The Wisdom of Car Maintenance: A Guide to Troubleshooting Common Issues

When it comes to car maintenance, there are several common issues that can arise, and understanding how to troubleshoot them is crucial to saving money and avoiding unnecessary repairs. One such issue is a vehicle's tendency to pull to one side, which can be caused by a variety of factors, including worn-out tires, bent rims, or alignment problems.

If you're experiencing this problem, don't immediately assume that you need an expensive realignment job. Instead, consider the following options. For instance, if you want to be on the cheap side, you can try replacing just one new tire on the front axle and see what happens. If the vehicle no longer pulls, it's likely that the worn-out tire was causing the issue, making this a cost-effective solution. Similarly, if you have a Honda Odyssey van, which is no longer being produced after 2022, consider checking the transmission for any issues. If it's not functioning properly, especially when accelerating, it may be time to replace it.

When it comes to air conditioning (AC) compressors, there are several options available, but one that stands out is the purchase of a brand-new compressor from a reputable supplier. In particular, Chinese-made compressors have been found to work quite well, and many experts swear by these models. However, there's an important caveat: never buy a rebuilt AC compressor, as they tend to be unreliable and can break down soon after installation.

For those who own a Dodge Caravan from 2000, finding a quality manufacturer for AC condenser or compressors can be a challenge. Unfortunately, most of the products available in the market are made in China, which may not meet expectations. As such, it's recommended to stick with brand-new compressors, even if they're more expensive. After all, rebuilding an air conditioner is a complex process that requires specialized skills and equipment.

In some cases, other issues can cause a vehicle to shake or rattle at low speeds. For example, the tires may be worn out or out of balance, which can lead to vibrations that are felt when driving. In such instances, it's essential to have the tires checked first before jumping to conclusions about other potential problems.

If you're experiencing issues with your vehicle and want to get to the bottom of them, there are several steps you can take. First, check the tires for any signs of wear or damage. If they appear to be in good condition, consider having a professional mechanic inspect the suspension system to rule out any issues with the ball joints, tie rods, or other components.

