Spiders are Attacking Cars Across America

### Article Based on Video Transcription: Car Maintenance, Repairs, and Tips

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#### Gas Pump Issues in Ford Tacoma

William K shared his experience with a 2005 Ford Tacoma. He mentioned that when filling gas, the pump shuts off every few seconds. The issue arises due to pressure buildup from the fuel being pumped, which causes the nozzle valve to turn off. This problem is often caused by a faulty **EVAP vent valve**, which regulates the pressure in the evaporative emissions control system.

To fix this:

1. Check for blockages or spiders in the **vent holes** inside the gas tank filler neck. Spiders are attracted to the smell of gasoline and may nest in these areas, obstructing airflow. Use a coat hanger wire or other tools to clear debris.

2. Inspect the vent hose connected to the EVAP canister. If it’s blocked or damaged, replace it.

3. Consider replacing the **EVAP vent valve** itself if it’s faulty.

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#### Truck Recommendations: Silverado vs. F-150

When asked about new Ford trucks, Scotty advises against purchasing them due to poor build quality, especially those made in Mexico. He mentions that GM (General Motors) cuts costs, leading to subpar parts and reliability issues. Instead, he recommends the **F-150** for its durability and performance.

Scotty also shared a story about a friend who owns a 2004 GMC HD 2500. This truck was purchased for $140,000 due to its heavy-duty use in air conditioning work. The owner found it reliable but decided on the HD 2500 after having a bad experience with a Chevrolet Silverado, which he described as "terrible."

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#### Maintaining a Nissan Frontier

Geo asked for advice on caring for his 2001 Nissan Frontier with only 80,000 miles. The key takeaway is that this truck is well-made but now 22 years old. To keep it running smoothly:

- Replace **rubber components**, such as fan belts and hoses, if they show signs of cracking.

- Inspect the brakes regularly for leaks or worn-out seals. If issues are spotted, replace the front calipers or rear wheel cylinders.

Nissan trucks are generally reliable, but Geo should be aware that Renaut’s takeover in 2014 has affected the quality of their car lineup, though their trucks remain decent.

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#### Transmission Modes on Toyota Avalon

Andy D asked about the purpose of the “E” button (Electrically Controlled Transmission) on his Toyota Avalon. This button cycles through different driving modes:

- **Economy Mode**: Shifts earlier for better gas mileage but results in less acceleration.

- **Normal Mode**: Balances shifting timing for a good mix of performance and fuel efficiency.

- **Spoiler/Sport Mode**: Shifts later for more power, which improves acceleration but reduces fuel economy.

Once the car reaches highway speeds (around 65–70 mph), the mode doesn’t significantly affect gas mileage, as the engine will maintain steady RPMs. The best balance is found in **Economy Mode** for daily driving and **Sport Mode** for performance enthusiasts.

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#### Iridium Spark Plugs: Worth It?

WBA ATV Repeater debated whether iridium spark plugs are worth their higher cost. Here’s the breakdown:

- Iridium plugs last longer (up to 200,000 miles) and are made of a harder metal that resists wear during combustion. They’re ideal for vehicles like Toyotas, which don’t typically burn oil.

- For older or “clunker” cars with worn-out engines, cheaper spark plugs are sufficient since they’ll likely get clogged anyway due to carbon buildup from burning oil.

In summary, iridium plugs are a good investment if you own a reliable, low-maintenance vehicle that can maximize their lifespan.

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#### Misfiring Cylinder Issues

Edmond Rossi shared his frustration with a persistent misfire on cylinder one in his car. He explained that misfires can be caused by various issues, including:

- **Spark Plugs**: Check for wear or damage.

- **Ignition Coils**: Test by swapping coils to see if the misfire moves.

- **Fuel Injectors**: Swap injectors between cylinders to diagnose the problem.

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, it could be a more serious problem like a faulty head gasket, blown O-ring, or computer malfunction. In such cases, consulting a professional mechanic with diagnostic tools is recommended.

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#### Removing Rusted License Plate Bolts

L shared tips for dealing with rusted license plate bolts:

1. Use **bolt extractor sockets** from an auto parts store to grip and remove the rusted bolt head.

2. If the bolt head is stripped or rusted, grind across it with a small grinder to flatten it, then use a flat screwdriver or chisel to break it loose.

3. Apply Vice Grip pliers for extra grip while turning.

4. If the bolt snaps off, drill a new hole and install a nut and bolt as a replacement.

To prevent rust in the future, use **stainless steel nuts and bolts** or consider plastic fasteners that never rust.

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#### AC Issues in Ford Taurus

Rob Porter discussed an issue with his Ford Taurus where the AC wasn’t blowing cold air. After replacing the compressor, he found that the low-pressure side was hot and the high-pressure side read zero, indicating a failed compressor.

A common mistake is not removing internal “blanks” from rebuilt compressors before installation. Always check for these during repairs. If you suspect a bad compressor, test it with proper gauges to confirm.

