FirstaidforyourcarYourexpertguidetocommonproblems&howtofixthemCarlCollins

FirstprintedinpaperbackformatinJune2013.FirstpublishedinebookformatSeptember2013byVelocePublishingLimited,VeloceHouse,ParkwayFarmBusinessPark,MiddleFarmWay,Poundbury,Dorchester,Dorset,DT13AR,England–Fax01305250479–e-mailinfo@veloce.co.uk–webwww.veloce.co.ukordigital.veloce.co.uk.

EbookeditionISBN:978-1-845846-60-2PaperbackeditionISBN:978-1-845845-19-3©CarlCollinsandVelocePublishing2013.Allrightsreserved.Withtheexceptionofquotingbriefpassagesforthepurposeofreview,nopartofthispublicationmayberecorded,reproducedortransmittedbyanymeans,includingphotocopying,withoutthewrittenpermissionofVelocePublishingLtd.Throughoutthisbooklogos,modelnamesanddesignations,etc,havebeenusedforthepurposesofidentification,illustrationanddecoration.Suchnamesarethepropertyofthetrademarkholderasthisisnotanofficialpublication.

Readerswithideasforautomotivebooks,orbooksonothertransportorrelatedhobbysubjects,areinvitedtowritetotheeditorialdirectorofVelocePublishingattheaboveaddress.

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ContentsIntroductionAbouttheauthor&importantinformation

oneStartingproblemstwoWarninglights&gaugesthreeNoisesfourSmellsfiveLeakingliquidssixExhaustproblemssevenWindscreeneightEnginenineLights&indicatorstenBrakeselevenGearbox&clutchtwelveSteeringthirteen4x4problemsfourteenSuspension,wheels&tyresfifteenEnginecoolantsixteenFuelseventeenWinter

Furtherreading

IntroductionWhatdoyoudoifyourcarhasawaterleakorifyoudiscoveroilonthegroundbeneathit?Whatifawarninglightcomeson?Whatcouldbethecause?CanIdriveit?DoIneedabreakdownserviceoramechanic?HowcanIgetittoagaragesafely?Ourcarsareessentialtous,andit’shardtoimaginebeingwithout

them.Ifyoudriveone,thenthisisthebookforyou–evenifyouhaveminimalmechanicalknowledge.Youcanavoidseriousrepairbillsbylearningexactlywhattodowhensomethinggoeswrong;doingthewrongthingcouldcostyoualotofmoneyandbearealinconvenience.Youcanfindoutwhetherthecarissafetodrive,andwhatactionyouneedtotaketocompleteacrucialjourneyorgetyourcartoagarage.Coveringthemostcommonproblemsthatoccuronmodernvehicles,

suchasbrakefaults,oilandwaterleaks,startingissues,unusualnoises/smells,anddashboardwarninglights,thisbookisoneofthemostvaluableitemsyoucanhaveinyourcar.

Abouttheauthor&importantinformationAbouttheauthorFormanyyearstheauthorhasbeenprovidingtechnicalcontentforhisautomotivehelpwebsite–carbasics.co.uk.

Hisengineeringbackground,experienceasatrainer,andpassionforallthingsautomotivehaveledtoaskillforwritinghighlydetailedyeteasy-to-followcarDIYarticles.Since2006,carbasics.co.ukhashelpedthousandsofcarownerssavemoneyandkeeptheircarssafeontheroad.Thesuccessofhiswebsiteandwritingstylehaveresultedinhimbeingaskedtowriteanumberofautomotivebooks.

ImportantinformationIfanythingcontainedinthisbookcontradictswhatiswritteninthevehiclemanufacturers’

handbook,theadviceintheofficialhandbookshouldalwaystakepriority.Theguidanceinthisbookisgeneral,so,whilst

yourcaranditsindividualcomponentsmaylookalittledifferentfromthefeaturedprojectcarsandtheircomponents,the

actionsdescribedwillstillbeperformedinessentiallythesamemanner.Allbolts,nutsandscrewsareturnedanti-clockwisetoundo,unlessstatedotherwiseinthehandbook.Alwaysusethecorrectsizetools(spanners,sockets,screwdrivers,etc)oryouriskdamagingpartsofthecarandincreasetheriskofinjuring

yourself.

oneStartingproblems

1.1Starterturnsengineslowlybutenginewon’tstart

Whenturningthekeytostarttheengine,theengineturnsoverslowlybutwon’tstart.Thisindicatesthatthebatterydoesnothaveenoughcharge.Ifyou

haveaccesstoabatteryboosterpack,oryoucangetsomeonetohelpjump-startthecar,youshouldbeabletogetitstartedthatway.

Thecarbattery,themostcommoncauseofcarstartingproblems.

Thisproblemcanbecausedbyanumberofthings:•Afaultwiththealternator,meaningthatthebatteryisnotgettingrechargedwhilstyouaredriving.•Afaultybatterythatisnotholdingitscharge.

•Abatterythatislosingchargeovernight,becausesomethingisdrawingelectricityfromit.

Atypicalbatteryboostercanhelptostartacarwithlowbatterylevel.

Useabatterychargertorechargea‘flat’battery.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Thesearethemostcommonreasonsabatterylackscharge,andtheproblemwillneedtobelookedintofurthertopinpointtheexactcause.Youwillneedtogetthecarlookedatbyanauto-electriciantoseewhichpartneedsreplacing.Ifyouhaveaccesstoavoltmeter,connectittothebatteryterminalsandcheckthevoltageoutputfromthealternator.Ifthevoltmeterreadsaround13.8vormore,thealternatorisgoodandwillnotneedchanging.

Afaultyalternatorcanbethecauseofaflatbattery.

Atypicalalternatorremovedfromcar:it’sbeingchangedforanewunit.

Lesscommonfaultsthatcangivethesamesymptomsareabadearthconnectionbetweenengineandbody,partiallyseizedengineorseizedclutch,amongstothers.Beforebuyinganewbattery,gettheoldonetestedbyagarageorcar

partsshop.Theywillhavespecialistequipmenttotestthebatteryfully,asitsperformancecannotbeproperlytestedbyusingjustavoltmeter.Ifbothalternatorandbatteryareingoodcondition,thensomethingmaybedrainingthebatterywhenthecarisnotbeingused.Youwillneedtotakethecartoanauto-electricianfordiagnosisoftheproblem.

1.2Starterturnsenginestronglybutenginewon’tstartThisindicatesthatthereisnofuelgettingtotheenginewhenyouturnthekey.Youwouldgetthesameproblemifyouranoutoffuel,oriftherewasafaultwiththeignitionsystem,ienosparkatthesparkplugstoignitethe

fuel(petrolengines).Dieselenginesdonothavesparkplugs,soforthemyoucanrulethisoutandassumethatnon-startingisduetoafuellingissue.Thefirstthingtodoischeckthatyouhavesufficientfuel.Checkthe

fuelgaugeonthedashboard,andthinkaboutwhenyoulastfilledup.Ifyouhaverunoutoffuel,refertochapter16.1,‘Runningoutoffuel.’

Engineturnsbutwon’tfire,indicatingafuellingfault.Checkforsufficientfuel.

Ifthereissufficientfuelinthetank,thefaultmaybethatit’snotgettingtotheenginefreely.Thiscanbecausedbyablockedfuelfilter,especiallyifthevehicleisgettingold.Perhapsyourecentlyranverylowonfuel,whichmayhavedrawndirtfromthebottomofthefueltankintothesystem?Assessingwhetherthesparkplugsareworkingandfuelisgettingtothe

enginecaninvolvelooseninginjectorsandcheckingsparkplugs–butthisisreallybeyondfirstaid,asyou’llneedaworkshopmanualtohelpwith

procedureanddiagnosis.

Insufficientfuelgettingtothefuel-injectorscanpreventtheenginefromstarting.

Ifyouhavecarbreakdowncover,it’stimetocalltheorganisationtoseeifitcangetthecarstartedanddiagnosetheproblem.1.3NonoisewhenignitionkeyturnedIftheenginewillnotstartwhenyouturntheignition,youfirstneedtocheckwhetherthebatteryhaspower.Areanyofthevehicleelectricsworking,suchasdashboardlights,radio,headlights,etc?Ifheadlightsareworking,butareverydim,thenyouhaveanalmost-flatbatterythatwillneedtoberechargedusingacharger.Youcanalsotryusingabatteryboosterpack,orgettingsomeonetohelpjumpstartthecar,Alsochecktomakesurethatthebatteryterminalsaresecurely

tightened.

Nothinghappenswhenignitionkeyisturned.Checkforpowertoradioordashboardlights.

Caution!Don’tallowthemetaltoolyouuseforthistoshortthepositiveterminaltoanadjacentpieceofmetal.Ifyoudomanagetogetthecarstarted,youstillneedtoestablishthecauseoftheproblembeforeithappensagain.

If,whenyouturntheignitionkey,therearenolightsonthedashboardandnoelectricalitemsareworking,youmayhaveatotallyflatbatterythatwillneedtoberechargedandthecauselookedintofurther.Ifalloftheelectricsseemtobefineandyouhavesufficientpowerin

thebattery,themostlikelycauseisafaultystartermotor.Thisiswhatfirstrotatestheenginetogetitstarted.Youmaybeabletocheckthatallthewiringtothestartermotorisstillinplace,asifthiscomeslooseorhasbeendamaged,itcanpreventstartermotoroperation.Ifthewiringseemsokay,youmayneedanewstartermotortogetthecarworking

again.However,theproblemcouldalsobeafaultyalarm/immobiliserratherthanstartermotor.Thiswillneedtobelookedatbyaspecialist.Carswithfaultystartermotorscanoftenbegotgoingby‘bump-

starting’thecar.Thisistheprocessoftryingtostartthecarwhilstitisrolling,eitherdownahillorwhilstbeingpushed.Usuallyoncerolling,youcandepresstheclutchpedalandputthevehicleintosecondgear,thenwiththeignitionturnedon(caution–makesuresteeringlockisoff!)liftyourfootofftheclutch.Thiswillengagetheroadwheelsandturntheengine,basicallyreplicatingwhatthestartermotordoeswhenthecarisstationary.Providingthereisenoughfuelandbatterypower,thecarshouldstartanddriveokay.However,assoonasyouturnofftheignition,youwillnotbeabletostartthecaragainwithoutanotherbump-start.Pleasealsonotethatyoucannotbump-startvehiclesthathaveautomaticgearboxes.Youmaywanttolearnmoreaboutbump-startingcarsbeforeyouattemptityourself–theinternetisagoodplacetostart.

1.4Clickingnoisebutenginewon’tstartTheclickingsoundyoucanhearisthestartermotor.Thisnoisesignalsthatthestartermotorisnotturningovertheengine.

Themostlikelycausesareafaultystartermotor,oralackofbatterypower–seesection1.3foraddressingtheseissues.Checkallofthewiring/connectionstothestartermotorandsolenoidincasetheyhavecomelooseorhavebeendamaged.

Aclickingnoiseandnothingelsemayindicateafaultystartermotor.

Atypicalstartermotorwithstartermotorsolenoid(arrowed)mountedontop.1.5CarstrugglestostartfromcoldTherearequiteafewreasonswhyacarmightbedifficulttostartfromcold,especiallyinthewintermonths.Ifyourcarisadiesel,makesurethatyouarelettingtheglowplugswarmsufficiently–readsection2.13‘Glowpluglight(dieselengines)’formoreinformationonthis.Plentyofdieseldriversdon’tknowtheyneedtolettheglowplugsoperateforafewsecondsbeforetheystarttheengine.

Failedglowplugscancauseproblemswithcold-startingondieselengines.

Iftheweatherisverycoldandyourcarisnotnew,theproblemsyoufacecouldbecausedbyanumberofthings.Carbatteriescanbemorepronetounder-performingincoldweather,andalternatorshavetoworkharder,alsoprovidingpowerforlights,demisters,windscreenwipers,andheaters.Basically,thecar’schargingsystemhastoworkalotharderinwintermonths,soensurethateverythingisinfullworkingorderbeforeanannoyingdifficultstartbecomesafull-blownbreakdown.Manygarageswillperformwinterchecksandwilllookatthehealthof

thebatteryandalternator;thisiswellworthdoingifyouwanttokeepyourcaronthemove.Also,fordriversofolderdieselcars,inthewintermonthsconsiderwhethertheglowplugsareperformingaseffectivelyastheyusedto,orsomeofthemmaynolongerbeworkingandneedchanging.(It’swisetochangealloftheglowplugsatthesametime.)Otherproblemscouldbetodowiththeignitionsystemon

petrol/gasoline-enginedcars,particularlyoldervehicles.MoisturecangetintotheHTleadconnections,sparkplugscouldbegettingold,andsomevehiclesalsohaveanextrafuel-injectorforcoldstartingthatcouldbeatfault.Onmodernvehicles,numeroussensorsmonitoringandcontrollingthestartingofanenginecouldbeatfault.Explaintheproblemstothemechanicandseewhatfaultcodesarereturnedfromthediagnosticcheck.Ifyourcarisstillunderwarranty,donothesitatetotakeitbacktoyourdealerandhaveitdiagnoseandrectifythefault.1.6CarstrugglestostartfromhotIfyourfuel-injectedcarstrugglestostartfromhot,thereismostlikelyaproblemwithanenginesensor.Thisisbecausethefuelissuppliedunderpressureandnotgenerallyroutednearanyheatsources,soshouldnotbepronetoevaporationproblems.Anotherpointtoconsiderwithmoremodernfuel-injectedengines

(petrolordiesel)strugglingtostartfromhotistheenginetiming.Iftheenginetiming,oranysensorsrelatedtoenginetiming,arefaultyorincorrectlyadjusted,thecarmaystartfinefromcold,butwhenhot(andespeciallyinhotweather)maytakeafewseconds.Ifthisisthecase,takethevehicleforadiagnosticcheckandaskthetechniciantolookattheenginetiming.Startermotorsstickinginhotweathercanbeaproblem:moresoon

oldervehicles.Thisissomethingworthchecking,asitcanmakeenginestartingdifficult.Astickingstarterorsolenoidcanbeeasilycleaned/replaced.1.7Enginestarts,butstopsstraightawayIftheenginestartsbutthenstopsstraightaway,youcannormallydismissanyproblemswiththebattery,alternatorandstartermotor,asitstartedtobeginwith.However,therearesomanysensorsonmoderncarsthatitisimpossibletopointyoudirectlytoaspecificcause.Immediatestoppingcanoftenbecausedbyafuellingproblem.

Ascertainwhetherthereisaconstantfuelsupplytothefuel-injectors.Checkforanyblockagesinfuelfilters.Also,lowfuelpressurecausedbyafaultyfuelpressureregulatororsensorcanpreventtheenginefromstarting.Locatethefuelpump,ifpossible(manyareimmersedinthefueltank),andcheckthatyoucanhearitoperating.Youcanalsocheckthattherelevantfusesarealloperational.Inrelationtopetrolengines,establishthatthereissufficientsparkfrom

thesparkplugstoignitethefuel.Simplecausesforafailedsparkareadamagedorfaultyplug,looseorfaultyignitionleads,andonoldercarsafaultwiththedistributor.Theenginemanagementlightwillmostlikelyappearonyour

dashboardtoindicateafault.Ifanyotherlightsareilluminated,youmayneedtorefertothevehicleowner’smanual.Ifyoucannotestablishwhytheenginewillnotkeeprunning,findout

whatenginefaultcodestheECU(EngineControlUnit–thecomputerthatcontrolstheengine)isproducing.Youcanpurchaseyourownenginefaultcodereaderquitecheaply,andthisshouldpinpointanyfaultysensorsthatcouldbecausingtheproblem.Ifyoudonotwishtodothisyourself,andyouarenotamemberofarescueorganisation,youwillhavetocontactagaragetotowthecarorsendoutamobilemechanicwiththerelevantequipment.Ifyouhavecarbreakdowncover,considercallingthepolicyprovider

andaskingiftheycanidentifyandpossiblyrepairthefault.Alsoworthcheckingisthesecurityimmobiliser,iffitted.Ifthisisnot

beingturnedoff,ornotoperatingcorrectly,itmaystopthecarfromrunning.HavealookaroundthedashboardforanyswitchesorLEDlights,andcheckanypaperworkthatcamewiththecar.Ifthisisatfaultthenyoumayneedtocontactanalarmspecialistoranauto-electriciantorepairorbypassthefaultywiring.

twoWarninglights&gauges

Thissectioncoverswhattodoifcertainwarninglightscomeonatanypointduringyourjourney.Asallcarsvaryinthetypeofwarninglightstheyhave,wewillconcentrateononlythemostcommonandmostimportantofthem.Ifthevehiclehaswarninglightsthatarenotincludedinthisbook,consultthecar’susermanual.2.1EnginewarninglightThislightnormallyilluminateswhentheignitionisturnedonandgoesoutwhentheengineisstarted.Ifitstaysonorcomesonwhilstdriving,itistellingyouthatthecar’sECU(ElectronicControlUnit–its‘brain’)hasidentifiedafaultthatneedstobelookedat.

Typicalenginefaultwarninglight.Yourcarmayneedadiagnosticscheck.

Therearesomanysensorsonmoderncarsthatyouwillnotbeabletoestablishwhatthefaultiswithoutthecarhavingadiagnosticscheck.Yourlocalgarageordealershipwillneedtoconnectyourcartotheircomputerandextractthefaultcodesfromthecar’sECU.Thesefaultcodescanhelpyou,oryourtechnician,diagnosethefault.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Aslongasyouhavethediagnosticcheckperformedassoonaspossibleandtherearenootherfaultswiththecar,itshouldbeokaytodrive.Ifyouexperienceoddenginesymptomssuchasstalling,erraticidlingorenginespluttering,youshouldonlydrivethecartothegaragetoavoidcausingfurtherdamage.Beforestartingordrivingthevehicle,youMUSTensurethatithas

sufficientoilandwater,andthattherearenoleaks.2.2OilpressurewarninglightThislightnormallyilluminateswhentheignitionisturnedonandgoesoutwhentheengineisstartedasoilpressureincreases.Enginesneedgoodoilpressureinordertoworkcorrectlyandnotsufferseriousdamage.

Typicaloilpressurewarninglight.Checktheengineoillevelimmediately.

Ifthislightremainsilluminatedorilluminateswhilstdriving,pulloverandturnofftheengineassoonaspossible.Youwillthenneedtochecktheengineoillevelbyinspectingthedipstick.Iftheoillevelislow,topping-uptothenecessarylevelmayresultinthewarninglightgoingout.Thecarmustnotbedriveniftheoilpressurewarninglightstayson.

DONOTignoreit;itcanbeindicatingaveryseriousproblemwiththeengine...

Iftheoillevelisokay,theproblemcouldpossiblybeafailedoilpressureswitch/sensor,orworse,afailedoilpumporseverelyworncrankshaftbearings.Listenforanyunusualenginenoisesthatcouldindicateafailedoil

pump/wornbearings.Iftherearenone,it’slikelythattheoilpressureswitch/sensorhasfailedandshouldbechanged.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Duetothepossibilityofanoilpumpfailure,itisnotrecommendedthatyoudrivethevehicleuntiltheoilpressurefaulthasbeenthoroughlyinvestigated.Startbychangingtheoilpressureswitch,asthisistheleastexpensivecomponent.Ifyouhaveit,callyourcarbreakdownservicetorecoveryourcartoalocalgarage.Thereareanumberofotherindicatorsofoilpumpproblems,suchas

increasedengineoperatingtemperature,orincreasedenginenoise,especiallyfromthetopoftheengine.Iftheoilpumpfails,itwillcauseseriousandcostlydamagetotheengine.Theneedtotopupengineoiloccasionallytomaintainthecorrectlevel

isquitenormal,particularlywiththeonsetofdashboard‘oillevelindicators.’Yourvehicleusermanualmayadvisehowmuchoiltheengineshouldbeusing.Ifyouhavetoaddoiltotheenginequitefrequently,somethingiswrongwithitandneedstobelookedatassoonaspossible.

2.3Alternator/batterywarninglightThislightnormallyilluminateswhentheignitionisturnedon,andgoesoutwhentheengineisstarted.Ifthislightcomesonwhenyouaredriving,itisindicatingthatthereisafaultwiththechargingsystem.

Typicalalternatororbatterywarninglight.Checkyourchargingsystem.

Thefirstthingsthattolookatare:•Checkthatthebatteryterminalsaresecurelyinplace(seesection8.1).•Checkwhetherthealternatordrivebelthasbrokenorcomeoff.•Checkthatthealternatordrivebeltistightenoughandisnotslipping.Thealternatordrivebeltshouldbeincontactwiththepulleyattheend

ofthealternator.Tocheckthedrivebelt‘play,’holditbetweenyourfingerandthumbhalfwaybetweentwopulleysandmoveitbackwardsandforwards.Itshouldfeelquitetightandonlymoveabout1in.Iftheplayismorethanthis,considerhavingthealternatortensionadjustedorthebeltreplaced.Ifbothoftheseareokay,assumethateitherthebatteryorthe

alternatorneedstobereplaced.Ifyoudonotknowhowtocheckwhichoftheseneedstobereplaced,havethecarlookedatbyanauto-electrician.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifthealternatorbeltisnolongerinplace,youshouldnotdrivethecar,asitispossiblethebeltisalsodrivingthecoolantpump.Ifcoolantisnotpumpedaroundtheengine,itwilloverheatandthiscancauseverycostlydamage.Ifthealternatordrivebeltisinplaceandnotloose,youshouldbeokay

tocompleteyourjourney,providingitisnotalonghaul.However,understandthatifthefaultiswiththechargingsystem,suchasthealternator,thebatterywillnotberechargingasyouaredriving.Lowbatteryvoltageonmoderncarscancauselotsofproblems,andifyouaredrivingapetrol/gasoline-enginedcar,eventuallytherewillbenomorepowertothesparkplugsandtheenginewillstoprunning.

