Features

Dear Tom and Ray: 

We have a '97 Ford Escort with 19,000 miles. Recently, we've noticed the strong smell of exhaust coming in through the air conditioner or heater almost every time we come to a complete stop. This only happens when we have the fan on with the vent intake open. I have to switch the air off every time I come to a stop in order to avoid this. We also notice the smell from the front seat when we have the windows rolled down. My wife confessed that she ran over a concrete parking barrier recently, and she feared there was some damage underneath. I took the car to our local Ford dealership and then to a national muffler chain. Neither of them found anything wrong. They both suggested I spray air freshener in the air vents. The smell is definitely exhaust, and we're concerned it might be dangerous. – Greg 

TOM: We're concerned, too, Greg. As you might know, one of the early symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning is confusion and poor judgment. And look -- you've already written to us for advice! 

RAY: You clearly have an exhaust leak, Greg. And it probably IS the result of your wife hitting the parking barrier. The front pipe of this car's exhaust system runs down from the engine under the front of the car, and it probably got jolted, creating a small leak somewhere. And the leaking exhaust is wafting up through the engine compartment and entering the ventilation system through the cowl in front of the windshield. 

TOM: And last time we checked, Lysol does not neutralize carbon monoxide (shame on those bozos for suggesting that). You need a mechanic who is willing to take a little time to find the leak. 

RAY: If it's a very small leak, the best way to pinpoint it is with an emissions wand -- the kind that's used in state emissions tests. The mechanic passes the wand around inside the engine compartment, and when the needle goes bonkers, he's found the site of the leak. 

RAY: Find someone who's willing to find this leak for you and who'll fix it, Greg. And in the meantime, if you catch yourself calling our radio show, seek medical attention immediately.  

If it ain't broke, you won't have to fix it! Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" Send $3 (check or money order) and a stamped (57 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. 

Used car strategies 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My beautiful, normally intelligent wife of 24 years and I disagree mightily about the best timing to buy and sell a vehicle. We're absolutely positive we're each right, and we're absolutely positive the other is wrong. The argument involves economics -- how to spend the least amount of money. I say you should buy a car with about 60,000-80,000 miles on it and drive it into the ground. She thinks it's better to buy a 1- or 2-year-old car and keep it only for two or three years. It's time to replace my "driven into the ground" '87 Nissan pickup, and we need your advice. – Kurt 

TOM: It's great to get letters from lovebirds like you two, Kurt. If this is all you've got to argue about, things must be pretty good. 

RAY: Here's the story. Speaking from a purely economic point of view -- how you spend the least amount of money on cars -- you're more correct than she is. If you buy an old car, which has already taken the bulk of its depreciation hit, and then drive it into the ground, you will spend the least. 

TOM: We actually wrote a pamphlet about this very subject, called "How to Buy a Great Used Car: What Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." In it, we lay out several money-saving used-car strategies, and we prove mathematically that the "heap strategy"is the cheapest.  

RAY: Of course, there ARE downsides to the "heap" approach, Kurt. The biggest one is reliability. While the repair costs on a jalopy will never add up to the costs of new-car payments, breakdowns can be inconvenient and, in some cases, unsafe.  

So this strategy isn't for everybody -- your wife, for one, apparently. 

TOM: So another strategy we lay out in our pamphlet is to buy a car that's 2 or 3 years old. The ownership costs still come in way below those of a new car, but you get an almost-new car that's very reliable. Other advantages include getting most of the newest safety features, having a car that doesn't smell like someone else's b.o. yet and possibly getting some time left on a factory warranty. That's the strategy for your wife. 

RAY: And you guys just happen to be perfectly compatible. Let your wife buy a 2- or 3-year-old car and drive it for two or three years, and then she can sell it to you! 

TOM: Then you can drive it into the ground, and everybody's happy. You guys were made for each other, Kurt!  

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Auto repairs can be costly! Save money by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" Send $3 (check or money order) and a stamped (57 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. 

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Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web. 

(c) 2001 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman 

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. 

CLICK AND CLACK TALK CARS 

THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING CLICKS  

BY TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I have a 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse, and about two months ago I noticed a ticking noise coming from underneath the hood. I took it in to a mechanic, and he said my valve lifters were going out and I needed to replace them. I didn't have the $500, so I haven't done it yet. However, two weeks ago I noticed that the noise has disappeared. Does that mean my lifters have gone out completely? Is my car going to die on me? How much longer do I have? -- Rossanna 

TOM: Only your doctor can tell you how much longer you have, Rossanna. But your car is just fine. 

RAY: My guess is that one of two things was causing the ticking noise. It could have been a valve lifter. The valve lifters are responsible for keeping the valves properly adjusted by taking up the slack in the valve train. And they work by getting filled up with oil, which is under pressure from the oil pump. 

TOM: So it's possible that one or more of your lifters was not getting filled with enough oil. And when they're not working, what you hear is the clicking and clacking of the valves. Why they eventually got filled up with oil again, I don't know. Maybe there was a piece of debris in the way that finally got dislodged. But in any case, they're now working again, and all's right with the world. 

RAY: The more likely possibility, in my opinion, is that one of your valves got stuck. That would also cause a tapping noise that would be indistinguishable from the noise of a faulty valve lifter. And a stuck valve can get "unstuck" by itself, too. 

TOM: And in either case, your car is fine and there's nothing you need to do. As long as it's not making any noise now, I would forget about it entirely. Just change your oil and filter every 5,000 miles or so, and forget you ever wrote to us, Rossanna. 

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Don't get stuck with a lemon. Read Tom and Ray's guide "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." Send $3 (check or money order) and a stamped (57 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Used Car, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. 

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Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web. 

(c) 2001 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman 

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.