How
to speak mechanic!
Learning a little can save lots of time! A Click, a Clunk, a Grind
or a Growl...read here some common ways to describe car problems.
|
Whats
that Smell?:
| Possible
Problem |
Smell |
| Antifreeze
or coolant leak |
Sweet odor,
usually accompanied by steam from under the hood |
| Burning
oil |
Thick, heavy
odor, sometimes accompanied by smoke from under the hood or
from the exhaust |
| Electrical
short |
Acrid odor,
like burned toast |
| Emissions |
Continuous,
heavy sulfur odor like rotten eggs |
| Overheated
brakes or clutch |
Burning
rubber odor |
| Overheating |
Hot, metallic
odor usually accompanied by antifreeze/coolant odor |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See This?
| Possible
Problem |
Stain |
| Axle leaks |
Black stains
with heavy, thick consistency |
| Coolant
streaks |
Yellow,
green, pink, or orange stains that are lighter and thinner
than oil |
| Crankcase,
oil, power steering fluid leaks |
Brownish
stains |
| Transmission
oil leaks |
Reddish
stains |
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It's Not Running Right
| Symptom |
Description |
| Cuts out |
Temporary
complete loss of power. Engine quits at irregular intervals.
May occur repeatedly or intermittently, usually under heavy
acceleration. |
| Detonation |
Mild to
severe pings, usually worse under acceleration. Sounds like
popcorn popping. |
| Dieseling |
Engine runs
after ignition switch is turned off. Runs unevenly and may
make knocking noises. |
| Hesitation |
Momentary
lack of response as accelerator is pressed. Can occur at any
speed. Usually most severe when starting from complete stop.
May cause engine to stall. |
| Miss |
Pulsation
or jerking that changes with engine speed. Exhaust has a steady
spitting sound at idle or low speed. Not normally felt above
30 mph. |
| Rough
Idle |
Engine runs
unevenly at idle. Car may also shake. |
| Sluggish |
Engine delivers
limited power under load or at high speed. Won't accelerate
as fast as normal. Loses speed going up hills. Vehicle has
less speed than normal. |
| Spongy |
Little or
no increase in speed when accelerator is pushed down. Continuing
to push pedal down will eventually give an increase in speed. |
| Stall |
Engine stops
running or dies out. May occur at idle or while driving. |
| Surge |
Vehicle
speeds up and slows down with no change on accelerator pedal.
Can occur at any speed. |
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Handing Issues
| Symptom |
Description |
| Bottoming |
Suspension
moves to extreme end of travel and hits compression bumpers.
Feels like a heavy thud. |
| Brake
fade |
Stopping
distance seems to increase—causing longer braking distance,
similar to braking at high speeds |
| Excessive
play |
Steering
wheel must be turned unusually far before vehicle responds |
| Hard steering |
Vehicle
difficult to steer, especially during parking situations or
when first started |
| Low brake
pedal |
Brake pedal
must be pushed unusually far to engage brakes |
| Brake
pedal plus |
Brake pedal
fluctuates while brakes are applied |
| Pulls |
Vehicle
moves to one side when steering wheel is released |
| Grabs |
Vehicle
has a tendency to move right or left when brakes are applied;
brakes engage suddenly when applying steady pressure to brake
pedal |
| Shimmy |
Rapid side-to-side
motion of both front wheels felt in steering wheel |
| Sway/pitching |
Mushy or
spongy ride; vehicle takes a long time to recover from bumps
in the road |
| Vibration |
Vehicle
shakes |
| Wanders |
Vehicle
meanders, requiring frequent steering adjustments to maintain
direction |
|
