.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
And then I gave you some testing to do. So
what's the result of the testing.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
First, you wanted me to find out barometric pressures like
here in North Carolina day and my town is thirty
point one to three. The truck reads nineteen point eight
eight with a one point three vote on the map
sensor and a truck barrow when the computer says twenty
nine point seventy four, So it's I mean, it's within right.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Point, But manifold vacuum sounds low. What was mechanical vacuum
sitting there at IDOL sitting.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
A manifold vacuum? The IDOL around twenty steady. It didn't
bounce for nothing when I outled it up to buy
one thousand to go to about twenty four.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Pounds twenty four inches something inches. Yeah, something doesn't make
sense in that statement. If we've got barometric pressure of
thirty inches and engine vacuum of twenty if you're looking
at a map sensor, I believe you should be seeing
about twelve ten to twelve. It should because a map
(22:09):
sensor generally displays manifold pressure, not manifold vacuum.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Yeah, that's pressure. Yeah, not team won a eight.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Right, So something doesn't make sense on that. Are you
going in your make model or are you going in OBD.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
Two your MIC model?
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Go in OBD two. Chrysler may be calculating that differently.
So let's and I don't think that's going to be
your problem, but let's just find out. All right, it's
a simple enough test. Remember, we're looking for what's good,
we're not looking for what's bad. Right, what else? What
else did I want you to do. There was something else,
wasn't there?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Or was that fewel enrichment?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Yeah, pro pain, that's right.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
I used a fuel enrichment and it didn't make no
difference on the misfire. Just kind of wanted to choke
it down right, Okay. And I was watching them, let's
see fire account's go to five hundred, and you know
we say it and.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
It's only on cylinder six.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Right downer six. Short term fuel pressures five to eight,
long term negative eleven to fourteen. So holy injector reporses
are about twenty five twenty six hundred, all of them.
Even during this fire, it stays the same injector forces.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Okay, can you do? Can I ask you? You know I
was going to actually call you back yesterday and I
never got to it Friday. It was crazy. Can you
do some research on volumetric efficiency? They call it, They
call it a ve test or volumetric efficiency. Volumetric efficiency
is stand there and take a deep breath, Larry. A
(23:43):
volumetric efficiency test is how well does the engine breathe?
And it will define which way we're It's another way
we can define which way we're going to go with this.
I'm still not convinced you don't have a mechanical problem
in the engine.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
I did look at the throw a blade position and
like not running. It was, like I said, running and
it goes to three.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I don't know what that.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Well, it's it's closing it down. That sounds about right,
all right, that sounds about right.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
Mass airflow was at point two pounds at idle.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
No grahams per gram Grahams per second. I want to
know grahams per second. Okay, So and you'll have to
see that under OBD two because Chrysler probably won't show
you that under your make model. Okay, all right, So
I want to know grams per second. I want to
know grahams per second. I want you to read up
about volumetric efficiency. You're gonna end up if you google it,
(24:41):
you're gonna end up going to the Automotive Training Group
website ATG and then they've got a great explanation about
what VE is. It's a very simple test. Don't be
intimidated by it. You have to you have to have
a scan tool and basically you need to bring up
rough four PIDs, all right, four pieces of data, do
a road test, come back and it'll make the calculation.
(25:04):
It's a it's a plug in spreadsheet type of thing.
And I would tell you we're going to do a
ve test to learn about it on which vehicle larry
anyone but the one you're working on, right?
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Good one?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Right, We're going to find a good one, all right,
and you're going to typically see you know, you don't
want to do it on a turbo charged vehicle. You
want to do it on a non turbo vehicle. And
we typically see good ve as anything eighty eight percent
or higher. All right, eighty five, eighty eight, ninety I'm
good with that. I want to see if this engine
is I want to see what this engine does mechanically,
(25:36):
how hard? How hard does it get access to the
spark plugs on this.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Hard? All right?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Could you do a running compression test?
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Yeah? I could? I reckon right and then running.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
And if I had called you yesterday, the one question
I had for you was you were you were ready
to change the cam? Yes, I'm did you did you
reuse the cam?
Speaker 5 (26:02):
No? No, no, no, it was a it was a
new cam, new Lifters, okay, but it was not OEM.
That's okay, That's what worries me. I think it's probably
a Chinese or something. Well, I think that's yeah. I
don't know if it is or not, but it's not
a dodge oem Right.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And then just because we've got sixteen new lifters in there,
are they all the right lifters?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
You know?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Like did we look at them? Could one be shorter
than the rest? Could there be a mismatch in parts?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah, you're right because because what you're slowly proving and
you know, whether you know it or not, and I
think you know what we're what we're proving here is
spark is good, fuels good, This is mechanical. But this
could be mechanical in the way. Was the engine assembled
right by the engine builder or is it one of
the components that was installed during the during the assembly?