In conclusion, car maintenance is an essential part of owning and operating a vehicle, and being aware of common issues can help you save money and avoid unnecessary repairs. By following the tips and advice outlined in this article, you'll be better equipped to diagnose and fix problems before they become major headaches. Remember to always prioritize your safety and the reliability of your vehicle by investing in quality parts and working with trusted mechanics.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines today i'm going to talk about the one honda i wouldn't buy the honda odyssey van now honda generally makes excellent engines they make excellent small cars but their vans not so much and i know you might say scotty they sell a lot of vans chrysler sold a whole bunch of dodge caravans and plymouth voyagers and they were rolling piles of crap but they had a lot of cup holders for the soccer moms so they liked them now on the positive side most honda odyssey vans are not rolling piles of junk like the chrysler minivans were but as of 2022 honda's no longer going to be making honda artist events and it says something they got a big v6 engine lots of power but unlike their chief competitor the toyota sienna van they do not run virtually forever without problems throughout history honda odyssey vans have some real serious problems we'll begin with the most serious the automatic transmission now these are powerful v6 engines but they're hooked up to a rather poorly made automatic transmission matter of fact they were so bad that honda had to replace thousands of them free for their customers extended the warranty period i had quite a few customers with them that did get free transmissions put in but i've had even more customers with them that didn't get them fix free they said oh they're too many miles without a warranty they knew they built them wrong they would just break up internally bad automatic transmission the newer ones are better than the older ones to some extent yes with the history of problems like that if you compare them to a toyota sienna that historically has almost no transmission failures at all it would make no sense to buy one of these instead of a toyota sienna now granted a base odyssey is about 2500 bucks less than a toyota sienna 32 000 versus 34.5 whatever but the toyota is so much better made and it's going to last so much longer you would be a fool to buy a honda odyssey van brand new but it's not just the transmission for quite a few years they had problems with the back camshaft inside the engine on this v6 engine something about the thrust washer something was wrong and the cam started wobbling back and forth you got to rebuild the engine for that cost an awful lot of money hardly anybody knows how to rebuild them correctly these days you want a vehicle like that or do you want a toyota sienna that has a v6 engine that's virtually indestructible this is a 2014 it's still got a rubber timing belt old technology now seven years before this 2014 honda odyssey was made seven whole years before toyota switched their v6 engine from a timing belt to a metal timing chain they didn't update it fast enough and realized this in 2020 these things still had timing belts and they are interference engines the bell breaks the valves at the pistons you have to change the belt regularly if you don't you will destroy the engine but i guess their theory is well we're not going to be making them after 2022 so why redesign everything bad move honda basically as i said earlier honda makes great smaller cars they're not a big car company van's a big vehicle and these odysseys have too many historical problems when there's something like a toyota sienna van competing against it they get blown out of the water by anybody who really understands how things last how long they'll go sure they got a lot of comforts there's no arguing that and they actually ride better than the toyota vans but they do not hold up like this particular one was recently purchased as a used vehicle only has a hundred thousand miles on it and so far it served its owners well so they got the original engine and transmission but you're not going to get hundreds of thousands of miles of trouble free driving out of an odyssey like you would with a sienna so if you're buying a new one pay 2 500 bucks less than a sienna and you're the type of person that's happy spending that kind of money and getting a hundred thousand trouble free miles driving out of a vehicle you'll probably be completely content now this one's in here just for an inspection he gets shaking and pulling when he's going 60. so let's check the front end now realize that the first positively first thing you do if you got shaking or pulling check the tire pressure of all tires this one's 34.0 let's check the left front that's 33.0 it don't make that much difference but we'll put another psi in just to make it even now we'll check the left rear 34.0 and the right rear 35.0 so we'll let a pound out that's 34. no one pound too high in the back one pound too low on the front that's not really going to affect anything let's jack it up look at the tires in suspension now we'll put the emergency brake on and put it in neutral so we can spin the tires now we can spin them and examine them first thing we're going to do is look for lumps looks pretty straightforward i don't see any out around this and the tread itself looks decent worn but not overly worn it's a continental eco plus so let's go to the other side and bring our mask around we go these are a different type of tire you always want the same tire on each side they're not worn i don't see any particular lumps and when i spin it here i don't see it being out around on the side but you can see the outside here is somewhat badly worn i would change both tires with the same brand you can even see here a little chunks coming out of the tire this is a two-wheel drive van so you can get away with buying just front tires i would buy two new front tires and get them balanced and that will solve the guy's problem there's nowhere on the front end when i pull on the tires they don't pull one way or the other but with the new tires i would also suggest a front end alignment because the little bit of pulling is probably because it's out of alignment doesn't surprise me because i can see a lot of hits on the rim you hit things you're going to bend the alignment but if you want to be on the cheap side put two new tires on the front and see what happens if it no longer pulls that means that this worn out tire was making it pull which would make total sense because it's pulling to the right and this is the worn out tire that's not the same as the other tire so that makes total sense it would pull to the bad tire so maybe just the front tire a couple of front tires you wouldn't even need it aligned road test it if it doesn't pull anymore it doesn't need an alignment why throw away money if you don't have to but still i would not buy a honda odyssey van and after 2022 you won't be able to because they're not going to make them anymore you listen to me you probably won't buy one but at least now you know what to look for let's say you're looking at one that's few years old if the transmission checks or it shutters when you accelerate don't buy it that means the transmission is going out this one's working perfectly fine somewhat newer one it's not a really old one but the fact they're still using rubber timing belts on an interference engine it's kind of dumb if you ask me and here's some bonus questions and answers like joseph says are there any quality manufacturer of ac condenser or compressors for a dodge caravan 2000 all the stuff i see is chinese as a result i only get a year out of an ac rebuild can anyone send me in the right direction all right do not buy a rebuilt compressor especially on a chrysler product the new ones are crappy enough so you get a crappy new one that's broken and rebuilt you want to go brand new now you probably won't find any made in the united states most of that stuff isn't made here anymore but you want brand new personally i have bought hundreds of chinese made brand new ac compressors and they all work quite well and again i buy it from a supplier that understands the market he knows which chinese companies make good ones and which ones make crappy ones and really if you look at chrysler gm air conditioning compressors even the factory ones are made in china all the ones i see they were all made in china so you really have a choice but stay the heck away from rebuilt compressors you can watch my video why never to use rebuilt air conditioning compressors you watch that video you'll never buy another rebuilt one you gotta go new on that you can't try a rebuilt one because they're junky enough to begin with and when you have a broken one that's in quotation marks rebuilt they won't last long half the parts inside those things are made out of plastic and they won't last they just they don't rebuild well either because they're just replacing plastic parts and some of the plastic parts don't you say oh that looks okay we'll reuse that don't go rebuilt get only new holly says my 2013 honda crv is shaking all the time has a shaking problem at 25 to 30 miles an hour i bought it with 90 000 miles what could be wrong you say 25 to 30. that's pretty low speed if it's shaking at that low speed first thing have a god check the tires odds are you have one or more bad tires 25 miles an hour is pretty slow and if it's shaking then the tires are probably shot now even if they're out of balance the vehicle isn't going to generally shake till you get at higher speeds than that but if it's shaking at 25 you got a bent rim or the tires are so worn that the lump lump lump i mean if you want to check it yourself jack it up in the air and spin the tires you spin them and you see lump loam plump you know the tires are out around it's time for new tires shack of the tires you said you just bought it who knows what kind of tires are on it what kind of shape they're in have the tires checked first now if it's not the tires yeah i haven't checked the suspension you got a bad ball joint a tie rod and a tire shake when you jack it up and pull it and they rattle back and forth you got to fix that first 25 miles an hour that's pretty slow i'm assuming you got bad tires or a massive front end problem like a ball joint that's ready to fall off or a tie rod that's so loose that you jack it up and you pull the tire and it goes clog clunk it's got to be something pretty serious to shake at that low speed so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"