BatterywarninglighttipsIfyouhaveidentifiedthatthefaultlieswiththealternatoranditisnotchargingthebattery,turnoffasmanyelectricalcomponentsaspossible,eginteriorheater,radio,air-conditioningetc.Thiswillensurethatthepowerremaininginthebatteryisonlybeingusedforessentials,whichmayhelpyoureachyourdestination.Ittakeslessbatterypowertokeepacarrunningthantorestartit.Soif

youhaveabatterywarninglightfaultandajourneytocomplete,becarefulnottostallthecar,astheremaynotbeenoughbatterypowertostartitagain.2.4ABSwarninglightIftheABSlighthascomeon,firstmakesurethatitactuallyistheABSlightandnotthewarninglightforthewholebrakingsystem.Youmayneedtorefertothecar’susermanualtocheckiftheilluminatedlightismultifunction,whichcouldindicateeitherproblem.

ExampleofABSwarninglight.

Forthepurposesofthissection,itisassumedthatthelightisnotmultifunctionalandthecardoeshaveanABSfault.Forbrakingsystemfaults,seechapter2.9,‘Brakefluidlevelwarninglight.’IfitisdefinitelytheABSthat’sfaulty,thefirstthingtodoisturnthe

ignitionoffandonagaintoseeifthisfixestheproblem.TheremaybeafaultwiththeABSmodule/sensor,orperhapsabrokenwireorlooseconnector.Ggetyourcardiagnosedbyatechnicianusingtherelevantfaultcodereader.Thereisusuallyasmallcostforthis,butthecoderetrievedfromthecarshouldhelpidentifythefault.

CanIstilldrivemycar?Yes,butyoumustbeawarethatwithouttheABSworking,yourcar’sstoppingdistanceswillbeincreased,reducingyoursafety.Haveyourcar’sABSsysteminspectedandrepairedassoonaspossible.2.5AirbagwarninglightWithmostcars,whenyouturnontheignitiontheairbaglightshouldcomeonforashortwhileandthengoout.Ifthewarninglightstaysonallthetime,thisindicatesafaultwithintheairbagoperatingsystem.

Exampleofairbagwarninglight.

CanIstilldrivethecar?

Thecarisstilldriveable,butintheeventofanaccident,afaultintheairbagsystemmayresultintheairbagsnotbeingdeployed.Itis,therefore,essentialtogetthefaultinspectedbyagarageassoonaspossible.2.6TemperaturegaugestoppedworkingIfthetemperaturegaugeseemstohavestoppedworking,ieisshowingnotemperatureatall,stopthecarimmediatelyandturnofftheengine.Atemperaturegaugethatwasworkingandthenseemstostopworking

canbeanindicationofalossofenginecoolant.Visuallycheckthecoolantlevelinthetransparentexpansiontankintheenginebay.Itshouldbebetween‘max’and‘min.’

Ifyourcar’senginetemperaturegaugestopsshowingareading,turnofftheengineandcheckthecoolantlevelimmediately.

Ifthelevelisokayandtherearenoapparentleaks,it’slikelythatthe

sensorthatsendsthesignaltothetemperaturegaugehasfailedorbecomedisconnected.Ifyourcarhaslostenginecoolantorhasacoolantleak,refertochapter15‘Enginecoolant’forfurtheradvice.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyouhavesufficientcoolantintheenginecoolingsystemanditjustappearsthatasensorhasfailed,itshouldbeokaytodrivethecar.Getthisfaultinvestigatedassoonaspossible,becauseenginecoolanttemperatureiscriticallyimportanttothecar’swell-being.2.7TemperaturegaugeshowingveryhotIftheindicatedtemperatureisveryhighfortheweatherordrivingconditions,turnoffthevehicleassoonaspossible.Alowcoolantlevelisoneofthemostcommoncausesofanoverheatingengine.Checkthatthereisenoughcoolantintheexpansiontank:iebetweenthe‘min’and‘max’marks.Topupifnecessary.

Typicaltemperaturewarninglight.Checkenginecoolantlevelsimmediatelyifthiscomeson.

Caution!Waituntiltheenginehascooledbeforeremovingtheexpansionchambercap.

RadiatorfanTheradiatorfanshouldstartoperatingatacertaintemperature,helpingtoreducetheheatoftheenginecoolant.Whentheengineishot,youshouldbeabletoheartheradiatorfanoperating.Theradiatorfanwillbelocateddirectlybehindtheradiatoratthefrontoftheenginebay,betweentheheadlights.Ifitdoesnotappeartobeworking,theenginecanoverheat.Checktheradiatorfanfuseandallofthewiring/plugstoensureitisworkingcorrectly.Normally,theenginecoolantthermostatcontrolsthefan.Ifthishasfailedthenthefanwillnotoperate.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyoudoneedtocompleteyourjourney,youmustmakesureyouhaveplentyofcoolantinthecoolingsystem,andmakeregularstopstolettheenginecooldown.Lettingtheengineoverheat,orrunoutofcoolant,cancause

catastrophicdamagetotheengine.Ifyouhavelostenginecoolant,orhaveacoolantleak,thenrefertochapter15,‘Enginecoolant’forfurtheradvice.

Hotenginetips•Ifanoverheatingengineisbeingcausedbyhotweatherandsittingintraffic,turnonthecarcabinheatertofull/hotforawhile.Thismayhelpreducethetemperatureorstopitincreasing,asitwilldrawsomeoftheheatoutoftheenginecoolingsystem.•Drivewiththeair-conditioningturnedoff.Air-conditioningputsaloadontheengine,meaningthatitwillhavetoworkharder,andhencebehotter.•Ifyou’vehadtotopuptheenginecoolantlevel,checkintheenginebayforsignsofaleak.Checkallthehoses,theradiatorandunderthecar:seechapter15.2,‘Thereiscoolantleaking.’•Makeregularstopsonyourjourney,openingthebonnettolettheenginecooldown.•Don’tdriveintherushhour,assittinginslowtrafficwillmakethecaroverheat.Waitforthetraffictodiedown,andwhilstyouarewaitingtheenginewillbecooling.2.8ElectronicpowersteeringwarninglightIfyourcarhaselectronicpowersteering(EPS)therewillbeamotor,for

assistingthesteering,attachedtothesteeringcolumnorsteeringrack.Thiskindofsystemremovestherequirementforthetraditionalhydraulicsystem,andisbecomingmuchmorecommon.IfyourEPSwarninglightcomeson,youmaybeexperiencingan

intermittentorfulllossofpowersteering,resultinginthesteeringbecomingheavy.Youwillneedtotakeyourcartoyourlocalgaragetohaveadiagnosticcheckperformedonthevehicle.Yourlocalgarageordealershipwillneedtoextractthefaultcodesfromyourcar’scomputer.CommonEPSfaultsoccurwiththeelectronictorquesensorandtheelectroniccontrolunit.Ifyourcarisstillunderwarranty,anyfaultfindingandsubsequentrepairchargesshouldbecoveredbyyourcardealership.Ifyourcarhasa‘citymode’–amodeusedforparkingortowndriving

inwhichthesteeringismadeverylight–tryturningthisofftoseeifithelps.Also,tryturningofftheengineforafewminutesandthenrestarting,whichmayalsosolvetheproblem.Beawarethatifeitherofthesemethodsdorectifythefault,itwillonlybeatemporaryfixandtheproblemwillreturn.Youshouldstilltakeyourcartoyourlocalgarageassoonaspossibletogetthefaultdiagnosed.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,youshouldstillbeabletodrivethecarasyoursteeringwheelisstilllinkeddirectlytothewheels,onlynowtherewillbenopowerassistancewhensteering.Youwillfindthatthesteeringbecomesheavier,especiallyatslowspeedsandwhilstparking.

Warning!Ifthecar’sEPSwarninglighthascomeon,butyourpowersteeringstillfeelsasthoughitisworkingfine,beawarethatitcouldstopworkingatanymoment,and,althoughyourcarwillstillbedriveable,thesteeringcouldsuddenlybecomeheavy.Proceedwithcaution,andremainalertaboutthepossiblechangeinthesteering.

TipIfyourEPSdoeshavea‘city’or‘parking’modetomakethesteeringlighterwhilsttowndrivingintrafficorwhenparking,makesureyouturnitoffwhenyoudon’tneedit.Thesesettingsmakethesteeringmotorworkharder,andusingthemcontinuouslycancauseproblems.Refertoyourvehiclehandbookfor‘bestpractice’regardingusingyour

EPS.

TipIfyoukeepgettinganintermittentpowersteeringfault,makesurethatthebatteryandchargingsystemareworkingfully.Ensurethattherearenolooseconnectionsatthebatteryandthatitisfullycharged.2.9BrakewarninglightWiththeignitionon,yourbrakewarninglightshouldremainonwhilstthehandbrakeisengagedandgooutwhenitisreleased.

Typicalbrakewarninglight.Checkbrakefluidlevelimmediately.

LowbrakefluidlevelThemostcommoncauseforthebrakewarninglightcomingonisthatthebrakefluidneedstobetoppedup.Youwillneedtotopupthebrakefluidlevelviathereservoirinthe

enginebay.Lookinyourcar’susermanualforthecorrecttypeofbrakefluid,whichcanbepurchasedfromyourlocalcarpartsshop.Whentopping-upyourbrakefluid,takecarenottospillany–itis

corrosiveandcandamagepaintworkandothercarparts.Trynottogetanyonyourhands,andcleansmallspillswithawetcloth.

Wornbrakepads

Onmanycarsthislightalsoinformsthedriverthatthebrakepadsarewornandneedreplacement.

HandbrakeswitchAreasonforthebrakewarninglightnotgoingoutwhenthehandbrakeisreleasedisthatthehandbrakeswitchisfaultyorneedsadjusting.

Checkthatthehandbrakeswitchisnotfaultyorinneedofadjustment.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Unlessyouhaveconfirmedthatthereissufficientbrakefluidinthesystemandthefaultlieselsewhere(iewiththehandbrakeswitch),itisnotrecommendedyoudrivethecar.Callyourbreakdownserviceandgetthecarrecoveredtoagarage.

TipIfyourbrakewarninglightnevercomeson,itislikelythatthedashboardbulbbehindthelighthasfailedandneedstobechanged.

2.10TyrepressuremonitoringsystemwarninglightIffitted,thisnormallyilluminateswhentheignitionisturnedonandgoesoutwhentheengineisstarted.Thereareairpressuresensorsforeachwheel,whichwilltriggertheTPMSwarninglighttoalertthedrivertoaproblem.

TypicalTPMSwarninglight.

TheTPMSwarninglightindicatesanunsafechangeintheairpressureinoneofyourtyres.Usuallya25percentdropinpressurewilltriggerthewarninglightinthedashboard.Usually,thelightstayingonmeansatyrepressurefault,butifthe

TPMSlightflashesonandoff,thisindicatesafaultwiththeTPMSsystem,notatyrepressurefault.Refertoyourcar’susermanualforfurtheradviceregardingthecorrectoperationofthesystemfittedtoyourcar.Ifalltyrepressuresarecorrect,buttheTPMSwarninglightisstill

activated,thisindicatesthatthereisaproblemwiththesystemthatneedsinvestigatingbyyourgarage.Theywillperformadiagnosticcheckonthecarandidentifywhatfaultcodesarebeingpresented.Thefaultcodesshouldidentifywhichofthesystem’scomponentsareatfault.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Drivingacarwithlowtyrepressurescanbedangerous.AfaultyTPMSsystemwillgiveyounoindicationofaproblemwithyourtyres.Thecarcanstillbedriven,butyouwillhavetomakeregularchecksonyourcar’styresuntilthesystemisrepaired.2.11SeatbeltwarninglightCheckyourcar’susermanualforthecorrectoperationofyourseatbeltwarnings,assomevehicleswillonlywarnyouforashortperiodorwillonlyworkforthedriver’sseat.Somesystemswillonlywarnyouofanunfastenedseatbeltoveracertainspeed.Therewillbeawarninglightonthedashboard,andonsomevehiclesthisisalsoaccompaniedbyabuzzer.Thesystemwillestablishthatsomeoneissittingintheseat,andwhetherornottheyhavefastenedtheirseatbelt.Thisisdonebyuseofasensorintheseattodetectdriverorpassengerweight,andalsoasensorintheseatbeltbuckletodetectthatthebelthasbeenfastened.

Typicalseatbeltwarninglight,sometimesaccompaniedbyabuzzer.

Otherthantakingyourcarforadiagnosticscheck,theonlycheckyoucanreallyperformonyourseatbeltwarningsystemisensuringthewiring/plugstotheseatandseatbeltsensorsarestillfirmlyinplace.Ifyoudorectifyfaultywiringoralooseplug,youmayneedtohavetheseatbeltsystemresettoclearthewarninglight.

Adiagnosticscheckonthevehiclewillrevealafaultcodeidentifyingthepreciseproblem.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yesyoucan,butbeawarethatifitisfittedwithothersafetydevices,suchasseatbeltpre-tensionersorsideairbags,theymaynotoperatecorrectly.

2.12Dieselparticulatefilter(DPF)warninglightDPFwarninglights,alsoreferredtoastheDPF/CATlight,arefittedtomanydiesel-enginedvehiclesfromaround2009onwards.Particulatefiltersaredesignedtocapturesootfromtheexhausttoreduceemissions.

Typicaldieselparticulatefilterwarninglight.

TheDPFwarninglightwillcomeonatapresetpoint(forexample,whenthefilteris45percentfull).Refertoyourcar’susermanualforinformationonhowitshouldoperate,andwhatyoucandototurnitoffagain.Itmaybeyourdrivingstylethatiscausingyourcar’sDPFtofillupwith

soot,asitisahighexhaustgastemperaturethatfacilitatestheautomaticcleaningofthefilter(referredtoasregeneration).RegenerationisnormallycontrolledviatheECU,whichaltersthecar’sfuellingandtimingtoincreaseexhausttemperatureuntilthecapturedsootisburntoff.

However,withtown/stop-startdriving,theactiveregenerationprocessmaynotcompleteitscycle,andthefilterwillfillup.Takeyourcarforaprolongedfastdrive,say10-20minutesatspeeds

greaterthan40mph,orbetterstill,motorwayspeed.Thisshouldincreasethetemperatureintheexhaust,andtheDPFwillperformitsregeneration.Youshouldthenfindthatthewarninglightgoesoff.AlthoughyourcarisstilldriveablewiththeDPFwarninglighton,

ignoringitforanylengthoftimewillresultinhavingtoreplacetheDPFcompletely...andtheyarenotcheap.Ifyouhavedriventhecarassuggestedandthelightdoesnotgooff,

takethevehicletoagarageforaninspection.

TipAnintermittentDPFwarninglight(onethatcomesonandgoesoff)istellingyouthatthefilterisstartingtofillupandyouneedtoadjustyourdrivingforashortperiod(confirmthisintheusermanual).Eventually,thewarninglightwillcomeonpermanently,requiringattention.

2.13Glowpluglight(dieselengines)Whentheengineiscoldandyouturnontheignition,thislightshouldilluminateforashortperiod.Ifthelightdoesnotcomeon,itmeansthatthereisafaultwiththeglowplugsystem.

Typicalglowpluglight.

Thepurposeoftheglowplugistopre-heattheenginebeforestarting.Withoutpre-heating,dieselenginesaredifficult–ifnotimpossible–tostart,becausethedieselfuelwillbetoocoldtoignite.

GlowplugchangingChangingyourcar’sglowplugsshouldrectifytheproblem.Itisrecommendedthatyouchangealloftheglowplugsatthesametime.Thereshouldbeonepercylinder(typicallyfourintotal).

GlowplugtimerrelayItisworthcheckingthatthetimerrelaycontrollingtheglowplugsisworking.Youmaybeabletoidentifyitslocationviayourcarusermanual,orbysearchingonline.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,oncetheengineisstartedtheglowplugsnolongeroperate.However,youwillexperiencedifficultystartingthecar,especiallyduringcoldweather.

Glowplugtips•Startingtheenginewhilsttheglowplugisinitsheatingcycle(warninglighton)willoverheatanddamagetheglowplugs,thusshorteningtheirlife.Putanotherway,don’tstarttheengineuntiltheglowpluglighthasgoneout.•Donotbuycheapglowplugs,astheywillnotlast.Buyexactlytherightglowplugforyourvehicle,andensuretheyarefromareputablemanufacturer.•Ensurethatyourcar’schargingsystem(battery,alternator,etc)areingoodorder,astheoperationofglowplugscanbeaffectedbylowvoltagesduringcharging.

2.14Fuelfilterwatertrap(dieselengines)Thislightshouldbrieflyilluminatewhentheignitionisturnedon.Ifitdoesnotgoout,thisnormallyindicatesthatthereisexcesswaterinthevehicle’sfuelfilterwatertrap,orthatthefuelfilterneedstobechanged.

Typicalfuelfilterwatertrapwarninglight.

Oncertainvehicles,youcanperformadraintoremovetheexcesswaterthatthefiltertraphascaptured.Ifyouareabletoperformthisprocedureyourself,itshouldbeoutlinedinyourvehicleusermanual.Alternativelyyouwillneedtotakethecartoyourlocalgarage.Onsomevehicles,itmaynotbepossibletojustdrainofftheexcess

water,andyouwillneedtohavethefuelfilterreplaced.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Normallythevehiclewillbeokaytodrive.Thewarningshouldbedesignedtonotifyyouthatitneedsattention,notthatthevehicleisundriveable.Ifyoudonotperformthedrainingprocedureordonotchangethefuelfilterassoonaspossible,theexcesswaterwillstarttocauseotherproblemswiththevehicle.

TipIfyouhavejustfilledthecarwithfuelandsubsequentlythewarninglightcomeson,considerthepossibilitythatthenewfueliscontaminated.Inthissituation,stopthecarandgetthematterinvestigatedfurther.Itmaybeagoodideatocontactyourbreakdownserviceproviderforfurtheradvice.

threeNoises

Youwillgettoknowthesoundofyourcarasyoulivewithitanddriveit.Howyourcarsoundsshouldbethesameeveryday,andchangesmaybeanindicationthatsomethingisdifferent.Noisesareagoodwayofidentifyingproblems,andthissectioncoversthemostcommononesandtheirpossiblecauses.3.1EnginebaynoisesTheenginesoundsextremelyloudIftheenginesuddenlygetsextremelyloudjustafterstartingorwhilstdriving,turnitoffimmediately.Thisisanindicationthatsomethingserioushasgonewrong,anddrivinganyfurtherwillcausemajorproblems.Ifthetimingbelthasfailedorhaschangedposition,theinternalpartsoftheenginecancomeintocontactwitheachotherandcausecatastrophicdamage.

Reallyloudenginenoisecanindicateatimingproblem.Turnofftheengineimmediately.

Timingbeltsshouldbechangedatregularintervals,asrecommended

bythemanufacturer.Thisisoneareaofcarmaintenancethatyoushouldnotcutcornerson,becausethecostforneglectingthecar’stimingbeltcanbeextremelyhigh.Ifyouareatallconcernedthatthetimingbeltmayhavefailedor

moved,donotdrivethecar.Arrangetohaveitinspectedwhereitis,orgetittowedtoagarage.

CanIstilldrivethecar?No,donotstarttheengine.Haveitcheckedoutimmediatelybyamechanic.Callyourbreakdownservicetohavethecartowedtoagarageandinvestigated.

LooseenginecoversAnythingthatsoundslikeaslightrattleorvibrationmaywellbeoneofthemanyenginecovers,partitionsortheengineundertray.Ifthecargenerallydrivessmoothly,andwithoutanylossinpower,itislikelythatsomethinghasworkedloose,andisnothingmajor.

Checkaroundtheenginebayforlooseenginecoversthatcouldbevibrating.

Withtheenginerunning,listentowherethesoundseemstobecomingfrom.

Caution!Ifyoudothiswiththebonnet/hoodopen,donotallowlooseclothingtodangleintothecompartmentanddonotputyourhandsinthere.Withtheengineoff,checktheplasticcoversandpartitionsforsecurityandthatallthefixingsareinplace.Anythingthatislooseandflappingaroundislikelytovibratewhenyouaredrivingalong.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifthevibratingnoisetendstogoawayasyousteadilyrevtheengine,you’reprobablyfinetoproceedwithyourjourney.However,checktheenginebaytomakesurenothingisabouttodropoffandcausedamagetoanyotherparts.

