**Changing the Starter: A Double-Edged Sword**

If the battery is changed and the starter starts smoking, it's natural to wonder if it's worth changing the starter at all. On one hand, getting the car running again means that the owner won't be left with a non-functional vehicle on their hands. The cost of repairing or replacing a part can be significant, especially if the starter is faulty and needs to be replaced entirely. However, if the starter is changed and it gets the car running, then what's the point? It seems like a waste of time and money.

A better approach might be to try and turn the engine over before deciding whether or not to change the starter. This can be done using an extension bar with a socket that fits on the front of the engine, specifically the crank bolt. If it's possible to turn the engine over two times (720 degrees), this can help determine if the engine is locked up and can't be turned at all. If the engine does lock up and won't budge, then there's no point in trying to fix the starter.

In this case, the owner should consider getting a new battery or seeking professional assistance. Trying to force an already faulty starter might cause more damage than good, leading to further complications and higher costs down the line.

**Synthetic Oil: A Matter of Turbocharged Engines**

When it comes to synthetic oil, there's often confusion about which type is best for different vehicles. In general, 0W-20 oil is considered better suited for average turbocharged engines, as it provides a good balance between lubrication and fuel efficiency. However, this may not be the case for all turbocharged vehicles.

For example, if you have a Honda 1.5-liter turbocharged GDI engine that's experiencing oil dilution, switching to 0W-16 synthetic oil might be necessary. This type of oil is specifically designed to prevent oil dilution and related problems. However, for most other cars, 0W-20 remains the recommended choice.

It's worth noting that newer oils are being developed under the GF6 classification, which has replaced earlier standards. The difference lies in the specific properties and formulation of these new oils, making them better suited for certain vehicles or driving conditions.

**The Mitsubishi Outlander: A Family Car to Consider**

When it comes to family cars, there's often debate about reliability and durability. In this case, the Mitsubishi Outlander is a brand that's often viewed with skepticism in the United States. Parts are reportedly expensive, and owners have reported issues with engine failure at relatively low mileage (130-140 thousand miles).

However, if you're willing to take on the potential risks and challenges associated with owning a Mitsubishi vehicle, it might still be a viable option for your family's needs. The key is to approach purchasing a used or new Outlander with an open mind and a willingness to accept the possibility of future problems.

It's also worth considering that many owners have reported being extremely happy with their Outlanders up until around 140-150 thousand miles, at which point they begin to experience issues. If you're willing to take on the potential risks and invest in regular maintenance and repairs, an Outlander might still be a good choice for your family.

**Idle RPMs and Engine Performance**

When it comes to engine performance, there's often confusion about what might cause idle RPMs to fluctuate or "go up and down" at certain times. In general, this issue is most noticeable in cold weather conditions, when the engine needs an extra amount of fuel to get going.

In some cases, this can be caused by issues with the throttle position sensor or vacuum leaks. However, if the problem goes away after a short time (15 seconds), it's likely that there's nothing to worry about.

It's worth noting that engines are complex systems with many moving parts and variables at play. In this case, the fluctuations in idle RPMs might be caused by an issue with the engine computer or sensor data, rather than any fundamental problem with the engine itself. If you're not experiencing problems beyond a short duration, it may be best to leave well enough alone.

**New Car Repair Videos**

Finally, when it comes to staying up-to-date on the latest car repair techniques and tips, there's no better resource than watching new videos from experienced mechanics like Scotty. Whether you're looking for advice on how to diagnose common problems or learn about the best practices for maintaining your vehicle, Scotty's got you covered.

