Blog Info for Buy/Sell

What do you do when your Check Engine light turns on? Ignore it and hope it goes away? Try to find and fix the problem yourself, or do you take your vehicle to a San Pedro car repair and service center?

Common Causes of a Check Engine Light

We’ve all seen the Check Engine light and other warning lights on the instrument panel of our cars illuminate at one time or another, but most of us don’t know what causes them to turn on in the first place.

Your car has many different sensors that continuously monitor all critical vehicle systems. When a failure is sensed in any of these systems, a Check Engine light comes on to alert you of the problem.  Some of the common causes of a Check Engine light:

The gas cap is not tightened properly A problem with the emission system, such as a malfunctioning catalytic converter or clogged exhaust Old spark plugs that cause the engine to misfire Faulty sensors, such as anti-lock brake sensors Blown fuses Low oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, or anti-freeze Defective alternator Faulty battery

All of the reasons that can cause a Check Engine light to come on are too numerous to list. So, what do you need to know?

Obey Check Engine Light “Traffic Signals”

Treat your Check Engine light and other warning lights in your car like traffic signals. Follow these Check Engine light tips to know when you need professional automotive assistance from the San Pedro car repair pros:

Solid Yellow Light: Proceed with caution. This type of Check Engine light is probably not an emergency, especially if it seems like the engine is running smoothly. Try shutting down the engine and restarting it a few times to see if the Check Engine light goes out. It could be something as simple as a sensor taking too long to respond due to cold temperatures. If the Check Engine light stays on, take your vehicle to the San Pedro car repair specialists for a Check Engine light “check-up.” Blinking Yellow Light: Attend to the problem soon. This type of Check Engine light usually means your engine is misfiring, which can irreparably damage the very costly catalytic converter. Drive cautiously and make an appointment with your San Pedro car repair center as soon as possible. This early warning sign can save you from expensive repairs. Red Light: Stop driving as soon as possible. Continuing to drive with this type of Check Engine light on can cause severe damage to your engine. A red Check Engine light is typically the result of low fluids or problems with the electrical system. Of course, the best thing to do is to let the leading San Pedro car repair center investigate the problem with our state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. Our trained San Pedro diagnostics technicians will make the necessary repairs so your vehicle is safe to drive.

Don’t Ignore a Check Engine Light!

Depending on the type of problem, a sensor that causes a Check Engine light to come on can cause your vehicle to begin operating on a predetermined emergency program that can result in poor engine performance, decreased mileage, and increased emissions. By ignoring a Check Engine light, you risk doing permanent damage to your vehicle that could have been prevented if our San Pedro diagnostics and car repair experts could have inspected and fixed the problem at the first sign of trouble.

But you don’t have to wait until the Check Engine light illuminates! Get your car serviced by the San Pedro car repair professionals with regularly scheduled visits to help you avoid surprises. Call 310.831.2888 or make an appointment online at www.parkplazaautomotive.com.

For drivers who opt to put more miles into their car, the choice of gasoline and engine performance are not the only things that he must consider. He should also be keen about choosing the right motor mount, because it plays a very critical role in the performance of the engine. First of all, it secures the engine. It keeps it placed where it is supposed to be. So without the support that the engine needs, one cannot expect it to reach its full potential. Volvo, one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, is unfailingly producing high quality car parts. Hence, it will only be sensible to entrust the task of securing the engine to the name of Volvo. Because their ingenious solution to that is the Volvo Motor Mount. The Volvo Motor Mount is made of durable materials that are enough to keep the engine safe all throughout the car’s mortality. It has been a declared fact that a common motor mount only lasts 60,000 miles. With the Volvo Motor Mount, one should not be bothered by this fact, because Volvo knows that a driver can go beyond the extra miles. Some faulty motor mounts create unpleasant clunking sounds in the drive train. What is worse, is that sometimes, they create unnecessary vibrations in the seat as the car starts to accelerate or decelerate. Again, this minor, but hugely irritating matter will not happen to an engine that is fixed by the Volvo Motor Mount. They are made up of a padded nut and bolt assembly with an aluminum finish. The Volvo Motor Mount features encoder connectors and integral motor. It guarantees a positive motor alignment, and it also has a built-in index signal capabilities and built-in encoder. Volvo assures its customers that their products are made only with the latest technology. So when one has the symptoms of a faulty motor mount (the clunking noise and irritable vibrations), one has to know where to locate a Volvo Motor Mount immediately, and hook his car up with it. It is best to seek professional help, because the Volvo Motor Mount is also a professional in itself in the field of securing the engine.

If you own a car then you have probably already had some experience with car leaks, at least to some degree. Even new cars can develop leaks that are both annoying and frustrating. In the 1980s and 1990s engine leaks and other automotive leaking problems were the cause of a large majority of auto service appointments.

Now there are better engineering designs and materials used in the automotive manufacturing process. This has resulted in a decrease in customer complaints because new car parts have been noted to have substantially less problems with leak malfunctions.