FailedenginemountThisisgenerallyaimedatolderorhigh-poweredvehicles,asmostmodernvehicleenginemountsshouldnotfail.Lookattheenginewhilstitisrunning.Ifitseemstobemovingaround

andvibratingalotmorethanusualitishighlylikelythatanenginemountinghasfailed.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,youcanstilldrivethecarforashortdistance,butyoumustgetthemountreplacedorrepairedassoonaspossible.Drivingwithabrokenenginemountwillputstressonothercarcomponents,suchastheotherenginemounts,aswellasdriveshafts,gearboxlinkages,andanythingelseconnectedtotheengine.

SquealingsoundwhenacceleratingThisismostprobablythesoundofadrivebeltslipping.Youmaygetthissoundmorewhenfirststartingthecar,withitbeginningtodisappearasthecarwarmsup.Carscanhavemanydrivebelts,andtheyallneedtobeingoodorderforthecartoworkcorrectly.Sometimesthesquealingnoisewillgoaway,butfindingoutwhichbeltiscausingtheproblemshouldbeapriority.

Checkthetensionofyourcar’salternatordrivebelt,asitmaybelooseandslipping.

Checkthetensionofyourcar’salternatordrivebelt,asitmaybelooseandslipping.

Squealingwhenacceleratingcanbecausedbyaslippingalternatorbelt.

Themostlikelycausesofasquealingnoisewhenacceleratingareaslippingalternatordrivebeltoraslippingpowersteeringdrivebelt.Itismorelikelythatafaultypowersteeringbeltwillsquealwhenyouareturningthesteeringwheelatlowspeeds,thusputtingthepumpundermoreload,whilethealternatordrivebeltismostlikelytosquealoninitialstart-up.Itislikelythatthedrivebelttensionerneedstobeadjustedorreplaced

assoonaspossiblebeforetheloosebeltcomesoff,orsnaps.Aseizedpowersteeringpumporwaterpumpcancausethesametype

ofnoise,butyouwillprobablyalsobeabletohearagroaningnoisefromthosepartswhentheengineisidling.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifthesquealingisconstantanditisapowersteeringpump,waterpumporsimilarthathasfailedorseized,thenyoushouldnotdrivethecarand

itshouldberepairedassoonaspossible.Ifthesquealingisconstantandfromabelt,thenitshouldalsobe

lookedatassoonaspossible.Thisisbecausethebeltthat’sslippingcouldbedrivinganimportantcomponent,suchasthealternator,powersteeringorwaterpumpinefficiently.Ifthebeltsquealingisintermittentandmainlyoccurswhenthecaris

firststartedandthengoesawayquitequickly,thecarshouldstillbeokaytodriveforashortwhile.However,thefaultwillstillneedtobeattendedto,asitwillonlygetworseovertime.

Hissingnoise/steamcomingfromunderbonnetIfthereisahissingsoundcomingfromunderthebonnet,themostlikelycauseisafaultwiththeenginecoolingsystem.Thatsoundisprobablysteamescapingfromaleakinghoseorradiator.

Inspecthosesforsplitsandholes.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Thefirstthingtodoisstopthecarandturnofftheengine.Thencheckthecoolantlevelbyobservingthetransparentexpansiontank–thecoolantlevelshouldbebetweenthe‘min’and‘max’markings.Itisimportanttoturntheengineoffassoonaspossible;youdonotwanttorunitwithoutanycoolant.

Caution!Removingtheexpansiontankcaponahotoroverheatingenginecanputyouatriskofscaldingfromescapingsteam.Considerputtingaclothoverittoprotectyourselfbeforeyouunscrewit,orbetterstill,lettheenginecooldownfirst.

Topupthecoolantlevelifnecessaryandthenrestarttheengine.

Caution!Donotallowlooseclothingtodangleintotheenginecompartmentanddonotputyourhandsinthere.

Checktheenginebaytofindoutwherethehissingiscomingfrom.Lookforsteamandalsowatercomingfromanyhosesortheradiator.Also,checkonthegroundundertheenginetoseeifthereisanythingdripping.

Checksecurityofwaterhosesfrombeneaththecaraswellasfromabove.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyouhaveidentifiedarelativelyminorcoolantleakbutneedtocompleteyourjourney,itisessentialthatyoukeepthecoolanttopped-up.Iftheengineoverheatsduetoalackofcoolant,thedamagetoitcouldbecatastrophic.Ifyouhaveamajorleak,donotdrivethevehicle.Youwillneedtoget

thepartreplacedandthecoolantsystemrefilled.Contactyourbreakdownserviceandhavethevehiclerecoveredtoanearbygarage.3.2Exhaustnoises

TheexhaustismuchnoisierthannormalIfeverythingelsewiththecarseemsokay,butthenoisefromtheexhaustisnoticeablylouder,thechancesarethatyouhavealeakintheexhaustsystem.

Withtheenginerunning,standoutsidethecarandlistenforexhaustgasesescapingfromanywhereotherthanthetailpipe.Youmayalsobeabletosmelltheexhaustgasescomingfromunderneaththecar,whichmayhelpyoutoidentifytheleak.

Checkforexhaustleaksbylookingforsootbuild-up.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Youmayalsobeabletoseewheretheexhaustleakis,astheremaybeasootbuilduparoundthedamagedarea.

Caution!Donottouchtheexhaustuntilithascooledsufficiently.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,smallexhaustleaksshouldnotcauseanynoticeabledifferencetotheperformanceandfeelofthevehicle.Itmaybealittlelouderandthefuelconsumptionmayincreasealittle.However,itisimportanttorepair

orreplacethefaultyexhaustcomponentassoonaspossible,astheproblemwillonlygetworse.Youcanpurchaserepairproductsforsmallexhaustleakssuchas‘exhaustrepairbandage’andexhaustputty–seechapter6.3,‘Exhaustisleaking.’

BangingfromexhaustIftheexhaustishittingtheundersideofthecarorapartofthevehiclechassisyouwillhearitasyoudrivealong.Itwillsoundlikesomeoneistryingtogetinthroughthecarfloor.Ifthisishappening,apartoftheexhaustoranexhaustmountinghasfailed.Eithertakethecartoanexhaustspecialisttoidentifyandrepairtheproblem,ortakealookatityourself.

Theexhaustshouldbesuspendedbeneaththecarviarubberhangers.Ensurethesearesecure.

Caution!Ifyouaregoingtoperformanyworkunderneathyourcar,

makesurethatyouworksafelyusingthecorrectjack,axlestandsandwheelchocks.Refertotheusermanualforthecorrectjackingpoints.Neverworkunderacaronthejackalone.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Youcanstilldrivethecar,butbeawarethattheproblemwillnotgoawayifyouignoreit.Itwillgetworseandeventuallythiswillresultinapartoftheexhaustfailingandneedingrepair.Equipmentlikecatalyticconverters,dieselparticulatefiltersand

exhaustsensorswillnotlikebeingbangedaboutandanydelayinrepairingtheexhaustcancausedamagetothesecomponents.3.3Wheelnoises

Humming/vibratingfromwheelsathigherspeedsIfyourcarmakesahummingorgrumblingnoisethatseemstoincreaseordecreasewithvehiclespeed,themostlikelycauseisafaultywheelbearing,assumingthatallothercomponentsonthecarareworkingsatisfactorilyandtherearenoproblemswiththebrakes.Themostcommonwheelbearingstofailarethoseonthefrontofthe

vehicle,astheycarrythemostloadwhendriving.Youmayalsonoticethatthenoisebecomeslouderwhenturningin

onedirection.Forexample,avehiclewithafaultywheelbearingontheleftmaygetquieterasyouturnright,asyouarelesseningtheloadonthefaultybearing.Conversely,itmaygetlouderasyouturnleft.Changingawheelbearingdoesrequireagoodlevelofmechanicalskill

andagoodsetofmechanic’stools.Considergettingthefaultinvestigatedfurtherbyyourlocalgarage,andhaveitperformtherepair.Also,ifyouarenot100percentsurethatitisafaultywheelbearing,youshouldgetanotheropinion.

TipAsyouaredrivingalongandthenoisestarts,takeyourfootofftheacceleratorpedalanddepresstheclutchtoquietentheengine.Thismayhelpyoutoidentifywhichsidethenoiseiscomingfrom.Havingthewindowsopenmayalsohelp.

TipAfterdrivingthecar,carefullyfeelthewheelcentrestoseeifanyofthemseemtobehotterthantheothers.

Caution!Takecarenottotouchthebrakediscsorpads,astheymaybehot.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyouhaveestablishedthatawheelbearingneedschanging,beawarethatthefaultwillonlyworsenwitheverywheelrotation.Youwillmostlikelyhaveadamagedbearingwithbrokenpartsinitandnolubrication.

Caution!Drivingthecarwillputyouatriskofthewheelbearingfailingcompletelyandcausingdamagetootherpartsofthecar.

SquealingnoisewhenturningsteeringwheelIfyouexperienceahighpitchedsquealingorscreechingnoisewhenturningthesteeringwheel,thereisafaultwiththepowersteeringsystem.Ifyouhaveafaultypowersteeringdrivebeltorpump,thenoisewillmostoftenoccurwhenthevehicleisstationary,atslowspeeds,oronfull-lock.Youshouldnotexperiencethistypeofnoiseifthevehicleisfittedwith

electronicpowersteering(EPS).Mostcommonly,thisnoisewillbecomingfromthepowersteering

drivebeltslippingwhenitisunderload.Themostcommoncauseofapowersteeringbeltslippingisage–theywillstretchovertime.Althoughthevehiclemayallowforsomeadjustmentofthedrivebelttension,itisadvisedthatyougetthedrivebeltchangedassoonaspossible.

Checkingthetensionofthepowersteeringbelt.Toomuchmovementmaymeananewbeltisrequired.

Anotherpossiblecauseforthisnoisemaybethatthepowersteeringsystemislowonfluid,orthatthepumpitselfisfaulty.Firstcheckthepowersteeringfluidlevelandtopupifnecessary.Ifyoudonothavemuchmechanicalexperience,youmaywanttohavethisperformedbyyourlocalgarage,astheprocedureisnotoftencoveredinthecarusermanual.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Thecarcanstillbedriven,butifthedrivebeltcomesofforsnaps,youmustbeawarethatyouwillbeleftwithoutanypowersteering,andifthishappenswhilstyouaredrivingitcouldresultinanaccident.Ifthecauseofthenoiseislowpowersteeringfluidlevel,drivingthe

vehiclecouldcausedamagetothepowersteeringpump,resultinginitneedingtobereplaced.

Thefaultwillcontinuetogetworseuntilthenecessarypartshavebeenrepairedorchanged,andyoumustbeawareofthepotentialforabruptchangesinsteeringfeelwhilstdriving.

TipIfthepowersteeringfluidneedstobetoppedup,ascertainwhy,astheremaybealeak.3.4Brakenoises

Knockingnoisewhenbraking(front)Thiscanbeadifficultareainwhichtoidentifythespecificproblem,becausetherearequiteafewthingsthatcouldbecausingthenoise.Also,theolderthecargets,themorepartswillwearoutandthemorepossiblecausestherewillbe.Themostlikelycausewillbeawornorbrokensuspensionpart,andthissectionoffersguidancetohelpyouidentifytheproblem.IfthevehicleisfittedwithABS(anti-lockbrakingsystem)wewill

assumethattheknockingoccursundernormalbraking.Ifitisonlyoccurringunderveryheavybraking,itislikelythattheABSiscausingit,whichistotallynormal.YoumayalsofeeltheknockingthroughthebrakepedalwhentheABSisactive.Thefirstthingtocheckisthatthewheelnuts/boltsareallsecured

tightly.Itsoundsobvious,butthisisasimpleprocessandshouldbethefirstthingtoberuledout.Ifanyoftheboltsrequiretightening,besuretocheckalltheotherstoo.

Ifyouhearknockingwhenbraking,checkthatthewheelnuts/boltsaretight.

Secondly,checkthatthebrakepadsaresecuredinplace,withoutanymovement,andthatanysecuring/vibrationsprings/clipsareinplace.

Removethewheelandcheckthesecurityofthebrakecomponents.

Inspectingbrakes:ensurethatbrakepadretainingspringsaresecurelyinplace.

Withthewheelnowoffandthebrakecomponentsinspected,havealookatthesuspensioncomponentsforsignsofabreak,excessivemovement,oranycontactpoints(seetips).Herearesomeofthemostcommonsuspensionproblemsthatshould

beinspected:•Brokensuspensionspring.•Wornanti-rollbarbushes.•Wornorbrokendroplinks.•Worntrackrodendwear.•Wornlowerballjoint.Ifthecarhasanyothersymptoms,suchaspullingtooneside,referto

therelevantsectioninthisbookforadvice.Refertochapter14,‘Suspension/wheels/tyres,’forfurtheradvice.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Inmostinstances,yes,itshouldbeokaytodrivethecar.However,beawarethatthefaultisverylikelytoaffecthandling,soyoushoulddriveaccordinglyandhavethefaultypartidentifiedandreplacedquickly.

TipIfthevehicleisunderwarranty,takeitbackandletthegaragehavethefunoftryingtotracewhat’scausingtheknockingnoise.

TipCheckingforcontactpointsonsuspensionpartsmayhelpyouidentifythecauseoftheproblem–thesepartsshouldnotcomeintocontactwitheachother.Ifthereareanysmallsurfaceareasonthesuspensionpartsthatappeartohavebeenrubbedcleanorareshiny,thenthisindicatesthattherehasbeencontactandthatthepartsareworn,brokenormaladjusted.

Knockingnoisewhenbraking(rear)Themostlikelycausewillbeawornorbrokensuspensionpart,butyoushouldalsoinspecttherearbrakestoensurethateverythingisfirmlyinplace.Checkthatallofthewheelnuts/boltsaretight.Therearefewersuspensionpartstowearoutontherearofthecar,so,comparedwiththefrontsuspension,itmaybeeasiertodiagnosethefault.Checkthattherearsuspensionspringsarenotbrokenorunseated.Ifthecarisfittedwithreardroplinks(manyBMWs,forexample),

checktheseareokayandthereisnowearinthebushes.Checkthattherearshockabsorberissecurelyinplaceandnot

leaking.Ifyoucannotidentifythecauseoftheknocking,youwillneedtohavea

mechaniclookintotheproblem.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Inmostinstances,yes,itshouldbeokaytodrivethecar.However,beawarethatthefaultisverylikelytoaffecthandling,sodriveaccordinglyandhavethefaultypartidentifiedandreplacedpromptly.

Grinding/scrapingnoisewhenbrakingThemostcommoncauseofagrindingnoiseunderbrakingisthatthebrakepadsonthecarareworndowntotheirmetalbackingsandneed

replacing.Anothercausecouldbedebrisbetweenthebrakepadanddisc,or

stuckinthecalliperandrubbingonthedisc.Takeoffthewheelsandinspectthediscsurfaceforunevenwear.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Caution!Wornbrakepadswillseriouslylimitthecar’sbrakingability,andmustbechangedassoonaspossible.Ifyoudiscoveryourpadsareworntothemetal,youshouldn’tdrivethecar.Delayingchangingthebrakepadsmaycausedamagetothebrake

discs.Theycouldoverheatandwarp,ortheycouldbegintowearoutmorequicklyorunevenly.Thiscouldresultinneedingtohavethebrakediscschangedtoo,insteadofjustthepads.

SquealingwhenbrakingThisdoesnotnecessarilyindicateabrakingsystemfault.Ifyouhaverecentlyhadthebrakepadsordiscschanged,andareexperiencingsquealingunderbraking,thereisprobablynoproblemandthenoisewilllikelystopovertime.Thesquealingnoiseiscausedbyachangeinthefrequencyatwhichthebrakeanddiscfrictionmaterialsrubtogether.Asthefrictionmaterialswearaway(undernormalbraking)thesquealingsoundwillprobablydisappear.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,providingthatthebrakingperformanceofthecarhasnotbeenaffecteditshouldbesafetodrivethecar,andthenoiseshouldgoawayonitsownasthebrakepadswear.3.5Suspensionnoises

KnockingnoisefromthefrontonbumpygroundThemostlikelycauseofthistypeofnoiseiswornanti-rollbardroplinks.Thesearethebarsthatconnecttheanti-rollbartothesuspensionarm.Whenthebushesinsidethemwearouttheywillmakeabangingsound,especiallywhenyouaretravellingoverspeedbumps.Thesearerelativelyeasytochange,andshouldbeavailablefromyourlocalcarpartsshop.

Makesurethesuspensionspringsaresecureandnotbroken.

Knockingfromthefrontoverbumpygroundcanbecausedbyworndroplinks.

Checkingdroplinksforsignsofmovementandwear.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,butgetthepartschangedassoonaspossible,asiftheyfailitcouldresultinotherdamageoccurringtothevehicle.3.6Clutchnoises

NoisewhendepressingtheclutchpedalIfyouexperienceagratingorgrumblingnoisewhendepressingtheclutchpedal,thisislikelytobecausedbyawornthrustbearing(alsocalledathrowoutbearing)withintheclutch.

Investigateanynoiseyouhearwhentheclutchleverisdepressed.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,butthisbearingwillprobablyfailatsomepointandyoushouldgetitchangedbeforethishappens.Whilstthemechanicisreplacingthethrustbearing,itwouldbeagoodideatochangetheotherwearingpartsintheclutch,likethefrictionplateandcover,especiallyifthecarhasdonealotofmiles.Changingaclutchcanbequitealabourintensivejob,sowhilstthe

mechanichasthecarstrippeddowntoreplacethethrustbearing,itdoesmakesensetohavethecompleteclutchreplaced.3.7Under-carnoisesKnocksorbangsseemingtocomefromunderneaththecarwhendrivingaremostlikelycomingfromtheexhaustsystem.Checkthattheexhaustismountedsecurelyinplaceandisnot

bangingontheundersideofthecar.Havealookunderthereandgiveit

ashake(whencold!).Ifitseemsveryloose,theremaybeafaultyhangingbracketormissingexhaustrubberhanger.

Knockingfrombeneaththecarcouldbeduetoalooseexhaustsystem(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

CanIstilldrivethecar?Typically,yes,providingthattheexhaustisnotgoingtodropoffandcausefurtherdamagetoyourcarorcauseanaccident.Ifyouareinanydoubt,youshouldnotdrivethecar,andshouldcontactyourbreakdownserviceorlocalgarage.Assoonaspossible,getthefaultypartrepairedorreplaced.

fourSmells

Unusualsmellsarealwaysworthinvestigating,astheymayindicatethatsomethingneedstoberepairedorreplaced.4.1SweetsmellAsweetsmellinthecar(likemaplesyruporbutterscotch)ismostlikelytheresultofanenginecoolantleak.Anti-freeze(orenginecoolant)smellsverysweetwhenithasbeenheatedbytheengine,andthesmellismostlikelycomingfromaleakinghose,theradiator,ortheheatingsystem.Stopthecarandlookforanyleaksintheenginebay.Firstcheckthe

levelintheexpansiontanktoseeifanycoolanthasbeenlost.Ifthelevelisokay,startthecarandlookintheenginebaytoseeifyoucanfindtheleak.Checkthecoolanthosesandradiator,andhavealookunderthecartoseeifthereisanythingdripping.

Asweetsmellcomingfromthecarisusuallycausedbyanti-freeze,solookforacoolantleak.

Ifyoufindaleakinghoseoraradiatorleak,youwillneedtofixitbyeitherchangingthepartorusinga‘stop-leaktreatment’(forradiators)or‘hoserepair’forcoolanthoses.

Coolant/anti-freezeleakindicatedherebywhitefurrydeposit.

Ifyoucannotfindaleakintheenginebay,checkwhethertheleakiscomingfromtheheatingsysteminsidethecar.Checkthecarpetsinthedriverandpassengersidefootwellfordampness.Also,withtheenginerunning,ifthesmellonlyoccurswhentheheaterisblowinghot,itcouldbetheheatermatrixorrelevantpipeworkthatisleaking.Youmaybeabletofixthisleakbyusinga‘stop-leak’treatment.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifthevehiclehasplentyofcoolantintheenginecoolingsystem,andtheleakissmall,thecarshouldbeokaytodrive.Beawarethatanysmallleakhasthepotentialtobecomeabigleakveryfast,causingthelossofcoolantandoverheatingtheengine.

TipAlwaysmakesureyoukeepalargebottleofwaterinthecarincaseyouneedtotoptheenginecoolingsystemup.

4.2FishysmellBurningrubberormeltingplasticwillgiveoffafishysmell.Ifyouexperiencethissmellcomingfromyourcar,lookintoitstraightaway.Itusuallyindicatesthatsomepartsarerubbingtogetherthatshouldnotbe,orthataplasticpartismeltingortouchingsomethinghot.Youwillneedtohavealookaroundtheenginebayforthecauseofthesmell.Lookforsuchthingsasaplasticenginecoverrubbingonamoving

part,orapieceofwiringorrubberhosetouchingahotexhaustandmelting.

Caution!Bewareofmovingpartsintheenginebay,andcatchinglooseclothing,jewelleryandlonghair.Considerinvestigatingthesmellwiththeengineturnedoff.

