Puzzler Answer, 10/4/97: Smokin' Beemer
RAY: Hey! Hey!
TOM: Hey! Hey! What?
RAY: Guess what it's time for?
TOM: It's time for the answer to last week's Puzzler -- the one with the smoke.
RAY: You're no fun at all.
TOM: You like me better when I was stupid, didn't you?
RAY: What you mean, when? Is it because -- Anyway, here it is.
TOM: Yeah, I left myself wide open.
RAY: I did, didn't I?
RAY: This comes from Jim W. from Barrington, Ill. And, he writes, and I read: "Some years ago I was putting my '71 BMW 2002 through it's paces." Translation, driving like a moron. I think that I mention that there are many cars to which this could happen. Even modern day cars.
TOM: Yeah, why he chose a '71 2002, we don't know.
RAY: We don't know. "I pulled a very hard left turn." Translate that as, made a very hard left turn. "And, to my utter amazement, saw a huge billowing cloud of white smoke behind the car. AH! I gasped. This was the pre-cell phone era and I was in a very rural part of the country. And, I realized that I had to get back to civilization, so I started the car and listened for noises, and heard none. And, I began driving home and much to my amazement, the smoke cleared up and the car ran OK. Over time..." He says. And, I quote, and I read, "I was emboldened as the incident faded into oblivion. That is, until it happened again. The incident would repeat itself every so often until I finally discovered its cause." And, he goes on to say, " Other than a few routine maintenance items such as -- and this is where all the hints are -- I hadn't mentioned that before -- such as tune-ups, adjusting the valves and the carburetor, tightening an ever-loosening fan belt, and topping off the brake fluid at each oil change." At each oil change. Topping off the brake fluid at each oil change... I did nothing special to the car. Topping off the brake fluid at each oil change. The question is, what was causing the smoke? And, I, of course, had mentioned that the hints are all imbedded in this story."
TOM: Yes, you said the hints are imbedded throughout.
RAY: Yes, and if you were listening carefully -- the fact that he drove like a moron, and was driving a BMW -- did help it. And, he was adding brake fluid --
TOM: At every oil change.
RAY: I may have mentioned.
TOM: You did mention that.
RAY: At every oil change. So there'd be no logical reason for you to add brake fluid at every oil change, unless you were what?
TOM: Losing brake fluid.
RAY: Yes, but he didn't see any brake fluid going any -- he noticed no spots on the ground. He didn't really notice much degradation in the pedal. Otherwise it would been in his story.
TOM: Of course.
RAY: He was losing brake fluid out the back seal of the master cylinder, and where was that brake fluid going? Into the vacuum --
TOM: Into the intake manifold.
RAY: Eventually.
TOM: Ultimately.
RAY: Ultimately, but into the power brake booster. And, it was a big puddle of fluid in there. And, when he drove like a nut, the fluid would slosh around. Some of it would get sucked into the intake manifold.
TOM: Yes!
RAY: And, get combusted, making the white cloud of smoke.
TOM: It's sort of oil.
RAY: And, of course, it wouldn't happen for a while because why? There'd be no puddle of --
TOM: He was out of brake fluid.
RAY: Brake fluid in there. And, over time, again it would leak and he'd continue to replenish it. And, the puddle would build up and then he'd go out and drive like a nut case again and again.
TOM: Gee. That's good. I like it.
RAY: I thought you would. Do we have a winner?
TOM: YES! The winner is Jan Wolinsky from Madison, New Jersey, whom I assume was a female, and for having her answer chosen at random from all the correct answers which we received -- Jan is going to win one of our brand new, wonderful, beautifully designed Car Talk sistine wrench t-shirt. This is just like the one that Michelangelo drew on the Sistine Chapel except that there's an adjustable wrench in one of the hands, which I presume is the hand of God. And, I see it as God handing off the adjustable wrench to a mechanic.
RAY: Oh, no, I see it just as the opposite. I see the mechanic handing the wrench to God so he can fix stuff.
TOM: Fix everything.
RAY: Fix the World.
TOM: Fix this mess you made down here. Well, Jan, congratulations. You will get this in the mail. You'll get the one size which we have which is super extra large.
RAY: And, you'll have it just in time for spring.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: Cause spring is right around the corner.
RAY: Not next spring.
RAY: Anyway, we'll have a new Puzzler. Brand new.
TOM: Wait. She might get this t-shirt about the time that Mike Dale gets his Jaguar back.