Remember to ring that bell every time you watch one of his new car repair videos – it might just save you a fortune in the long run!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines all right today i'm going to show you a very common problem a bad tensioner for your drive belt we used to call them fan belts but now you call them drive belts now times have changed they're almost all automatic tensioners back in the day fan belts wore you had to adjust the alternators tighten them up tighten the power steering pump so the belts wouldn't squeal they wear they stretch they start squealing they don't wear right so they came up with automatic tensioners quite some time ago the spring loaded and they automatically adjust the tension on the belt now from a purely engineering standpoint they're better designed because with the old belt you had to be a pro mechanic like me because if you got them too loose they'd squeal but if you got them too tight it would burn the bearings out so you could burn out your air conditioner bearing you could burn out your water pump bearing because you get them too tight there's too much stress the automatic tensions of their hand are exactly automatic they're designed by engineers they have the right amount of tension so you don't really have to think about anything and it won't prematurely wear out parts and i do have to say fixing cars the last 53 years when i started going to these automatic tensioners i had to replace less water pumps less air conditioning compressors less power steering pumps but there's one downside to the system eventually the automatic tensioners break down and you got to replace them so that's what we're going to do on this toyota because it makes some noise when it's cold because it's just worn out they just lose some of their tension the bearings wear out over time now my customer here he brought two tensioners because he didn't know which one he was gonna use well guess what this one was made in japan so we're going with the one made in japan you're much better it's gonna last a really long time i've seen people buy the cheap ones at autozone o'reilly you name it and often they don't tighten the right they squeal from the get-go or they make noise because the spring isn't correct so it rattles or after a year or six months or whatever they break and you got to do the job over again so get the right one if you're gonna replace it don't go too cheap after all the original one on this lasted 14 years so if you get 14 years out of this you can't complain now there's no working room on these things so we're going to jack the car uh put a jack stand under there take the tire off so we can access it better so i'll take the wheel off take the stupid little cover off there's the main belt then we take the inner fender liner out or at least get it out of the way this is the design you need a serpentine belt tool so you can get it off there's no working room in there when you put the tool on here it's 14 millimeter you turn it counterclockwise and then the belt comes off now you got to get the tensioner off and in this case if you study it closely you'll see it's behind the air conditioning compressor so we got to move that out of the way too curse the evil swine engineers just trying to save space and using one bolt for two things so we got all this plastic crap off we got a 14 millimeter and we gotta on bolt air conditioning compressor and get it out of the way so after i'm bolting half of the car taking the alternator out of the way moving the air conditioner we're gonna try to get to the bolts at the bottom now i can see why the toyota dealer is gonna charge in 1200 bucks to do this job it's a royal pain in the rear end it's real easy on a four-cylinder one but not on the v6s what seemed like endless swearing and taking parts off here's the old one one two three four five bolts two three four five it looks exactly the same so now we gotta put it back together again find it in the front then bolt it on and before we finish it we're gonna put the belt on it's got a new fan belt and of course who knows where it goes you might wanna take a picture of it but i got all data so i just look it up on my phone there it is shows you where the belt goes take a picture beforehand or look it up on the internet we put all the plastic back and the wheels while the wheels on it's ready to go what a pain in the butt just for a tensioner and here's some bonus questions and answers tom vanderloop says i want to buy an audi a3 1.4 tfsi in 2010. this is a good car do you have advice i love how it looks well you live in europe obviously yeah you love how it looks well if you owned one you probably wouldn't love how they break down regularly too and are super expensive to fix i would not buy that audi makes very good looking cars kind of like chrysler always has chrysler's always made good looking cars it broke down all the time audi is even worse theirs cost a lot more to fix and they break down even more than the chrysler's did you value your money don't buy unless you really like the way it looks and then park it in your front lawn and use it as a lawn ornament mark vegas says greetings scottish from l.a is it true it's a good time to sell a car but a bad time to buy a car it certainly is people say man i got offered all this money for my used car i said yeah but you need a car and they say yeah well you're gonna have to buy another one you're gonna end up paying