Checkthatalloftheenginedrivebeltsareinplaceandrunningcorrectly,iealternatordrivebeltorair-conpumpdrivebelt.Afaultycomponentcouldcausebeltslip,creatingthesmell.Makesurethatnoneoftheplasticbeltcoversarelooseandtouchingthemovingparts.

Fishysmellscanbecausedbyburningplastic.Checktherearenoloose

enginecoversincontactwithhotormovingcomponents.

Checkthetyresarenotcatchingonanybodywork,andthatthereisnodebristrappedunderthewheelarches.Alsocheckunderthecarincasesomething,likeaplasticbag,has

meltedontothehotexhaust.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Thisdependsonthecauseofthesmell–itcouldbeextremelyseriousifnotdealtwithimmediately.Forexample,ifthecarhaswiringmeltingontoahotexhaust,itisnotrecommendedtodrivethecar,butifyouhaveadrivebeltcoverthatisslightlyrubbingthenitwouldbeokaytodriveuntiltheproblemisfixed.4.3SmellslikeburningpaperIfyouaregettingasmelllikeburningnewspaper,themostlikelycauseisaslippingclutch.Usuallyitisfrictionmaterialthatiscausingthesmell.Aslippingfriction

platecausesthefrictionmaterialonbothitsfacestooverheat.Youmayexperiencethesmellmoreifyouhavebeendrivingfastandperformingfastgearchanges,orifyouhavebeentowingacaravanortrailerandtheclutchisslippingasyoupullaway.Alsoifyou‘hold’thecarstationaryonagradientbyslippingtheclutchinsteadofusingthehandbrake(badpractice!).Ifyouexperiencethissmell,refertotheindextoidentifyother

problemsthatwouldindicateaslippingclutch.

Anoldclutchexposed:aburningpapersmellmaysignalaslippingclutchfrictionplate.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes.However,iftheclutchisslippingandyouchoosetodonothingtheneventuallyitwillfailcompletelyandthecarwillbeundriveable.Havealookatchapter11,whichgivesadviceonhowtodrivewitha

slippingclutch.4.4BurningoilsmellMostcommonlythiswilloccurifengineoilhascomeintocontactwithaveryhotpartofthecar,suchasanexhaust.Ifyouhaverecentlyhadtheoilchangedortopped-up,it’spossiblethat

theremaybeanoilspillthatshouldburnoffquitequickly,makingthesmellgoaway.Withregardtooilleaks,youwillneedtoidentifywheretheleakis

comingfromandhowsevereitis.Checkthatthereissufficientoilinthe

engine,incasetheleakhasbeenhappeningforsometime.Alsocheckthegroundwherethecarismostoftenparkedtoseeif

therehasbeenanyoildripping.Thismightgiveyouanindicationofhowlongithasbeenleakingorhowbigtheleakmaybe.

Oilcomingfromtherocker/camcoverisacommonleak.

Oilleakingontoahotexhaustmanifoldcancauseastrongburningsmell.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Providingthatthereissufficientoilintheengineandtheoilleakisonlysmall,thecarisokaytodriveuntiltherepairhasbeenmade.Makesureyoucleanoffasmuchexcessoilaspossiblefrominandaroundtheleak,anddonotleaveanyragsorpapertowelsintheenginebay.Ifthereisalotofoilleakingfromtheengine,drivingthevehiclewillrisk

damagingtheengineorcausingittocatchfire.

Afterdiscoveringanoilleak,makeregularchecksontheengineoillevel.

Untiltheoilleakhasbeenrepaired,youshouldnotdriveinamannerthatwillcauseexcessiveheatbuildup.Oilcancatchfireifitcomesintocontactwithredhotexhaustmanifoldsorturbohousings.4.5FuelsmellOnmodernvehicleswithfuel-injectedenginesyoushouldneverbeabletosmellpetrol(gasoline)ordieselunlessthereisafault.Ifyoudriveanoldervehiclethathascarburettorsoramanualchoke,petrolsmellsarecommon,andnotnecessarilyanindicationofasignificantproblem.Thefuelsystemsonmodernvehiclesaresealed,andthereshouldbenosmellfrominside.

Checkingfuel-injectorsforsourceofstrongpetrolordieselsmell.

Astrongsmellofdieselorpetrolcanbecausedbysuchthingsasleakingfuellines,hoseconnectors,fuel-injectorleaksorpressure

problems,orevenpoorignitiontiming.Whateverthecause,chancesarethatitisprettyseriousandrequirestheattentionofanexpertmechanic.Itisnotsomethingthatyoucanjusthopewillbeokay,andnotsomethingyoushouldjustcleanupandthencarryonwithyourjourney.

Checkfuellinesforsourceofstrongpetrolordieselsmell.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Warning!Turnofftheengine,takethekeysoutoftheignition,anddonotuseanyofthevehicleelectricsuntiltheproblemisfixed.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Untilyouhaveidentifiedwhattheproblemisandfixedit,youshouldnotdrivethecar.Leakingfuelhasthepotentialtoigniteandcauseapotentiallyfatalincident.Contactyourbreakdownrecoveryserviceorcalloutamechanicto

identifytheproblem.Heshouldbethepersontotellyouwhetherthecar

issafetodrive.4.6RotteneggsmellThemostlikelycauseofthissmellisthecatalyticconverter,anditisapopularmisconceptionthatwhenyoucansmellrotteneggsitmeansthatitneedschanging.Thecatalyticconverterisdesignedtoconverttoxicchemicalsintoless

harmfulsubstancesviaaninternalchemicalreaction.However,thischemicalreactionwillalsoconvertanysulphurinthepetrolordieselintohydrogensulphide,andthisiswhattherotteneggsmellis.So,thissmellwillonlyoccurwhenthecatalyticconverterisactuallyworkingwell–notwhenitisfailing.Infact,afailingcatalyticconverterwillnotbeperformingitschemicalreactioneffectivelyandwillnotbeproducinganyhydrogensulphide.

Catalyticconverter–rotteneggsmellcausedbysulphurinfuel.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Ifyounoticethesmellmorewhenstartingthecarinthemorning,orespeciallyafterfastaccelerating,thereisprobablynoproblemandthesmellshouldsoongoaway.However,carsarenotdesignedtobesmellyallthetime,andaconstantsmellofrotteneggsisanindicatorthatthereissomethingwrongwiththefuelmixtureofthevehicle.Youwillneedtotakeyourcartoyourlocaldealershipandhavetheproblemcheckedout.Thereasonpeoplethinkthattherotteneggsmellmeansthecarfailing

isbecausetheunderlyingfaultwiththefuellingwilleventuallyresultinthecatalyticconverterfailing–thetwoproblemsalwaysseemtocometogether.Fixingthefuellingproblemshouldremedythebadeggsmell,andalsohelpthecatalyticconverterlastalongtime.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,youcancontinuetodrivethecar,butifyoudonothavetheunderlyingfuellingproblemcheckedthenyouwilldefinitelyeventuallyneedanewcatalyticconverter.Itmayonlybeasensorthatiscausingthefuellingproblem.Having

thatcheckedandchangedwillprobablycostalotlessthananewcatalyticconverter.

TipConsiderchangingtoalow-sulphurfuelinsteadofyourusualstuffandseeiftheproblemsmellsgoaway.

fiveLeakingliquids

5.1OilleakingfromgearboxIfyouthinkyourcarhasagearbox(transmissionunit)oilleak,thissectionwillhelpyouconfirmwhereitiscomingfrom,andadviseyouwhattodo.Gearboxoilusuallysmellsmorethanengineoil–itcanbequite

distinctive.Itisalsousuallylighterincolourandlessthickthanengineoil.Checkthegearboxoillevel.Thisprocedurewillnotbeoutlinedinthecar’susermanual,soyouwillneedeitheraworkshopmanualspecifictoyourvehicle,ordoasearchonlineformoreadvice.Ifthelevelislow,getittopped-upwiththecorrectoil.Again,thisinformationwillbeinyourworkshopmanualoravailableonline.

Identifyingaleakfromthegearboxbeneaththecar.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Atypicalplasticundertraybeneaththeengine:ithastoberemovedbeforeinspectionispossible.

Checkunderthecartoseewhereanyoildripsareforming.Remembertheirlocation,thengivetheareaathoroughwipedownsoyoucantracewherethegearboxleakiscomingfrom.Commonplacesfortransmissionleaksarethedriveshaftseals,propshaftseals,differentialseals,endhousingandbellhousingseals.Manygearboxoilleakscanberectifiedbyreplacingspecificgearbox

seals,whichcaninvolvemuchstrippingdownofthegearboxandassociatedcomponents.Youneedagoodlevelofmechanicalskillandagoodsetoftoolstoperformmostkindsofgearboxrepair.Itmaybebettertogetthefaultdiagnosedbyagoodmechanic,andperhapshavethemperformtheworkandgiveyouagoodwarrantyontherepair.

Gearboxoilleakbuildingupanddrippingfromtheclutchbellhousing.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Aswithanypartofthecarthatissupposedtocontainoil,youshouldnotdriveitunlessthereissufficientlubricationinthegearbox.Agearboxwithoutanyoilinitwillfail,andthegaragecostforrepairingitwillbeveryhigh,asitwilleitherneedthegearboxtoberemovedandthedamagedpartsrepaired,orawholenewgearbox.Notadvisable,unlesstheleakistiny,butkeepingthegearboxtopped

upwiththecorrectoiluntilyoucangetitrepairedmaybeokay,butitispossiblethattheinternalsofthegearboxweredamagedwhilstitwaslowonoil.Bewarned:ifyoucontinuetoignoreagearboxoilleak,youarealso

runningtheriskoftheclutchneedingtobereplaced.Ifoilisleakingfromthegearboxontotheclutch,prettysoontheclutchwillstopworkingandwillneedreplacing.

5.2Oilleakingfromsumpgasket/plugAleakingsump(oilpan)gasketorsumpplugcanbeidentifiedbyoilontheroadsurfaceunderneaththecar,directlyunderthemiddleoftheengine,unlessthereisanengineundertray.Thesumpisbasicallythepanthatfitstothebottomoftheengine,and

itisfullofengineoil.Thesumpgasketmakesthesealbetweenthebottomoftheengineandthesump,andovertimeitcanstarttoletoilpassthrough,andwillthenneedtobechanged.

Identifyingoilleakingfromsumpplug.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Manymodernvehiclesarefittedwithanengineundertray.Thesepreventyoufromseeingthebottomoftheengineuntiltheyareremoved.Theyarenormallyheldinplacebyafewfixings,andarequiteeasytoremovefromunderneaththecar.Thesumpplugislocatedatthelowestpointofthesumppan.Itisused

todraintheengineoilduringanoilchange.Manysumpplugsarefittedwith‘singleuse’washerstosealtheplugand,iffitted,theseshouldberenewedateachoilchangeandnotbere-used.Oilleakingfromthesumpgasketorsumpplugcanusuallyberectifiedbyfittinganewsumpgasketorfittinganewsumpplugsealingwasher.

Identifyingoilleakingfromaroundtheenginesumpgasket.

Ifyouwanttoundertakethisworkyourself,itisrecommendedthatyoupurchaseaworkshopmanualforthevehiclesoyouknowexactlywhattodo,whattypeofoiltouse,andhowmuchoiltheengineholds.Thepartsarereadilyavailablefromyourlocalcarpartsshoporonline,andarerelativelycheap.Whilstchangingthesumpgasket,itisrecommendedthatyoualsotake

theopportunitytochangetheengineoilandoilfiltertoo,asyouwillhavetodraintheengineoilanyway.

Checkforoilleakscomingfromaroundtheengineoilfilter.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Alternatively,youcangetagaragetoperformtheworkforyou.Butdoensurethattheyusegoodqualityparts,andthattheworkcarriesaguarantee.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,providingthattheleakissmallandtheenginealwayshassufficientoil.However,leakstendtogetworsewithtime!5.3OilleakingfromheadgasketAsheadgasketsbecomeoldtheycanleakoil.Ifyoufindoilleakingfrombetweentheheadandtheengineblock,thiswillmostlikelybetheresultofaheadgasketfailure,andtheheadgasketwillneedtobereplaced.Youmustalsobeawarethatifthevehiclehashadanyengine

overheatingproblems,theoilleakmightbearesultoftheheadbecoming

warpedandnolongersittingcorrectlyontheengineblock.Thistypeoffaultwillrequiretheheadtoberepairedorreplaced,aswellasanewheadgasket.

Checkinginsidetheoilfillercapforsignsofheadgasketfailure:thisseemsokay.

Youneedagoodlevelofmechanicalskillandagoodsetoftoolstoperformaheadgasketchange,soconsiderhavingtherepairworkundertakenbyareputablemechanic.Theywillalsobeabletoinspecttheengineforsignsofwearordamageandadviseyouaccordingly.Iftheundersideoftheoilfillercaphasyellowsludgeonit,thisisan

indicationoftheaforementionedproblemswiththeengine,andyoushouldseekexpertadvice.

Thisoilfillercapshowssignsofheadgasketorheadfailure:acreamysludgedeposit.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,providingthattheenginehassufficientoilinitandthatitisingoodcondition,ietherearenosignsofwaterleakingintotheoil.Thereshouldbenoproblemswithdrivingthevehicle,astheleakshouldbequiteslowandwouldappeartobeleakingexternallyandnotinternally.Ensurethattheengineoillevelischeckedregularlyandtoppedupif

necessary.Youshouldalsoregularlycleanoffanyexcessoilandnotallowittobuildupinanyareas,especiallyaroundanyheatsourcessuchasturbohousingsorexhaustmanifolds.Ifyoufeelthattheoilleakingfromthegaskethasoccurredasaresult

ofanoverheatedengineandthattheenginehasawarpedcylinderhead,considergettingthisrepairdonequickly.Runningavehiclewithawarpedheadwillcausesignificantdamagetootherpartsoftheengine,andwill

resultinthecarneedingmorethanacylinderheadandheadgasketreplaced.

OilleaktipsIfyouarehavingtroubleidentifyingwhereanoilleakiscomingfrom,here’saquicktiptohelpyoutrackitdown.Onceyouhavecleanedoffalltheexcessoilfromthearea,applyalightdustingoflightweightwhitepowder,suchastalcumpowder,orevenfootpowder,tothearea.Anyoilthatcrossestheareawillleaveatrail,andyoucanidentifywhereitiscomingfrom.Also,thepowderwillsoakuptheoilandassistinitsremoval.Youmayneedtocarryoutthisprocessanumberoftimestofindreallytrickyleaks.

5.4BrakefluidleakingfrombrakelinesorhosesIfyouthinkyourcarhasabrakefluidleakfromabrakelineorhose,thissectionwillhelptoconfirmwhereitiscomingfrom,andadvisewhattodo.Whennew,brakefluidhasverylittlesmellandisquiteclear,withjusta

slightyellowtinge.Asitagesitstartstoturnasmokybrowncolour.Fluidstainsonthegroundbehindanyofthewheelsarethebest

indicatorthatthereisaleakrelatedtothatwheel.Checkthebrakefluidleveltoascertainhowmuchfluidhasbeenlost,andtopuptotherequiredlevel.Youmayneedtojackupthecarandremovethewheelinordertoviewwheretheleakiscomingfrom.

Afluidstainonthegroundbehindawheelindicatesabrakefluidleak.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Caution!Workinasafemannerandalwaysuseaxlestandsifyouneedtoworkunderneaththecar.

Ifyoucannotclearlyidentifywherethebrakefluidisleakingfrom,youmayneedtowipeoffthesuspectareawithaclothandpumpthebrake

pedaltotryandforcethebrakefluidoutoftheleakingpart.Makesureyouhaverefilledthebrakefluidreservoirbeforepumpingthebrakepedal.Donotknockorstartthecarifitisonanaxlestand.Leakingbrakelinesorhosescannotberepaired,theymustbe

replacedurgently.Youwillneedagoodlevelofmechanicalskillandagoodsetoftoolstoperformanyworkonthebrakingsystem.Youmaywanttoconsiderhavingtherepairworkundertakenbyareputablemechanic,asanymistakescouldresultinyoudrivingavehiclewithfaultyornobrakes.

Inspectingfrontbrakehosesforsignsofwearordamage.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Beyondthejourneytoalocalgarageforrepair,no.Drivingavehiclewithdamaged/faultybrakehosesputsyouandothersatseriousriskofanaccident.Ifthefaultypartcompletelyfails,youmaybeleftwithnobrakesandunabletostopthevehiclesafely.

Inspectingbrakelinesforsignsofdamageorcorrosion.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Badly-corrodedbrakelineslikethiswillneedtobecompletelyreplacedwithnewexamples.

5.5BrakefluidleakingfromabrakecalliperorbrakedrumIfyouthinkyourcarhasaleakfromabrakecalliperorbrakedrum,thissectionwillhelpyoutoconfirmwheretheleakiscomingfrom,andadvisewhattodo.Whennew,brakefluidhasverylittlesmellandisquiteclearwitha

slightyellowtinge.Asitagesitstartstogoasmokybrowncolour.

Fluidstainsonthegroundbehindanyofthewheelsarethebestindicatorofaleakrelatedtothatwheel.Checkthebrakefluidleveltoascertainhowmuchfluidhasbeenlost,andtopuptotherequiredlevel.Youmayneedtojackupthecarandremovethewheel,inordertosee

wheretheleakiscomingfrom.

Checkingbehindthewheelforsignsofbrakefluidleakingfromthebrakecalliper.

Caution!Makesureyouworksafely,anduseaxlestandsifyouneedtoworkunderneaththecar.Ifyoucannotclearlyidentifywherethebrakefluidisleakingfrom,wipe

offthesuspectareawithaclothandpumpthebrakepedalstotryandforcethebrakefluidoutoftheleakingpart.Makesureyouhaverefilledthebrakefluidreservoirbeforepumpingthebrakepedal.Donotknockorstartthecarifitisonanaxlestand.

Inspectingrearcallipersforsignsofabrakefluidleak.

Thisrearcalliperisshowingsignsofabrakefluidleak.

Leaksthatcomefrombrakecallipersordrumsareusuallycausedbyinternalpistonsealsgettingoldandworn,allowingbrakefluidtopassoverthemandseepout.Callipersandwheelcylinderscanusuallybecompletelyreplacedorrepaired.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Beyondthejourneytoalocalgarageforrepair,no.Drivinganyvehiclewithdamagedorfaultybrakecomponentsputsyouandothersatseriousriskofanaccident.Ifthefaultypartcompletelyfails,youcouldbeleftwithnobrakesandnomethodofstoppingthevehiclesafely.

5.6Coolantleakingfromradiator/enginehoseIfyouidentifyenginecoolantleakingfromtheradiatororacoolanthose,thefirstthingtodoisstopthecarandchecktheamountofcoolantremainingintheengine.Turnofftheengineandcheckthecoolantlevelattheexpansiontank–itshouldbebetweenthe‘min’and‘max’marksshownontheoutside.

Checkhosesforsignsofcoolantleaklikethis.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Lookingdownthroughanenginebay:coolantonroadcausedbyaradiatorleak.

Alargecoolantlossmaybetheresultbyaloosewaterhose,whichcanberefitted.

Dependingonthetypeandsizeoftheleak,youwilleitherneedtoreplacethefaultypartorgetitrepaired.Thereareproductstorepairsuchleaks,availablefrommostcarpartsshopsandsomegarages.Forcoolantleaksfrompipesandhoses,youcanpurchase‘emergencyrepairtape’products:self-amalgamatingtapesthatwraparoundthepipeandstoptheleak.Forleaksfromradiators,youcanpurchaseproductslikeRadweldorStopLeakthatarepouredintothecoolingsystemviatheexpansiontankorradiatorcap.Astheengineruns,theywillbepumpedaroundthecoolingsystemtowherethefaultisandblockitwhentheycontactoutsideair.Thelattertypeofrepaircanlastalongtime,andisoftenreferredtoas

permanent.Theproductsarecosteffectiveandrelativelyeasytousebyanyone.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Onlyiftheleakisonlyverysmallandyoucanensurethattheenginewillnotrunlowoncoolant.Itisessentialthatyoukeepacloseeyeontheenginetemperaturegaugeanddonotlettheengineoverheat.Itisrecommendedthatdamagedorfaultyhosesbereplacedassoon

aspossible,eveniftheleakhasseeminglystopped.

TipIfyouhaveajourneytocomplete,makesurethatyoucarryalargebottleofwatertotopupthecoolingsystem.

Typicalproductforrepairingleaksinradiatorsandhoses.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Addingleakrepairtotheexpansiontank.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

sixExhaustproblems

6.1WhitesmokecomingfromtheexhaustWhitesmokecomingfromtheexhaustisusuallycausedbywaterpassingthroughtheexhaustsystemandturningintosteam.It’scommontohaveasmallamountofwhitesmokewhenfirststartingthecar,orincoldweather.Thisisquitenormalandnothingtoworryabout,butthereshouldbenonastyodoursorburningsmells.Ifthereislotsofwhitesmokebillowingfromtheexhaust(forexample,

yourcarlookslikeasteamtrain),immediatelystopthecarandturnofftheengine.Ifyoudonot,catastrophicdamagecanoccurtotheengine.Themostcommoncauseofthissymptomisafailedcylinderhead

gasketorwarpedhead,whichmustberepairedbeforethecarcanbeusedagain.Callyourbreakdownserviceorlocalgarageandgetthecartowedsomewherefortheproblemtobedeterminedandrepaired.

