Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - February 14, 2026 - Hour 2 - Pitchers & Catchers, Cooling Fans & Comebacks That Solved The Problem

On this episode of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, Ron kicks things off with a shout-out to Coach Keith at CrossFit Bison — baseball season is coming, pitchers and catchers have reported, and yes… Ron might be running again. Then it’s right into real-world auto repair with a mix of laughs, shop logic, and listener follow-ups that close the loop.

Matt calls in with an ’01 Chevy Venture where the cooling fans will run when jumped — but won’t come on under normal operation. Ron explains why this may not be a bad fan or relay at all, but a control/strategy issue involving the BCM and load-shed management — the kind of problem you solve with testing, not guessing.

Bruce in Utah shares the win of the week: a pristine ’78 Mercury Marquis that hadn’t been started in 40 years… brought back to life and now turning heads everywhere it goes. Ron talks about the satisfaction of keeping older, repairable vehicles alive — and why we’re all just caretakers of the classics.

Plus, Chris reports back on a Chrysler Pacifica cold-start nightmare that ended up being start/stop battery related — proving again that modern vehicles can mean two batteries and big repair bills if you don’t know what you’re dealing with. And Steven closes the loop on a 2023 F-150 catalytic converter issue that didn’t qualify for a recall — but did get handled under warranty.

Ron wraps with updates on parts supply issues, why start/stop may be headed for a rethink, and a reminder that the best repair relationship is built on trust, proper maintenance, and doing things the right way.

The mechanics aren’t expensive — they’re priceless.

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