Crusty's Curious Conundrum

RAY: What Crusty saw is that --

TOM: The lights dimmed.

RAY: Exactly, her lights dimmed and they dimmed a lot, and they wouldn't have done that if the fuse were blown, or the switch in the door were bad. If there was an open circuit the lights wouldn't have done anything.

TOM: No.

RAY: But he saw them dim, and he knew from his vast years of experience --

TOM: Yes indeed.

RAY: -- that, you know a motor that can't turn draws a lot more current than one that can turn. In fact, if he had asked her, he could have said, try the window that works, and he could have compared, because an electric motor that can't turn is not producing something called counter EMF and, as such, draws a lot more current, and if it draws enough it'll blow the fuse eventually. But she did not have a blown fuse. When he saw those headlights dim, he knew she was done for, and he knew a boat payment was forthcoming. Anyway, so who's our winner?

TOM: The winner this week is Frederick Eames from Delmar, New York. And for having his answer selected at random from among all the correct answers that we got, Frederick will get a 26-dollar gift certificate to the Shameless Commerce Division at Cartalk.com, with which he can get our four CD set called, Four Perfectly Good Hours.

RAY: Hm.

TOM: As the name implies, these are four of our favorite shows in their complete one hour eminently lousy original form. And that four CD collection is yours, Fred, for being this week's puzzler winner. Congratulations.

RAY: Oh you lucky devil.

[ Car Talk Puzzler ]