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#### Advice for Aspiring Mechanics

Rob offered career advice for young mechanics:

- Focus on **electronics and computer systems**, as modern vehicles are increasingly reliant on them.

- Understand electricity and diagnostic tools, as these skills are in high demand.

- Avoid relying solely on hands-on mechanical skills; electronics will play an even greater role in future vehicle repairs.

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#### Shortbed vs. Longbed F-100s

Braxton asked why shortbed Ford F-100 trucks are more desirable than longbed models. The answer lies in their rarity and appeal:

- Fewer shortbed F-100s were produced, making them a collector’s item.

- They’re often favored for their classic style and nostalgic value, rather than heavy-duty use.

In contrast, longbed trucks were more common as work vehicles, reducing their collectible appeal.

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### Conclusion

This video provided a wealth of practical advice on car maintenance, repairs, and buying decisions. Whether you're dealing with gas pump issues, spark plugs, or choosing the right truck for your needs, these tips can help you save time and money while keeping your vehicle running smoothly.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines william k says my old ford tacoma won't fill up the gas pump shuts out every couple of seconds how do i fix it they have to vent and if they don't vent then all that pressure of your filling with gas and the air rushing out hits the nozzle and turns the valve off you probably need a new evap vent valve the evap canister has a vent valve when you're filling it up it's supposed to vent so the pressure doesn't come back out and knock it off right but also and check this look around where you fill it up inside that hole and you see there's vent holes one vent hole goes to a hose that goes to the evap canister vent valve believe it or not i made videos on this there are some spiders that are attracted to the smell of gasoline because something about gasoline smell in this particular species of spiders they'll make a nest in there if you see a spider nest in there clean it out get a wire coat hanger ram it in or if there's mud or dirt stuck in it the little spiders make a nest and you want to get them out so then the air will flow and it'll fill up three of them are says scotty is the new shot relational rod trucks any good because i'm planning to buy them when i get my driving license no they aren't a lot of them are terrible a lot of them were made in mexico parts are garbage they fall apart i had a guy bring me a 99 the other day it was marvelous still ran like a top but those were made in the united states they were well made gm makes their stuff cheaper and cheaper you want a truck like they get an f-150 don't get a silverado and believe me you'll be happy with what i'm telling you i know a guy who runs an ac company he drives hd 2500 gmc he does a lot of ac work right but he paid 140 grand for it loaded because he's pulling a lot of weight right before he bought his 2500 and this is the second one he's buying because he wants to get a fleet of them before that he had a 1500 he said it was the worst truck i ever got i'll never buy another one of those again and that says a lot geo says any advice taking care of a 2001 nissan frontier only has 80 000 miles hey i just uh talked to a person who's got one's got 180 000 miles and they love it those are well made trucks but it's 22 years old so you want to check all the rubber fan belts hoses you see cracks replace them now so you don't get stranded every once in a while pull all the wheels off look at the brakes see if the brakes are starting to leak because the seals are going bad then replace the front calipers if they're leaking or replace the back wheel cylinders as they're starting to seep do preventative maintenance like that so that it'll keep going but you've only got 80 000 miles so certainly the engine's got a lot of life left nissan always made decent pickup trucks their cars have gone down the toilet since renault took over the company their trucks are still decent that was only one year after renault started to take them over and hadn't destroyed everything yet andy d says they got a 98 toy avalon what does etc transmission button do okay that's the electrically controlled transmission button you can make it so it goes at various shift levels that's an old one the new ones that say things like economy normal sport you push economy it will shift earlier asked to rev the engine up less and get better gas mileage you put it on normal it'll shift a little later you have a little bit better acceleration but you'll get worse gas mileage and then the spoiler will shift a lot later you have a lot more acceleration but it will burn more gas as you accelerate once you get to a steady speed said the speed limit 65 in the highway so you're doing 70 like me most cops don't care about you know five mile an hour over they'll get the same gas mileage once they get up to top speed it won't make any difference then it's just getting there you'll have more power in sport but you get better gas mileage in the economy mode wba atv repeater says our iridium plugs worth it iridium plugs cost more money it's a precious metal but they last the longest first they had copper ones and they had platinum ones now they have iridium ones iridium is harder it can take the spark without wearing out and get a big gap and the chemical reactions of when the gasoline explodes from eating up the electrodes i personally like them for one reason they last so long and i drive toyotas toyotas generally don't burn oil i got 20 year old ones they still don't burn any oil and so the plug can keep going they can go over 200 000 miles and let's say you got one of those vehicles like it's a v6 and the front three cylinders you can take those plugs out in five minutes but the back you have to take the intake manifold off well if you have plugs that can last two hundred thousand miles isn't that better than ones that last fifty thousand you gotta take the intake manifold off every time it's a big job you'll pay somebody a thousand bucks to do that so they are good plugs they all fire fine then you put in they're gonna fire and work but they last the longest now on the other hand let's say you got a clunker that burns oil all the time don't use them because they cost so much money and they'll still carbon up