Failedrepairofarearsilencerholecausedbycorrosion.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Itisnotrecommended,becauseifyoudo,theenginewillnotlastlong.Evenifyoutopuptheengine’scoolingsystemwithwatertopreventoverheating,damagewillstilloccurasthewaterwillcrossthedamagedheadgasketandrunintotheengineoilandcylinders.6.2BluesmokecomingfromtheexhaustBlue/greysmokefromtheexhaustindicatesthatengineoilispassingthepistonringsorvalveguides,beingburned,andexitingthroughtheexhaust.Youmaynoticethatthesmokehasaburntsmelltoit,differentfromthenormalexhaustsmell.Whentheengineisworkingcorrectly,itshouldnotburnnoticeable

amountofoil.Largeplumesofbluesmokeindicateaproblemthatneedstobelookedatimmediately,nomatterhowneworoldyourvehicle.Smallamountsofbluesmokeonahigh-mileageoldercarindicatealessimmediate,probablywear-relatedproblem.Onanewercar,however,thissymptomneedstobeinvestigatedassoonaspossible.Firstchecktheengineoillevelandseehowmuchoilhasbeenlost.If

youfeelitisanageandwearrelatedproblem,keeptheengineoiltoppeduptothecorrectleveluntilthefaulthasbeenrepaired.Ifyoufeeltheproblemisnotagerelated,andareconcernedthatan

enginecomponenthasfailed,youshouldn’tdrivethecaruntiltheproblemhasbeenthoroughlyinvestigated.Thisisdefinitelythecaseifyourcarhaslostalotofengineoilinaveryshortspaceoftime.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Iftheexhaustpipeisemittinglargeplumesofbluesmoke,stopthecarstraightawayandcontactyourbreakdownserviceorlocalgarage.Theymaywanttotow/traileritsomewhereforfurtherinspectionandrepair.Ifyoucontinuetodrivethecarinthiscondition,youcouldcause

terminaldamagetotheengine.Asmallamountofbluesmokeonoldercarsisquitecommonasthe

internalenginecomponentswearthroughuseandallowoiltopass.Thisismorelikelyawear-relatedproblem,andalthoughitstillneedstobeaddressed,youshouldstillbeabletodrivethecaraslongasyoukeepaconstantcloseeyeontheengineoillevelandkeepittoppedup.

6.3ExhaustisleakingAholeintheexhaustmaynotnecessarilymeanthatyouneedareplacementexhaustorcomponent.Youcaneasilyrepairsmallholesyourself,sowon’tneedtotakeyourcartothegarage.Thereareproductsavailabledesignedtorepairsmallholes.Theymakeagoodlow-costoption,andareeasytouse.

Exhaustleakscanoccuratloosejoints.Tryretighteningclamps.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Ifyoudon’trepairexhaustholes,theywillquicklygetworse,resultinginyouhavingtogettheexhaustreplaced.Holesintheexhaustarenotonlynoisy,theyalsoaffectthefueleconomyofthecar.

Holeinexhaustpipehighlightedbysootbuild-uparoundtheoutside.

Caution!Donotworkonahotexhaustduetoriskofburns.Alwaysletthevehicleexhaustcoolsufficientlybeforeyoucommenceworkonit.

Thetypeofproductyouusetoundertaketherepairwilldependonthelocationorsizeofthehole.Thetwoproducttypesare‘exhaustputty’and‘exhaustbandage.’Theexhaustputtyisnormallyusedonsmallerholesorinareaswhereexhaustbandagecannotbefixed,suchasinacorner.Exhaustbandageisnormallyusedineasytoaccess,relativelyflatareas.

Bandagerepairproductforrepairingexhausts.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Bandagerepairproductusedtorepairholeinexhaust.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Typicalputtyrepairproductforrepairingsmallerholesinexhaustsystems.

Exhaustputtyproductbeingappliedtohole.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

CanIstilldrivethecar?Providingthatnopartoftheexhaustsystemisabouttodropoff,yes,youcanstilldrivethecaruntilthefaultypartisrepairedorreplaced.Youmaynoticethatyourcarusesmorefuelwhilsttheexhaustisleaking,butefficiencyshouldimproveoncetheproblemhasbeenrectified.

6.4PartoftheexhausthascomeoffDamagecanoccurtoanyexhaustsystem.Theyarepronetorottingandfallingtopieces,andsometimescangethitorcaughtonthingsbeneaththecarandbreakoff.Clearlyifthisdoeshappen,youaregoingtoneedtogetthecarrepairedstraightaway.Ifyouhavebreakdowncover,youdohavetheoptionofcallingoutyourprovidertoassesswhatcanbedone.Theymaybeabletogetthecargoing.

Caution!Ifyousmellexhaustfumesinsidethecarstopimmediatelyandsummonhelp.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Normally,yes,butonlyiftherearenopartshangingoffthecaranddraggingontheroad.Takethecarstraighthomeortoalocalexhaustspecialist.Itwillbeverynoisyandyoumightfeelthatthecarhaslesspower,butdrivingitashortdistancetogetitrepairedshouldnotcauseanydamage.Ifanyoftheremainingpartsareatriskofcomingoffwhilstyouare

driving,youwillneedtoremovethemorsecurethem,sothattheywillnotcauseahazardtootherroadusersandnotdamageyourcarfurther.

sevenWindscreen

7.1WindscreenhascrackedIfthewindscreenbecomescrackedwhilstdriving,getitreplacedassoonaspossible.Thiscannormallybedonethroughyourinsurersforasmallcost.Asmallchipinthewindscreencanberepairedusingmanyofthe

readilyavailablewindscreenchiprepairkits.Thequestionregardinglargewindscreencracksis,“canIstilldrivethe

vehicle?”Evenifyouhaveareallybigcrackinthewindscreen,itishighlyunlikelythatthewindscreenisgoingtobreakandfallontoyou.Becauseofthewaythatmodernwindscreensaremanufactured,theyaredesignedtoremainintact.Thinkofitthisway:itissaidthatwithmoderncarsthewindscreencancomprise30percentofthevehicle’soverallstructuralstrength.Intheeventofahardcollisionorthecarrolllingontoitsroof,thewindscreenwillbeproviding30percentofthevehicle’sstrength.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Onmodernvehicles,providingthatthecrackisnotaffectingyourvisibility,youshouldbeokaytodriveshortdistancesuntiltherepairisundertaken.

Caution!Fromalegalperspective,ifyoucannotconfidentlyprovethatyourdrivingvisibilityisnotaffected,youshouldnotdrive–itcouldbeclassedasadrivingoffenceifyouarestoppedbythepolice.

Concernsaboutdrivingthecarwhilstawaitingrepairareunfounded.Modernwindscreendesignmeansitshouldbeokaytodrive,providingyoudriveappropriately.However,foryourpeaceofmind,checkwithyourinsurerthatthevehicleisfullyinsureduntiltherepaircanbemade.7.2WindscreenwiperswillnotworkIfthewindscreenwipersstopworking,getthemfixedimmediately.Firstcheckthefuseboxtoseeiftherelevantfusehasblown.Ifithas,change

itforanewoneofthesamevalue.Thecar’susermanualwilltellyoutherelevantfusenumberandlocation.Ifthewindscreenwiperfusekeepsblowing,thisindicatesanother

problem.Themostlikelycausewillbeaseizedwipermotororwipermechanismwhichmayneedtoberepairedorreplaced.YoucouldtrygivingthewipermechanismaspraywithaliquidlubricantsuchasWD40toseeifthissolvestheproblem.

Caution!Donotoperatethewindscreenwiperswhenyouorsomeoneelseisinspectingthewipermechanism.

Ifthefaultdoesnotappeartobemechanical,thevehiclewillneedtobelookedatbyaprofessionalauto-electrician.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Itisamotoringoffencetodriveyourvehiclewithdefectivewindscreenwipers,soitshouldnotbedrivenuntiltheyarefixed.Ifyouareawayfromhomeandcannotfixtheproblemyourself,

considercontactingabreakdownservicetoassesstheproblem.Asthefaultismechanicalandrendersthecarunroadworthy,theyshouldbeabletohelp.

7.3Windscreenwasherswon’tworkIfthewindscreenwashersstopworking,getthemfixedimmediately.Firsttopupthewasherbottleandtestthemagain.Iftheyarestillnot

working,checkthefuseboxtoseeiftherelevantfusehasblown.Ifithas,changeitforanewoneofthesamevalue.Thecar’susermanualwilltellyoutherelevantfusenumberandlocation.

Washerjetsthatarenotworkingcancauseseriousvisibilityproblems.

Ifthewasherjetsarestillnotworking,listentoseeifyoucanhearthepumprunningwhenthewasherswitchisoperated.Ifyoucan’thearthepumpandthefuseisokay,youcanprettymuchassumethatthepumphasfailedandwillneedtobereplaced.Makesureyouhavecheckedthewiringtothewasherjetpumpbeforeyougetitchanged.IfyoucanhearthepumpworkingandthereissufficientfluidInthe

washerbottle,theremaybeablockedwasherjetsorablockedpipethatwillneedtobecleared/cleaned.

Ifthewindscreenwasherjetsarenotworking,firsttopupthewasherbottle.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Itisamotoringoffencetodriveyourvehiclewithdefectivewindscreenwasherjets,soitshouldnotbedrivenuntiltheyarefixed.Pleasenotethatitisalsoamotoringoffencetodrivewithanempty

windscreenwasherbottle,anditisalwaysagoodideatokeepabottleofwaterinthecar.

eightEngine

8.1EnginehascutoutwhendrivingTheengineshouldnotjustcutoutwithoutanywarning–normallyyouwouldhaveawarninglightorlightsappear.Iftheenginehascutoutwithoutanywarning,thereareafewsimplechecksthatyoucanperformtodismissorconfirmthemostlikelyproblems.Firstcheckthatyouhavenotrunoutoffuel.Makesureyouare

confidentthatthecaractuallyhasfuel.Afaultyfuelgaugecouldwronglyindicatethatyourcarhasfuel.Checkthatthebatteryterminalsaresecurelyinplace.Lossofvehicle

powercanbecausedbyabatteryterminalvibratinglooseornotbeingrefittedcorrectly.

Iftheenginecutsout,checkbatteryterminalsareinplace.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Ensurethatthebatteryterminalsaretightlyinplaceandcannotworkloose.

Caution!Donotshortthepositiveterminaltoearth(ground)withthetoolyouareusing.

Anotherconsiderationisthatyourcarmayhaveablockedfuelfilterorafailedfuelpump.Inthisinstance,whenattemptingtostartthecartheenginewillturnover,butwillnotstart.Ifyouhavedismissedafuellingorbatteryfault,contactyour

breakdownserviceandhavetheminvestigatetheproblemfurther.8.2CarhaslimitedpowerwhendrivingIfyouaredrivingalongandthecarseemstohaveverylittlepowerwhenyouaccelerate,itmaybethattheECU(electroniccontrolunit)hasswitcheditselfintowhatiscommonlyreferredtoas‘limphomemode.’Thiswillusuallybeaccompaniedbytheilluminationofanenginewarninglight.Thepurposeoflimphomemodeistoreduceenginepowerandprotect

theengineintheeventthattheECUhasidentifiedafaultthatcouldbedamaging.Itisverycommontoexperiencethisproblemwhentheenginewould

normallybegintodeliverthemostpower–forexample,aturbodieselacceleratingquicklyfromlowenginespeed,andatthepointwheretheturbowouldnormallybeworkingfully(saybetween2000-2500rpm).Here,theECUreducestheengineoutputandyoufeelasubstantialreductioninenginepower.Nowadays,moderncarshavesomanysensorssendinginformationto

theECUthatitcanbevirtuallyimpossibletoknowwhatiswrongwithoutthecarundergoingaprofessionaldiagnosticcheck.

Averycommoncauseoflossofpoweristheairmassmeter.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

CanIstilldrivethecar?Providingthatthecarseemsokayunderlow-loadconditions,ieacceleratinglightlyandnottravellingathighordemandingspeeds,itshouldbeokaytodriveshortdistancesuntilthefaultisrepaired.Ifyouexperienceanyothersymptoms,suchasfrequentstallingor

juddering,thenconsidernotusingthecaruntilthefaulthasbeeninvestigated,asitmaycausefurtherdamagetotheengine.8.3EngineoverheatingIftheengineisoverheating,stopandturnitoffassoonaspossibletoinvestigatethecause.Failingtoactpromptlycancausecatastrophicdamagetotheengine.Thefirstthingtocheckiswhetherthereisanenginecoolantleak,and

thatthereisenoughcoolantinthecoolingsystem.Dothisbychecking

aroundandunderthecarforanysignsofwater.Checkthatthecoolantlevelisbetweenthe‘min’and‘max’marksontheexpansiontank.

Atanysignofengineoverheating,turnitoffandcheckcoolantlevelinexpansiontank.

Iftherearesignsofawaterleakoralargelossofenginecoolant,investigatethisfurther,asthisisthemostlikelycauseoftheengineoverheating.Toppingupthecoolantandrepairinganyleakswithanemergencyhoserepairorstop-leakproductmaysolvetheproblem,andallowyoutodrivethecaragain.Theseareavailablefromcarsparesshopsandsomefuelfillingstations/supermarkets(seechapter5).Ifthereisnolossofwaterandnoobviousleak,theradiatorfanmay

notbeoperatingandthusnotassistingwithcoolingtheengine.Thiswillbeparticularlyevidentinhotterweather.Checkwhethertheradiatorfanfusehasblown,andthatthewiringtotheradiatorfanisstillintact.

Inspectradiatorfanwiringandconnectors.Anon-operativefanwillcauseoverheating.

Ifyoucannotidentifyanyofthefaultsmentioned,assumethatthereisamoreseriousreasonfortheengineoverheating.Haveitlookedatimmediatelybyyourbreakdownserviceoralocalgarage.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyoucannotfindoutwhatiscausingtheenginetooverheat,youshouldn’tdrivethecaruntilthefaulthasbeenidentifiedandrectified.Iftheoverheatingisbeingcausedbyaleakorlossofenginecoolant,

fixtheleak,topupthewater,andkeepaverycloseeyeonit.Overheatingcancausecatastrophicandverycostlydamagetotheengine.Ifyoureallydoneedtocontinueyourjourney,agoodtipistoturnthe

carinteriorheatingsystemtohotandfullfan.Thismayhelpremovesomeoftheheatfromtheengine’scoolingsystem,reducingtheengine

temperature.

Caution!Removingtheexpansiontankcaponahotoroverheatingenginecanputyouatriskofbeingscaldedfromescapingsteam.Ifyoudohavetoremovethecapinthissituation,putaheavyclothoverittoprotectyourselfbeforeyouunscrewit.

8.4Hissingnoise/steamcomingfromunderbonnetThiswillmostlikelybewaterescapingfromtheengine’scoolingsystemduetoaleak.Stopthecarimmediatelyandturnofftheengine.Alossofenginecoolantcancauseittooverheat,whichcancausecatastrophicandverycostlydamage.

Hissingorsteamfromunderthebonnet?Checkhosesforwaterleaks.

Checkaroundandunderthecarforanysignsofwater,andcheckthecoolantlevel,toppingupifnecessary.Onoccasion,ithasbeenknownfor

waterpipestocomeloose,andrefittingthemcansolvetheproblem.Youmayneedascrewdrivertorefitthepipeclamp.Morecommonly,theleakwillbecomingfromeitheraholeinawater

pipeorfromtheradiator.Youmaybeabletofixthisbyrefillingthecoolantandrepairingtheleakwithanemergencyhoserepairorstop-leakproduct.Ifyouarenotabletorepairtheleakyourself,considercontactingyour

breakdownservice.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Seesection8.3.

nineLights&indicators

9.1Brokenheadlight/taillightIfaheadlightortaillightbulbfails,getitreplacedassoonaspossible.Itisrecommendedthatyoualwayscarryasparesetofbulbsinthecaratalltimes,andmakeregularchecksonbulboperation.Thecar’susermanualmayoutlinetheproceduresforchangingheadlightandtaillightbulbs.

Brokenheadlightsrequirerepairorreplacement,andcancausebulbstofail.

Abrokenlensonaheadlightortaillightshouldberepairedorreplacedassoonaspossible.Withregardtoheadlightlensesanddrivingoffences,takethefollowing

intoconsideration.Anyfaultypartofthecar’sbodyworkthatcancausedamagetoapedestriancanbeclassedasadrivingoffence:sharpglassorplasticonabrokenheadlightlens,forexample.Anypartofthecarthatisfaultyandcausesahazardtootherroaduserscanbeclassedasadrivingoffence–forexample,aheadlightlensrepairedwithcleartapethatdazzlesoncomingdrivers.Althoughyoumaychoosetotemporarilycovertheheadlightlens,you

mustunderstandthatthelenswillnolongerbeworkinginthecorrectmanner.Headlightlensesaredesignedtoshinelightinacertaindirection,wherethedriverneedsitandawayfromotherroadusers.Withregardtotaillightlenses,ifanypartofitdoesnotshineinthe

correctcolouryouarecommittingadrivingoffence.So,aredbrakelightsegmentwiththeinsidebulbshiningthroughacrackcanbeclassedasanoffence.

Crackedrearlight.Thiscanberepairedusinglensrepairtape.

Ifyourcarhasacrackedlensononeoftherearlights,youcanpurchaselensrepairtape.Itcomesinclear,amberandredcolours,isveryeasytoapply,andisavailablefrommostlargecarsparesshops.Aslongasthetapeiscoveringthedamagedpartcompletely,youshouldno

longerbecausingaroadtrafficoffence,anditwillalsopreventanymoisturegettinginandblowingthebulb.

Lensrepairtapeisavailableindifferentcolours.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Ifyourcarhasabrokenrearlensandyou’vefixeditwithrepairtape,youshouldbeokaytousethecar.Withabrokenheadlightlens,ifyoudonottapeitupthenthebulbwill

beexposedtomoistureanddebris,andwillfailquitequickly.Thiswillmakeyouinbreachofanotherdrivinglaw.Fromadrivingoffenceperspective,regardingdamagedheadlight

lenses,reviewthischapterthoroughlyandmaketheappropriatechoiceyourselfbasedonthedamagetothecar.

tenBrakes

10.1SteeringwheelvibrationwhenbrakingIfexperiencingvibrationthroughthesteeringwheelwhenapplyingthebrakes,youhaveabrakefaultatthefrontofthevehicle.Ifexperiencingvibrationthroughthesteeringwheelallthetimeorwhenyouarenotapplyingthebrakes,thiswillbeadifferentproblem,andyouwillneedtoexploreothersectionsofthisbook.Themostcommoncauseofvibrationunderbrakingonlyisawarped

brakediscatthefrontofthecar.Youcantestforthisyourselfbyjackingupthecarandrotatingeachwheelindividuallybyhand.Agoodbrakediscwillrotatefreelywithoutanyproblems,withnosignsofdragging.Awarpeddiscwillsoundasthoughitisdraggingatacertainpointinitsrevolution,andyoushouldfeelmoreresistanceatthatpoint.

Identifyingawarpeddiscbycheckingthewheelforexcessiveheatbuild-up.

Anotherquickcheckistoseeifonewheelishotterthantheothers.Thehottersideshouldbetheonethatiswarped.

Caution!Takecarenottoburnyourselfonhotbrakeparts–youshouldbeabletofeelatemperaturedifferencebyjustfeelingthewheelitself.Also,takenoteofanyburningsmellthatmaybecomingfromthebrakepadsonthewarpedside.

Getthefaultybrakediscreplacedassoonaspossible.Havebothfrontdiscsandpadsrenewedatthesametime.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Everytimeyoubrake,thevibrationwillbeputtingmorestrainontheothersuspensionandsteeringcomponents,causingthemtowearoutsooner.Therefore,althoughyoushouldbeokaytodrivethecar,notchangingthefaultypartcouldendupcostingyoumoreinthelongrun.Ifyoudoneedtodriveacarwithawarpedfrontbrakedisc,youwill

needtoalteryourdrivingstyleaccordinglytominimiseheatbuildupandreducethevibrationsthecarcomponentsexperience.Thiscanbedonebyavoidinghardbraking,andbrakingslower/earlierthanyounormallywould.10.2HandbrakenotholdingcarstationaryWhenyouapplythehandbrake,the(usually)rearbrakesofthecarshouldbelockedandthereshouldbenomovementatall.Ifthehandbrakeisnotholdingthevehicle’sweightthenthereisafaultthatneedstobeinvestigated.Manymoderncarsarenowfittedwithelectronicparkingbrakes(EPB)

thatarecontrolledbyoperatingaswitchtoengageanddisengagethem.Ifyouhaveoneofthesesystemsfittedtothecarandthereisafaultwithit,itisrecommendedthatyoutakethecartoagarageforadiagnosticcheck.Morecommonly,thehandbrakewillbeoperatedbyaleverbetween

thefrontseatsthat,whenoperated,pullscablesunderneaththecarthatputtherearbrakeson.Sometimesthesecablescanstretchorsnapandpreventthehandbrakefromworking.Ifthehandbrakeisnotworkingat

all,thenitismostlikelythatoneofthesecableshassnappedandwillneedtobereplaced.Ifthehandbrakeisworkingalittle,thenitismostlikelythatoneofthecableshasstretchedandwillneedtobeadjusted.Adjustingorchangingahandbrakecablewillnotusuallybeoutlinedin

thecarusermanual,soifitisajobyouwishtodoyourselfyoumayneedtopurchaseaworkshopmanual,orhavealookonlineforinformation.

