Can I make it home? CAR WIZARD shares 8 serious car issues & what to do when it's your car 

How about a "Tools to carry in your car" episode? I carry a spare quart of oil, jump box, tire inflator, separate breaker bar for tire changes, ODB2 scan tool, duct tape, zip ties, fix-a-flat, hose clamps, a few hand tools and a set of warm clothes for winter weather

I have used the heater trick before. I was going to Las Vegas from California. About half way there, my temp Gauge showed that my car was hot. I pulled over, waited for a few hours. I did have water with me. I put new water in my radiator. I sat in my car had a few beers and waited for my car to cool down. Many people actually stoped to help me. However, there was not much they could do. I also offered them a cold beer too. I then dove to Las Vegas with my heater running blast in the hot desert. I got there and took it to a shop in Las Vegas and got it fixed.

I highly recommend buying an OBD2 scan tool and store it in your car. There were times when I was so glad I had one available.

As I've said times before; Wizard is simply therapeutic !

I think one of the most important things you can do is ensure your tires are properly inflated, your spare is inflated, and you know how to get at the spare and how to change a flat. Flat tires are your biggest risk. Especially with vans and trucks where the spare is underneath. Make sure the mechanism operates before you need to use it.

an important note on the parking brake. do NOT fully yank on the leaver. this can get you spinning since the rear wheels could lock up.

Could you do a video on what you should fix on a junker car that you plan on replacing it once it dies? (Like cheap safety fixes, or at-home bandaids)

Wizard, you and your wife are good people. I'm happy you hooked up with Hoovie and started making videos. I remember how funny the first ones were. You were the perfect straight man for Tyler's high jinks and, now, you have no problem joking around yourself. Glad to see you are approaching the 1 million subscriber level! Keep the videos coming.

All excellent advice - and for reference, the flashing Check-Engine light means pretty much the same in Canada as the US. Also congratulations on passing 900K! I have no doubt you'll make 1M soon enough.

Thanks for the tips. We used the heater trick many years ago. We were climbing the Baker Grade in So. Cal. on a very hot summer day. As we neared the summit, the gauge went into the HOT range. We turned on the heater, and that cooled the engine enough so that could reach the summit. Once we started down the other side, the engine cooled back to the normal range. This was before electric fans and coolant recovery systems became standard.

Definitely know how well your emergency/parking brake works before attempting to drive on the road using only that. I've seen everything from lock up the rear wheels through to barely adequate at holding the vehicle stationary on an incline 🤣

If you narrowly avoid a really bad crash...beware sometimes its necessary to clean the drivers seat before the "CHECK UNDERWEAR" light will go out 😁

Wizard; you touched on a good/important point. In today's world it seems that manufactures, like Toyota, have caught-on that they need to turn-on as many bells-&-whistles warning lights as they can just so as to get the driver's/owner's attention so that the vehicle will get the maintenance it needs.

One other question for “ do I keep driving “ when the temperature gauge reading is rising, concerns the coolant fans. Our coolant fans died on our Flex. Fortunately, we were on the highway and the forward momentum kept the engine cool until we got home.

What the wizard said about the alternator is 100% truth. Learned it the hard way. Luckily I was 1 mile away from my gf then my house which was 30 miles away, it did turned off in the middle of the road but fortunately, the good deed that I’ll do when someone battery died, I received it that late night as well. Thanks to this kind gentleman I was able to make it and the next day I changed the alternator . I have a 3rd gen 4Runner btw . It runs like a champ

Congrats on 900K! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Hopefully you'll hit the 1 million mark in the near future 👍👍☺☺

No Muffler Newton is a feature, not an interruption. We expect it now, Wizard, lol. I had the alternator go out on my '80 Chevette after dark back in the day. I was several miles from home and tried to make it, but failed. I don't recall getting it towed, so I must have changed the alternator on the side of the road the next day. Pretty simple job on that thing.

