The Best of Car Talk - #2555: Tell the Truth

Episode Date: July 12, 2025

Judith is in possession of a machine that can determine when a person is lying just by measuring intonations in the voice. This is a mechanic's worst nightmare. Will Click and Clack pass the test, or can they find a way to deceive this devious device? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As AI permeates every aspect of our lives, who are the people behind this huge inflection point? What keeps them up at night? I fear that what it means to be human may suddenly not be our own. We've got a special series from NPR's TED Radio Hour. It's called The Prophets of Technology. What they got right, wrong, and where these pioneers think we're headed next. Listen to the TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, before we get to this week's show, we're working on something new for NPR

Plus supporters. They're pulling me out of mothballs to answer some of your car questions. So if you have a car question you'd like to ask me, I'll give you a number and you can call in a moment. And just like the old days, our extremely lazy producers will eventually listen to the messages, pick a few callers from me, we'll set up a time to talk, and I'll screw up the answers just like the old days. NPR Plus supporters will find these occasional, and I do mean occasional episodes, in their NPR Plus car talk feed.

So if you have a car question, here's the number, it's 888-522-5478. That's 888-522-5478. That's 888-522-5478. Now here's the show. Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers, and we're broadcasting this week from the NPR Cafe here at Car Talk Plaza. Yeah, that was a good idea. You may remember a couple of weeks ago, a listener named Mike, I think, wrote to us to suggest that we open a theme restaurant called the NPR Cafe, and he had several suggestions

for items that might be on the menu. You remember the idea was that all the food was free, but every 10 minutes the waiters and waitresses would come over and badger you for a donation. Well, two of my favorites, the only two that he had on his list were the Nina Totenburger and the Silvia Paggiolli Ravioli. Well, we got some other suggestions. Evidently, most of these came in through the website. OK. I'm sure there'll be some beauties.

Let's hear them. There they are. Noah Adams Ribs. I like it. Tom and Ray Souffle. Carrots and Kila Lime Pie. Ke-Lime Pie. I don't even know.

And the pizzas made out of Ira Play-Doh. And the, ah, ah, the Cal Casserole. Oh, the Cal Casserole, oh I love it. I like that one. Then there's this one, the Click and Clack Heart Attack. An open-faced sandwich with pastrami, salami, prosciutto, and corned beef, nicknamed, Click and Clack make you fall on your back and you can have when you have these sandwiches you have to have a coca-cola

diet coca-cola this is good calamar Eliason Calamara Eliason That's thinking man people that you think people are just sitting there Well, nothing to do without responding. This is radio, but it's not that people are just listening. It's not one way man Oh, this is interactive radio. There you go Man, you can't say anything without people writing stupid things So if you want to interact with us right now, you can call 1-888-CAR-TALK. That's 888-227-8255. Hello, you're on Car Talk.

Interact, baby! Hi! Hey! Who's this? This is Jamie. Hi, Jamie. Jamie! Now you sound like an upbeat, happy individual.

Well, I try to be. I can tell. See, already she's got that smile in her voice that's how'd you do a single huh where you're from Jamie from Green Bay Wisconsin Green Bay who couldn't love those packers right oh yeah you gotta love them you gotta love them yeah gotta love them anyone that can wear a cheese thing on his head is gonna be alright with you you wear one of those cheese things I've gotten some for friends out of state but I

myself don't own one good for you what's going on we have a 95 win star Ford win star and it's creaking in the front when you turn the steering wheel who's we my husband and I how many kids have you got none? And you got a win star. I know who you're trying to do join double ARP Sneak in make them think you're 65 years old Camping and do all kinds of stuff we haul all kinds of stuff around in it. All right. All right. All right besides. It's cute Really? Okay Yeah, I hate to see her husband. Sorry, Jamie. It slipped out. All right, so it's creaking. Yeah. Under what circumstances again does it, does it

creak? Every time you turn the steering wheel Is it worse if you're sitting still? Yes, and also if this will help you at all we took it to the dealer There was a recall on something else and while we had it there we said what do you think it is? Uh-huh, and they suggested tie rods Well, it could be a tie rod end right? well, my first recommendation of course would be the fuel pump relay, but if it isn't that, then it could easily be a tie rod end or a ball joint.

