Carthage Auto Repair

Why Does My Check Engine Light Keep Coming On. This is a question we get asked about frequently. The Check Engine Light is supposed to come on when the vehicles emission levels increase 1.5% above EPA emissions standards. The vehicles onboard computer is monitoring the sensors and the oxygen content in the exhaust. The PCM can correct for small problems such as engine wear and fuel quality to a certain extent. If a sensor sends back a reading that is higher than the emission standards the Check Engine Light comes on. When you take your vehicle to a shop to get checked out, they hook a scan tool to your vehicle. This helps to get the codes and a diagnostic starting point. One of the misconceptions that is out there is the scan tool tells you what part to replace and then your Check Engine Light will go off. While this may happen once in a great while the truth is that a lot of parts get replaced that don’t need to be and ends up costing you, the consumer a lot more money than ... read more

What Can I Do To Get Better Gas Mileage? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. Something as simple as your TIRES not having the proper air pressure in them can contribute to poor Fuel Mileage. Another easy thing to have your shop check is the Wheel Alignment on your vehicle. Not only does this help you save money on gas, but it also helps Tire Wear on your car and tires will last longer. If the Check Engine Light is on in your vehicle this can also contribute to poor Gas Mileage. When your Check Engine Light comes on it’s best to get it checked out. It may be simple things such as broken vacuum lines to the intake. When this happens the Mass Air Flow Sensor can’t read the correct amount of air flowing into your engine. When this happens the PCM uses other sensors to correct the amount of fuel it adds to the engine. If you feel that your car is Getting Bad Gas Mileage, give us a call and we can check your vehicle over and give you recommendations to help y ... read more

What Causes My Check Engine Light To Flash? There are quite a few reasons why your vehicle may have a Flashing Check Engine Light.  Something as simple as a bad Spark Plug could cause a Flashing Check Engine Light and your vehicle to have a What Causes My Car To Vibrate At An Idle. Even Though your Check Engine Light may be on or flashing and it has a code P0300 which comes on when the Engine Control Module detects a misfire. If it’s bad enough it will set another cylinder specific code, you still must diagnose why the Engine Is Misfiring. Depending on what is causing the Check Engine Light To Flash it can take very sophisticated test equipment to find the root cause of the problem. The best way to find the root cause of the problem is to use a lab scope with pressure transducers in the cylinder, intake, and exhaust. This is the only way to find sticking valves and lifters that intermittently collapse. If your vehicle has a Flashing Check Engine light or the Check Engine Lig ... read more

Why Does My Car smell Like Gas? There may be several possibilities that this may happen. Late Model car use a lot of sensors to control the amount of fuel that an injector sprays in a cylinder. If an OXYGEN SENSOR is failing and sending a low voltage signal to the Engine PCM it will think that it needs to add more fuel when it is already over fueling the engine. Another reason that a Why Does My Car Smell Like Gas can occur is leaking FUEL INJECTORS. The engine ECM is programmed for the Injectors to Be on for a set time and it also knows the fuel pressure and flow rate of the injectors. If the Fuel Injectors are leaking it will cause an over fuel condition that may be beyond the ability of the ECM to control. Everything on the engine and all the sensors must work together correctly to control the amount of fuel that the engine burns. The Engine ECM can correct for a certain amount of FUEL CONTROL problems. If you are Experiencing a “Why Does My Car Smell Like Gas” give us a ... read more

Why Does My Diesel Blow White Smoke? There are several possibilities that this can happen. One of the things to pay attention too when your Diesel Truck Blows White Smoke is the color. If it’s white that will be caused by coolant leaking into a cylinder. If the smoke color is bluish white and burns your eyes this is caused by excess fuel in a cylinder. We will look at the reasons for White Smoke first. A leaking Cylinder Head Gasket could be a cause of this. Pay attention to how long the White Smoke lasts. If it’s gone in a couple minutes the head gasket is leaking when the engine is cold, then when you start your Diesel Engine it will Blow White Smoke and be gone in a couple minutes. This is a symptom of a Head Gasket that is failing and will need replaced. Another possibility of Why Does My Diesel Blow White Smoke is a cracked EGR Cooler on later model Diesel Engines. These things need to be checked first. These are the smaller thing that if you get fixed right ... read more