Typicalarrangementallowingadjustmentofhandbrakecablesunderneathcar.

Thehandbrakesonmanymodernvehiclescanbeadjustedfrominsidethevehiclebyremovingthegaiteraroundtheleverandmakinganadjustmenttothemechanism(seeworkshopmanualorinternet).Ifyourcar’shandbrakecableisadjustedfrombeneaththevehicle,you

cantracethehandbrakecablestothemiddleofthecar,wheretheyallmeet–themainonefromthefrontofthecar,andtwosmalleronesthatgotoeachwheel.Theymeettogetherina‘Y’shape,anditisatthispointthehandbrakecanbeadjusted.Therewillbealengthofthreadwitha

nutonit–thisnutwillaltertheamountofdistancethehandbrakecablehastobemovedbeforetherearbrakescomeon.Withthehandbrakeoff,turnthenutclockwisetotightentheslackfromtherearcables.Adjustitbyonlyafewturns,thenapplythehandbrakeandseeiftherearwheelslock.Youmayneedtomaketheadjustmentafewtimestogetitexactlyright.Remembernottoover-tightenthehandbrakeadjuster,asthiscancausethebrakestobindandthecabletostretchorsnap.Ifthehandbrakeremainsinefficientafteradjustment,considerthatrear

brakeshoesordiscsmayneedchanging,orthatoneofthehandbrakecableshasstretchedorsnappedandwillneedtobechanged.Withasnappedbrakecable,youcaneitherchangeallthreesections

orjustthepiecethathasbroken.Thepartsdon’tallhavetobenewforthehandbrakemechanismtoworkcorrectly.Replacingahandbrakecableisrelativelyeasy.Withthehandbrakein

theoffposition,thecablesshouldunhookfromanyholdersalongthechassis.Aworkshopmanualwillmakethejobeveneasier,andthecostofitandthenewpartsshouldstillbelessthanpayingsomeoneelsedothework.

Caution!Performinganyworkunderneathyourcarcanbedangerous,andyoumustensurethatthecarissecureandwillnotmovewhilsttheworkisbeingcarriedout.Makegooduseofaxlestands,andchockthewheelsfirmlybeforegoingunderneath.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Youwillstillbeabletodrivetemporarily,providingtherearenobitsofbrakecablehangingofftheundersideofthecar.Youwill,however,havetoensurethatyoucandrivethecarsafelywithouttheuseofahandbrake.Forexample,areyouconfidentandpractisedenoughtoperformhillstartsusingonlythebrakepedalandclutch,withoutthecarrollingbackwardsandhittingsomeone?Iftheanswertothisisno,thenyoushouldnotbedrivingthecaruntilithasbeenrepaired.Youwillalsoneedtoensurethereisasafeplacetoparkthecarwhen

youreachyourdestination.Youwillhavetoleavethevehicleingeartopreventitfromrolling,soparkitonaflatsurface.

TipIfyoudohavetoparkonaninclineandchoosetoleavethecarin

therelevantgear,itissuggestedthatyouturnthefrontwheelsintothekerbwiththenoseofthecarpointingdownhill.Thismayhelptopreventthecarfrommovingintheunlikelyeventofslippingoutofgear,andwillalsohelprelievesomeofthepressureonthegearbox.Whenfacingdownhill,thefrontwheelsshouldbeturnedslightlytowardsthekerbwiththeweightofthevehicletouchingthekerb.Whenfacinguphill,thefrontwheelsshouldbeturnedslightlyawayfromthekerb,lettingthevehiclerollbackslightlysoittouchesthekerb.Ifyoudriveanautomatic,leavethevehicleinP(park).

TipIfyoudohavewheelchocksavailable,itishighlyrecommendedthatyoumakeuseofthem.

Caution!Ifyourcarhasafailedhandbrakecable,neverleavepassengersinthecarunattended.10.3WheellockingunderbrakingWheelsoncarsshouldnotlockupwhenthebrakesareapplied–itisverydangerous,andwhilstthecarisskiddingitisoutofcontrol.Mostmoderncarsarefittedwithanti-lockbrakingsystems(ABS)that

shouldpreventthewheelsfromlocking.Theyaredesignedtoreducebrakingdistancesandalsoallowyoutosteerthecararoundanyobstacleswhilstbraking.IfyouhaveABSonyourcar,andyoufindawheelislockingunder

braking,thenthereisdefinitelyafaultwiththesystem.ThismaybeafaultywheelsensororaproblemwiththeABScontrolunit.Ifyouexperienceregularlockingupofthebrakes,evenifyourcarisnotfittedwithABS,youmayhaveaveryseriousproblemwiththecar’sbrakingsystemthatneedstobeinvestigatedimmediately.

TypicalABSsensor.ThewheelsshouldnotlockupiftheABSisworkingcorrectly.

Ensurethetyresareroadlegal,thatthereissufficientairpressureinthem,andthattheyhaveplentyoftread.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Clearlythisisnotagoodsituationtobein.Askiddingcarisonethatis

outofcontrol,anditisnotsafetodrive.Regularlockingofwheelsisnotacommonproblemandisvery

serious.Havethevehicleinspectedasamatterofurgency.Contactyourbreakdownservice–itshouldconsiderthissituationabreakdown,asthecarisnotsafetodrive.Ifyourservicecannotidentifyandrectifytheproblem,itwillprobablytow/traileryourcartoagarageforfurtherinspection.

10.4Handbrakelockedon/draggingwheelIfyourcarisfittedwithanelectronicparkingbrake(EPB)andthehandbrakewillnotrelease,thereisafaultwiththesystemthatwillneedtobediagnosedbyagarage.ManyEPBsystemsarefittedwithamanualreleasemechanismthatwilldisengagethesystemintheeventofafault.Thelocationandsafeuseofthismanualreleaseshouldbeshownintheusermanual.Inverycoldweather,alockedhandbrakecanoftenbecausedbywater

thathasgotintothehandbrakecablesleevesandfrozensolid.Thisismorecommoninoldervehicles,andwillprobablycontinuetooccuruntilthedefectivecableshavebeenreplaced.Seizedorfrozenhandbrakecablesonrearbrakescanoftenbe

releasedmanuallyfromunderneaththecar.Atthepointwherethehandbrakecablemeetstherearbrakethereshouldbealeverthatcanbeforcedwithascrewdriver,releasingthecable.

Aseizedhandbrakecablecanbemanuallyreleased.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Fittingnewhandbrakecablesmaybenecessaryifthehandbrakeregularlysticksonordrags.

Ifthehandbrakecablesarefunctioningnormally,theremaybeaseizedrearbrakecaliper/drummechanism.Youcanidentifywhichwheelisseizedbyjackinguptherearofthecarandrotatingthewheelsbyhand.Thiswillhavetobedonewiththehandbrakeoff,somakesurethewheelsonthegroundarechockedadequatelyandthevehiclewillnotmove.Onceidentified,youwillneedtoeitherhavethefaultypartreplacedorrepaired.Iftherearofyourcarisfittedwithdrumbrakes,theymayneedtobe

strippedandcleanedorpartsreplaced.Wheelcylinderswithindrumbrakesareacommoncauseofmanyfaults,butseizedspringsoradjusterscanalsobetheproblem,whichagoodcleanupcanoftenrectify.Iftherearofthecarisfittedwithdiscbrakes,acommonfaultwiththe

caliperisthatthesurfaceofthe‘sliders’or‘sliderpins’becomespittedby

corrosion,preventingfreemovementandhencebrakedragging.Theslidersareprotectedbyrubbergrommets,andwhentheseperishandsplit,moistureandroadsaltgetinsideandcausedamagetotheslidingsurfaces.Youcaneitherfitanewreplacementcaliperorpurchaseacaliperrepairkitthatwillincludenewgrommetsetc,andcleanuptheoldsliders.

Caution!Youwillbeunderthecarwhenyoureleasethehandbrake,somakesurethevehicleisingearandthatthewheelsaresuitablychockedtopreventrolling.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Untilthehandbrakehasbeenreleased,itisnotsafetodrivethecar.Evenifyoucanrotatetherearwheelsbyapplyingmoreenginepower,youwillcausetherearbrakestooverheatcausingdamage.Also,youareatriskofloosingcontrolofthecarwhilstdrivingasthecarwillnotbeoperatingasithasbeendesigned.Forexample,inpoorroadconditionstherearwheelscanlockupandlosetraction,causingtherearofthecartoslideoutwhencornering.

HandbraketipsIfyouhavetime,andthecarisinanappropriatelocation,itmaybepossibletowarmupthehandbrakecableswithahairdryerorsmallelectricheater.

Caution!Appropriatesafetymeasuresneedtobetakenwhenusingelectricalappliancesoutdoorstoavoidelectricshock.Donotattempttomanuallyreleasethehandbrakemechanismunless

thefrontwheelsarechockedsecurelyandthecarisingear.Ifyoucangainaccessundertherearofthecarwithoutusingajackthenthisisrecommended.Wherepossible,topreventwinterfreezingofthehandbrakecables,

sprayawaterdispersinglubricantlikeWD40insidethecables,andcoveranyopeningsateachendwithpetroleumjelly.Ifthisisacontinuingproblemeverytimetheweathergetscold,itwillbebestpracticetoreplacebothofthehandbrakecableswithnewones.Theinsideofthehandbrakecablesisprobablycorroded,andthecableswillkeepseizing

and/oreventuallybreak,resultinginnohandbrakeatall.

Caution!Ifyourcarispositionedonasteepincline,donotattempttomanuallyreleasetherearbrakes.Usethewarming-upmethodwiththehandbrakeon,thecaringear(oppositetotheincline),andthewheelschocked.Alternatively,waituntiltheweatherwarmsandthehandbrakecablesthawout.10.5BrakepedalfeelsspongywhendepressedAnychangeinyourcar’sbrakingperformanceorcharacteristicsshouldbeinvestigatedassoonaspossibleandnotignored.If,whenapplyingthebrakes,thebrakepedalfeelssofterthannormal,thiscanbeanindicationoflowbrakefluidlevelorairinthebrakingsystem.Brakingsystemsaresealed,andshouldnothaveanyairinthematall.Airinthesystemwillcompresseasily(unlikebrakefluid)andwillhaveanegativeaffectonthecar’sbrakingability.

Checkbrakefluidlevelifthefootbrakefeelsspongy:itshouldbeatthemaximummark.

Aircanonlygetintothebrakingsystemthroughafaultypartorduetopoorrepairstobrakeparts.Youwillneedtohavealloftheairbledoutofthebrakingsystemtoreturnittonormalworkingorder.Youwillneedagoodlevelofmechanicalskillsandagoodtoolkitinordertobleedyourcar’sbrakingsystem.Havethisworkundertakenbyagoodmechanic,astheymayalsobeabletoidentifyanypotentialproblems.

Abrakebleednipple:theseallowairtobebledfromthebrakesystem.

Ifthefaultreturnsafterhavingthebrakesystembled,yourcarhasafaultypart,suchasaleakingbrakecaliperorwornmastercylinder.Thedefectivepartswillneedtobereplacedandthesystembledagain.

Awornmastercylindercanletairintothebrakesystemandcausespongybrakes.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Anyvehiclethathasabrakingfaultispotentiallydangerous.Beforetakingthecartoberepaired,youmustensurethereissufficientbrakefluidinthesystembytoppingup,ifnecessary,andyoumustbeconfidentthatyoucandrivethedistancesafelywithoutlosingadequatebrakingperformance.Ifnot,youwillbecommittingadrivingoffenceandputtingyourselfandotherroadusersatrisk.Ifyouareinanydoubtaboutthis,youshouldnotdrivethecar.Haveit

traileredtothegarageorhavetheworkundertakenwhereitis.

10.6Brakepedal–excessivetravelAnychangeinbrakingperformanceorcharacteristicsshouldbeinvestigatedassoonaspossible.If,whenapplyingyourcar’sbrakes,the

brakepedaltravelsfurtherthannormal,thisisanindicationoflowbrakefluidlevelorairinthebrakingsystem.Thebrakingsystemissealed,anddoesn’tuseupbrakefluidovertime.

Anylossoffluidisaresultofaleakthatneedstobeinvestigated.Checkthebrakefluidlevelandtopitupifnecessary.Aftertoppingup,startthecarandpumpthebrakepedaltoseeifitreturnstoitsnormalfeel.Ifyouarestillexperiencingexcessivebrakepedaltravel,thismaybe

duetoairinthebrakingsystemthatwillneedtobebledout.Thisshouldbedonebyaqualifiedmechanicifyoudonothavethesuitableexperience.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Anyvehiclethathasabrakingfaultispotentiallydangerous.See10.5.10.7BrakefluidleakingfromfrontbrakesWhennew,brakefluidhasverylittlesmellandisquiteclearwithaslightyellowtinge.Asitagesitstartstogoasmokybrowncolour.Fluidstainsonthegroundbehindanyofthewheelsarethebest

indicatorthatthereisaleakrelatedtothatwheel.Checkthebrakefluidleveltoascertainhowmuchfluidhasbeenlost,andtopuptotherequiredlevel.Youmayneedtojackupthecarandremovethewheelinordertoview

wheretheleakiscomingfrom.

Caution!Workinasafemanner,anduseaxlestandsifyouneedtoworkunderneaththecar.Themostcommonplacesforfluidleaksfromthefrontbrakesarethebrakecaliper,holesinbrakehosesorleakingunions.

Checkingbrakehoseunionsonfrontbrakesforfluidleaks.

Cleandirtfromaroundunions,andchecktightnessoffitting.

Oftenthesealsinsidethebrakecalipercanbewornordamaged,causingbrakefluidtoleakpastthepistons.Thiswillrequireanewbrakecalipertobefitted,ornewsealsintheexistingcaliper.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Itisnotrecommendedthatanyvehiclewithaleakingbrakingsystemisdriven,nomatterhowsmalltheleak.Contactyourbreakdownserviceorcalloutalocalgarage.

Caution!Iftheleakseemstobecomingfromahose,thisisfarmoredangerousandyouabsolutelymustnotdrivethecar.Althoughnotverycommon,damageorweartoabrakehosecanresultinasuddenlossofbrakes,asthedamagewillworsenquickly,resultinginrapidlossofbrake

fluid...andbrakes.10.8BrakefluidleakingfromrearbrakesWhennew,brakefluidhasverylittlesmellandisquiteclearwithaslightyellowtinge.Asitagesitstartstogoasmokybrowncolour.Fluidstainsonthegroundbehindanyofthewheelsarethebest

indicatorthatthereisbrakefluidaleakrelatedtothatwheel.Checkthebrakefluidreservoirtoascertainhowmuchhasbeenlost,andtopuptotherequiredlevel.Youmayneedtojackupthecarandremovethewheeltofindtheleak.

Caution!Followtheusualsafetyprocedures:seesection10.7.

Iftherearaxleofyourcarisfittedwithdiscbrakes,themostcommonplaceforabrakefluidleakisfromthesealsinsidethebrakecaliper,ortheunionofthebrakehosewiththecaliperbody.Often,thesealsinsidethebrakecalipercanbewornordamagedand

causebrakefluidtoleak.See10.7.Iftherearaxleofthecarisfittedwithdrumbrakes,themostcommon

placesforbrakefluidtobeleakingfromarethebrake(slave)cylinderinsidethedrum,ortheunionofthehydrauliclinewiththewheelcylinder.

Acommondrumbrakeleakisfromthehydraulicbrakecylinderinsidethedrum(top).

Ifthesupplyofbrakefluidtotherearofthecarisviametalbrakelines,ratherthanflexiblehoses,itiscommonforthemtobecomecorrodedandleakovertime.Brakefluidstainsneartherearofthecar,butawayfromthewheels,areanindicatorofcorrodedbrakelines.

Brakefluidleaksawayfromthewheelswillbecomingfromcorrodedbrakelines.

Itisrecommendedthatanyworkonleakingbrakecylinders,brakepipesorunionsisperformedbyaqualifiedmechanic.

CanIstilldrivethecar?No.Youmustnotdriveavehiclewithaleakingbrakingsystem,nomatterhowsmalltheleakappearstobe.Contactyourbreakdownserviceorcalloutalocalgarage.

10.9Steeringpullstotheleft/rightunderbrakingWhenapplyingthebrakesonyourcar,ifitbeginstoturntoonesideortheotherthenthereisafaultthatneedstobeinvestigated.Thefirstthingtocheckistyrepressures,andalthoughacarwith

mismatchedtyrepressureshouldlikelyhaveapullallofthetime,itwill

bemorenoticeableunderbraking.Becausethepullingcanbecausedbyanumberoffaults,itisimportanttoeliminatethemostobviousthingsfirst,socheckthatthetyresareallthesamesizetoo.Ifyouhaveanysuspicionthatthefaultisrelatedtotyres,consider

switchingthemtodifferentsides,ormovingthemfromfonttoreartoseeifthiseliminatestheproblem.Checkbrakepadsandbrakediscsforwear,especiallyunevenwear.If

younoticethatonesideismorewornthantheother,thisindicatesunevenbrakingforcebeingapplied.Checkforcontaminationofthebrakepadsanddiscs–anyoil,greaseorlubricantonthemwillaffecttheirbrakingcapabilities.Anyoddwearingonthesurfaceofabrakedisc,suchasdeepgrooveswithinthepadcontactarea,indicatesafaultwiththebrakepadsorthediscitself.

Checkyourcar’sbrakediscsandpadsforunevenwear.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Abrakediscshowingunevenwear.Thisfaultcanreducebrakingforceandcausethesteeringtopulltoonesideunderbraking.

Ifyouhaveanysuspicionthatthebrakepadsordiscsareatfault,theyshouldbechanged,inmatchingpairs,toseeifthiseliminatestheproblem.Anothercommonfaultisastickingbrakecaliperontheoppositeside

tothedirectionofpull.Ifthecarpullstotheleftunderbraking,itmaybethatthebrakecaliperontherightisnotoperatingfreelyandapplyinglessbrakingforce.Thisrequiresthefittingofareplacementbrakecaliperorarepairtotheexistingone.

Brakepadshowingunevenwear,whichcanreducebrakingforceandcausethesteeringtopulltoonesideunderbraking.

Also,considermisalignmentofthewheels/suspension,asanyfaultinthisareacanbefarmoreevidentunderbraking.Ifthecauseofthefaultisstillnotevident,youwillneedtotakethecar

toabrakespecialist.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Aslongasthepullingtoonesideisgradual,ienotasharporseveresnatching,andeasilycontrolledbythesteeringwheel,youshouldbeokaytodrivethecaruntiltherepairhasbeenundertaken,butdoregardtherepairasurgent.10.10BrakepedalpulsesunderheavybrakingThemostlikelyexplanationofthisisthesensationyouexperiencewhentheABSsystemisoperatingandyoucanfeelquickpulsesthroughthe

brakepedal.Brakingheavilycausesapulsatingfeelthroughthefootbrakeasthesystempreventsthewheelsfromlockingandskidding.IfthissymptomonlyappearsunderheavyoremergencybrakingtheABSisworkingcorrectlyandthereisnotabrakefault.IfyourcarisnotfittedwithABS,apulsatingpedalindicatesabrake

systemfault.Themostlikelycauseofthissymptomisawarpedbrakediscorfaultywheelbearing.Youcantestforawarpedbrakediscbyjackingupthecarandrotating

eachwheelindividuallybyhand.Agoodbrakediscwillallowthewheeltorotatefreelywithoutanysignsofdragging.Awarpeddiscwillsoundasthoughitisdraggingatacertainpointinthewheelrevolution,andyoushouldfeelmomentaryresistancetoturning.Anotherquickcheckistoseeifoneofthewheelsishotter,nearits

centre,thantheotherafteradrive.

Caution!Takecarenottoburnyourself.Thehottersidewillbetheonewithawarpedbrakedisc.Theremayalsobeaburningsmellcomingfromthebrakepadsonthewarpedside.Youmustgetthefaultybrakediscreplacedassoonaspossible.

Renewbothfrontdiscsandpadsatthesametimetopreventunevenbraking.Withregardstoafaultywheelbearing,youcanperformthesameheat

testasforawarpedbrakedisc.Ifyourcarmakesahummingorgrumblingnoisethatseemstoincreaseordecreaseproportionatetovehiclespeed,itismostlikelyafaultywheelbearing.Refertochapter3.3,‘Wheelnoises,’formoreguidanceonfailedwheelbearings.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,youcandrivehomeortogetthecartoagarage.Makesuretoadjustyourdrivingappropriately,asthecar’sbrakingperformancewillbenoticeablyreduced.