These tie rods on this vehicle, if I'm not mistaken, cannot be lubricated. Neither can the ball joints. It definitely sounds like it's coming from underneath the car. Yeah. Oh yeah. What happens is once the grease escapes or if there wasn't enough grease put in at the factory eventually water gets in there and rusting takes place in that little ball and socket joint that's either the tie rod or the ball joint there will be a little same

uh... yeah and that's not good you can't that they did you look at coming find it. They couldn't do anything Well, we didn't have them mess with it. We took it to a mechanic who we trust he replaced the right Tie rod end it didn't help at all But he said while he had it up on the lift he turned the steering wheel and he didn't hear anything at all Well, you wouldn't hear all the live. He took the load off the suspension, right? What he's going to do is put it on the ground. Crawl underneath. With a stethoscope.

And he can put that on the ball joints and this thing has inner tie rod ends too. And I'm sure he replaced an outer. And he can have you turn the wheel and reproduce the noise and he's going to in two minutes he's going to figure out exactly where it's coming from. And when he gets the spot that's making the noise it'll be so loud there'll be no mistaking where the noise is coming from and when he gets the spot that's making the noise it'll be so loud there'll be no mistaking where the noise is coming from. Or he can use the time-ordered mechanics principle of replace everything. He did actually he did replace the tie rod end. Yeah that hardly qualifies as everything this guy's way

too honest. Yeah well after that he said well it must be in the rack and there's nothing I can do for it and you have to wait till it gets really really bad. I don't think it's in the rack. You don't think it's in the rack? No. Neither one of us thinks it's in the rack. Racks don't make a noise like that. But ball joints and tie rod ends do. Okay, so it could be inner or outer tie rod end or ball joint.

Yeah, correct. Okay, thanks so much. Alright, good luck. And don't let this go. Okay, I'll take it seriously. It's sort of important. Thanks a lot. Bye bye.

Bye. 1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 1-888-227-8255. You know what we just did there? We actually gave a caller a semi-useful piece of information. It just slipped past me. I didn't even realize that until you mentioned, you know, what we just did and it struck me. Dougie, call UPI. Call everybody. and it struck me call you p i a call it call everybody that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that callers here that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that we want that that that that that that that that that that that that that

the numbers eight eight eight car talk that's eight eight eight to two seven eight two five five hello you're on car talk The number is 888-CAR-TALK, that's 888-227-8255. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Mike Fineout. I'm in Cedar City, California. Hi, Mike. Where's that? Well, that's right next to Palm Springs.

No kidding. Yeah. Oh, sounds like a nice place. Well, it's about 110 today. Palm Springs. Sounds like a nice place to me. 110 is good. 110.

Is that Celsius? Yeah. Wow. So what's up, Mike? Well, I've got a 72 Buick Riviera. Is the 72 the one with that V-shaped back? Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Torpedo back. That's it. Torpedo. That's what they call it. Boat tail. Boat tail rear end. Yeah. But I've had a problem. I blew an air conditioning hose and I went to see about getting the air conditioning fixed and the Freon now is up to $42 a pound. Oh yeah. And climbing. Oh, it's just, I don't know what to do. Yeah. For something that was $5 a few months back and now it's gone up to $42 a pound.

Yeah, it should have stocked up. The thought was that I could possibly drive about two hours to Mexico, and maybe have it recharged down there for a fraction of the cost that it would cost here. But I've heard that some of the Freon you might be getting in Mexico might not be up to standard.

Wow. Well, first of all, you're just interested in having it fixed and saving on the cost of the recharge. Yes. How many pounds does this thing hold? About four pounds? Five pounds? It's about four pounds.

Yeah. And I've had, quote here, the cheapest I've had it is about 225 for the freon, and then they want to, of course, fix the hose for another 70 or 80 dollars. So it's 300 bucks. Pretty expensive proposition for just a leaky freon. All right, so let me see. Now you can drive to Mexico.

For 250. For about 100 dollars worth of gas, and you have to start lodging. That's $75. Meals, that's another, well meals are cheap. That's another $25. You have to go to a bullfight while you're there. That's another $50 for tickets. Plus the fine from the EPA. That's $1,100. Plus the Ipikak.

