Episode Details

This episode of Ron Ananian: The Car Doctor radio show is a classic mix of Ron’s hands-on mechanical experience, practical advice, and personable banter with callers and listeners. Here's a summary and description of the episode:

🎙️ Episode Summary: 🔧 Segment 1 – Starter Replacement on a 2007 Honda Accord:

Ron opens the show talking about a video he just filmed demonstrating how to replace a starter on a 2007 Honda Accord (4-cylinder). He points out that while GM was criticized for putting starters under the intake manifold, Honda did the same thing, and nobody complained. He discusses the abundance of bad advice on YouTube, like rushing the job and pulling on old, brittle parts. His philosophy is clear: take your time, be careful, or risk breaking more than you fix.

“I’d rather be cautious and not break something than rush to get something done.”

👥 Segment 2 – Call from Childhood Friend "Chuck" in Texas:

A special moment follows when Ron takes a call from Chuck, an old neighborhood kid who used to watch him work on cars as a teenager. Chuck brings up an issue with front-end clunking on his truck (likely an F-150), traced to a sway bar bushing problem. Chuck replaced them with MOOG bushings, but he's still experiencing noise and play in the sway bar. He also noticed a retaining ring on only one side of the sway bar and is confused about its purpose.

Ron suspects:

• Wrong-size bushings

• Possibly not actual MOOG parts (they’re usually blue, not red)

• Or worn components like the sway bar links.

They dive into troubleshooting methods, tools (impact wrench, cutting tools), and the possibility of cutting the stubborn bolts off if they can’t be removed. Ron emphasizes getting the correct part specs and even measuring the sway bar diameter.

🔧 Segment 3 – Caller "Terry" with a Misfiring Subaru:

Terry from Wisconsin calls to thank Ron for helping solve a misfire issue on his Subaru. Although the car wasn't throwing codes, Ron previously suggested a diagnostic routine & made the case for replacing the spark plugs and transmission fluid. It worked! The car is now running fine.

Ron uses