So happy for you wizard that your channel grew so much I been here since day one ☝️

Watching this video made me chuckle. My 2003 Mustang Cobra rubbed through the brake line in the front wheel well due to a shop routing it poorly during a repair. I lost brakes with my wife and 2 of the kids in the car. I used the hand brake and low gears to get the car home. Taught my kids this valuable lesson on the use of emergency brakes. Replaced the brake line the next day, replaced the fluid and bled the brakes. Saved some money nursing the car home and the kids learned something. I did call the shop after making the repair and they said there was no way they could have done that. Didn't use them again.

I used the "turn on the heat full blast" trick on my 1988 Toyota Pickup; the over-heating got worse somehow. Turns out the heater core hose had a big leak in it, and that was the only leak. The truck was only overheating because it was a marginally maintained old on a very hot day. My goofy solution was just to never turn on the heat! One of those weird, counter-intuitive car issues that vexes us so. Good luck out there.

Let's hit that million subscribers bcs he deserves it 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I've been there done that with both the alternator and loss of power steering. With the alternator, I was hearing a winding noise and the next day my battery light came on a few miles from home. I was a couple hundred feet from my parking spot at home. That was a 2010 Town and Country. The power steering was a few different times with low pressure hoses just failing and also my steering rack going out. A couple of times I fixed it myself with the lines. Another time I drove it carefully to a shop. The last time I was like i'm going to use my roadside assistance on my insurance and they got me a tow to the shop. That was a 2006 Grand Caravan.

17:22 my 2000 Jeep grand Cherokee would say “preform service “. I thought because it was a Jeep it was encouraging me to sign up for the army. Guess it was just time for an oil change.

I recall in the mid eighties my younger sister had a Honda Civic. She really got into trouble with dad. The oil light was on for a long time without telling dad. Whew, I'll never forget the chewing out she got for that.

Also very important if your brakes are failing, if you are on steep slops, don't drive at all! Your brakes could go and you will go on a rampage. Besides this very good advise from the Wizzard. Had myselve once an encounter with a overhaeting engine and did turn on the heat inside max speed and it does help from overheating.

Something i wanted mentioned with brake failure, if you are in a situation where that happens and you see ANY sort of leak and it may have something to do with the brakes (put 2 and 2 together) DO NOT TRY TO INSPECT THE FLUID LINE YOURSELF, IF THERE IS A TEAR IN THE HOSE IT SHOOTS OUT BRAKE FLUID AT SUCH A RATE IF YOUR FINGER IS CLOSE ENOUGH IT WILL INJECT BRAKE FLUID STRAIGHT INTO YOUR BLOODSTREAM @ LOSE A FINGER OR MORE.

Halfway through a twelve hundred mile trip I noticed that the temp gauge was running a few degrees higher than usual. The radiator cap had failed and wouldn't pressurize the cooling system. Easy fix.

Back in the day I was driving home from work well after midnight when the voltage regulator crapped out on my late '60s VW Beetle. I was out in the country with light traffic, so I shut off everything including my lights and drove fast to maximize my coasting ability should the engine die. As it happened there was a local cop running radar along my route at one point, I guess I startled him awake when his radar unit blasted a warning and there was no one there. He was so relieved that I wasn't a dangerous escaped mental patient, that he let me pull it over and contact the wife through the cop radio system (this was pre cell phone) to come pick me up. I fixed the car on the road side the next day.

I can absolutely testify that using the heater as an emergency radiator WORKS!!! I used to drive a beater 92 Taurus (which had the "grille-less" front end, which in turn led to constant overheating issues). I would be on the highway, look down, see the temp needle almost at max, crank the heater and the temperature would drop to a steady enough temperature to keep driving. I'd wager that 50% of the high way driving I did in that car was with the heater on full blast with the windows down. Otherwise it would start to overheat

Hand or cable emergency brakes in general are becoming rare. Good advice & 3 of my 4 vehicles are manual steering incudling a CJ5 on 33's.

We all dream of finding a honest mechanic like you. It's just a dream tho.

Even if you have oil if you hear the engine rattling it is very important to just shut the engine off immediately and get it towed home or to a shop

My grandfather was a mechanic. It would drive my dad nuts because every time they took a family trip the car would break down. He was a mechanic like Scotty Kilmer who hated to work on his own cars and did not. The only difference was he didn't drive a Toyota.