(26:52):
All right, you got.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Some I got your bar mit pressure for the irregular OBD.
It's fourteen point five is what it says UNDERBD and
not in this.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Something's wrong there barometric pressure. But and it's just a
matter of asking Google, Hey, Google, what's barometric pressure in
North Carolina today? If Google says thirty inches.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
But it's showing fourteen point five right here, just sitting cold,
not even running.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
No don't. Don't. No, I think you're looking at the
wrong pid.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
You're in year make model, You're I mean in OBD
now with the it's just PSI fourteen point five? Am
I not in the rock?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Yeah? I think you're in the wrong place. And the
reason the reason I think you're in the wrong place
is because if the engine was erroneously reading barometric pressure,
it would affect all the cylinders, not just number six.
Do this. Stop looking at that. Stop looking at that car. Okay,
learn barometric pressure, map, manifold, vacuum ve and everything else
(27:56):
we talked about on any other car in the household.
That's good, all right.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
Well, luckily I have a Dodge ram with a hem
you signed age SOMN numbers should.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Right, those numbers should be fairly close. All right, kiddo,
I got a run. I'm past my time, all right,
but you know where to find. You're very welcome, sir.
All right, we'll talk again. I'm running any in the car. Doctor,
we're back right after this. Welcome back. Eight five five
five six zero nine nine zero zero. Let's go to
Staten Island, New York and talk to Tom. Tom, what's
(28:27):
going on?
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Hi, Ron, thank you for taking my call twenty eighteen
infinity Q fifty, I was getting to P zero four
four eight then controlled that okay, And this was going
on for like three years, and I could, I could
connect my scantule, could click it on and off at will.
It'll work every single time. If I was under three
(28:49):
quarters of a tank and I cleared the code, it
would it would stay off until I filled up again. Finally,
if and I had to do that to pass inspection,
and finally if the three years, I think, you know what,
let me just replace the valve events of control valve
and they still tripped it. So now I'm thinking, like
a what could be the next uh part step in diagnosis?
(29:12):
Since I replaced them a control above and I'm still
tripping the code.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
So four four eight is generally considered a circuit performance fault,
all right, not a vent, not not the valve itself.
So four four eight can set for a circuit problem
for the canister event control all right, or the PCM
is commanding it and it doesn't respond properly. Now there's
(29:39):
a bulletin that talks about reprogramming the ECM applicable to
sixteen and seventeens. But but not eighteen. And now the
problem is going to be you know, this is this
is the story of you know what, what? Where? Where?
(29:59):
Where was yours done at eighteen? You know where's yours
in the in the build year? Right? Is it an
early eighteen? Is it a late eighteen?
Speaker 5 (30:08):
You know?
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Is there is there a software update for this? And
I can't tell you. You know, it's funny. I opened
the show talking about computer flashing and software and here
I am finishing the hour. It's it's it's just it's
just that important that we go and look at that.
You know, using a scan tool. You're not a You're
not the typical home mechanic. I'm going to be blunting.
(30:31):
Just ask, and I bet I know the answer. You
probably used an oe part correct.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Yes I did.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Yeah, I figured as much. Just for giggles, Do you
still have the old vent valve?
Speaker 4 (30:42):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, I if you own it? What is it own?
I would?
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Oh I didn't, I didn't try that. What'should? What'should?
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yeah, you'll see, I would expect somewhere between fifteen and
thirty five homes twenty to forty doesn't bother me, but
you know, just to see, do I have high resistance?
Do I have low resistance? Is it in the range?
And then again, if you've got a new one and
you've got the old one, they should probably own the same.
But if they both own the same and they're both
sixty oms, then they're made wrong and there's a problem
(31:11):
there too, Right. So four four eight also can mean
it's it's not seeing the drop in tank pressure as
it expects when it commands the vent valve on. Right,
So let's let's let's talk about the theory of this
for a quick second. All right, I gotta be I'll
(31:32):
tell you what. Sit tight. Let me let me, let
me come back, because otherwise I'm gonna run crowded into
the break. Let me don't go anywhere, tomm I'm running
any of the car. Doctor. We'll be back right after this.
Let's go, Tommy. You're right there, tom Yes, sir, So listen,
I've got two minutes. So I want to I want
to talk about EVAPP systems in general, because I think
(31:53):
that's going to be more likely to help you fix
this car. Okay, So P zero four four eight sets
because the PM commands the vent valve closed to check
the system for integrity, right, suck in, right? Can you
hold your breath? Do you leak?
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Right?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
It's it's it's kind of doing the same thing, right.
So what it does is it closes the vent. It
either closes the vent when the system is under a
high state of vacuum based on engine operation and temperature,
or it closes the vent sucks in by opening the
purge or leaving the purge open then closing the purge.
(32:33):
So now the systems in a state of vacuum, and
it looks it looks at what fuel tank pressure sensor? Okay,
all right, so you know, think of think of your house.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
You got a front door and a back door. The
rest of the house is closed. If you open up
the back door, air can kind of wander in. If
you open up the front door, you can pass air through.
