Q: We have a 2013 Honda Accord and from time to time, the tire low-pressure indicator will go on. The first two times they found no leaks. The third time I ignored the light for two weeks and nothing happened (no flat tires, etc.), but my wife insisted I take it in. Again, they found no leaks so I asked the mechanic why the light goes on and he said it was probably because of the change from the warm summer to the cooler fall weather. Does this sound right? I also asked him what would happen if I ignored the light and he said it might ruin the tires. I’m perplexed.
— C.B., Homewood, Ill.
A: The tires could be damaged if you don’t keep them properly inflated, but they would have to lose lots of air first. As the ambient temperature changes, tire pressure drops one psi for every 10 degrees F. Do you have a full-size spare? It could be the culprit. Take your car to a tire shop. They deal with these issues daily.
Q: I use a combination of two things you mentioned in your article recently for my motorcycle. I pour Sta-Bil in the tank and fill it up, then run the carbs dry. Also, just as the engine starts to sputter because the first carb runs dry, I spray an engine fogger into the air intake.
— D.B., Gages Lake, Ill.
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A: Fogging the cylinders helps keep rust away. Not many people know about it, but it is a good preventive measure. You can also fog through the spark plug holes.
Q: Please pass this along to C.L. of Enfield, Conn. My daughter’s Honda CR-V of approximately the vintage had the same issue of a rattle from somewhere up front. Long story short, the problem was a plastic piece (a float valve?) in the brake fluid reservoir that worked loose and eventually broke off. The resulting rattle sounds exactly like your diagnosis. Go figure.
— S.P., Chicago
A: We will pass along your tip since squeaks and rattles can be so hard to nail down, but we still think the problem sounds like sway bar bushings. We have not heard from C.L. whether the problem has been fixed.
Q: For 16 years, I stored a 20-foot Hydrosports outside with gas tank at about half-full. I had a water separator on the fuel line; these are not very expensive. I forget whether there was any water collected in the separator when I inspected it each year. But I also added “Stor-N-Start” all the time, not just during storage and never had a problem. Am I just lucky or is this sound policy?
— J.B., Farmington, Conn.
A: A water separator was a swell idea for pure gasoline, but doesn’t help with E10 gas. Yes, using Stor-N-Start is a good habit. With pure gasoline (E0), water in the fuel precipitates out and falls to the bottom of the tank or separator where it can be drained off. Not long ago, ethanol was less prevalent in marine fuel. On its website, the U.S. Boat Owners Association of the United States reports: “Mercury Marine … noted that ethanol does not ‘grab water molecules out of the air.’ It is hydrophilic, which means ethanol holds water. With regular gasoline as well at E10, the primary cause of water collecting in tanks is condensation on tank walls. But unlike E0, which can absorb almost no moisture, E10 can hold up to half of one percent of water by volume, and the water molecules will dissolve in the fuel. The ‘solubilized’ water will bypass the water separator and burn harmlessly through the engine.”
If there is over 0.5 percent water in the tank, the overage will precipitate out causing engine problems. Using a fuel treatment is essential in our opinion and a water separator is a good backup.