Well, if I haven't done in Mexico, I wouldn't be violating any... Probably would. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. Well, I don't think so. I mean, the... I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don in Mexico, I wouldn't be violating any... Probably would. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. Well, I don't think so. I mean, you're allowed to use R-12 refrigerant here. You just have to pay a lot for it.

Yes. So the fact of the matter is, if you're going to have it put in in Mexico, you have no freon in the system now. So the Mexicans aren't going to evacuate your system and let it escape into the ozone layer. You already did that. Yes. Okay. So that's already happened. system now, so the Mexicans aren't going to evacuate your system and let it escape into the ozone layer. You already did that. Yes. Okay, so that's already happened.

You're going to replace the hose first, obviously. I would probably do that up here. Yes, that is to be done here. Do you have a Mexican mechanic? No, I don't. I'll tell you, I've been to Mexico many times, and I don't recall ever, ever seeing an air conditioned cab. I don't want ever, ever seeing an air-conditioned cab. I don't want to burst your bubble or anything. I've ridden a lot of taxi cabs in Mexico, I mean,

dozens of times and none of them has ever been air-conditioned. I don't think they have air conditioning in Mexico. Oh dear. Oh, bro. I guess I'll have to start saving my pennies then. Well, I would buy the hose and put it on and take a ride to Mexico. Sure. And if you happen, if you're sitting in a little cafe somewhere, drinking a tea... And someone comes up to you and says, I want to buy some freon powder.

Exactly. Then I would go for it. Somebody said that it was one of the most smuggled items in existence. Well, alternatively, I was going to suggest to you that you have the system. Obviously, you're going to keep this car forever. You've almost done that already. Yes. I would consider having the thing retrofitted to 134A, the new refrigerant.

That would be a one-time expense. Yeah, it's about $700. Yeah, but so what? I just did the account with the fire from the p a all but the five seventy five already i had to ask the tablets uh... the the insurance enough to pay the legal liability of a kai kappa fourteen twenty five

you can save about seven hundred bucks mike yeah with the retro with the retrofit and you have to worry about it for a while at least. That's true. Yeah, I think I'd go with the retrofit. Mike's not gonna do it. No, he's going to Mexico. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. Well, I'll send you a postcard. Okay, adios. Hasta la vista. Okay, thank you. Bye, Mike. See, now here's another guy.

He's going. He's got the suitcase back. He's calling from the cell phone now. He's on his way. He's going. He's got the suitcase back. He's calling from the cell phone now. He's on his way. He's on his way. What do you think? Good idea? Sure.

Yeah, sure. I'll retrofit this baby as soon as I get back from Fiawana. From Mexico. Hey, we've got more calls coming up right after this, so don't go anywhere. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE, you can send, spend, or receive money across borders, all at a fair exchange rate, no markups or hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit WISE.com. T's and C's apply.

Grab a snack, make the bet, check your mail, or catch up on the latest news Hey everybody, it's Ian from How to Do Everything. every day. Listen now to the NPR News Now podcast. Our next season is launching in just a few months, so get us your questions now by emailing howto at npr.org or calling 1-800-424-2935. After devastating floods, a painstaking process of searching for loved ones and coming together, we are on the ground in Texas. And a growing challenge for public health, rising skepticism in vaccines, and Trump administration changes to vaccine policy. How do pediatricians talk to parents? Listen to Consider This on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, we're back. You're listening to Car Talk with us, click and clack the Tappet Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, car repair and the Puzzler watch. Oh, Puzzler watch! The Puzzler watch is on. The lookouts are there.

Yeah. Oh, it's not something you wear on your wrist. No, no. No, no. The sailors are in the crow's nests. Yeah. And anything? And they're found? No? Well, this strange correspondence, email correspondence. Dear Tom and Ray, the puzzler has asked me to give you this message. He's leaving you to accept a better offer with Will Shortz. He's tired of the crummy material you give him and the way you make fun of him. Will Shortz has promised not only to give him better material, but to help syndicate him.

