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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Check out these frequently asked questions to find some answers to common automotive problems. |
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1) What does it mean when my "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light is on?
2) Why is my "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light flashing? 3) What happens when the Anti Lock Brake light is on? 4) Why does my "Service Engine Soon" light come on after I fill up at the gas station? 5) Why does my brake pedal pulsate when I stop? 6) Why is there a "rotten egg" or sulfur smell in the car? 7) The dealer wants $700 for a new catalytic converter, but I found one for $100. Why is it so much cheaper and should I buy it? 8) Why should I keep the top of my battery clean? 9) I feel a vibration in the seat or steering wheel when I reach 35 or 45 mph. What is causing this? 10) Where in the heck is my car's battery?? 11) Should I use synthetic oil? 12) Why is transmission fluid blowing out of the dipstick tube? 13) Why do I hear a squeaking noise when I turn the steering wheel to the left or the right? 14) My vehicle pulls to the left or right. What is causing this? 15) There is a sweet, musty smell inside the car. What is causing this? 16) Why is there a metal-to-metal squeal until I press the brake pedal? When I press the pedal, the sound goes away. 17) My dash lights are going crazy. Sometimes when I turn on the blinker, the turn signal indicator light in the dash comes on, but it is dim and it won't flash. Sometimes it may blink, but some other light comes on (such as the coolant warning light for example) and it blinks too. What's going on? 18) How can I tell if my head gaskets are leaking? 19) My check engine light is not on, but I stilled failed the E-Check OR my light isn't on, but the car is still running badly. Why is this so? 1) What does it mean when my "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light is on? Your automotive computer system has detected a fault in the electronic control system. The only way to truly find out what is causing the light to come on is to have a full diagnostic performed. There are literally hundreds of possible codes that may be set by the self-diagnostic system. It is important to note that just because a code has been set for an oxygen sensor (as one example), it DOES NOT mean the oxygen sensor is bad. The oxygen sensor senses the amount of oxygen in the exhaust stream and a code can be set if the engine is running excessively rich (too much gas) or too lean (not enough gas). So in this example, the oxygen sensor code is a symptom of the rich or lean running condition, not the cause. Some auto parts stores are quick to sell an item just because a code has been set. Save your money and have a diagnostic performed. Back to Top 2) Why is my "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light flashing? On 1996 and newer vehicles, a flashing "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light indicates a catalyst damaging misfire is present. In other words, an ignition, injector, vacuum leak or mechanical problem is causing your engine to misfire and run very badly. This misfire may also allow excess raw fuel to enter the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter is sensitive to raw fuel, and it won't last long. The problem needs to be fixed as soon as possible before damage occurs. Back to Top 3) What happens when the Anti Lock Brake light is on? A fault has been detected by the Anti Lock Brake computer module and the ABS system is disabled. You will still have normal brakes though. You just won't have the anti lock feature. Back to Top 4) Why does my "Service Engine Soon" light come on after I fill up at the gas station? Actually, there are many possibilities. Any of a number of faults may have been detected by the computer system, however, if the light came on right after stopping at the gas station, you might have forgotten to tighten the gas cap. The gas cap and tank are part of an evaporative control system which includes the charcoal canister. Its purpose is to reduce the release of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. The tank must be a contained unit and a loose or missing gas cap makes the tank an open source of fuel that can contaminate the atmosphere. So check your gas caps after filling up. Back to Top 5) Why does my brake pedal pulsate when I stop? The brake rotors are likely warped. This can be caused by over-torqued lug nuts, possibly from using an impact gun during reassembly. It is also possible for warpage to occur after driving through water when the brakes were very hot. The only way to fix this is to have the rotors turned on a lathe or replaced. Back to Top 6) Why is there a "rotten egg" or sulfur smell in the car? Either the battery is being overcharged by the alternator or there is a problem with the catalytic converter (common on many Chevy S-10 pickups for example). The vehicle needs some work as soon as possible. Back to Top 7) The dealer wants $700 for a new catalytic converter, but I found one for $100. Why is it so much cheaper and should I buy it? It would not be wise to purchase the cheap, universal converter. Basically, "you get what you pay for". The catalytic converter has special coated material inside that is used for a chemical reaction to reduce emissions. If you need a new converter AND you want to pass your state inspection, you need to buy a good one. It is very possible that the new, CHEAP converter still won't pass the Ohio E-Check. I have seen these cheap converters fail personally. And even if it does pass, you may have to replace the converter in a year or so due to rust and the fact that it is falling apart. Save yourself the hassle and get a quality catalytic converter. Back to Top 8) Why should I keep the top of my battery clean? Electricity will actually flow across the dirt and grime causing a discharge over time. A clean battery is a happy battery, and it will keep you happy too! Back to Top 9) I feel a vibration in the seat or steering wheel when I reach 35 or 45 mph. What is causing this? Your tires/wheels need to be balanced or your tire may have a slipped belt in which case you would need to replace the tire. There is also a possibility that you have