Automotive

Preventing the Most Common Auto Repairs

car-repair-black-whiteCars are a great investment. With the financial crisis continuously festering on the global facet, people are now going for effective automotive maintenance rather than purchasing a new ride. However, leaving your car by the shop for repairs can be costly, too. While reality speaks that crap does happen every now and then, there are ways to preventing the most common auto repairs. Here are three that you’d sure love to know about.

1. Engine Misfire

Every spark plug that your car has is actually electrically timed, and it’s firing should come with precision in timing. That would be essential in delivering power straight from the engine. In the event that the spark does the firing mechanism at the wrong pace and timing, or that it doesn’t do it at all, that is simply a misfire. There are several reasons for the cylinder’s misfiring. Some of which would include the following:

-Damned spark plug wires
-Oil or carbon fouled sparkplugs
-Ineffective fuel delivery
-Mechanical break such as a burned piston ring and burnt valve
-Vacuum leak

The easy way to prevent engine misfiring is to follow your car’s maintenance schedule promptly. Keep the engine of your vehicle tuned in accordance to it factory specifications. Also, shops that can do trouble-code scanning can expose possible threats to your car’s condition before they start looming.

2. Evaporative Emissions Failure

The EVAP system is conceptualized to trap up hazardous gas fumes. It is made up of the vapor lines, fuel tank, liquid vapor separator, which prevents liquid gas from coming into the system and lastly, the canister with the purge valve. The most common issue for this part of the car would be leaking.

To abstain the possibility of a leaking EVAP system, so as to avoid a $200 bill for repairs, re-install the gas cap every time you refuel it. A reliable rust protection also helps keep corrosion in the system line at a slow, minimum pace.

3. A System That Runs Lean

If ever the code “system too lean” is pulled up by a trouble-scanner, it is-in most cases-caused by a faulty injection by the driver or if a software needs updating. The computer monitors the engine operating elements, which would include the airt intake temps and the coolant. Damages on this area may lead to the trapping of gas fumes inside the engine.At many times when the engine is operating, the purge valve becomes open as a means to let fresh air get inside the canister. In turn, this forces all the trapped.

Repairs for that kind of problem will cost you no less than $180. So, what can you do for prevention? See to it that regular upkeep and maintenance are met. These should be able to avert the said problems. Do not forget to check out the engine light from time to time because little problems could grow rapidly if you tend to overlook them at first. Do not ever be penny wise, nor pound foolish in terms of preventing maintenance for your own precious car.

4. Failure of the Catalytic Converter

There is two main reasons why a cat-converter fails. It could be due to leaks by rusting and corrosion, or through internal plugging caused by the buildup of carbon. The cat-converter is designed to burn up all unburned gas substance to clean up emissions from the tailpipe. In due time, clogging can happen if proper maintenance is not consistently applied.

When a catalytic converter starts to fail, every other failure could follow. The only solution to prevent that from happening really is to follow the recommended maintenance routine for it. It works like cancer: It only becomes apparent once it’s already at a deadly level.

5. EGR System Failure

EGR, as you may know, stands for “Exhaust Gas Recirculation”. It is a certain emissions system tailored to alleviate combustion chamber temps as a matter of lowering the formation of nitrogen oxide gas that contribute to pollutants in the air we breath.

Due to the nature of the system itself, which is all about feeding on exhaust gas, it is very much susceptible to unburned gas or simply carbon buildup, as well as other control problems. Complications of the EGR valve arise as it wears over time. Some of the usual repairs would include controller replacement, wiring repair and valve replacement.

If you do not want to spend $200 and up on EGR dysfunctions, get a professional to clean the fuel system thoroughly per 30K miles of driving. That way, carbon buildup remains at bay. Always check engine lights, too.

To sum it all up, vigilance to the current condition of your car is the key to preventing major problems from occurring. It will hedge you from having to break the bank through the course of your long drives.

This post has been written by Anne Prantel. She recommends auto repair O’Fallon MO because they are highly experienced professionals in auto repair services.

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