Plus, no offense to NPR, but the glamour of the New York Times far exceeds the glamour of you two guys, if indeed glamour is an appropriate word to use in connection with Click and Clack. These were the puzzler's words, not mine, according to whoever said this letter. Tony Staley. Wait, there's more. Oh, I'm going. I'm on page two, like Paul Harvey. But the biggest factor in his decision, the puzzler said, was that Will Shortz promised

to introduce him to Lee Ann Hansen and Susan Stamberg. He also hinted that he might not leave you Shortz Hansed if from now on you refer to the puzzler as one of the great mysteries of the modern world. I hope I have been of some service in patching up your misunderstandings. After all, if Hillary could forgive Bill and stay with him, the puzzler shouldn't have too much trouble forgiving you guys and sticking with you, well, maybe not. Wow. So when is the puzzler coming back? I mean, I thought it was this week. Come on, school started, the leaves are changing, football's on TV, the Yankees are playing the Bears.

Next week, next week, give me one more week. All right. Jeez. In the meantime, we'll take your calls at 1-888-CAR-TALK, that's 888... I don't want people's expectations to be too high. The puzzle will be ramping up. You've told us about this theory before. I mean I can start with a zinger. If I had a zinger. Yeah, it'll be the ramp. You've used the ramp theory or strategy I guess you

would call it. Excuse. For the past four or five years now. And it's worked. It's worked. It's worked. And the thing is that no one ever notices that you didn't ramp. That's right. They just noticed that you started off slow and you ended up slow. And stayed slow. Oh, well.

And then once in a while there's like a little blip and you call that the ramp. There's one brilliant puzzle. One brilliant puzzle and that's the ramp. That is, Diego. Yeah. 1-888-227-8255. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, my name is Judith. Hi, Judith.

And I'm from Chicago. Good. You sound pretty proud of it, too. I am very proud, yes. I love the place. Good. Yeah, we used to be proud when our basketball team used to win every year, too. That's right.

Well, this may be the end of that dynasty. We hope so. We're getting sick of it. when our basketball team used to win every year too. That's right. Well, this may be the end of that dynasty. We hope so. We're getting sick of it. Sheesh. Yeah. Lexi, you know the Cubs? Never mind. Those bears, I'm telling you, they've been great.

Oh, yeah, the bears, right. So what's up, Judith? Well, I don't have a car repair question. I have a uh... car repair question i have uh... are requested uh... i'm not i'm a consultant in the voice biometric and one of my client asked me to evaluate a product that is been described as a point lie detector and i've got a look at my phone and i think he's asking people questions

yeah thought that that are really top group would be auto mechanic yeah go ahead go for it i thought you have this device hooked up right now if you're ready to tell which one of us is lying that well okay how have you got the questions all set i could suggest a couple i've got a couple question okay and you can ask each other questions if you want

okay well before we start i want to say i did have a relationship that i want to get that out of the way right now and how we know when when we've been caught in a lie here the beat all of the the beat signifies a lie that's right or it's a good fight something other than the truth by right which would only be what? A lie. Well, it could simply be...

A half-truth. A half-truth and an accuracy of manipulation. Sure. Okay, well, we're ready. You ask us anything you want. Yeah. Oh, you don't want to know. It's a pretty sensitive machine. Okay, Judith. Judith, I can tell you're going to do this fairly and honestly. Oh

Okay, I can tell you're gonna do this fairly and honestly, yes absolutely as as would we Yeah, I like this machine all right, I'm calm now and I'm ready. Alright, go ahead. Have you ever forgotten to put lug nuts on a tire and blamed your brother? Oh, I have forgotten to put lug nuts on a tire and I had no one to blame but myself when the wheel fell off at 60 miles an hour. On his own car? On my own car. It was my own car. Good, you were truthful. I was truthful. Oh, I am always truthful. Oh, shut up! Okay, I'm ready to field the next question. Have you ever exaggerated exaggerated slightly about any problem such as maybe a cracked hose is a blown engine. Can I have my attorney presence?