If you close the back door, and we're to suck
at the front door and then slam it shut. You
put the house in a state of vacuum. All right,
Try putting the system into a state of vacuum. If
you can open the purge, close the vent, watch the
(33:06):
fuel tank pressure sensor. Open up the gas cap. Does
it lose pressure right away? How does that react? Do
some of the testing like that and then call me back.
I'm running eny in the car. Doctor.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Come.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
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 Alife. 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 to five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. That's eight five to five
(00:25):
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Speaker 2 (00:44):
Now start your enginies.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
The Car Doctor is in the garage and ready to
take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm just warning you right up front and then thinking
about it, probably won't even sound good if we did
this in person, so pay attention flash a school bus
the other day. See, I told you it wasn't gonna
sound right, but there's there's no other way to say this.
I just knocked Tom off his chair. I'll give Tom
(01:13):
a minute to regain his composure. But it's the truth.
I had a flash one of those short, little yellow
school buses the other day. And here's what happened. One
of the shops in the neighborhood was working on a
yellow school bus and they had to put a new
ABS controller in it. Now, this was this is actually
(01:35):
one of those. It's the short bus, right, and it's
the one of those. You know. It started life out
as a two thousand and eight Chevy thirty five hundred
van looking thing, and then they cut off the back
and whack, and you know, they put the row seats
in the big yellow school bus body. So now you've
got a yellow school bus. Well, they correctly diagnosed it
(01:57):
needs an ABS controller, so they put an AB controller
and hydraulic unit in it. And you say to yourself,
g two thousand and eight, that's very old. That's yes, Jesus,
that's sixteen years old. Seventeen years old. That's old technology.
And when they were done, Josh took it for a
ride and he found out that now he's got an
(02:17):
ABS fault code that pointed to no configuration, meaning the
ABS controller was empty. It was empty software wise, it
had the mechanical functionality, so you know they've got it.
It's like buying a laptop, right, you buy a laptop,
you buy it, you get a hard drive, there's no
(02:38):
software on it, there's no operating system. So there's no
operating system in the ABS controller. So they brought it
to me and they said, could you flash the school bus?
And I said, I don't know. Is that legal in
New Jersey? I wasn't really, but they didn't get the
joke then either, But I just thought it was funny.
Like my wife always says, I always tell her, I
say it's a little joke, and she puts her thumb
(02:59):
and four finger about. You know, he goes, he had
very little. So yeah, I can flash the school bus,
I think. So of course I reached back into my
arsenal of diagnostic tricks and tools, and of course I
pulled out my OPIS, my OPIS IVS three sixty because
if anything could do it, that could I called up
(03:20):
and I spoke to Brian on tech support, who's always
a great time. Hi Brian out there in Arizona. And
you know, it kind of turns my head a little
bit because we're a repair shop in Waldwick, New Jersey.
Here's a guy working for Opus, an international company. Now
he's based out of Arizona, and he's pulling software from
(03:42):
god only knows where to Arizona to New Jersey to
go into this yellow school bus. And that's what we did.
I hooked up my Opus IVS, I gave him the
VIN We went through the you know, the formality and
the paperwork and the introduction, and he uploaded and stalled
and configured the software from remote. What's the point of
(04:02):
all this. The point is that in a repair shop,
you never know when you've got to turn and do
it from a different angle. And as the complexity grows,
and yeah, unfortunately, cars are going to get even more complicated.
I know that sounds difficult to believe, but they are.
They're not going to get simpler anytime sooner. I always
(04:25):
say this, carburetors and points are long gone, and you're
going to need some sort of diagnostic software passed through
Flashing platform. You absolutely have to have it. I think
it's going to become essential. I think it's going to
be the backbreaker that's going to keep people from fixing
their own cars. An ABS controller is something most of you,
(04:47):
most of my di wires. Most of my listeners really
if they're mechanically inclined and so want to could install
it's if you can install a master cylinder, you can
install an ABS control unit. But the mechanical portion, even
as far back as sixteen, seventeen, twenty years ago, still
(05:09):
is not enough. You've got to be able to install software.
You've got to be able to put an operating system
into that component. And in this case it was an
ABS controller. So, you know, kudos to Brian. I appreciate
his patience. He kind of bailed me out because it
sort of came up quick at the last minute on
Friday this past week. And Opus has always been very accommodating.
(05:33):
I've got to tell you, if you're looking for a
tool or if you're looking for a support system, they
were great. Called up spoke to explain to them, Hey,
this is a school bus. We need this to go
out on the Monday morning run at eight o'clock. They
need this to take the kids to school. And they
snuck me and actually I actually think Brian gave up
coffee break. Not that it was longer than a coffee
(05:55):
break to do, but Brian sort of Brian's always very accommodating.
