Car Talk

Q. My husband and I have been married for two months. Recently I found out that his 1997 Dodge Dakota has been having a problem. He says, "You just have to burp it sometimes." What does that actually mean? He reports that his fuel pump gets "bubbles" in it, so he bangs on the fuel tank until the fuel can run again. Last Saturday when we were running errands, it happened twice. It was very embarrassing. He was initially using a long-handled wood splitting maul, but I told him it was not a good idea, so he upgraded to a rubber mallet. Please tell me exactly how long he can get away with this before his car will blow up - or just die. We are NOT in a financial crisis; he can purchase a new vehicle. He does not plan to have his fuel pump replaced. He says he'll drive his truck until it really dies this time. Please tell me the correct phrase other than "Not safe, honey," or "Please get a new truck." These are not working. Winter is coming - I don't want him to freeze to death under his truck with his rubber mallet. Thankfully yours.

RAY: Oh, you poor thing. You unknowingly married a cheapskate. You made the same mistake that all of my brother's ex-wives made.

TOM: The guy's trying to save a few bucks! Give him a break! What would you rather have, a new fuel pump, or a trip to Hawaii?

RAY: How about both?

TOM: Your husband has a failing fuel pump. It has nothing to do with bubbles. It's just dying. And sometimes, before a fuel pump dies completely, you can get it going again temporarily by hitting it.

RAY: Because the fuel pump lives in the fuel tank, he's banging the tank with a mallet to temporarily jolt the fuel pump back to life.

TOM: But the fuel pump's days are numbered. In fact, in the time it took for your letter to get to us and for us to answer it, he already may have frozen to death under his truck. If so, disregard the rest of this answer.

RAY: What he's doing is not terribly dangerous, as long as the wheels are chocked so he doesn't get run over.

TOM: And as long as he isn't smoking any El Productos while he's whacking the fuel tank with that wood splitter.

RAY: But sooner rather than later, the pump will die, and no amount of banging will bring it back. And it's not a "roadside repair." To replace the fuel pump, you have to remove the gas tank.

TOM: So, why not plan to do the repair on HIS schedule, rather than wait for his truck to get stuck, with his young bride in it? He should plan to do it this weekend. He's going to have to do it soon anyway. Use an argument that appeals to his frugal nature. Tell him he'll save himself the towing charges.

RAY: And if he's as cheap as I think he is, he can sell the used rubber mallet on eBay to make a few bucks back.

Q. I had new brake pads installed about three weeks ago, and when I use the brake pedal to stop, the car makes a groaning noise. The mechanic told me that it takes about a month to "break the pads in," and that after that, the noise will go away. Is that correct?

RAY: It groans, huh? Well, groaning noises usually are associated with mating.

TOM: Just like with humans!

RAY: What's mating in your car are the new brake pads and the old disc rotors. I'm guessing that your mechanic didn't change your disc rotors, probably in an attempt to save you some money.

TOM: We don't do that anymore because when new, perfectly flat pads press against old, grooved and uneven disc rotors, they make noise. And then customers come back and complain. And then we have to get rid of them by making up some story about how it takes a month for the parts to get to know each other.

RAY: Unfortunately, this is not an entirely benign noise. Because your pads aren't making point-for-point contact with the surfaces of your discs, you're not getting as much braking power as you should be.

TOM: Normally, new pads will "seat" or "mate" with discs fairly quickly. In fact, we usually do it during a test drive right after we finish a brake job. And it's usually accomplished within 10-20 minutes of working the pads.

RAY: But if it's still groaning after three weeks, you probably need new discs. Or, if the discs still have plenty of life in them, they need to be resurfaced.

TOM: The reason your mechanic told you it would take a month is because he's leaving for vacation in a month. So when you go back next week, there'll be a sign on the door that says, "See you in the spring."

RAY: So I'd go back in now. Explain to him that the noise hasn't gotten any better, and ask him to take another look. My guess is that the discussion will turn to the wonderful world of new disc rotors. Good luck.

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