I have to answer that one for my brother. He did this with his very own son. He got his son to spend 350 bucks on his car by telling him that the hose was going to blow the engine. The poor kid, he was making 60 bucks a week working as a laborer, and my brother managed to squeeze 350 bucks in repair costs. Hey, I had a boat payment. I mean, when a boat payment is due, a boat payment is due. That's right. You can't worry about family relationships. That's right. Yeah. It was a lesson. It was a good lesson for me. Yeah, in fact, the reason I had to clip him is dad canceled his appointment,

and he was supposed to come in. Have you ever put anything on backwards or upside down and then denied it later? Yes. Oh yeah, we deny everything. I like this little machine. Could you send it to us? Uh, well I don't sell it, but I'm gonna give Ken Rogers the information about how to get it. We would love to see this thing. You know, occasionally we get people that call the show that we are convinced have made

up a set of symptoms for the sole purpose of confusing us and confounding us and making us look stupid. Little do they know, they don't have to make anything up to make us look stupid. But it is true. We have on a couple of occasions, many occasions... Had our suspicions. We've had suspicions because the set of circumstances simply didn't hang together. And it would be great to be able to prove that these people are lying. And if you can't send us the whole

machine, just send us that little beeper thing. Right. That's all we need. See you, Judith. Probably a lot cheaper. Thanks for calling, Judith. Thank you. Bye-bye. Voice biometrics. All dangerous stuff. Don't you love it? Yeah.

Whoo. 1-888-CARBEEB. That's 888-227-8255. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, my name is Justin Flattery. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. Hi, Justin. And, well, I've got a little problem with my car.

I've got an 8800 Civic, and it's got about over 156, Georgia. Hi Justin. And well, I've got a little problem with my car. I've got an 88 Honda Civic and it's got about a over a hundred and fifty six thousand miles on it. Yeah. And it's running, it's running good. My dad's a mechanic. He works on it every now and then but the problem is really lying in the engine. It's the car speakers. Every time it rains down here water floods in through the speakers and I really I don't know what to do about it. Floods in through the speakers? Yeah, like when I'm driving, it just starts pouring in through the speakers and if I'm listening to music, it shoots out. I've even been listening to your show before and it just like totally cuts out

and water starts pouring in, my feet get wet, it's embarrassing. Do you listen mostly to Handel's water music? I don't know, I don't know. Where are the speakers mounted? It's in the door. Oh. Yeah, the doors are filling up with water and the water can't get out.

That's easy. I'm trying to figure out where the water's coming in from. I didn't even ask my dad about it. He doesn't even know what to do. The doors can frequently get water in them because where the window comes up is not absolutely tight. Oh, not by any means. So, I mean, in most cars they make an attempt to make that tight so the window rides between these two little pieces of stuff. And there's a little weather strip that touches the glass so it actually acts like a squeegee

when you roll the window up and down. But it ain't foolproof by a long shot. It's not designed to be. And the door is designed to get water in it, but there are holes which allow the water to come out. Yours are plugged. You need to drill some holes. Yeah, they figured we can't keep the water out, so it would be good if we arranged to have the water go out when it comes in.

So those little holes are designed to allow the water to exit, and the backup system is the speaker. So where should I drill a hole that? Oh, right in the side of the door. It's 10 years old, what do you care? Where should I drill a hole that? Oh, right in the side of the door. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha back. Okay. You'll see what used to be the holes because they'll be sort of all, they'll be round. Okay. Well, they may not even be round, but you might be able to poke around. I don't know what they look like, what the door drain holes look like in an 88 Civic. I can't recall ever contemplating them. No. But if you can't find anything, you can drill

a couple of holes with an electric drill. Yeah. Okay. It won't hurt anything. There's nothing down there to hurt. I can trust you guys, right? Where's the machine? Beep! Yes, you can beep! I was waiting for a little beep there. We've done this many times.

Beep! Yeah, no, you can trust us on this. Okay. Drill some big holes. Don't worry about it. It'll be fun. Okay. See you, Justin.

All right, thanks a lot. Hey, good luck, man. Thanks for calling. Hey, no problem. Bye. See you Justin. All right. Thanks a lot. Hey, good luck man. Thanks for calling. Pain of problem. Bye. Bye bye. Okay, we have to pause right now and take a break. Is it time to head over to the NPR cafe for another Nina Totenburger? No, no more burgers until you finish Sharon Green's. Be back in a minute. Fall in love with new music every Friday at All Songs Considered. That's NPR's music recommendation podcast. Fridays are where we spend our whole show sharing all the greatest new releases of the week. Make the hunt for new music a part of your life again. Tap into New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, available wherever you get your podcasts.

