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How to Deal with Engine Difficulties

car engine

Keep your car running smoothly with by following these car engine maintenance tips.

There isn’t anything worse for a car owner to hear than the news that their car needs a new engine.  But the truth is sometimes the engine in your car simply dies.  While there are things you can do to help keep your engine healthy and your car on the road, it is also important to know what signs might signal trouble ahead.  According to the Car Care Council’s website the following are all signs that there may be a problem brewing in the engine.

  • Excessive smoke pouring out of the tailpipe
  • Using excessive amounts of oil
  • Strange sounds like knocking or tapping
  • Low oil pressure
  • Oil getting into places it shouldn’t be like the air cleaner or radiator
  • Low engine compression
  • Water in the oil

If any of these problems happen, you need to take the care to your local repair shop immediately to have the engine looked at and any problems addressed.  This can make it possible for you to catch a problem early enough that it doesn’t result in having to completely replace the engine.

There are several things that can cause engine problems.

  • Normal wear and tear
  • Not performing regular maintenance like oil changes
  • Lubrication issues
  • Constant overheating

It is important to remember that ignoring engine problems is never going to make them go away or get any better.  In fact, most of the time, ignoring it will only make it worse.  And you may end up with an engine that simply dies.  If this happens to you, you will need to decide if it is worth replacing the engine.  For some cars, the high costs associated with engine replacement paired with the value of the car make engine replacement a bad investment.

But before you consign your car to the scrap heap, make sure you know all the information.  First, you need to know how much your car would be worth with a replacement engine.  Then, you need to know what the engine replacement will cost.  Factor in what you owe on it and if replacing the engine leaves you with a good car that is worth more than what you owe plus the cost of the engine replacement, getting it fixed is the wiser choice.

If you choose engine replacement, you need to understand the different terms you are likely to encounter in order to make the best possible decision.  If you have to replace the engine in your car, you may want to consider using a rebuilt or remanufactured engine rather than buying something brand new.    These engines are rebuilt to specific standards and specifications by highly skilled technicians.  In some cases, a rebuilt engine may actually be better than the original engine installed when the car was built.  So don’t overlook this kind of engine replacement options as being less than something new.  The key is to find a repair shop you can trust who will recommend the best possible parts to get you back on the road.

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Ask the Car Guy: How Can Carbon Build-up Impact My Engine?

Matt Allen, Owner of Virginia Auto Service, cohost of Bumper to Bumper Radio

Matt Allen, Owner of Virginia Auto Service, cohost of Bumper to Bumper Radio

Dear Car Guy,

I keep hearing about carbon build-up and that it can hurt my car. Can you please explain what carbon build-up is and how it can impact my engine?

Thank you,

Bill Q., Phoenix, AZ

Hi, Bill,

Many car manufacturers are now using direct-injection (DI) technology in their new designs because it increases fuel efficiency (meaning MPG).

This technology, which was initially created to make diesel engines quieter and more fuel efficient, changes the way fuel enters the engine.  This change allows carbon, a black sooty dust, to build-up on the engine’s intake valve and other surfaces inside the engine.

Auto Repair Phoenix - carbon build up

In port-injection engines, the fuel enters the engine before the intake valve.  This means that the fuel is flowing over the valve as part of the engine’s normal operation.  Most gasoline sold today contains additives whose sole job is to help remove carbon from the intake valve and other parts of the engine and these additives do their work as the fuel flows into the intake valve.  But DI bypasses that process, injecting the fuel directly into the cylinder.  This means the additives in the fuel never come in contact with the surfaces most likely to experience carbon build-up.

When carbon builds-up in the car’s engine it can cause a couple different problems.  First, the engine will lose power.  One of the main problems carbon build-up does is to change the ratio of fuel to air in the engine.  This can happen if sensors stop functioning properly because of carbon build-up or if build-up keeps the intake valve from closing properly.  This can make the engine sluggish and cause it to stall.  Carbon build-up can also significantly degrade fuel efficiency, causing the car to get fewer miles to the gallon than it should be getting.

There are some things that will cause carbon to build-up faster that those with cars that are prone to carbon build-up problems should avoid.  Filling the tank with low grade gasoline which is less purified and usually has a higher concentration of contaminants can increase carbon build-up in the engine.  If the ratio of fuel to air is off, as mentioned above, carbon will accumulate more quickly.  Using the car primarily for short trips can also increase problems with carbon build-up as the engine doesn’t run long enough or hard enough to get hot enough to burn any of the carbon off.

The cars that are at the highest risk for carbon build-up problems are those that use DI, although not all cars that these types of fuel injection system have experienced this issue.  Audis, Mini Coopers, and some VW and BMW models are the cars that seem most prone to carbon build-up.  For owners of these cars, the carbon build-up problem means they must invest in additional maintenance on a regular basis to have the carbon cleaned from their engine.

When cars experience issues with carbon build-up, the build-up must be cleaned out of the engine.  Most auto repair shops can perform this kind of service but it can be costly, depending on the type of car and the work required to remove the build-up.  If your car is having any of these problems, have your repair shop check it over and recommend what can be done to solve the immediate issue and over the long term to protect your engine and keep your car on the road.

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