Dad steers daughter in right direction June 16, 2011 BY TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI - Click & Clack RAY: I think your dad may be right. It sounds like a classic engine misfire. The spark plugs are the first place I’d look. TOM: When you’re asking the engine to do the greatest amount of work — like climbing a hill at high speed — you’d be most likely to notice a bad spark plug. That’s when you’re asking the spark plug to ignite the greatest amount of gasoline. RELATED STORIES Click & Clack: Transmission trouble isn’t wife’s fault Dad steers daughter in right direction RAY: And if a spark plug is weak, the extra gasoline and turbulence in that cylinder actually can douse the spark and cause you to run on five cylinders instead of six. That’s what makes the car feel like it’s chugging. It is! TOM: If it’s been many miles since you’ve changed the spark plugs (like 82,000?), start there — assuming they’re not fused to the cylinder heads at this point. RAY: If it’s not a bad plug, it could be a bad spark-plug wire or even a bad coil. You might even consider getting — wait for it — a tune-up! Because there may be other things (filters, belts, etc.) that are overdue for attention. TOM: But give your dad a pat on the back, Amanda. He’s steering you in the right direction. . . . If you buy a used car, will you just be inheriting the previous owner’s problem? Tom and Ray dispel this and other myths about used cars in their pamphlet “How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows.” Send $4.75 (check or money order payable to Used Car) to Used Car, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. . . . Get more Click and Clack in their new book, Ask Click and Clack: Answers from Car Talk. Got a question about cars? E-mail Click & Clack by visiting the Car Talk website at cartalk.com. King Features
Miss having my father to talk to about cars
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