It's just some thing like all the folks at Opus,
they just do a great job and it's done. Of course,
then I got the road tested, so I put Danny
in the back and we took a right around Waldwick.
I wasn't meant to be a school bus driver, I
can tell you. There's just I don't have that kind
(06:16):
of coordination to.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
But Danny my mechanic, he's he's just the big kid
at heart. I had to keep him from climbing out
the windows and doing all the things that school kids do.
So I mean you could just see it right driving down.
Two guys tired, and we were tired. This week. It
was I don't want to tell you it was a
brutal week, but it was a brutal week. We were busy,
we did you know, we did one hundred and twenty
percent over what we normally do in terms of volume
(06:42):
of work. It was just crazy. It was just absolutely
off the wall. And we did it on less vehicles,
which is I keep watching that number grow that you
people are spending bigger money on older cars, and you know,
I think if there's any indication of what kind of
shaped the economy's in. I think that's it, and I
think that that, you know, the interest rate is hurting
(07:02):
people from buying new cars, and they're hanging on to
the older ones. And I think the age of the
fleet just keeps growing. I'd be curious to know what
that is. And I'm not trying to be political here.
I'm just telling you an observation from the bay that
I'm seeing. You know, we had one fella put sixty
two hundred dollars into a twenty ten Honda Fit with
one hundred and fifteen thousand miles on it. It made
no sense to me. Well it didn't. It didn't, but
(07:26):
you know, just just crazy numbers, just absolutely crazy numbers.
So but in any event, kudos to Opus and Brian
and all the folks out there. My IVS three sixty
does it again, I can say I flashed the school bus.
I have to be careful how I say that, though,
because I'm going to get myself in trouble and that's
that's not my intention. So I'm sure you'll hear about this.
(07:46):
I'm sure this will be in next week's Open. I
can see Tom's already foaming at the mouth that he
wants to include this.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Oh, I'm already figuring out songs that'll go with this.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Well, but it's the truth. It is the truth.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Listen, you're just you're you're just taking it in the
wrong connotation. Uh, you know, it's.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, I can see you guys going up the street
in that bus.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Now, I wish I saw that. It really was pretty funny.
I think research Kathy has a picture of it, because
Danny's Danny's at the back of the bus. You know,
remember that episode of Two and a half Men when
they put Jake on the bus and they send them
to school wearing the beige pants because it's it's it's
color neutral and they don't offend anybody, right, That was Danny.
Danny had his face pressed up against the glass. It's like,
(08:28):
you know, just that like he was like he was
twelve years old, least, it was his face pressed ump
against the glass. Well, as far as I know, I
was busy watching the road. You know. I got to
give credit to school bus drivers too. Isn't a side
that those mirrors stick out a good distance. Getting that thing,
I got to tell you, getting that thing in and
out of the bay was harder than actually doing the
flash work because it's it's such a tight those mirrors
(08:50):
are so far out and everything hangs off that bus.
You know, we don't give bus drivers enough credit for
what they do. That that's a tough gig. That really
is that. That taught me a lesson and maneuverability and all. So,
but hey, you know, think of it like this when
you want to flash a school bus. Count on your
opus eight five five five six oh nine nine zero zero.
I'm running any in the car, doctor, I'll be back
(09:11):
right after this. Hey, let's do this. Let's jump down
to Kentucky and talk to Dave O seven Honda Cord. Dave,
what's going on? How can I help?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Oh? Thanks for taking my call. I've got this seven
two thousand and seven Honda Cord. It needs some drive
chefs the CV axles, and I like to use OEM
as much as possible. But when I checked on Honda
Dealership to get the OEM axles, they said eleven hundred
dollars each ouch twenty two hundred dollars for a pair. Obviously,
(09:43):
I'm going to do a pair at a time. Yep,
Because it's got two hundred thousand miles on it, well,
when I check Rock Auto and local deal Auto Parts
Advance and all that, you know they're between one hundred
and two hundred. So, man, I'm really wondering, are these
aftermarkets any good or is there one that I can
and really trust.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
So let me let me comment about Honda axles from
the dealer for a second. It's really amazing to me
the price disparity at the dealer between certain models for axles.