On Fridays, the 1A podcast is all about helping you cut through the info fog and get to what's important in the news. Close out the week with us on our Friday News Roundup. Here from reporters who've been embedded with the biggest news of the week. Join us every week for the Friday News Roundup. Listen to the 1A podcast from NPR and WANU. There have been many supermans, supermen, and now after much anticipation, there is another and the new Superman movie is pretty great and it's bringing exactly what we are looking for.

Hope. We'll tell you why on Pop Culture Happy Hour. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you ever look at political headlines and go, huh? Well, that's exactly why the NPR Politics Podcast exists. We're experts not just on politics, but in making politics make sense. Every episode we decode everything that happened in Washington and help you figure out what it all means.

Give politics a chance with the NPR Politics Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. We're back, you're listening to Car Talk with us, click and clack the Tappet Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, car repair, and the new puzzler. Nope, not yet. Fooled you, the used puzzler.

Oh, I see. Now I know the puzzle was supposed to be back today, but I, you. The used puzzler. Oh, I see. Now I know the puzzler was supposed to be back today, but I... Just... I mean, come on, you've put it off week after week after week! We're waiting here! It sneaked up on me! And you, just because you don't feel like it! I did feel like it.

We got 10-12 people sitting out there by their radio saying, Oh boy, the puzzler is back and you say you didn't feel like we got 10 12 people sitting out there by their radio saying oh boy the puzzler is back and use I didn't feel like well no I did feel like it But I thought it would be more tantalizing for people to have to wait another week So for one more week We will attempt to satisfy your puzzle needs at the car talk section of cars.com Where we will challenge you with a puzzler from the great car talk puzzler archives and next week I promise as lousy as it may be that we will launch the fall 98

Puzzler, you know, you know You know, we don't we need we need a puzzler preseason. So like a warm-up warm. In other words, it would be a really lousy puzzler and they won't count and they't count. And the real quarterback won't be in there for most of the game. I like it. And this is even better than ramping up. Better. It's preseason.

I mean, they don't count. Come on. It's preseason. Come on. It's preseason. You don't want anyone to get injured. You don't want the puzzle to be injured in the preseason. No.

I like it. It would be stupid. It would be out for what? The whole season. That's right. So you don't want the puzzle to do anything too daring or dangerous. And you could ramp up later. It's of out for what? The whole season. That's right. So you don't want the Puzzler to do anything too daring or dangerous. And you could ramp up later.

It's off the preseason and then the ramp up and then the excuses. And it'll be June. And then we're gonna have a few injuries and next thing you know the season will be over. It's June. And another disappointing season. Sounds just like the Boston Red Sox. Now, and obviously more than ever, I obviously welcome your Puzzler suggestions. Please send them to the puzzler. You can write to the puzzler at puzzler tower, Car Talk Plaza, Box 3500, Harvard Square, Cambridge, Our Fair City,

MA 22238, or of course you can email them to us from the Car Talk section of cars.com. If you'd like to call us, even if you don't want to call us, the number remains 1-888-CAR-TALK. That's 888-227-8255 hello you're on Car Talk that's Mike Nelson I'm calling from Ann Arbor Michigan. Hi Mike. How are you doing Mike? Good. What's up Mike? Well it's kind of a weird thing uh... a couple weeks ago I went to Seattle with uh... my children my uh... nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son and we were out uh...

at the airport renting a car, and when we got out of the car, my daughter was getting some clothes out of the trunk, we were going to change our clothes, and she kind of hung her blouse down there right by the exhaust pipe right at the time I started the car, and she came running up and said, Daddy, the car sucked up my shirt. Hmm. Yeah. I thought it was weird. She asked me why and I... I mean, did the shirt, like, disappear? It went inside, yeah.

She showed me, you know, I walked out and looked and she said, yeah, it went in there. And... Really? Really? So I, yeah, I revved the engine thinking it might blow it out, but it didn't come out. Doesn't anyone screen these calls? No, it's true. I swear it's true. I believe you, Mike. You're not the kind of guy who would lie.