The overheating/blasting the heater has saved me twice! It's saved us while we were in the middle of nowhere lol.

That DustBuster Silhouette looks just like mine here in Michigan, so cool seeing one in your shop!

Hey Wizard & Mrs Wizard, congratulations on 900k subscribers!!! Wow!!! 🎊🎉🎈

Stuff i have for emergency. A compact jump pack (very important on my automatic RR), a 5l fresh water jug (saved my ass couple pf times) and a 4l oil jug, a 1l atf and a tiny portable compressor all these allowed me to make it home several times.

Don’t forget there are some modern vehicles (some Alfa Romeo’s come to mind) that no long have actual physical dipsticks to check, only computerized gauges.

I found out another trick with over heating engines. If you engine is cooling when you are moving but heats when it`s in Idol. If your stopped at a stop light you with your foot on the brake you can lightly push your gas pedal while you are stopped waiting for the light to change. Sometimes this will bring your temp down as well.

Hi Wizard. One summer I drove a taxi. When power steering broke the taxi company just left it broken so I can attest, yes you can drive with broken power steering. I did it all summer.

I was about 250 - 300 miles from Anchorage in the summer and my 2500 Chevrolet truck A/C unit/clutch locked up with the serpentine belt squealing like crazy. No repair shops/tow shops nearby, no replacement belt, and no tools/puller to loosen and pull the clutch. To to get home, I put motor oil on the serpentine belt from the dip stick to allow the belt to slip and keep it from overheating and coming apart. The belt squeal would let us know when it was time to pull over and lubricate the belt again. After quite a few stops to keep the belt lubricated, we made it home and then to the dealership for repair.

I go through my yearly checkup on all my cars and motorcycles, similar to yearly health checkups. My oil is changed, software updates, and an inspection from bumper to bumper. This helps catch early problems and should rarely or ever cause problems when on a vacation or trip. It’s very unusual for a car just to stop or have a major problem unless you been MILKING a problem For awhile. Cars are very dependable nowadays if routine maintenance is performed.

The check engine light on my honda srarted flashing about 3 hours from home in the middle of eastern washington. I was fortunate enough to be stuck in a town with a very honest mechanic.

13:20 years ago i was a complete ditz when it came to cars. I saw the light and just instinctively go local parts store, get oil and just filled up the engine with oil. Almost destroyed it, the whole thing was shaking because i overfilled it.

Nearly 1MM ! That's fantastic. We all remember your first videos with Crazy D as the classic stereotypical used car salesman. They were great, and pulled us in.

Of course,...the best rule of thumb before you go anywhere on vacation is to always have your car checked out and serviced BEFORE your vacation,....not during.

Hey Car Wizard, Greetings from India, I am one of your early subscribers & I want you to know that we truly appreciate all that you relentlessly contribute to the automotive world & enthusiasts around the globe on a daily basis, hope you merrily keep doing so for many more years to come. I have a favour to ask you, If you could take a precious little time of yours & help me out, here I really intend to buy an Overlander Car or SUV however you put it, which I intend to keep, Maintain & use long term, Now the options I have in my budget are a New 5door Jimny, Used 2012 to 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Petrol (low Run) or Pajero / Montero Diesel, 2010 to 13 Mercedes R Class 3.5 Petrol, ridden one what a car, quandary is how long will it last even if its maintained well , 2010 - 14 LR Freelanders & a JDM 2002 Toyota Estima AWD, Confusions actually stem from the fact that I dont like Diesels. Stuck with the perennial Heart & Mind problen. I am a big person Jimny is too small for me to comfortably ingress.

Been thru a heater core going out in the dead of winter having to bypass to get home and man it sucks driving a car below freezing outside with no heat, another thing about brake power loss to look for is if the brake hoses, the connection from the brake lines to the calipers/ drums may not be leaking but expanding when the line is pressurized, causing loss in brake performance

I was always under the impression that when the oil pressure light came on it was too late as there was no pressure and there would be no lubrication on the bearings and the camshafts

Wow congratulations on the 900K! mark... keep'em coming Car Wizard and now the the full time as possible Mrs. Car Wizard. Love your content and others in the business, plus in no time you'll be in the 1 million K club.