I have purchased brand new axles from Honda for newer
odyssees and newer records for three hundred and fifty bucks
(10:25):
three fifty three fifty. Now that's newer stuff like twenty eighteen,
twenty sixteen, things like that. It just, David, doesn't make
any sense to me. It's the same piece of steel,
it's the same set of boots, it's the same amount
of griefs Like, I don't get it. And then yes,
there are some it seems that as they get older
(10:45):
they go up in price. I've priced those one thousand,
eleven twelve thirteen hundred dollars axles. It's it's kind of
mind boggling. And you know, is the argument here or
is the conversation here, Well, they're trying to push us
out of the old car and get us into the
newer one. You know, I hate the thing negatively about
the world, but sometimes that's there, that that that is
(11:08):
a truer statement.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
We want to take it into the dealership to get
anything checked, come out with a shopping list of all
these things that need to be replaced with extra hip
yep ps on them.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Yeah, I get that. I you know, I can always
tell for the record. We're a little of subject here,
but that's okay. I can always tell for the record
when Honda is having a recall because I get a
variety of people, regular customers, new customers, old customers walking
through the door with a laundry list. You know, it's
one of those sheets of paper that they drop it
(11:41):
and the sheets unfold and hit the ground from top
to bottom. And I look at them and I go,
let me guess, recall. Yeah, had you know? Okay, let's
see what year is the car? They tell me, and
I kind of have this theory in my head. I say, yeah,
let's see, it's seven years old. You must need sixty
three hundred dollars worth of work. Yeah, had you know? Well,
you know it's it's sometimes I think the manufacturers do
(12:04):
recalls to generate work for the shop I I you know,
or they'll they'll they'll target a set group age group
of vehicle because all of a sudden it's, hey, you know,
let's let's scare Dave out of his eight year old
Honda and maybe he'll come in and buy a new one.
I don't get that, but I do, But I don't
onto your onto your question, my friend, I flat out
(12:27):
absolutely as the best axle out there in the ftermarket
that I've got access to in my experience. Are the
drive axles from Advance. I've been through them all. I've
put all the junk in, I've eaten all the junk,
I've taken them back out, and I've been through everybody's pile.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Are they labeled as car Quest?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
They are labeled. When I look it up in the
catalog and I'm looking online my shop management system ties
right into my local Advance, it's labeled as Advance slash
car Quest. Okay, so it's you know, I I take
it as the Advanced car Quest brand. I think the
part number always begins with Nancy Charles Victor NCV. Right,
(13:10):
But don't don't hold me to that. They're typically you know,
a third of the numbers that you're talking from Honda,
and it's you know, it's listen. We all want cheap, right,
but we all want good. So I whenever I look
at a part I was telling the kid at the
gas pump the other day, I really don't care what
the gas costs as long as I can still get
(13:30):
it to a large degree, right, I'm happy to get
it as long as I'm getting the good stuff in
the car runs okay, you know, so like one more yeah,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Question half of you yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
On the training. Uh, this seems to have a pretty
good transmission in it. It's got almost two hundred thousand
miles and it seems to be doing okay. However, I'm
real confused about the fluid changes. Are we supposed to
do two or three fluid changes and then drive the
car forty miles between fluid changes for a fifty thousand
(14:04):
mile real fluid change.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
So that should be DW fluid Honda, you know, regular
Honda atf it's an older Honda. We will we will
change the fluid on those cars every thirty to thirty
five thousand miles. At most if we're if we're if
we get in there early enough, If we're getting in
there and it's older. Keep in mind, that's really a
manual gearbox, all right. That's not a true hydraulic like
(14:30):
a traditional automatic trends, that's a that's more of a
manual gearbox with a torque converter. Yeah, so the damage
is going to come mostly at the converter level, especially
with an overdrive clutch pack in it, with a with
a lock up and it has the fluid ever been changed? Uh?
Speaker 3 (14:48):
I think it's been changed. I know at least once
and maybe twice.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Okay, how long?
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Long? About every eighty thousand miles?
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Okay, So, like I tell everybody, you know what I'm
I'm a fan of changing fluid. But even if it's dirty,
if it's if it's going to break, I want to
know about it. I'm more aware of it. And if
in your mind, if in your mind it's gonna be Hey, Ron,
if the trans breaks, I'll put a trans in it,
because five grand for a trans is cheaper than fifty
grand for a new car.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Oh yeah, for sure, then I would.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I would put fluid in it. And yeah, if you
want to do if you want to do two fluid changes,
absolutely all right. One of the things that is common
to fail on those trans is are the pressure switches
second and third gear. Third gear. Mostly you'll get a
you'll get a P zero seven series fault code. Things
like that usually switches, especially on higher mileage. So don't
(15:40):
let that panic you. If you see a fault code
after you change the fluid, it's not as a result
of the fluid change. It's more the result of age.
But you know this is this is about longevity, Dave.
If if the vehicle's kind of chugging along and it
just needs axles and it needs a fluid change, and
you're willing to put a trans in it.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yeah, yeah, what about this switch? Is it available for
OEM or yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
It's available OEM, and they're they're different colored. The way
if and when you have that fault, the way you're
gonna match it up is you're gonna get a wiring
diagram and you're gonna look at the wire color leading
to each individual's switch, and the wiring diagrams, the factory
wiring diagrams, like all data will have the factory wiring diagrams.
Get yourself a subscription to All Data di y and
(16:26):
you will see that, you know, it'll it'll be a
white red or a purple blue, and it'll say second gear,
third gear, and so on. And they're located in various
places around the trends and it's it's like changing an
oil pressure switch. It's it's it's really that simple.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And really, yeah, really a very common thing.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
That's a very common thing.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And is there another common item too that's easy to replace?
