What’s wrong with my car key?
Q: I own a 2014 Toyota Camry XLS equipped with a smart key starting system. I occasionally couldn’t start the car. My private mechanic as well as a Toyota service manager suggested changing the battery in the remote control. This seemed to work for a few days. They suggested holding the remote key fob next to the ignition switch on the dash. This seems to work. Just last week the remote wouldn’t open the doors or turn on the interior lights. I had to use the spare key to open the door to enter the vehicle. The Toyota service manager suggested I bring the car in, and it might take a day for a mechanic to solve the problem. I don’t want to pay a lot of money for someone to fix what I might be able to replace or fix for less money.
— M.L., Aurora, Illinois A: Try another, fresh new 2032 (the most popular) battery. Your previous replacement may be bad. Price on the street is about six bucks.
Q: In a recent column, you say that the intake valves on direct injection engines only see fresh air. Isn’t it true that the PCV system is piped into the intake manifold? Incidentally, I own a 2017 Honda CR-V with the 2.4L engine, no turbo. I bring this up only to point out that there are lots of videos online promoting the use of oil catch cans to prevent an excessive amount of contaminants from reaching the intake valves through the system.
— J.H., Palatine, Illinois A:
OK. The air isn’t pristine as it passes the intake valves. But I didn’t want my answer to go too deep on a technical tangent about the valves’ propensity to crud up due to positive crankcase ventilation, or PCV.
Yes, it does happen, and the stuff is not easy to remove. Cleaning the valves often requires you to yank the cylinder head if walnut shell blasting doesn’t clean the valves.
Sadly, neither a gasoline additive such as Techron nor Top Tier gasoline will prevent intake valve buildup on direct injection engines. Don’t get me
started on such esoteric topics again any time soon.
Q: I have a 2016 Subaru Forester. I’m getting older and sometimes don’t turn my turn signals off (don’t/can’t hear it) after changing lanes. Changing lanes doesn’t activate the automatic shut off for the signal like a full turn does. Do they make a replacement turn signal device (relay) that has a louder clicking sound? — P.N., Sioux Falls, South Dakota A:
I am not aware of an aftermarket turn signal amplifier. But try this: Press lightly on the turn signal handle, not hard enough to pass the tactile pop. The signals will flash until you release the handle. Most new cars come with a short duration blink that provides three pulses if you tap the handle and immediately let go. Don’t forget to check the blinking arrows on your dash.
Q: My employee was just in the truck with the A/C running and I told him it’s wasting gas. He told me that if you don’t put your foot on the pedal, you are not really using the gas. I wanted to know if that is true. If you are just in parking lot and don’t use the A/C, are you using less gas?
— S.C., Davie, Florida A:
Any time the engine is running, you are using gas, no matter whether you are using the A/C or not. But running the A/C as well as any accessory — even the heater — you are using more.
Bob Weber is a writer and mechanic who became an ASE-certified Master Automobile Technician in 1976. He maintains this status by seeking certification every five years. Weber’s work appears in professional trade magazines and other consumer publications. Send questions along with name and town to motormouth. tribune@gmail.com.