Question: My car has a standard transmission and an emergency hand brake. Sometimes when I'm driving along, I slowly pull on the hand brake to stop the car, instead of using the brake pedal. Is this a bad thing to do? — Victor
Ray: No, not really. Just to be sure, I went back and reread the Ten Commandments. And sure enough, none of them said "Thou Shalt Not Use Thy Hand Brake to Stop Thy Car."
Tom: Of course, if it were Thy Neighbor's hand brake, that's another story, Vic.
Ray: The parking brake, as you've discovered, can stop the car. And no damage will be done to the brakes or the car if you use it that way.
Tom: As you've probably ALSO discovered, however, the parking brake is a lot less effective at stopping the car than the brake system operated by your foot pedal is. First of all, the hand brake only operates half of the car's brakes (the rear brakes on virtually all cars). Second, the parking brake does not take advantage of the hydraulic system, which multiplies the force applied by your foot. So all of the power to stop the car has to come from your hand, and no hydraulic assist is provided.
Ray: And finally, the hand brake is operated by a cable, which can rust, stretch or even break. So it's not something you want to count on in an emergency. In fact, that's why lawyers at every car company demanded that the name be changed from "emergency brake" to "parking brake."
Tom: So feel free to use it, Victor. But not when stopping is a matter of life, death or even scratched paint.
Question: I've got a 1988 Toyota Camry with more than 307,000 miles on it. A guy I know told me that I shouldn't use fifth gear on a car with that many miles on it. He said using fifth gear would allow the engine to "loosen up." Personally, I kind of like fifth, due to the fact that it allows me to go faster, and it makes driving quieter. Should I listen to this guy? — Richard
Ray: Let me guess, Richard. This guy's brother-in-law sells new Toyotas. And he's working on commission?
Tom: You've got 307,000 miles on your car, and he's going to tell YOU how to make your engine last? I don't think so.
Ray: He's probably concerned about "lugging" the engine. You probably know what lugging is, right? It's when you try to accelerate in too low a gear and the car bucks and labors and pings until you either downshift or get up to an appropriate speed for that gear.
Tom: And lugging IS bad for your engine, especially an old engine, because it causes overheating.
Ray: But using fifth gear correctly — as I'm sure you do — at high speed on a level road is actually good for the engine. It allows the engine to run more slowly and turn fewer revolutions per mile. And the fewer times it turns, the longer it lasts.
Tom: So I think YOU'RE clearly the expert on how to make an engine last forever, Richard. We'll look for your book when it comes out.
Question: I have a 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse, and about two months ago I noticed a ticking noise coming from underneath the hood. I took it in to a mechanic, and he said my valve lifters were going out and I needed to replace them. I didn't have the $500, so I haven't done it yet. However, two weeks ago I noticed that the noise has disappeared. Does that mean my lifters have gone out completely? Is my car going to die on me? How much longer do I have? — Rossanna
Tom: Only your doctor can tell you how much longer you have, Rossanna. But your car is just fine.
Ray: My guess is that one of two things was causing the ticking noise. It could have been a valve lifter. The valve lifters are responsible for keeping the valves properly adjusted by taking up the slack in the valve train. And they work by getting filled up with oil, which is under pressure from the oil pump.
Tom: So it's possible that one or more of your lifters was not getting filled with enough oil. And when they're not working, what you hear is the clicking and clacking of the valves. Why they eventually got filled up with oil again, I don't know. Maybe there was a piece of debris in the way that finally got dislodged. But in any case, they're now working again, and all's right with the world.
Ray: The more likely possibility, in my opinion, is that one of your valves got stuck. That would also cause a tapping noise that would be indistinguishable from the noise of a faulty valve lifter. And a stuck valve can get "unstuck" by itself, too.
Tom: And in either case, your car is fine and there's nothing you need to do. As long as it's not making any noise now, I would forget about it entirely. Just change your oil and filter every 5,000 miles or so, and forget you ever wrote to us, Rossanna.
The Magliozzi brothers' radio show, "Car Talk," can be heard Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at noon on KUER FM 90.1, and on KCPW 88.3/105.1 FM Saturdays at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. If you have a question about cars, write to Click and Clack Talk Cars c/o King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017. You can e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of the Web site www.cars.com.