Red than the whole training?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
No? After that, after that, you're in trouble.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
What about the filter that's built into uh? Does this
have a filter that I should change? At two hundred
thousand mouths.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Dave, I've never changed the filter Honda Trends. Okay, in
all honesty, I'm gonna tell you the truth. I don't
even know if there is one. I don't think there is.
I think there's a screen in there, but I've never
changed the screen. I've never changed a filter. We've just
done fluids on a regular basis and we've never had
an issue that doesn't Okay, it's not possible. I'll tell
you what. Sit tight, Dave, Let me let me pull over.
(17:19):
Take this pause when we come back, we'll finish up
and get to the rest of your questions. I'm ronnin
Eni and the car doctor. Eight five five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. I'll be back right after this.
Don't go away. Let's let's get right back to Dave,
real quick, Dave, last question, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Okay, Let's see when I do this fluid change, only
about four quarts comes out. So that's that's why I'm
getting back to it. It almost takes two or three
times to really do a fluid changes a correct correct right.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
If you want to if you want to do it
all now, if you want to do if you want
to do a little at a time, do the four quarts,
put a couple thousand miles on it, let it work
its way through, drop it again, do another couple thousand miles,
and then the last time. If you want to do
multiple changes all at once, until the fluid color comes
back to a good resolution.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Back, real clear.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
And you said this is a manual, so there's no
digital programming required. If I flip the trainee out, I
don't have to take it to the dealership to get
a programmed no sarch to.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
My knowledge, that should be a straight in and out swap.
That's what we've done in the shop all the time.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Okay, there's a little bit of a jerk sometimes when
it down shifts, like going from fourth or fifth down
to third. Does that mean this pressure switch is starting
to get a little faulty.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
No, if well, if it is, the tolerance on all
the pressure switches are very tight. So if there's a
pressure switch problem, it'll tell you. You know, I take
a scan tool, go looking pending faults. All right, don't wait,
don't wait for all.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
That one pressure switch.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Yes, transmission, there's there's probably two to four pressure switches
on that transmission.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh and all data will tell us all about it, right, Yeah,
go take a look.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
At a wiring diagram for the trends. It'll show you.
It'll show you the electronics and the pressure. That's another thing,
and that's a that's another good reason and to have
an all Data subscription or a technical support subscription. But
you know, you can learn a lot looking at a
wiring diagram how a vehicle is built, because it'll show
you what components it has, so you're not you're not
hopscotching around ron.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Here's the last easy one. Who makes the good rebuilt transmission.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Honestly, my experience Honda, Honda, Yes, sir, I haven't, Yeah,
I haven't. I haven't found anybody else. And I know
that even my trans builder in town, he will purchase
a Honda unit. And you know it's it's you know, well,
(19:43):
you're I guess you're as safe as you've got somebody
to go back and talk to if there's an issue.
Is there somebody else out there? You know what, if
you're a trans builder and you've got an idea and
where to go by, all means, give us a call
to shoot us an email Ron at cardoctorshow dot com.
But you know, in my experience, Dave, I've seen I've
seen Honda build the best trands for those vehicles.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
So okay, all right, okay, And they're staying behind him.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
They stood behind him, yep. Not that they've had to.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
They usually if somebody else installs them or not talk.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
To them, it should not. It should not as long
as you're a certified and staller.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
So all right, okay, Hey, you're great, thank you, thank you, Ron.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
You're very welcome, Dave. Good luck to you. Let's go
over to my Let's go over to Larry, North Carolina.
I know who this is. I spoke to Larry during
the week full disclosure. How are you, Larry?
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Hey, you gave me a bunch of homework.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Yeah, so tell me. Let's let's bring everybody up to date.
Larry's got a twelve Durango with a five seven. He
put an engine in it. He's got a misfire on
cylinder six. Stop me where I'm wrong, Larry. And he's
done the preliminary work. He's done cylinder leaked down test.
The cylinder leaked down was good. He swapped around injectors,
he swapped around spark plugs and coils, and he still
(20:52):
has a misfire on six. Is that where we left it?
Speaker 5 (20:56):
That's where we left it.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
And then I gave you some testing to do. So
what's the result of the testing.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
First, you wanted me to find out barometric pressures like
here in North Carolina day and my town is thirty
point one to three. The truck reads nineteen point eight
eight with a one point three vote on the map
sensor and a truck barrow when the computer says twenty
nine point seventy four, So it's I mean, it's within right.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Point, But manifold vacuum sounds low. What was mechanical vacuum
sitting there at IDOL sitting.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
A manifold vacuum? The IDOL around twenty steady. It didn't
bounce for nothing when I outled it up to buy
one thousand to go to about twenty four.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Pounds twenty four inches something inches. Yeah, something doesn't make
sense in that statement. If we've got barometric pressure of
thirty inches and engine vacuum of twenty if you're looking
at a map sensor, I believe you should be seeing
about twelve ten to twelve. It should because a map
(22:09):
sensor generally displays manifold pressure, not manifold vacuum.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Yeah, that's pressure. Yeah, not team won a eight.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Right, So something doesn't make sense on that. Are you
going in your make model or are you going in OBD.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
Two your MIC model?