Here's one you missed. Common on BMW and VW. We call it the trifecta. ABS/ESC light, Tire Pressure light, Airbag light. Most likely a faulty wheel speed sensor. It can be driven for a while before repair is necessary. I highly recommend that anybody with even a modicum of mechanical aptitude get a $50 code reader and learn how to use it.

I have had my brake pedal go to the floor four times in my life. Once in a parking lot at about ten MPH, once just as I slowed to a stop sign with no other criss traffic, once just as I came to a complete stop two feet from my garage door, and recently as I was making a left turn behind a slow moving concrete truck. Luckily I have always driven standard trans cars and was able to use the hand brake to stop. The fact that this never happened at 80 on the freeway seems kinda miraculous to me.

and that's why I always carry oil - trans fluid - brake fluid !

That happened to me once. I had just bought an older Corolla and suddenly the oil light flashed a few times. There was almost no oil in it. I filled it. Ran fine for a few years then suddenly one cylinder lost compression. I still believe it was because it ran low on oil that caused it

I've got home from alternator failure at night in an urban area; turned off the headlights and everything else but marker lights and dash lights, and got home from more than 20 road miles away. Also got home from a brake line blowout leaving work, put what brake fluid I had in the trunk and using 2nd gear for braking with the automatic trans. Remember modern brake systems are split, so you should have some braking ability left.

Cool video! I always bring my tuner tool and my Autel MK808 scanner with me on road trips, has proven itself a few times already. A set of tools is in the trunk as well, along with necessary fluids(ATF, oil, 50/50 coolant, etc.). Being a retired automotive & heavy equipment mechanic with 35+ years in the business, I do know what needs to be done and can usually solve many problems on the side of the road if need be. Thanks Wizard, all great points made in this video!

This is a very helpful video, thank you. I do enjoy these little 'chats' you have on car issues...

As a Volvo R owner. Was pleased to see he was doing a brake job on an R :)

If your insurance offers roadside assistance I highly recommend it. It's cheap and covers towing among other things.

As usual, great info, Wizard! I have to say, though, that much of that info would be suicidal on Ontario roads (I can't speak to the rest of Canada as I've never ventured out of here:). I got my licence in the UK and have driven across the rest of Western Europe, including on German autobahns, but I've never witnessed so much aggression, impatience and utter lunacy as I do on Ontario roads. Try limping along with faulty brakes even on a side street, and you're guaranteed to be cut off for no reason whatsoever. On a highway, crawling at below 100kph would be inviting carnage, literally. If the trucks don't get you, other cars certainly will.

In February 2022 I blew up my transmission 350 miles from home. On the interstate. At 70 mph. In the middle of the night. It still had 3 gears of the 5 gears it had originally (lost 2nd & 5th) and still ran, so I reduced speed to 60 moh and drove it to my destination another 300 miles away. Repair shop put in a factory remanufactured transmission and I still drive it to this day.

I had a 60’s big block Cadillac. Was going up a mountain and the oil light flickered on briefly. 10 seconds later the engine locked up and I ended up in the median. If you see the light, you should be scared! 10k rebuild…

As A kid I had an older car 1st year cars had seat belts(no shoulder harness) Single brake line, no backup One day brakes went Used the emergency brake to get home and fix the regular brakes Line had been ripped out by a pothole Months later the steering pump went Replaced the pump Miss the old days but todays car are safer and superior in many ways Loved steering a 2 1/4 ton manually

My Scion tC burned oil, a common issue with the engine for it after 100k miles, and when it burned down to dangerous levels, you'd see the red oil canister light come on if you braked hard. Immediate indicator that you needed to add at least a quart or a quart and a half of oil. As long as I was careful with braking the light wouldn't trigger and I could get home to add the oil. Would happen once in between every oil change. They had an extended warranty for that sole issue but mine didn't burn oil fast enough to get it done before the car aged out of the extension.

I'm pretty good at doing my own wrenching, but I still learned a few things. Awesome job, Wizard! Also, your video made me SO happy I drive 30 year old cars, so I don't have to deal with all that computer garbage. hahahahaha

Perfect timing, looking forward to watching this!