You had started it up, it sucked the shirt up, and the car continued to run? Yes. So it didn't suck it up when you turn the key off is that could happen no this is not the shirt was down near the if we get this right to show it was somewhere down near the exhaust pipe and you happen to start up the engine and as you started

according to your daughter nine years old and probably has a lot more brains than the one on the and the shirt disappeared by getting sucked into... what does ex-ost mean? It means out from, ex, flattened, out from, away from, not into. Yeah but we're gonna have to think of something good here. Well here's what I thought. Well see here's the curious thing. When you first said it, I could see it happening. I can too.

I can see it happening, and yet it doesn't make any sense. Well there is a... Wait a minute, now hold it. Hold it. Yeah, yeah, we're working on valves. When the engine is cranking, there is a significant amount of what's called valve overlap. Yes. So that there are pistons moving downwards on the intake stroke while the exhaust valve

is still open. Yes indeed. That's right. Okay. So there is vacuum. So when the exhaust stroke has finished, the piston, close your eyes. Imagine this. Imagine a cylinder in which the piston has descended.

Okay. I'm with you on this. Imagine a cylinder in which the piston has descended on the power stroke and now it is coming up and it is pushing the exhaust gas out of the open exhaust valve. Exhaust gas is wafting out the tailpipe. However, in order to be ready for the new charge to come in, the intake valve has to open before that piston has reached what's called top dead center so while the exhaust valve is still open the intake valve opens up okay and now the piston is moving down and the exhaust valve is still

open a little bit and it's closing it is all my brothers get that look in his face it's closing because you need time to get all that stuff and it's possible to have a little negative pressure in the exhaust system Don't start laughing. You're ruining the whole mood Credibility destroyer man. You can't go laughing You think they laughed at Einstein? It sounded good for a while.

It sounded good for a while. Where did I go wrong? What happened? I can tell you. You can tell me? Yeah, you said a little. A little? The word was a little.

Yeah, that was it. I mean, I was trying to visualize an entire shirt. Well, I can't do the whole shirt. It must have been... Well, a little kid, nine years old, was a little shirt. That's right. It was a little blouse. I mean I was trying to visualize an entire shirt! Well I can't do the whole shirt! It must have been, well, a little kid, nine years old, it was a little shirt.

That's right, it was a little blouse, yeah. Well, I mean the thing is we have to believe what happened. And we can't say that this is crazy and therefore it didn't happen because we have an eyewitness. This nine year old girl. And I looked all over, I mean, she said no, I went right in there. Yeah, and if we know that it happened then there has to be an answer for why it happened. And I just gave you the answer. And my brother's is as good as any.

As good as you're gonna get. As good as we're gonna get. That must be what happened. Well, I am gonna leave the studio here, and I am going to go right outside and try this. Anyone got a shirt? No, we'll use 20s. Hey Mike, thank you for helping in science, furthering knowledge on the planet. All right, hey thanks a lot, I really appreciate the answer.

By the way, if anyone that uses our website, visits our website, if anyone has a better theory, and I'm sure there'll be about 10,000 better ones, people should email us. Yeah. Or write to us. Cars.com and click on Car talk and and just tell us everything Tell us everything that we don't know and I want answers from physics professor. No forget no answer automotive engineers Yeah, real guys. Yeah, we want the real guy or muffler experts guys from work at Midas And don't forget this guy Mike is from Ann Arbor, which is only a stone's throw from the world's automotive center, right?

So I'm sure that people will be coming to your door to give you the answer. Cleveland. See you, Mike. Hey, thanks a lot. Sucked up the shirt? Okay, we're going to try it as soon as we leave. We are. You get changed for 20?

Well, it's happened again. You've eviscerated another perfectly good hour listening to Car Talk. Our esteemed producer is Doug, not a slave to fashion, Berman. Our associate producer and dean of the College of Automusicology is Ken Ed Grimley Rogers. Our assistant producer is Catherine Imelda Ray Marcos and our engineer is Dennis Foley. We don't have anything bad to say about Dennis. Dennis is perfect. We will. Dennis with his finger in his nose Foley. Our technical spiritual and menu advisor is Mr. John Bugsy Lawler.

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