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Go in OBD two. Chrysler may be calculating that differently.
So let's and I don't think that's going to be
your problem, but let's just find out. All right, it's
a simple enough test. Remember, we're looking for what's good,
we're not looking for what's bad. Right, what else? What
else did I want you to do. There was something else,
wasn't there?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Or was that fewel enrichment?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Yeah, pro pain, that's right.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
I used a fuel enrichment and it didn't make no
difference on the misfire. Just kind of wanted to choke
it down right, Okay. And I was watching them, let's
see fire account's go to five hundred, and you know
we say it and.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
It's only on cylinder six.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Right downer six. Short term fuel pressures five to eight,
long term negative eleven to fourteen. So holy injector reporses
are about twenty five twenty six hundred, all of them.
Even during this fire, it stays the same injector forces.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Okay, can you do? Can I ask you? You know I
was going to actually call you back yesterday and I
never got to it Friday. It was crazy. Can you
do some research on volumetric efficiency? They call it, They
call it a ve test or volumetric efficiency. Volumetric efficiency
is stand there and take a deep breath, Larry. A
(23:43):
volumetric efficiency test is how well does the engine breathe?
And it will define which way we're It's another way
we can define which way we're going to go with this.
I'm still not convinced you don't have a mechanical problem
in the engine.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
I did look at the throw a blade position and
like not running. It was, like I said, running and
it goes to three.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I don't know what that.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Well, it's it's closing it down. That sounds about right,
all right, that sounds about right.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
Mass airflow was at point two pounds at idle.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
No grahams per gram Grahams per second. I want to
know grahams per second. Okay, So and you'll have to
see that under OBD two because Chrysler probably won't show
you that under your make model. Okay, all right, So
I want to know grams per second. I want to
know grahams per second. I want you to read up
about volumetric efficiency. You're gonna end up if you google it,
(24:41):
you're gonna end up going to the Automotive Training Group
website ATG and then they've got a great explanation about
what VE is. It's a very simple test. Don't be
intimidated by it. You have to you have to have
a scan tool and basically you need to bring up
rough four PIDs, all right, four pieces of data, do
a road test, come back and it'll make the calculation.
(25:04):
It's a it's a plug in spreadsheet type of thing.
And I would tell you we're going to do a
ve test to learn about it on which vehicle larry
anyone but the one you're working on, right?
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Good one?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Right, We're going to find a good one, all right,
and you're going to typically see you know, you don't
want to do it on a turbo charged vehicle. You
want to do it on a non turbo vehicle. And
we typically see good ve as anything eighty eight percent
or higher. All right, eighty five, eighty eight, ninety I'm
good with that. I want to see if this engine
is I want to see what this engine does mechanically,
(25:36):
how hard? How hard does it get access to the
spark plugs on this.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Hard? All right?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Could you do a running compression test?
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Yeah? I could? I reckon right and then running.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
And if I had called you yesterday, the one question
I had for you was you were you were ready
to change the cam? Yes, I'm did you did you
reuse the cam?
Speaker 5 (26:02):
No? No, no, no, it was a it was a
new cam, new Lifters, okay, but it was not OEM.
That's okay, That's what worries me. I think it's probably
a Chinese or something. Well, I think that's yeah. I
don't know if it is or not, but it's not
a dodge oem Right.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And then just because we've got sixteen new lifters in there,
are they all the right lifters?
Speaker 3 (26:24):
You know?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Like did we look at them? Could one be shorter
than the rest? Could there be a mismatch in parts?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah, you're right because because what you're slowly proving and
you know, whether you know it or not, and I
think you know what we're what we're proving here is
spark is good, fuels good, This is mechanical. But this
could be mechanical in the way. Was the engine assembled
right by the engine builder or is it one of
the components that was installed during the during the assembly?
(26:52):
All right, you got.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Some I got your bar mit pressure for the irregular OBD.
It's fourteen point five is what it says UNDERBD and
not in this.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Something's wrong there barometric pressure. But and it's just a
matter of asking Google, Hey, Google, what's barometric pressure in
North Carolina today? If Google says thirty inches.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
But it's showing fourteen point five right here, just sitting cold,
not even running.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
No don't. Don't. No, I think you're looking at the
wrong pid.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
You're in year make model, You're I mean in OBD
now with the it's just PSI fourteen point five? Am
I not in the rock?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Yeah? I think you're in the wrong place. And the
reason the reason I think you're in the wrong place
is because if the engine was erroneously reading barometric pressure,
it would affect all the cylinders, not just number six.