Do you have pre 96 ob1 code readers? For us old cars and trucks . How about a video about that. How about the flashing light code when you pay pass on certain pins... Flashing and pauses.... If you can it be different.

Buy an OBD2 reader! They're cheap! I have one that Bluetooths to my phone, and tells me what the codes mean. Sometimes its something silly, like "gas cap not fully closed". No biggee if that's all it is.

Speaking of oil light, true story. I had a 1997 Chevy Silverado z71 and the oil sensor wasn't sensing that there wasn't any oil. Had an ex-friend check the oil and the stick is bone dry

I got about 8 miles with a dead alternator in a propane converted car with quite serious power draw when I done the maths.

One thing I would add to his list is. What about if you own a Jeep? And it's an older Cherokee and the check engine lights on. Oh, what am I saying they're always on lol

Hey bro, love your channel and I'm super excited you are part of the Viper club. If you and the wife ever visit Huntington Beach, you're more than welcome to take my 93 for a cruise up PCH ( Pacific Coast Highway)

Oh my god it's that guy AL from the TV series home improvement... 1991-1998 ❤❤❤

In my old Forester Turbo when the Secondary Air Valves packed it in around 50k it disabled Cruise Control.

Brake one? Going to expand on similar. If you have a hydraulic clutch manual. Personal experience. Clutch was feeling funny and pedal was soft. Booked in for work and was going to be a week, no leak but pedal didnt really want to return all the way. Suddenly? Clutch pedal went to floor and no way to pull back. Internally slave cylinder went out. Meaning no shifting and no stopping. That was it, onto a tow truck. So better to tow, cause even if driveable? If it gives out or gets worse you suddenly are in a very dangerous situation.

Thanks for the video, Wizard, and congrats on 900K subscribers. Despite what you claim, in my 10 years of ownership, I have seen a check engine light in my 2013 328i twice, and there was 100K miles of driving between CEL occurrences. Definitely not "all the time".

I used to have a 2001 Chevy Metro. Probably the last car made that did NOT have power steering standard. It was sort of interesting driving it, since you get very used to the car not having power steering. Then I'd rent a car and it was like a luxury having this power steering where it was so easy to turn the wheel. Then I'd go back to the Metro and it was odd driving it for a while again. It takes getting used to, but the lack of power steering gave it a very different feel... sort of fun in a way as you felt more connected to the car. It was a great car for what it was. Very very cheap, but also reliable. In my 50 years it was the ONLY car I've ever owned, or even driven that didn't have power steering.

Another option is tune in Gene Pitney's song '24 hours from Tulsa'.....ha ha!

I stopped inn the right lané, the British bobbies booked me, I sed I waz following the wizard advice .

yep one of my top "road rules" for the several new young drivers in my life is if a temp or oil light comes on, that means DON'T FART AROUND!!! (pull over & shut it down! and call your uncle LOL [me])

Relive the pressure on radiator by loosening cap also keep heater core leaking

Bypassing the heater core is a tradition in south Florida!

I had an alternator go out left me stranded 58 miles from home. They replaced the alternator there. I drove home. On the way home, that alternator they replaced it with broke. I made it home, charged my battery all the way with my charging tools and drove back the next day with the broken alternator. All with a 2008 Mustang.

Great tips! My 1981 Honda civic never had power steering lol

Great video, I have had my car die on me, turned out it was a vacuum leak. I limped it home.

Have enjoyed all your videos! Especially enjoy your auto. problem sound effects! They're always on point!!😊

Service engine soon light is actually a check engine light for some nissan and toyota

Congrats wizard on 900k

5:42 I am no wizard, but some insight on brake failure I would like to share is, be prepared to shift your automatic transmission into Neutral. When your brakes completely go the vehicle might lunge or jolt forward. If you are stopped be prepared to shift into neutral or if your not. moving park, but only if your not moving. When you are in gear holding the car with iffy brakes you might just be further draining the fluid leading to complete failure. Keep it out of gear if you can. A tow truck is much cheaper than a rear end collision....

