#1212: Catzilla's Great Adventure

Mar 24, 2012
This week on Car Talk, after missing for two months, Jane's cat showed up at a house seven miles away, and across two major highways. Did Catzilla stow away during Jane's daily commute? Elsewhere, Sharon's Explorer is growling, and Gunther thinks a toilet is flushing under his Astrovan's dashboard. Also, Lori in Arizona threatens to make Male Answer Syndrome obsolete, with two words: "Google it!"; and, more than you ever wanted to know about Senior Prom planning in Yosemite National Park. All this, plus a new Puzzler from the Dates and Nuts series, and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

Show Open Topic

How does the new Dodge Dart rank against Tommy's old '63? Tom and Ray offer up a few comparisons.

This Week's Puzzler

Were there suddenly two "Rainmen" in the Car Talk office, or had Tommy figured out a neat calendar-based trick?

Last Week's Puzzler

How can a girl's father and grandfather be the same age? Good question!

As Read on Car Talk



Another great show!
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Love the story about the cat.

Alternative solution for 74 Dart AT issues

I am not familiar with the AT linkage used on the 74 Dart, but I imagine it might be similar to other Dodge products of that era. I had two 67 Dodge Coronets that had the AT linkage with alternate pitch threads at each end (so the rod would not loosen nor tighten if either locknet came loose). The linkage was attached to the firewall and the intake manifold. I experienced similar problems as voiced by the lady on your show and it was due to a broken motor moount. Given the age (38 years - of the Dart - not the lady!) and that motor mounts are not considered routine replacement items nor frequently inspected, I suspect the problem may be more likely caused by a broken motor mount rather than a misadjusted shift linkage. Having the linkage attached to the firewall is what disturbs the geometry (and effective length of the shift rod) when engine torque causes the engine to rotate adversely due to the broken motor mount. Trying to get into Park could be an issue with the motor running as you have to shift into Reverse enroute to Park, and this would create a couple (locking the back of the motor-AT tripod mounting system) thus allowing the motor to rotate and change the effective length of the shift rod. The problem could be the shift rod adjustment, but I'd say it's less likely than a broken motor mount.
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