Do this. Stop looking at that. Stop looking at that car. Okay,
learn barometric pressure, map, manifold, vacuum ve and everything else
(27:56):
we talked about on any other car in the household.
That's good, all right.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
Well, luckily I have a Dodge ram with a hem
you signed age SOMN numbers should.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Right, those numbers should be fairly close. All right, kiddo,
I got a run. I'm past my time, all right,
but you know where to find. You're very welcome, sir.
All right, we'll talk again. I'm running any in the car. Doctor,
we're back right after this. Welcome back. Eight five five
five six zero nine nine zero zero. Let's go to
Staten Island, New York and talk to Tom. Tom, what's
(28:27):
going on?
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Hi, Ron, thank you for taking my call twenty eighteen
infinity Q fifty, I was getting to P zero four
four eight then controlled that okay, And this was going
on for like three years, and I could, I could
connect my scantule, could click it on and off at will.
It'll work every single time. If I was under three
(28:49):
quarters of a tank and I cleared the code, it
would it would stay off until I filled up again. Finally,
if and I had to do that to pass inspection,
and finally if the three years, I think, you know what,
let me just replace the valve events of control valve
and they still tripped it. So now I'm thinking, like
a what could be the next uh part step in diagnosis?
(29:12):
Since I replaced them a control above and I'm still
tripping the code.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
So four four eight is generally considered a circuit performance fault,
all right, not a vent, not not the valve itself.
So four four eight can set for a circuit problem
for the canister event control all right, or the PCM
is commanding it and it doesn't respond properly. Now there's
(29:39):
a bulletin that talks about reprogramming the ECM applicable to
sixteen and seventeens. But but not eighteen. And now the
problem is going to be you know, this is this
is the story of you know what, what? Where? Where?
(29:59):
Where was yours done at eighteen? You know where's yours
in the in the build year? Right? Is it an
early eighteen? Is it a late eighteen?
Speaker 5 (30:08):
You know?
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Is there is there a software update for this? And
I can't tell you. You know, it's funny. I opened
the show talking about computer flashing and software and here
I am finishing the hour. It's it's it's just it's
just that important that we go and look at that.
You know, using a scan tool. You're not a You're
not the typical home mechanic. I'm going to be blunting.
(30:31):
Just ask, and I bet I know the answer. You
probably used an oe part correct.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Yes I did.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Yeah, I figured as much. Just for giggles, Do you
still have the old vent valve?
Speaker 4 (30:42):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, I if you own it? What is it own?
I would?
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Oh I didn't, I didn't try that. What'should? What'should?
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yeah, you'll see, I would expect somewhere between fifteen and
thirty five homes twenty to forty doesn't bother me, but
you know, just to see, do I have high resistance?
Do I have low resistance? Is it in the range?
And then again, if you've got a new one and
you've got the old one, they should probably own the same.
But if they both own the same and they're both
sixty oms, then they're made wrong and there's a problem
(31:11):
there too, Right. So four four eight also can mean
it's it's not seeing the drop in tank pressure as
it expects when it commands the vent valve on. Right,
So let's let's let's talk about the theory of this
for a quick second. All right, I gotta be I'll
(31:32):
tell you what. Sit tight. Let me let me, let
me come back, because otherwise I'm gonna run crowded into
the break. Let me don't go anywhere, tomm I'm running
any of the car. Doctor. We'll be back right after this.
Let's go, Tommy. You're right there, tom Yes, sir, So listen,
I've got two minutes. So I want to I want
to talk about EVAPP systems in general, because I think
(31:53):
that's going to be more likely to help you fix
this car. Okay, So P zero four four eight sets
because the PM commands the vent valve closed to check
the system for integrity, right, suck in, right? Can you
hold your breath? Do you leak?
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Right?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
It's it's it's kind of doing the same thing, right.
So what it does is it closes the vent. It
either closes the vent when the system is under a
high state of vacuum based on engine operation and temperature,
or it closes the vent sucks in by opening the
purge or leaving the purge open then closing the purge.
(32:33):
So now the systems in a state of vacuum, and
it looks it looks at what fuel tank pressure sensor? Okay,
all right, so you know, think of think of your house.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
You got a front door and a back door. The
rest of the house is closed. If you open up
the back door, air can kind of wander in. If
you open up the front door, you can pass air through.
If you close the back door, and we're to suck
at the front door and then slam it shut. You
put the house in a state of vacuum. All right,
Try putting the system into a state of vacuum. If
you can open the purge, close the vent, watch the
(33:06):
fuel tank pressure sensor. Open up the gas cap. Does
it lose pressure right away? How does that react? Do
some of the testing like that and then call me back.
I'm running eny in the car. Doctor.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Come.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See you
Host
Ron Ananian
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