Hey wizard, my son's friend bought a dodge challenger, while he was showing us he said he had to take it back because the dealer light was on, DRL. HA HA

Thank you, Wizard!

Great video wizard. Didn’t know what the flashing actually meant.

Had the same heater core issue Misses Wizard had once, & yeah had a shop do the same thing, but they definitely wanted to replace my core too, small town me driving a European car, they thought I had money, I didn't have heaps, Rj in Oz

Ugh, the oil pressure light aka Aladdin's Lamp light is not to be taken lightly. If it even flickers, itan indication to pull over immediately and shut off the engine so you can check the dipstick. To make things even more confusing, some vehicle have a separate yellow warning light when you're a quart low. But in the case of the red oil pressure light being lit, it literally means you have as little as ten seconds to shut off the motor before it seizes up completely. Safely pull over and kill the engine ASAP. If the dipstick comes out dry, call a tow truck unless theres a gas station within walking distance where you can buy a few quarts. A other one I'd add is a transmission fault with a check engine light and the engine revving super high due to loss of a gear. I heard enough stories of folks who turned a $300 or so repair into needing a new engine simply because they decided to press on. Just because an engine redlines at 7k rpm does not mean it can run at 6500 fpr extended periods of time.

He he, I’ve done the “open the windows, turn the heater on full” in the height of a British summer, except I’d confused the oil temp and the water temp gauges. It was my first car (1980 VW Scirocco, loved it until it rusted to bits).

People have come to believe checking the oil level is somebody else's job, once or twice a year when they get an oil change. Dipsticks and funnels are not complicated technology, people!

I always carry roll of Gaffa tape . Once we had a pipe bust on a Xj6 Jag going to watch all day rock festival. We wrapped it and it worked a treat .. in fact we never replaced the pipe ha ha .

I’ve experienced a few of these issues first hand. I had my brakes go out on a 98 Tahoe coming home from college one day. It didn’t help it was in a very hilly area too. I was heading towards a stop sign at 40 mph. Put my foot on the brake and went straight to the floor. First thing I did was shut off the ignition and let the vehicle come to a stop under its own weight. Then I checked that I had a bit of braking power left. Turned on my flashers and drive 10-15 mph across town to my house and parked it. 2nd, I had a 95 Beretta. I was coming home from work at about 11:30 at night. On the interstate going 60 mph and the car completely shut down. No lights, no power nothing out of nowhere. Luckily I was close to my exit with not much traffic around and I coasted to a stop light. Pulled into a gas station and let it sit for 30 minutes since it was starting to over heat while I got a drink waiting for it to cool off. I was 10 blocks from my house so after letting it cool I drove home with pretty much only engine power. It barely cranked over and I went about 5pm for 10 blocks. Coasted thru a few stop signs slowly since I had no power steering and no power brakes left. Got it to a shop the next morning and found out the alternator belt tensioner completely snapped off out of nowhere. Luckily it didn’t damage anything else. 3rd. I was driving my then wife’s Oldsmobile cutlass supreme. Just filled up with a full tank of gas. Took it a little hard out of the gas station and the check engine light starts flashing. Car wouldn’t accelerate over 10-15 mph. Had a mechanic friend check it out. Turns out all it was is an engine mount completely broke off and was causing a check light to flash. Apparently that’s an engine out job at a shop but thankfully he fixed it for me on his own time and I suppled the part and some cash.

"Well, you're just a geographic oddity, four miles from everywhere!"

Ever heard of the old interstate gas/station/garages spraying BBQ sauce into the alternator, bring the victim around to smell that it's burnt up? Some or most had a BBQ concoction they could spray that could turn on the alternator/GEN light on. Miraculously, these small operations out on I-13 in East Bung ........ Egypt happened to have the exact item they needed. That meant they had an (rinsed out) item they could trade that was new and ready install in their car. I owned a wholesale auto parts business in the 1970s and knew offenders or was warned about them. To my knowledge, however, I never sold parts to them once they were exposed -- not even a hose clamp. BTW, I'm still the owner of y'all's Mercedes SL500 with autographs in the glovebox.