Car Talk #2528: Husband Fogs Up Car, Mail Carrier's Truck Wear, and Hesitation Issues

Automotive Mysteries and Mail Carrier Woes

• 💡 A listener's husband causes car windows to fog up excessively, a phenomenon attributed to the small passenger compartment of her Honda Prelude and potentially his water vapor emission. The hosts humorously suggest a snorkel test.
• 🚚 A rural mail carrier with a 1996 Toyota T100 experiences premature wear on the idler arm due to extensive driving on dirt roads and potholes. The hosts suggest this is plausible, though the mail carrier notes her other vehicles haven't had this issue.

Truck Hesitation and Overheating Problems

• ⚡ A 1984 Ford F250 pickup exhibits a hesitation or skip while driving, particularly at steady highway speeds. The shop replaced the distributor cap, but the issue persists. The hosts suspect a failing electronic ignition module as the likely culprit.
• ♨️ A 1987 Toyota pickup in New Orleans has a chronic overheating problem despite replacement of the radiator, hoses, thermostat, and water pump. The hosts suggest the engine's internal cooling passages might be severely clogged or that a radiator flow test is needed, but ultimately recommend an engine replacement or a new vehicle if the truck is to be reliable.

Puzzler Solutions and Inverter Use

• 💡 The answer to a previous puzzler is revealed: aeronautical engineers in the late 1930s were working on a device to condense water vapor from engine combustion to maintain a constant vehicle weight, specifically for lighter-than-air craft (dirigibles) using helium instead of hydrogen.
• 🔌 A caller inquires about using a car's inverter to power household appliances during an outage. The hosts explain that while an inverter can power small items like light bulbs, it's insufficient for high-draw appliances like furnaces or hot water heaters, recommending a generator instead.

New Puzzler and Listener Call-ins

• ❓ A new puzzler is presented, involving a billboard in Luxembourg with the equation D = (V/10)^2 / 2, linked to a past Car Talk discussion.
• 📞 Listeners call in with various automotive questions, including a religious aspect to acquiring a church car and a discussion about the practicality of using a car's electrical system for emergency power.