10.11BrakesorawheelgettingveryhotIf,undernormaldrivingconditions,youfindthatthebrakesatoneofthewheelsaregettingveryhot–perhapsyoucansmellthem,especiallywhenoutsideofthecar–thenthisfaultneedstobelookedintoassoonaspossible.

Themostcommoncausesofthisareeitherawarpedbrakedisc,abindingcaliperorafaultywheelbearing.Normally,theoverheatingwillmanifestitselfononesideofanaxleand

thefaultysidecanbefoundbyfeelingthewheelwithyourhand.

Caution!Takecarenottoburnyourselfand,especially,donottouchthediscorpads.Whicheversideisthehottestisthesidewiththefault.

Thinkaboutwhatothersymptomsyouareexperiencingwiththecar,suchasbrakingnoisesorpullingtooneside.Then,toinvestigatethefaultfurther,refertotheothersectionsonbrakinginthisbook.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Youshouldnotdrivethecaruntilthefaulthasbeeninvestigatedthoroughly.

10.12Electricparkingbrake(referredtoasEPBore-brake)failure

Ifthecarisfittedwithanelectronicparkingbrake(EPB)anditisnotfunctioningcorrectly,forexamplewillnotdisengageorre-engage,themostcommonproblemsareusuallyamotor/actuatorfailureoranelectricalswitchfailure.Afaultwiththeswitchonthedashboardwillpreventthesystemfrom

functioningcorrectly,soyoushouldcheckthattherelevantfusehasnotblown.Yourcar’shandbookwillidentifythecorrectfuseanditslocation.Youmayneedtotakethecartohaveaprofessionaldiagnosticcheck

performedonit.Thetechnicianshouldbeabletogetthefaultcodesfromthecartohelpidentifywhattheproblemis.Inanemergency,iftheEPBwillnotengageandyouneedtogetoutof

thecar,leaveitingear.Ifyouareonahill,putitintoagearopposedtothedirectionyou’repointing,ieiffacingdownhillputthecarinreverse,andiffacinguphillputthecarinfirstgear.Ifyoudriveanautomatic,leavethevehicleinP(park).Youcanalsoturnthefrontwheelssothattheywillbechockedbythekerb.IftheEPBislockedonandwillnotdisengage,orifthecarhasaflat

battery,somemodelsarefittedwithamanualhandbrakereleasemechanism.Refertothecar’suserhandbookandreadthesectionabout

EPB;itshouldoutlinewherethemanualreleaseisandhowtooperateit.Ifitisnotintheusermanual,searchonlineforinformationonyourspecificcar.Mostoften,themanualoremergencybrakereleaseismountedunder

apanelinthecentreconsole.Manyhaveapull-ringonthem,andcanbeoperatedusingtoolsfromthetoolkitthatwassuppliedwiththecar.PleasenotethatmanualreleaseisavailableonlyonEPBsystemsthat

useacabletooperaterearbrakecalipers.

elevenGearbox&clutch

11.1Manualgearbox/clutchfaults

CannotselectagearIfyouareexperiencingproblemsgettingthecarintoagear,oranumberofgears,therecouldbeavarietyofcauses.Thefirstthingtocheckisthatthereissufficientoilinthegearbox.Rule

thisoutfirstbeforeconsideringanyotherpossibleproblems.Ifthegearboxoilislow,topupandseeiftheproblemhasgone.Refertochapter5,section5.1,‘Oilleakingfromgearbox,’asgearboxesshouldnotnormallyneedtobetoppedup.Anotherpossiblecauseisthatthelinkage(notallcarsusealinkage)

connectingthegearsticktothegearboxneedstobeadjusted,orhaswornandneedstoberepaired.Ifthislinkagehasalteredslightlyduetodamageorwear,thegearboxcomponentswillnotaligncorrectlyandyouwon’tbeabletoselectgearseasily.Inordertorectifythis,thegearboxlinkagewillneedtobeinspectedfordamageorwear.

Difficultyselectinggearmightbeduetoagearlinkageproblem.

Ifyoususpectanydamagetotheundersideofthecar,agoodthingtocheckwhetheranyheatshieldsorprotectivetrayshavebeenbentandarefoulingthegearselectormechanism.Thismayjustbeamatterofbendingthembackintoshape,outofthewayofthemechanism.Removingtheplasticsurroundandgaiterfromaroundthegearstick

shouldallowaccesstosomeofthelinkagecomponents.Anywearinthegearlinkagerodsorassociatedbushescanmakeitdifficulttoengagegears.Ifjointsfeelverylooseandhavelotsofplayinthem,theymayneedtobereplaced.Also,checkthelinkagewhereitattachestothegearbox.Thismayneedtobeaccessedfromunderneaththecar,orthroughtheenginebay.Again,checkforwornlinkagesandjointswithlotsofplayinthem.Ifitlooksliketheseareatfault,theywillneedtobereplaced.Donotadjustthegearlinkageunlessyouhaveacertaindegreeof

mechanicalskillandarelevantworkshopmanual.Incorrectadjustmentcanmakegearselectionevenworse,soifyouareatalluncertainperhapsyoushouldhaveamechanicundertaketheworkforyou.Anotherpossiblefaultisthegearboxsynchromeshwear.Ifyouare

experiencingproblemsgettingthecarintosecondandthirdgear,thisisoftenacommoncause.Synchromeshfaultsusuallycausethemostproblemsonthegearsthataremostoftenused.Ifyouhavebeenexperiencingincreaseddifficultyinselectingcertaingears,andthecartendstocrunchalotwhengoingintothosegears,thegearboxsynchromeshmayneedtobechanged.Themainproblemwiththisisthat,althoughthesynchromeshisnotalargepartofthegearbox,replacingthecomponentscanbeverylabourintensiveandhencequitecostly.However,thiscanstillworkoutcheaperthananeworreconditionedgearbox.Thereisalotofdiscussionontheinternetregardingchangingthe

gearboxoiltoatypethatwillhelpwithgearboxsynchromeshproblemsandcrunchygearchanges.Forthecost,thismightbesomethingthatyoushouldlookintofurther.Ifyourcarisunderwarranty,anygearboxproblemsshouldbereferredtoyourcardealerastheymaybecovered.Consideralsothattheclutchmayneedtobechanged.Youcan

experiencemoreandmoredifficultyinselectinggearsastheclutchwears.Refertothenextsectionforadviceonhowtoidentifyaslippingclutch(indicatingseverewearoroilcontamination).Unlessyouhavea

highlevelofmechanicalskillandagoodsetoftools,itisrecommendedthatyouhavetheclutchreplacedbyagaragethatprovidesqualitypartsandagoodlevelofwarrantyforyourmoney.

Aclutchthatneedsreplacingcanmakegearselectiondifficult.

HowtoidentifyaslippingclutchThetypicalsymptomofaslippingclutchisthatwhenyouaccelerate,andtheenginenoiseincreases,thecardoesnotgoanyfaster.You’llseetheRPMriseontherevcounter,butgainnospeed.Thiscanbemoreapparentwhenmovingofffromstationary,especiallyifyouarepullingaloadorhaveafullcar.Ifthisishappeningandyouhavejusthadanewclutchfitted,youneed

takethecarstraightbacktothegarage.Thiscouldbeoilcontaminationormisalignmentofthereleasebearing/system.

HowtotestforaslippingclutchDriveataslowspeedwiththecarinahighgear(fourthorfifth)andthenaccelerate.Ifthevehicledoesnotbogdown(begintostall),andenginespeedincreaseswiththeacceleratorpedal,butvehiclespeeddoesnotincrease,theclutchisslipping.Asmostmodernvehicleshaveself-adjustingclutches,thereare

probablynoadjustmentsthatcanbemadetoimproveclutchbite,andyouneedtogettheclutchreplaced.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yesandno.Aslongasyoucanengagethegearsokay,thenthecarcanbedriven.However,theclutchwillcontinuetoweareverfaster,andsoonthecarwillbeundriveablebecauseyouwillnolongerbeabletoengageanygears.Soitisbesttogettheclutchchangedassoonaspossible,beforeyou’releftstranded.

TipsfordrivingwithaslippingclutchThesearetipsdesignedtoonlygetyoutoagaragetogetthecarfixed.Aslippingclutchcouldcompletelyfailatanytime,whichcouldresultin

youbeingstrandedorthecarbeingleftinahazardousplace.Eventuallytheclutchwilljustslipcontinuously,asitcannolongertransferanypowerfromtheenginetothegearbox,asthereisnofrictionmaterialremainingontheclutchplateorthefrictionplateiscontaminated.Driveverygently,changinggearwiththeleastamountofaccelerationpossible,liftingtheclutchbackupslowly.Trytokeeptheenginerevsaslowaspossiblewhenchanginggear.Trytominimisethenumberofgearchangesyouaremaking,aseachgearchangewillcausefurtherwear.

Typicalclutchplate,showingfrictionmaterialaroundoutside.

CarjumpsoutofgearIfthecarisregularlyjumpingoutofgear,thereisafaultthatneedslookinginto.Thissymptomoccursmostcommonlyinhighergears,andusuallywhendeceleratingtheenginewiththeclutchengaged.Oftenthegearboxcanthrowitselfoutofgearwhenthegearhasnot

beenselectedproperly,duetoawornorbadlyadjustedgearselectorlinkage.Youcanreadmoreonthisintheprevioussection‘Cannotgetgearboxintogear.’Apoorlyengagedgearcanbepronetopoppingoutofengagementasitsloadchangesunderdeceleration.Rectificationwillrequireadjustmentorchangingofgearlinkage(ifapplicable)parts.Amoreseriouscommoncauseofthecarjumpingoutofgeariswear

withinthegearbox.Ifyoudriveanoldercar,oracarthathasdonealotofmiles,thisproblemcanoccurduetowearongearboxinternalparts,mostlikelysyncrohubsandgearselectorforks.Ifthisisthecauseoftheproblem,theonlysolutionistohavethegearboxstrippedandoverhauled,orareplacementgearbox(new,reconditionedorsecondhand).Ifyoudoopttohaveasecondhandgearboxfittedinordertokeeprepaircostsdown,makesureyoupurchaseitfromasupplierthatwillgiveagoodguaranteeincaseofanyproblems.

11.2Automaticgearbox/clutchfaultsAnautomaticgearboxisaverycomplexcomponentofyourvehicle,andusuallyrequiresagearboxexperttodiagnoseandrepairanyproblems.Thekeytokeepingthecostsdownonacarwithautomatic

transmissionisensuringitalwayshassufficientgoodqualityfluidinit,andinvestigatingeventheslightestfaultorsymptomassoonaspossible.Keepingupwithregularserviceintervalsspecificallyrelatedtothe

automaticgearboxcansaveyoualotofmoneyovertime,andalsohelpsmaintainthevalueofthevehicle.Onmodernvehicleswithautomatictransmission,therearesomany

electronicscontrolsandsensorsthatfaultscanrarelybeidentifiedwithoutaprofessionaldiagnosticscheck.Itreallyisveryimportanttohaveanygearboxproblems,suchasharsh

orroughgearchanging,ordifficultychangingdownthroughthegears,

lookedintoassoonaspossible.Ifyouignorethesesymptoms,moreproblemscanbecausedsuchasgearboxoverheating,whichcanresultinevenmorerepairwork.

AutomaticgearboxfluidIfyouexperienceanykindofproblemwithanautomaticgearbox,firstcheckthegearboxoil(automatictransmissionfluid:ATF)level.Alowleveloftransmissionfluidcancausemanyproblemsinautomaticgearboxes,anditshouldalwaysbethefirstthingtocheck.Iftheautomaticgearboxhasatransmissionfluiddipstick,checkandtopuptheATFlevelviathetubeitislocatedin.Someautomaticgearboxesdonothavedipsticks,andyouwillneedaworkshopmanualtofindouthowtocheckthelevel,ortakethecartoagaragetohaveitdone.Automatictransmissionfluidlevelsareusuallycheckedwhenthe

engineishotand,often,thedipstickwillindicatebothhotandcoldlevels.Whennew,automatictransmissionfluidisred,soifitisgoingabrown

colour,checkwhetherit’sdueachangeorservice.Theautomatictransmissionshouldalsohaveafilterinsideitthatshouldalwaysbechangedatthecorrectintervals.Also,ifthetransmissionfluidisbrownorsmellsburntitisdefinitely

timetogetthegearboxservicedbyhavingthefluidandfilterchanged.Overheatingofautomatictransmissioncancausebigproblems,andtheburningsmellisasignofthis.Havethislookedintoassoonaspossible.Itmayjustbeacaseofthegearboxneedingaservice,oritcouldbeabiggerproblemthatneedstoberectifiedbeforethetransmissionfailscompletely.

AutomaticgearboxstuckinparkMostautomaticgearboxselectorscannotbetakenoutofthe‘P’(park)positionuntilthedriverdepressesthebrakepedal,pressestheshiftleverbutton,andturnstheignitionkeytothe‘on’position.Behindthefootpedalwillbearelay/switchwhichtellsthegearboxthatthebrakepedalisdepressedandthattheshiftcanbemoved.Ifthereisafaultwiththerelayoranyoftheassociatedwiring,theselectorcannotbemovedoutof‘P.’Checkthatalloftherelatedfusesandwiringareinworkingorderandnotdamaged.Aflatbatterymaycausethegearboxtobelockedintheparkposition.

Inthisinstance,youwillneedtochargeorchangethecar’sbatteryand,unlessthereisanotherfault,shouldthenbeabletomovetheselectoroutoftheparkposition.

ShiftlockreleaseIfthecarisfittedwitha‘shiftlockrelease’mechanism(alsoreferredtoasshiftlockoverride),youcanoperatethistoallowyoutomovethegearselectoroutofthe‘P’position.Youwillneedtolocatethepositionoftheshiftlockreleasemechanism

(itmaybeoutlinedinthecar’susermanual,oryoucansearchforinformationonline).Oftenitislocatedincloseproximitytothegearselector,andoperationusuallyjustinvolvesinsertionofascrewdriverorcarkeytomovetheselectorto‘N’(neutral).Sometimesitwillhaveasmallcoverthatyouneedtofirstremovebeforeitcanbeoperated.Theshiftlockreleaseshouldnotbeusedconstantly.Anyunderlying

faultwiththegearshiftshouldbelookedinto,andtherelevantpartsrepairedorreplaced.

TipToavoidputtingunnecessarystrainonthegearboxandcausingproblemsinthefuture,followthesestepswhenparkingthecar.Notdoingsocancausedifficultieswiththeselectorrefusingtomoveoutoftheparkposition:1)Stopthecarfullyusingthefootbrake.2)Applythehandbrakefully.3)Puttheselectorintoneutral.4)Releasethefootbrake.5)Puttheselectorintoparkposition.

twelveSteering12.1Steeringpullstotheleft/rightwhilstdriving

Themostcommoncausesofacarpullingtoonesideduringnormaldrivingareunequaltyrepressures,wheelalignmentorwornsuspensionparts.Ensurethatyouhavethecorrectpressureinallofthetyres,andthat

nonehassufferedapuncture.Ifyouhaveanysuspicionthatthepullingisrelatedtotyres,consider

switchingwheelstodifferentsides,ormovingthemfromfronttorear,toseeifthiseliminatestheproblem.Alsocheckthetyresforuneventyrewear,asthiscanindicatewheretheproblemlies.Atyrethatisover-inflatedwillexperiencemoretreadwearatthecentreofthetread.Atyrethatisunder-inflatedwillexperiencemorewearattheedgesofthetread.Ifyouareexperiencingheaviertreadwearononeedge(inneror

outer),thisisanindicationthatthecarhasawheelalignmentproblem,and/orpossiblywornsuspensioncomponents.Youwillneedtotakeyourcartoawheelalignmentspecialist(usuallyfoundattyreandexhaustcentres)whichwillcheckandadjustthealignmentofthewheels.Thespecialistwillalsoadviseyouaboutanywornpartsthatarecausingthemisalignment.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,youshouldbeokaytodrivethecarbutyoushouldhavethefaultprofessionallyinvestigatedassoonaspossible.Understandthat,althoughyoucancontrolthepullingofthesteeringby

turningthesteeringwheelslightlyintheoppositedirection,doingsoputsexcessivestrainonthetyresandsuspensionparts.Itismorecosteffectivetodiagnoseandrepairthefaultearlyandsaveonthecostofnewtyres,andpossiblyevensuspensionparts,too.12.2SquealingnoisewhenturningsteeringwheelIfyouhearascreechingorwhiningnoisewhenyouturnthesteeringwheel,thereismostlikelyafaultwithyourpowersteeringhydraulicpumporpowersteeringpumpdrivebelt.Thenoisewillbemostapparent

whenthevehicleisstationaryandyouturnthesteeringwheel,atslowspeeds,oronfulllock.Youshouldnotexperiencethistypeofnoiseifthevehicleisfittedwithelectronicpowersteering(EPS).

Squealingwhenonfulllockcanbecausedbyaslippingpowersteeringbelt.

Thenoiseisusuallygeneratedbythepowersteeringbeltasitslipswhenputunderload.Thismostcommonlyhappenswithage,asthebeltstretchesovertime.Aworn/stretchedbeltshouldbechangedassoonaspossible.

Checkingforaloosepowersteeringbelt.

Theotherpossiblecauseofthisnoiseisthatthepowersteeringsystemislowonfluid,orthatthepumpitselfisatfault.Firstcheckthepowersteeringfluidlevelandtopupifnecessary.Ifyoudonothavemuchmechanicalexperience,youmaywanttohavethetopupcarriedoutbyyourlocalgarage,astheprocedureisnotoftencoveredinthecarhandbook.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Thecarcanstillbedriven,butifthebeltcomesofforsnaps,youwillsuddenlybeleftwithoutanypowersteering,andifthishappenswhilst

youaredrivingitcouldresultinanaccident.Ifthecauseofthenoiseislowpowersteeringfluidlevel,drivingthe

vehiclelikethiscouldcausedamagetothepowersteeringpump,resultinginitneedingtobereplaced.Thefaultwillcontinuetogetworseuntilthenecessarypartshavebeen

repairedorreplaced,andyoumustbecautiousofthepotentialforabruptchangesinthesteeringfeelwhilstdriving.

TipIfthepowersteeringsystemneedstobetoppedwithfluid,findoutwhy,astheremaybealeak.12.3SteeringhasbecomeveryheavyHerearesomepossiblecausesofthesteeringbecomingheavy:•Flattyre.Theveryfirstthingthatyoushoulddoischeckthatthefronttyresarefullyinflatedtothecorrectpressures.Atyrewithlowpressuremaycausethesteeringtobecomeheavier.Iflowpressureiscausedbyapunctureyoutogetthetyrerepairedorreplacedimmediately.

Checkthatheavysteeringisnotcausedbyaflattyreorlowtyrepressure.

•Powersteeringfluidlevellow.Thismaybeaccompaniedbyagroaningnoisefromthepowersteeringpump.Topupthepowersteeringfluidtoseeifthissolvestheproblem.You’llneedtoinvestigatethereasonforthelossoffluid,maybebealeakfromthepowersteeringpumporassociatedpipework.

Heavysteeringcarbecausedbylowpowersteeringfluid.Checklevel.

Thepowersteeringreservoirwillbelocatedintheenginebay.Checkandtopupifneeded.

•Powersteeringpumpfailure;ascreechingnoiseonfulllockoratstart-upcanbeanindicationofafailingpowersteeringpump.Drivingwithafailingpowersteeringpumpcanberiskybecause,ifitisseizes,thereisachancethatitwillsnapthedrivebeltandcauseotherproblems.Youwillhavetoinvestigatethisfurther.•Powersteeringdrivebeltfailure.Ifthebelthascompletelysnappedandcomeoff,thesteeringwillbeveryheavy,buttherewillbenoscreechingorgroaningnoises.Notethatthepowersteeringdrivebeltmayalsodriveothercomponentssuchasthewaterpumpandair-conditioningcompressor.

Caution!Correctoperationofthewaterpumpisparticularlyimportantastheenginewilloverheatwithoutit.

•Electronicpowersteering(EPS)failure.Youwillprobablyseeawarninglightilluminateonthedashboard,indicatingcompletepowersteeringfailureorintermittentlossofpowersteering.CommonEPSfailuresaretheelectronictorquesensorandelectroniccontrolunit.Youcanstilldrivethecar,butthesteeringwillbeveryheavy.Thesteeringwheelisstillsafelylinkeddirectlytothewheels,buttherewillbenopowerassistancewhensteering.Tryturningofftheignitionforafewminutes,thenrestartingtheengine

andtestingthesteeringagain.Iftheproblemgoesaway,thisisonlyatemporaryfixandthefaultstillneedstobeinvestigatedasitmaysuddenlyreturn.IftheEPShasacityorparkingmodethatmakessteeringlighterwhilst

towndrivingintrafficorparking,makesureyouturnitofffornormaldriving.Thesesettingsmakethesteeringmotorworkhardertomakethesteeringlighter,andusingthemcontinuouslycancauseproblems.Youwillneedtotakethecartoaqualifiedgaragetoinvestigateand

repairthefault.