Keep Engine Leaks at Bay

For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the basics of engine seals here is a list of what a car engine needs in order to be leak-free.

1.      Motor oil

2.      Proper compression

3.      Fitted gaskets

4.      Intact seals

5.      Engine coolant

6.      Fuel

Understanding Engine Seals

Most of the seals that protect your car engine are designed with double lips so that the motor oil can not leak out. One of the seals is designed to contain the oil, and the other is meant to stop any debris from contaminating the oil system. Although these lipped seals do not move they still have a big job to do because the car parts that they are surrounding are in motion. This is why many automotive techs refer to these car accessories as dynamic engine seals.

You will find dynamic seals used on car parts that are either rotating or belt driven. Two examples of these are crankshafts and camshafts. These are crucial elements for your car engine and it only takes a small leak to create a great deal of damage. An oil leak from a camshaft seal can result in ruined valves and timing belts which are both costly repairs.

How Leaks Begin

Small bits of grit, dust and road dirt are always flying about the exterior of auto engines. If there is a small opening in any seal it can allow some of these contaminants to adhere to the inner surface. Then as the shafts are moving they are being abraded by these particles’ sharp edges.

The constant motion of these rotating and belt driven car parts will soon cause small grooves to form along the sides of the shafts. Now the integrity of the seals and shafts are both compromised. Once these irregular grooves have formed on the metal surfaces, leaking will soon follow.

Fixes for Seals

There are times when worn metal surfaces can be repaired instead of being replaced. Some mechanics are able to grind and weld the shafts until the surface area meats the necessary specifications.  There is also a slip-sleeve that is available for some front crankshafts. This product is a fine metal covering that can be applied to the damaged area and will then cover the grooves. These are both elaborate and high priced technical projects that are only suggested for ultra expensive vehicles. Car parts such as engine seals and shafts can be replaced at a more affordable cost.

Gaskets and Engine Leaks

In the past a lot of car accessories and engine parts used gaskets that contained cork. The cork would work for a while but it deteriorated at a relatively quick pace. This material would stop a leak by swelling up and forming a tighter seal, but only after a small amount of oil had leached into the gasket.

Another type of engine gasket was made from RTV silicone and this could create a secure seal but only under special conditions. The silicone base meant that it had to be applied to an engine surface that was absolutely clean and free of any oily residue. Many mechanics had trouble getting the metal surface prepped to these exacting specifications.

Most of today’s new gaskets are made form synthetic rubber compounds. These engine gaskets are reliable and are much less likely to form a leak. This is the type of gasket that is preferred by knowledgeable mechanics and auto enthusiasts.

Gasket Seal Problems

When placing gaskets onto surfaces it seems that many auto techs and mechanics tend to tighten them too much. In order to address this problem there are some newer designs that use metal spacers. These spacers are actually in the gaskets which helps prevent the over tightening seen in the past. Newer car parts such as the cast aluminum engine covers and those made from plastics have also been responsible for protecting gaskets from this common problem.

There are also some gaskets that are more likely to be the source of engine leaks even if they have been properly installed. A car’s head gaskets and those used on the intake manifold are the ones that should be checked first if an engine leak is noted.

Internal Manifold and Head Gaskets

Engine compression, coolants and oil all depend on an intact head gasket seal. The intake manifold gaskets that are on cars are responsible for insuring the integrity of coolants, gas and diesel fumes and air. If these seals are damaged, or compromised you are assured of having leaks from your car that are going to be noticeable.

Engines and Aluminum Car Parts

The fact that so many engine car parts are now made from aluminum is an additional problem. Because of this metal’s expansion and contraction the gaskets must be allowed some movement allowance. This means that a mechanic needs to make sure that when the repairs are done the gaskets are capable of allowing for the movement of internal car parts as the temperature and weather changes.

Torque to Yield Bolts

Gaskets are internal car parts and they are placed in areas where bolts are going to be required. A mechanic can use incorrect bolts or too much torque and this will result in gasket failure. In this type of situation there could be a compression leak or coolant leak from head gaskets as well as warping of the heads. To prevent this from occurring most auto shops are now using the type of car engine bolts that are known as “torque to yield”.

Check and Repair Engine Leaks

No matter how old, or new, your car is you will need to check on any type of coolant engine leak. Just 2-3 tablespoons of an antifreeze liquid seeping into the oil compartment could ruin some vital car parts. Antifreeze and oil is a mix that can ruin the bearings in any car engine.

If you do not want to take your car to a garage you can handle the situation yourself. Certainly there are many different products that you can use to repair gaskets and seals. Your mechanic or auto supply store can help you find the right one for your vehicle. Just remember if you are doing the repairs yourself you need to make sure that you are using a quality product and applying it correctly. Follow the specifications and make sure to clean the surfaces properly and have exact alignment before making the repairs.