too much for that so keep what you have don't waste your time but on the other hand let's say you're going somewhere to europe for a couple of years or somebody's joining the army of the navy or whatever now's a great time to sell a car if you don't have to replace it or let's say you got three or four cars and you only need one or two sell the extra ones now and you can get some really good money for it especially in la la land everybody's looking for cars out there gc says is a mercedes e230 straight six 1993 reliable well it was very reliable when it was new but that was what 29 years ago today probably not too reliable car that old mercedes-benz parts cost a small fortune and now back in the day 93 mercedes made excellent vehicles that could run a really long time and of course it depends on the mileage if somebody's drove a heck out of it's got 500 000 miles on it how much life is left no one knows but they were better made back in the day there's no arguing that back in 93 that soccer was made in deutschland it wasn't made in alabama or some places made in germany and they built better cars there even today the german made ones are better jam says scotty a buddy's giving me a 2013 hyundai velostar it wasn't started so he changed the battery and the starter started smoking is it worth it to change the starter it depends now you're getting it for nothing and if changing the starter gets it to run what the heck it's a free car right they should have started smoking the first thing you want to do is this and it'll save you from a whole bunch of grief get a long extension bar three feet or longer with a socket that fits on the front of the engine on the front crank bolt see if you can turn the engine over two times so that's 720 degrees if you can't turn it or it turns a little and it goes clunk and you can't turn it the engine's locked up don't even bother with picking the thing up the engine's junk if your engine's locked up and you turn the key to the starter and the starter's turning against the lock-up engine it's just going to go and then it'll start smoking because it's getting so hot because it can't turn a locked up engine be like trying to push a 50 ton boulder it's not gonna move but whatever's trying to push it is gonna start overheating so try that first if you can spin it around sure try a starter but if you can't turn it around twice it locks up engine shot don't even waste your time with that thing freddie redmond said is the new 0w16 synthetic oil better than the 0w20 snake oil for turbocharged and gents engineers design cars for a certain weight oil and they do it for a reason turbocharges of all the spinning and extra pressure thrown into the engine you're better with the zero w20 oil for the average turbocharged vehicle but this is a pretty big butt let's say you got one of those honda 1.5 liter turbocharged gdi engines it was getting oil dilution in that case i would switch it to a 0 16 because that's made especially to stop oil dilution and problems but still most other cars if your call for 0 20 you don't use 0 16. you use 0 20. the new oils are called gf6 but the zero w16 is a special kind of g6 oil older cars like zero 20 they still can use gf6 oil but it'll say 0 20 it won't say 0 16 and that's what you'd want to use michael ramirez says scotty what do you think of a mitsubishi outlander as a family car i'm not a mitsubishi fan in the united states parts are expensive people don't know how to fix it and generally they fall apart as they age i've had customers buy them and they loved them until they got 130 140 and then either the engine or the or both went out and i said oh man i'll never buy another one of these things if you're the type of person who will buy something like that brand new when you're happy with 140 000 miles go ahead and buy one you might be real happy with it but it's not going to last like a toyota on and go three four five hundred thousand miles or more they just don't have the quality mr two says scotty when i start my engine on a really cold morning rpms go up and down slightly at idle lasts about 15 seconds what could be the reason behind it when it's really cold your engine has to get an extra amount of fuel if it's really cold the computers sometimes especially if you've got mileage on the vehicle they get confused a little bit too much fuel but then they see that's too much and they cut it down and then it goes too low and then they cut it up but realize that they're computers right they can do thousands of calculations a second some of them can do millions of calculations a second the cars aren't that complicated so the most they can do are generally thousands of calculations a second but that's still a lot so that makes it go up and down a little bit after 15 seconds if it goes back to normal i personally would live with it i mean you could clean the throttle look for vacuum leaks and stuff like that but if it goes away after 15 seconds probably more than just old age and it's trying to equilibrate and if it goes normal after 15 seconds and it always starts heck i'd live with it especially if you find the summer it doesn't do it at all you'd have a heck of a time pinpointing the either software problem or sensor problem that was giving a little bit wrong data for something that only does it for 15 seconds it would be finding a needle in a haystack if it only does it when it's really cold so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"