Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What can cause slow acceleration?
A: Possibly a plugged converter. Also there can be a transmission related problem, a drag possibly coming from a wheel (such as e-brake on or stuck, calipers not releasing. Too much fuel or too little fuel getting to the combustion chambers which can be a mechanical kind of problem like a fuel leak. Worn plugs or an engine management control problem like an oxygen sensor or a throttle position sensor. Check the accelerator cable to see if it is excessively stretched and not allowing the engine to achieve maximum acceleration.
Also could be a fuel pump which is beginning to go. Thus the fuel is not regulated properly and affecting the usual acceleration. Lack of maintenance such as spark plugs, plugged filters, carbon build up.
Q: What causes the engine to smoke?
A: Could be oil leaking out onto the manifold. Look for oil leaking out of the engine. You may need to replace the gasket under the cylinder cover (takes about 15 mins).
Additionally, smoke from the tailpipe will be of 3 distinct colors. White smoke is a coolant leak, blue smoke is from oil burning, and black smoke is an overly rich fuel mixture.
Q: What are the signs that you have bad wheel bearings?
A: On more current cars the bearing are sealed and incorporated into a hub assembly. Signs they are going bad include: a hum or roar that can be stopped when turning the steering wheel in one direction but not the other that is unless both sides have bad bearings. The noise sounds similar to a choppy worn tire. Some wheel bearings assemblies have ABS (Anti Lock Brake) sensors built into them, an ABS light may illuminate if one goes bad. Just as a warning, brake rotors that do not have a heat isolating groove in them may transfer heat to the hub and cause wheel bearing failure.
Q: How often should brakes be changed?
A: If you're talking front ones, and they were installed properly and the system doesn't develop other problems to cause premature wear, and also depending if you're talking city or highway driving, not to mention what quality of parts were installed, I would expect about 35,000. If you have rear drum brakes and you keep them adjusted every 12,000 miles your fronts may last longer. If we are talking rear shoes I would expect 75,000 miles, rear disc brakes about 50,000 miles.
Q: What can happen if rear wheel bearing is not replaced?
A: If you do not change a bad wheel bearing the bearing will cut a groove in the axle. If it goes on long enough the axle will have to be replaced. It could also ruin the axle housing. Then you would have to replace the rear-end.
Q: What is ABS?
A: ABS stands for "Anti-lock Braking System". It is used on modern cars and vans to help drivers maintain control of the vehicle during hard braking. It works by not letting the wheels "lock up" and stop traction.
Q: How do you know if a car's engine is in good shape?
- Compression test. This tests the state of the 'bottom half' of the engine and the valves and seats. All cylinders should be within 5 psi, and near the high end of spec. If your compression gauge is old or of poor quality or the vehicle battery is suspect, look only for equality between cylinders, not comparison to spec.
- Running compression test. Similar to above, but also identifies the presence of many valve train problems such as cam wear and valve lash that a regular compression test will not pick up on. The regular test is still important though because the running test is less sensitive to effects of worn rings and cylinder walls.
- Compare oil pressure at idle to manufacturer's specification.
- Visually look for external leaks, especially at gaskets and freeze plugs.
- Visually look for oil in the radiator or coolant in the oil pan.
- Use a non-contact thermometer to measure the temperature of engine block and head(s) at multiple locations after the engine has been idling for several minutes. The head(s) should have a consistent temperature, and the block should also have a consistent (not the same as heads though) temperature.