Have you ever faced the frustrating situation where your car simply refuses to start? You turn the key, and nothing happens, or maybe you hear a weak crank but the engine just won’t catch. It’s a common automotive headache, and the reasons behind it can be surprisingly varied. But what if the reason was as unusual as your choice of ice cream flavor?
This might sound like the start of a joke, but let’s delve into a peculiar story, reminiscent of a tale once shared by the Car Talk brothers, Click and Clack. While the original story turned out to be an urban legend, we can use a similar scenario to explore the complexities of diagnosing a “car won’t start” issue and learn a valuable lesson in problem-solving.
Imagine a fellow named Fred who contacted Ford headquarters with a bizarre complaint. Fred explained a peculiar pattern: “Every night, my family decides on an ice cream flavor after dinner. I drive to the store, about two miles away, to pick it up. But here’s the strange part: whenever we choose vanilla ice cream, my brand new Ford just won’t start when I return to my car. If we pick any other flavor, strawberry, chocolate, you name it, the car starts perfectly fine. Can you explain why my car seems to be allergic to vanilla ice cream?”
Intrigued, Ford headquarters asked Fred to document his ice cream runs for the next four nights. The results were indeed strange.
Night one: Vanilla. Car wouldn’t start.
Night two: Strawberry. Car started immediately.
Night three: Chocolate. Car started without issue.
Night four: Vanilla again. Car refused to start.
What could possibly be the connection between vanilla ice cream and Fred’s car starting problems? Take a moment to consider. What’s your initial thought? What’s your best guess, your “working hypothesis,” as to why this is happening? What further information would you need to solve this automotive puzzle?
Ford, equally puzzled, requested Fred to repeat his ice cream trips, but this time, to meticulously record various details. He was asked to note the time of day, the type of fuel in his car, the outside temperature, the time spent inside the store purchasing the ice cream, the driving time to and from the store, the ice cream flavor chosen, and, of course, whether the car started or not upon his return.
Analyzing this detailed data revealed a crucial clue: Fred consistently spent less time in the store when buying vanilla ice cream compared to any other flavor. With this new piece of information, does your hypothesis about the “why won’t my car start” mystery change? What’s your refined guess now?
To get to the bottom of this, Ford dispatched an engineer to the ice cream store to conduct a firsthand investigation. The engineer observed the store layout and noticed something significant. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was strategically placed in a dedicated freezer case right at the front of the store for quick and easy access. All other flavors, however, were located in a different freezer section at the back of the store, where customers typically had to wait longer to be served.
The puzzle pieces began to fall into place. The critical factor wasn’t the vanilla ice cream itself, but the time it took Fred to purchase it. The question now shifted from “why vanilla ice cream?” to “why does less time in the store cause the car not to start?”. And with time as the key variable, the solution became clear: vapor lock.
In older cars, especially those without modern fuel injection systems, vapor lock was a common issue. When a car engine is turned off, the engine compartment can get very hot. If the car is restarted too soon, especially on a hot day, the fuel in the fuel lines near the hot engine can vaporize. These vapor bubbles in the fuel line disrupt the flow of liquid fuel to the engine, preventing it from starting – hence, “vapor lock.”
In Fred’s case, his car was likely experiencing vapor lock on each of his ice cream runs. However, because vanilla was so readily available, he was in and out of the store quickly. This short time frame didn’t allow the engine to cool down sufficiently for the vapor lock to dissipate. But when he chose other, less conveniently located flavors, the extra time spent in the store was just enough for the engine to cool down, allowing the vapor lock to resolve itself, and the car to start normally.
Alt text: A variety of ice cream flavors are displayed in a freezer case, illustrating the choices Fred had besides vanilla, each taking longer to purchase.
The Lesson Learned: Beyond the Ice Cream and “Car Won’t Start”
This seemingly whimsical story offers a powerful lesson that goes beyond just diagnosing car problems. It highlights the importance of strategic thinking and thorough root cause analysis. When your initial explanation for a problem doesn’t quite add up, it’s crucial to explore alternative solutions, refine your initial assumptions, and gather more data.
It’s easy to mistake correlation for causation. Just because buying vanilla ice cream was associated with the car not starting, it wasn’t the cause. As the story illustrates, the real culprit was the time factor, leading to vapor lock. Just like the rooster crowing in the morning doesn’t cause the sunrise, sometimes what seems like the obvious cause is merely a coincidental factor.
In a business context, this lesson is equally relevant. When a team is underperforming, the immediate reaction might be to blame the individuals. But as management guru W. Edwards Deming wisely pointed out, it’s essential to look deeper into the system, the processes, and the interactions within that system to identify the true root cause. Often, the problem lies not with the people, but with the system they are operating within.
So, the next time you face a “car won’t start” situation, or any problem for that matter, remember the vanilla ice cream mystery. Be strategic in your approach, dig deeper to uncover the real root cause, and don’t be misled by superficial correlations. And rest assured, your car should reliably start, regardless of your ice cream flavor preference.