and clog up with burnt carbon and then you can just buy the cheapest plugs you can and as they clog up with carbon just replace them you don't want to put them in a junker engine because they'll carbon up just like any other one in a worn out engine and you'll be wasting 25 35 a spark plug when you can buy the 99 cent ones and then just change them every four or five thousand miles if they fill up with carbon because your engines burning too much oil edmond rossi says on my car my misfire on cylinder number one will not go away i'm sure you tried the obvious things spark plug the ignition coil on it stuff like that realize misfire is sometimes a misconception of what you read because of the name oh it's misfiring the ignition system isn't firing right no it just means it's not firing right in that cylinder it can be the fuel injection system it can be there's a leak in an exhaust valve it could be the head gasket starting to blow it could be the computer not pulsing the fuel injectors right it could be the computer not pulsing the ignition system right it could be a wiring short lots of things but always start simple the spark plug doesn't fix it swap the ignition coil with one to another if the mist moves the coil is bad if that's not it swap fuel injector 1 with fuel injector four four on one if this moves to four then you know it's a fuel injector start obvious and then pray it's not the engine starting to blow that stuff doesn't work pay a guy like me we can figure them out real fast with our machines you might not like the result but at least you'll find out the truth l that says how do you remove rusted license plate bolts that's a good one you're probably up north depends on how rusted they are and what you got if you have actual bolts with bolt heads that's pretty easy because there's a million sets out there of bolt extractor sockets can you find the one go to the auto parts store you find the one that fits over the titus and then when you turn it with your ratchet as you turn it the teeth dig in and pull it up now let's say it's a phillips head screwdriver head and it's kind of stripped up get any kind of little grinder grind all the way across that phillips so now it's one long flat screwdriver then get a big flat screwdriver and hit it if it doesn't start get a chisel and hit the inside of the flat and start to break it loose that's the easiest way to do it and if you got anything you can grab you can just get vice grip pliers grab and get them super tight then turn it and you usually can break them loose now let's say they snap off they snap up big deal they snap off then you get a drill drill another hole and put a nut and bolt in and fix it correctly and next time use stainless steel nuts and bolts and you won't have this problem again or if you don't care use plastic nuts and bolts they never rust a lot of guys use them too rob porter says scotty my ford taurus the ac won't blow cold i replace the compressor the low pressure reads too high and a high pressure reads zero you got zero high pressure so there's nothing going through for the compressor to push your low side is hot for some reason your compressor isn't sucking it in and pumping it out you might have gotten a bad compressor it happens especially if it's a rebuilt compressor no one ever used one their junk but you should have a low side it's hot now maybe up to 40 45 psi if it's 100 degrees outside and the high side should be 150 right high read zero you got nothing coming out of that compressor prey you got a bad compressor or when you put it on realize a lot of these compressors have blanks and stuff you're supposed to take out if you didn't take that blank and bolted it on the line's got the blank and it can't flow anymore imagine ages ago guy uh towed his car to me see my car won't start and i put a new battery in so i looked well he bought it from autozone and the positive terminal had a black piece of plastic over it he had put the battery terminal on top of the plastic i just said look i took it off take the insulator off put the cable on and where he went so pray at something that simple he says any advice for a wannabe mechanic if you're young and you want to be a mechanic get into the electronics of mechanics now whether or not we go full into electric cars and trucks who knows but all modern vehicles are so run by computers and electronics that's where the money is guys got a brain who can work on electricity will make a lot of money on any type of vehicle that's out there because they're all electronically controlled they're getting even more electronic controls on it and if you understand that stuff you got a big leg up on most people first of all most people aren't good with their hands they can't fix things anyways and then when you get into electricity people that can't fix things with their hands they got a double curse there now they got to fix something they can't see with their eyes you can't see electricity you've got to use gauges and use your mind to analyze it so if you got the brains to do it get into electronics and vehicles and then if electronic vehicles fully electronic battery and stuff or hydrogen fuel cell you'll understand you'll be able to fix them too that'd be my advice people are always going to have their own vehicles in the united states driving we're too much into freedom going where we want when we want that we're not going to be like europe and force people on trains and buses americans are not that way well braxton says scotty why is the shortbed f-100s are more desirable than long beds okay so you're talking about f-100s not f-150s so you're talking about older vehicles older vehicles often are valued because of their style and because of how many are out there if they make a million of something it's never going to be worth as much than something that they only made 100 if you get civil war relic of the union say a union pistol it's worth so much money but confederate pistol is worth sometimes 50 100 times more because they're rarer they made less less of them survive and they made a lot less short bet f-100s back in the day because guys saw them as a work truck they went to short bed they went in a long bed so if you can find a short bed it's a rare thing and people like the style the way they look really old truck you're not going to be pulling tons and tons of stuff with a really old truck it's more for show so that's why they're more desirable really they're rare so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"