worn steering linkage. Back to Top 10) Where in the heck is my car's battery?? Welcome to the new age! It might be under the back seat or down inside your fender well (some Chryslers) in which case you would have to remove the front wheel to gain access. NOTE: There will still be a "jump start" terminal with easy access somewhere in the engine compartment. See your owner's manual. Back to Top 11) Should I use synthetic oil? First, always refer to the owner's manual. Use whatever the manufacturer recommends! Assuming they do not mandate use of synthetic oil, then you obviously have a choice to use regular or synthetic. Ask three different people and you will get three different opinions, but the most important thing is this: Use oil that has the API starburst symbol on the cap or on the side of the container of oil. This is the symbol which indicates the oil meets criteria set forth by the American Petroleum Institute. The starburst symbol=good and safe. Back to Top 12) Why is transmission fluid blowing out of the dipstick tube? 12) There is always a possibility there may be an internal problem causing this, but generally there are four common causes for this problem. First, it may be overfull. Check the fluid when it is hot. Hot means "hot to the touch". If you can grab the end of the dipstick and it doesn't burn, it isn't hot enough to be checked as "hot". So if it is just warm, then you need to look at the cold or warm level on the dipstick. In other words, filling to the higher, "Hot" level when it isn't hot is essentially overfilling it. Also, ensure you check it properly. Some vehicles (certain Chryslers) require checking in "Neutral" while most require checking in "Park". Check the owner's manual or read the directions on the side of the dipstick. Second, the transmission vent may be clogged with dirt. This is an easy fix. Third, the locking mechanism on the dipstick handle (some GM products) may not be functioning properly. And finally, the transmission cooler lines may be pinched or the cooler fins may be blocked with debris. Both of these problems elevate transmission fluid operating temperature causing an increase in pressure which can cause the fluid to blow out of the dipstick. Keep in mind you may have an external transmission cooler which sits in front of the engine radiator or your cooler may be internal to the radiator itself. In either case, check for blocked cooling fins. Back to Top 13) Why do I hear a squeaking noise when I turn the steering wheel to the left or the right? 13) Your ball joints are bad. Back to Top 14) My vehicle pulls to the left or right. What is causing this? 14) The easy answer is you need a front-end alignment, but before you get this done, don't forget to check your tire pressure. Back to Top 15) There is a sweet, musty smell inside the car. What is causing this? 15) You are smelling coolant/antifreeze. Most likely you have a leaking heater core. Consider this too... Is your carpet wet? And do your windows fog up when you turn on the defroster? These are both indicators of a leaking heater core. Back to Top 16) Why is there a metal-to-metal squeal until I press the brake pedal? When I press the pedal, the sound goes away. 16) Your brake pads are worn. The wear indicators are small metal tabs which make contact with the rotors once the pads become worn enough. That annoying noise is designed to tell you when you need to change the pads. Back to Top 17) My dash lights are going crazy. Sometimes when I turn on the blinker, the turn signal indicator light in the dash comes on, but it is dim and it won't flash. Sometimes it may blink, but some other light comes on (such as the coolant warning light for example) and it blinks too. What's going on? 17) You likely have an electrical ground problem. There is excessive resistance in the ground path and the power is backfeeding into other circuits. I once saw a Ford Tempo with a bad headlight ground that caused the windshield wipers to come on, travel up the window, and then stop. This would happen every time I turned the headlights on. The key was a very dim left front headlight. Dim lights AND crazy dash light activity often means one thing....a bad ground. Back to Top 18) How can I tell if my head gaskets are leaking? 18) A head gasket leak can manifest itself in many different ways. You could have an external leak only, a leak between cylinders, coolant leaking into the engine oil, or oil leaking into the coolant. Sometimes you can't outwardly notice a bad head gasket too. Basically you can check these items which are good indicators of a head gasket leak: 1) Check for overfull engine oil and a milky appearance to the oil. 2) Check for oil streaks or spotting in the coolant reservoir. 3) Check for puffs of white smoke coming from the exhaust. Don't mistake normal condensation burning off when it's cold outside for white smoke caused by a bad head gasket. You probably all have noticed the white smoke from condensation during cold temperatures. Back to Top 19) My check engine light is not on, but I stilled failed the E-Check OR my light isn't on, but the car is still running badly. Why is this so? 19) You must understand that the engine computer system is designed to turn the check engine light on only when a sensor or solenoid is outside of its operating parameter. In other words it can be bad, but not bad enough to turn the light on yet. Here is an example: A coolant temperature sensor might be bad. It might be telling the computer that the engine temperature is 55 degrees F even though it may actually be 180 degrees F. The result would be an engine that runs very rich and blows black smoke from the tail pipe. This is because the computer thinks the engine is cold and it is programmed to richen the air/fuel mixture until it is warm. The engine might even be hard to start or it could sputter. AND in this example the light might not come on because 55 degrees (which the sensor thinks it is) is well within the operating parameter of the sensor and the computer. Keep in mind that newer cars have logic programming that would turn the check engine light on in our previous example because it expects the temperature to rise over a given amount of time. But this logic type of programming might not exist in your current automobile. Back to Top |
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