TipIfthecarhasEPSfittedandyoukeepgettinganintermittentpowersteeringfault,makesurethatthebatteryandchargingsystemareworkingproperly.Ensuretherearenolooseconnectionsatthebattery.

thirteen4x4problems

Becausetherearesomanydifferent4x4and4WDsystemsfittedtovehicles,thisbookcannotbespecificaboutanyparticularone.Thissectionwilltrytocoverthemostcommon4x4problemsandprovidegeneralsolutionsandrecommendationsformaintainingthehealthofyour4x4system.Forthepurposesofthischapter,4x4willalsoreferto4WDandAWD(AllWheelDrive)systems.13.14x4oilandoilleaksMaintainingthehealthofyour4x4systemisessential,andneglectingregularservicingcancostalotofmoneyinrepairs.Neglectingtoactquicklytocorrectaleakcanresultincatastrophicdamagetotransferboxes,differentials,etc.Also,donotignoreany4x4warninglightsthatappearonthe

dashboard,eveniftheyflashonforabriefperiodandthengooutagain.Ifyouareexperiencinganoilleakfroma4x4,orsuspectthatanoil

levelislow,topuptheleakingunitwiththecorrectoilassoonaspossible.Itisunlikelythatthetransferboxordifferentialswillhaveanymethodofinspectingoillevelinsidethem.Inmostcasestheseunitsare‘filltooverflow,’meaningitisacaseofremovingthefillerplugandtoppingupwithoiluntilitbeginstoflowbackoutofthefillerhole,thenrefittingtheplug.

Maintainingthehealthofyour4x4systemiscrucialforkeepingcontrolofrunningcosts.

Keepthesystemtoppedupwithoiluntil,asquicklyaspossible,itcanbeinspectedandrepairedbyaprofessional.Youshouldconsiderpurchasingaworkshopmanualforthevehicle,as

itmayhelpyoutodiagnosethecauseoftheleak,andwillalsohelpkeepyourrunningandrepaircostsdown.13.24x4noisesIfthe4x4systemismakinggroaningorgrindingnoisesthatyouhavenotexperiencedbefore,theseshouldbeinvestigatedassoonaspossible.Thenoisesmaybemoreevidentduringcornering,asmoreloadisappliedtothetransferboxordifferential(s).Ignoringthesenoisescanresultinatransferboxordifferentialfailure

thatcouldbeverycostly.It’srecommendedthatyouhavethevehiclecheckedbya4x4specialistassoonaspossible.Ifyouhaverecentlyhadtyreschangedandthenoisehasbecome

louder,thereisachancethatthiscouldbewhy,assometyresarenoisierthanothers.13.3Changingtyreson4x4vehiclesCertaintransferboxesanddifferentialson4x4systemsareverypronetoexcessivewearcausedbydifferenttyrediameters.Thisismorecommononvehiclesfittedwithconstantfour-wheeldrive(4WD)orall-wheeldrive(AWD).Lettingthefronttyresonthecarwearmorethantherearscancause

excessivewearonthe4WDcomponents,andcanresultinaverycostlyfailure.Thiscanalsooccurifyoureplacejustoneworntyrewithabrandnewone.Carsfittedwithacentraldifferentialareverypronetothistypeofproblem,whichiswhythemanufacturersofthesevehiclesstatethatallfourtyresshouldbechangedatthesametime.Failuretodosowilleventuallycausethe4WDsystemtofail,meaningthatavoidableexpensiverepairorreplacementwillbenecessary.

TipKeepacloseeyeonthetyrewearinordertoavoidtransferboxanddifferentialproblems.Regularlyswappingthetyresaround(fronttoback)willensurethatallfourtyresreceiveamoreevenamountofwear,minimisingthepotentialfordamagetothe4WDsystem.

TipDonotdrivearoundconstantlywiththevehiclein4WDifyouhavetheoptiontoswitchto2WD.Youwillnotbehelpingtokeepthetyreweareven,andwillbeprematurelywearingoutthe4x4system’scomponents.Onlyuse4x4modewhentheweatherorthedrivingsurfacerequiresit.Thiswillhelpthesystemlastlonger.13.4Cannotengagefour-wheeldriveIfthisisyourfirst4x4orthefirsttimeyouhavetriedusingyour4x4,makesureyouaretryingtoengagethe4x4systeminthecorrectmanner.Forexample,certainvehiclescanonlybeputinto4x4whenstationary,wheninneutral,orwhenbelowacertainspeed(say25mph).Theprocedureforengaging4x4shouldbeoutlinedintheuserhandbook.Ifyouhavebeenlookingafterthe4x4system,withregularinspections

andoilchanges,theproblemisnotlikelytobeaninternalissue.Itismorelikelythattheproblemstemsfromthecomponentsthatcontroltheengagingofthe4x4,suchasthevacuumsolenoid/system,electricactuator,ECU,fuses,andwiring.

Ifyouengagethe4x4systembypressingaswitchorturningadialonthedashboard,checkthatalloftherelevantcontrolsareworkingok.Thefirstthingtocheckisthatnoneoftherelevantfusesareblown(consultyourhandbookforfuseidentityandlocation).Ifthevehiclehasanelectronicactuatortoengagefour-wheeldrive,ensurethatthereispowergoingtoit,socheckthatallofthefusesandassociatedwiringisworking.Makesureyoucheckthewiringthatgoestotheswitchonthedashboard,aswellasattheactuatorend,onthetransferbox/caseunderneaththecar.Ifyouhaveafusethatkeepsblowing,thereispossiblyafaultwiththeactuator,anditmayneedtobereplaced.Onoldervehicles,4x4maybeengagedusingavacuumsystem.First

checkthatallofthepipeworktothevacuumactuatorisinplaceandfunctioningcorrectly.Anyloosepipeworkorlackofvacuumpressurewillpreventtheactuatorfromengagingfour-wheeldrive.Ifyoucannoteasilyidentifythereasonwhythe4x4isnotengaging,

thevehiclemayneedaprofessionaldiagnosticchecktoidentifythefaultcodesbeinggeneratedbythevehicle’selectroniccontrolunits.

fourteenSuspension,wheels&tyres

14.1LoudbangingnoisefromfrontonroughgroundThiskindofnoisewillberelatedtoawornorbrokensuspensioncomponentthatwillneedtobereplaced.Themostlikelycauseiswornanti-rollbardroplinks.Thesearethe

barsthatconnecttheanti-rollbartothesuspensionarmtoreducebodyroll.Whenthebushesateachendwearout,theywillmakeabangingsound,especiallywhenyouaretravellingoverspeedbumpsorhitapothole.Thesebushesarerelativelycheapandeasytochangeandshouldbeavailablefromyourlocalcarpartsshop.

Atypicalsuspensiondroplink.Whenwornthiscancausebangingoverbumps.

Changethesepartsfirst,andalsohavetherestofthesuspensioncomponentsinspectedforwear.Ifyouaregoingtoletagaragedothework,thenperhapsyoucouldhavethemechanicconfirmexactlywhat

thefaultisfirst.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Yes,ifananti-rollbardroplinkbushhasfailed,itwillstillbeinpositionbutwillnotbeworkingcorrectlyduetowear.Notethehandlingwillnotbeatitsbestuntiltheparthasbeenreplaced,andthatothersuspensionpartsandtyreswillbeexposedtohigherforces,causingexcessivewear(especiallyonthetyres).

14.2Steeringpullingtotheleftorright(notunderbraking)If,whendriving,younoticethatthecarispullingtoonesideinsteadofstraightahead,thereareanumberofpossiblecauses:•Poorlymatchedtyrepressures.Evenasmallamountofdifferencebetweentyrepressuresofthefronttwowheelscancausethecartopulltooneside.Checkthatallofthetyreshavethecorrectamountofpressureinthemasperthemanufacturer’srecommendations.•Poorwheelalignment.Ifthewheelsarenotcorrectlyalignedinrelationtoeachotherandthecar,pullingandexcessivetyrewearcanresult.Possiblecausesarehittingakerbresultinginsuspensiondamage,abadlyrepairedvehicleorwornoutsuspension/steeringcomponents.Takethecartoawheelalignmentspecialist(usuallyfoundintyreandexhaustcentres)whichwillcheckandadjustalignmentofthewheels.Youmayalsoreceiveadviceaboutanywornpartsthatarecausingthemisalignment.•Brakebinding.Abrakecaliperthatisnotreleasingcorrectlywillcausethebrakepadsononesidetoalwaysbeincontactwiththebrakedisc.Thiswillresultinslightpullingtothesideofthebindingbrake.Aquickcheckforthis,afteradrive,istocomparethetemperatureofeachwheeltoseeiftheoneyoufeelisdraggingisgettinghotterthanitsoppositenumber.Havethisprobleminvestigatedbeforeitgetsworseandcausesawarpedbrakedisc.Themechanicmayrepairorreplacethefaultycaliper.

14.3Nail/debrisstuckintyreIfyouknowthatyouhaveanailorsomethingelserelativelysmallstuckinatyre,youwillneedtogetthepuncturefixedorthetyrereplaced.If

youdohavetodrivethevehicletoagaragewiththattyreonit,donottaketheobjectoutofthetyreasitwillprobablybepluggingthepunctureoratleastslowingdowntheleak.

Nailstuckintyre.Canbeleftinplaceuntiltyreisrepairedorreplaced.

Caution!Drivecarefullyincasethetyresuddenlydeflates.

TipYoucanuseemergencypuncturerepairfoamasatemporaryfixtoinflatethetyreuntilyoucangetthepuncturerepairedorthetyre

replaced.Theseproductsarereadilyavailablefrommostcarpartsshopsandmanyfuelfillingstations:ausefulitemtocarryinthecarincaseofapuncture.Notethattheseproductsworkbestwhereastraightforwardpuncturehasoccurred,eganailinthetread.Ifyouhavedrivenontheflattyreforanydistanceorthereisdamagetothesidewalls,theproductcannotbeused.

Considerusinganemergencypuncturerepairproductuntilthetyreisrepaired/replaced.

14.4UneventyrewearThetyretreadsshouldwearatanevenrateacrosstheirwidth,soifyounoticemorewearindifferentplaces,lookintothisfurther.

Howdeepisthiscutacrossthetyretread?Haveitcheckedatatyrefittingcentre.

Thefirstthingtocheckisthatthetyreisinflatedsufficiently.Anover-inflatedtyrewillexperiencemoretreadwearinthecentreofitstread.Anunder-inflatedtyrewillexperiencemoretreadattheoutsideedges.

Tyrewornmoreonouteredgeisareliableindicatorofsuspensionproblems.

Ifyouseehightreadwearononeedge,thisisanindicationthatthereisawheelalignmentproblem,and,possibly,wornsuspensioncomponents.Youwillneedtotakethecartoawheelalignmentspecialist(attyreandexhaustcentres)whichwillcheckandadjustthealignmentofthewheels.Youwillalsoreceiveadviceaboutanywornpartsthatarecausingthemisalignment.

Thistyreissplitting,likelycausedbyageorpoorsuspensiongeometry:itneedsurgentreplacement.

Atyrethatdoesnotmakecorrectcontactwiththegroundcannotprovideitsfulllevelofgrip.Itisimportanttohavethenecessaryalignmentadjustmentsmadeandtochangeanywornsuspension/steeringparts.14.5TyrewillnotinflateIfyoucannotgetanyairintothetyrewhenyouaretryingtoinflateit,thetyrevalveisfaultyandwillneedtobereplaced.Youwillneedtotakethecartoyourlocaltyreandexhaustcentreandaskthemtochangethevalveforyou.Thiswillinvolvetakingthetyreoffthewheel,sotherewillbealabourchargeontopofthecostofthenewvalve.

Ifthetyrewillnotinflate,itmayhaveafaultyvalvethatwillneedtobereplaced.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Thiswilldependonhowflatthetyreis.Ifthereisverylittleairinit,youwillbecommittingadrivingoffenceaswellascausingfurtherdamagetothetyre,whichmayresultinitneedingtobechanged.Bettertofityourcar’ssparewheel(ifithasone)andthenhavethefaultyvalvereplaced.Ifthetyreseemstobeokay,andjustneedstoppingupwithair,it

shouldbeokaytodrivetothetyreandexhaustcentretohaveanewvalvefitted.

14.6BulgingorunevenshapingofthetyretreadsorwallsMis-shapingofthetyrewall,likeabubbleforming,istellingyouthatthetyrehasaseriousdefectandatriskofsufferingablowout.Fityoursparewheelassoonaspossibleandhavethetyrechanged.Thetyrecanno

longerbeusedandmustbescrapped.

Asoftspotinthetyrewallmeansthetyreisdamagedinternally.Itcanbegintobulgeoutwards.Newtyreneeded.

Thiskindoffaultisusuallycausedbyexcessiveforcebeingappliedtothetyre,suchashittingakerbordrivingoverabrick.Thesidewallofthetyreisdamagedandweakenedduetotheimpact,andwillstarttobulgeatthisweakspot.

CanIstilldrivethecar?No,youmustnotdrivethecarwiththistyreonit,asthereisriskofablowoutthatcouldresultinaveryseriousaccident.Fitthesparewheelstraightaway,andgetthedefectivetyrereplacedatatyreandexhaustcentre.14.7WheelboltseizedIfyouneedtoremoveawheelbutoneoftheboltswillnotloosen,trya

differentwheelbracefromtheoneoriginallysuppliedwiththecar,astheycanbeverysmall.Usingalargerwheelbrace,orsocketandtommybarwillallowmoreforcetobeappliedtothewheelboltandmayloosenit.Itwillalsomakelooseningtheotherwheelboltsmucheasier.Longerwheelbracescanbepurchasedfrommostcarpartsshops.

Wheelboltscanbecomeseizedovertimeduetoage,excessiveheat,corrosion,etc.

Tryusingalongertooltounfastenatightorseizedwheelbolt.

Iftheboltisstillstuck,considerusingaspraypenetrantsuchasWD40.Youmayneedtoapplyitafewtimesandletitworkitswayin.Takecarenottogetanyofthelubricantontothebrakepadsorbrakediscs.

TryspraypenetrantlikeWD40ontoughbolts,butdon’tgetanyonthebrakes.

Hittingtheboltafewtimeswithaheavyhammercanhelptoloosenatoughwheelbolt.Theairgunsusedatgaragesarealsoreferredtoasimpactguns,becausetheyhavebothahammeringandrotatingaction.

Tapthewheelboltwithaheavyhammertohelploosenit.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Takeyourcartoagarageortyrerepaircentreandaskthestaffiftheywillloosenaseizedbolt.Thepowerfulequipmenttheyhavemayworkitloose.Also,theymaybeabletoapplysomeheattoareallystubbornwheelbolt(notalwayspossiblewithalloywheels).Ifyouhavebreakdowncoverandthewheelneedstocomeoff

becauseyouhaveapuncture,giveyourserviceprovideracall,asthissituationshouldbecoveredbyyourpolicy.Takecarenottoapplytoomuchforcewhenremovingawheelbolt.

Theycanonlytakesomuchforceand,ifyouareusingthingslikescaffoldpolestoapplymoreforce,youareatseriousriskofthewheelboltsnapping,whichwillbearepairjobforagarage.Ifyoudomanagetogetthewheelboltremoved,considerreplacingit

withanewonesothattheproblemdoesnothappenagain.

Caution!Don’tapplygreasetothewheelbolts.14.8WheelboltbrokenBrokenwheelboltsoftenoccurasaresultofthembeingovertightenedwhenthewheelsarerefitted.Wheelboltsaredesignedtoshearoffbelowthetaperedpart,just

leavingthestraightthreadedsectioninthewheelhub.Thismeansthatremovingtheotherwheelboltswillstillallowyoutotakethewheeloffthecar,toseeifyoucanremovetheremainderofthebolt.Youmaybeabletograbtheremainingthreadtoremoveit.Ifitistoo

tightorthereisnotenoughtograbonto,youmayneedtouseastudextractor.Thisinvolvesdrillingasmallholeintotheendofthebrokenboltandscrewinginasuitablysizedextractor.Thesearethreadedanti-clockwise,soasyouturnitandittightensintothedrilledhole,itshouldallowyoutounscrewthebolt.Ifyouareunabletoremovetheremainingthread,youwillneedtohaveitremovedatagarage.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Thecarhasbeendesignedwithaspecificnumberofwheelbolts,usuallyfourorfive.Drivingwithfewerwillputmorestrainontotheremainingbolts.However,ifyoureallydoneedtodrivethecartothegaragetobe

repaired,andyouaremissingjustonebolt,youshouldonlytravelashortdistance.

Caution!Driveslowly(avoidfastroads),especiallyaroundcorners,applythebrakesgently,andaccelerateslowly.Ifyouexperienceawheelwobbleorchangeindrivingfeel,stopthecarimmediatelyanddonotproceedanyfurther.

14.9Lockingwheelnuts/boltsIfyouvehicleisfittedwithalloywheels,thereisapossibilitytheywillbefittedwithlockingwheelsnutstopreventthembeingstolen.Lockingwheelnutsorboltsneedaspecialfitting(key)toallowthemto

beremovedfromthecar,andifthisislostorbrokenthenyouwillnotbeabletoremovethewheels.Alwayskeepthekeysomewheresafeinsidethecar,incaseofa

puncture.However,ifyourkeygetslostordamaged,thereareanumberofoptionsavailabletoyou:

Typicallockingwheelnuts.

•Buyreplacementkey–ifyouhaveanydetailsaboutthelockingwheelnuts,suchaswhomanufacturedit,originalpackaging,partnumbersetc,youmaybeabletosourceareplacement.•Lockingwheelnutremovers–thesecanbepurchasedfrommotorfactorsandonline,andaredesignedwithadeepreversethreadthatshouldgriptheoutsideofthenutandunfastenit.Notethatthesedonotalwaysworksuccessfully,andwillalsorenderthewheelboltunusableonceithasbeenremoved,meaningthatyouwillhavetosourceareplacement.•Localtyrefitters–yourlocaltyrefittermaybeabletohelpyouremovethelockingnut,asitisprobablyaproblemtheyexperienceonaregularbasis.Somecarrygenerickeysthatcanbeusedtoremovemanylockingwheelnuts,soonemayfityours.•Breakdownservice–intheeventofapuncturewherethelockingwheel

nutpreventsyoufromfittingareplacement,yourbreakdownservicemaybeabletoattendandremovethelockingwheelnut.

fifteenEnginecoolant

15.1VerylittlecoolantintheengineCaution!Iftheengineishotbecarefulnottoburnyourselfbytouchingcomponents.Theremaybeasprayofscaldingsteamwhenthesystemfillercapisremoved:coveritwithaheavyclothasyouremoveit,orwaituntileverythingcoolsdown.Howevermuchwaterisneededtorefillthesystemtothecorrectlevel

willindicatehowmuchcoolanthasbeenlost.

Topupthecoolingsystemwiththecorrectamountofanti-freeze/summercoolant.

Onceyouhavefilledupthecoolantsystem,checkforleaksbeforeyou

starttheengine.Ifnoleaksareapparent,startthecarandcheckforleaksagain.Keeptheenginerunningandtakeafewminutestolookallaroundtheenginebayandunderneaththecar.Ifcoolantispouringoutquicklyfromanywhere,itisimportanttostopthecarstraightaway.Ifthecarhasaslowcoolantleakandyouhaveajourneytocontinue,

youmustproceedwithcaution.Keepacloseeyeonthetemperaturegaugeandalsothecar’sinteriorheatingsystem(seetips).Youwillprobablyhavetostopregularlytotopupthecoolantuntilyoureachyourdestinationoragarage.

TipKeepacloseeyeontheenginetemperaturegauge.Asthewaterinthecoolantsystemgetslower,theremainingwaterwillgethotterquicker,soassoonasthegaugeneedlenearsthedangerzoneyoumuststopthecarstraightaway.

TipOnlyinanemergency!Turnontheinteriorheaterandhaveitblowinghotair;usethisasanindicator,aswhilstitisblowinghot,itshowsthatthereisstillwaterinthecoolingsystem.Assoonasitblowscooleryoumuststopthecarimmediately.

Seethenextsectionforadviceonhowtoperformaleakrepair.Ifyouknowthatyourcarhassufferedalossofenginecoolant,and

knowthattheenginehasrecentlyoverheated,considerthelikelihoodthattheenginewillbedamaged.Mostcommonlythiswillbeintheformofablowncylinderheadgasketorawarpedcylinderhead.Seesections5.3and6.1forfurtherinformation.15.2CoolantleakingThefirstthingyoushoulddoisstopthecarandturnofftheengine.Checkthecoolantlevelbyobservingtheexpansiontank–thelevelshouldbebetweenthe‘min’and‘max’markings.Itisimportanttoturntheengineoffassoonaspossibletoavoidpotentialseriousdamage.Seethecautionnotein15.1.Topupthecoolantifnecessary,then

restarttheengine.Lookforsteamorwatercomingfromanyhosesorfromtheradiator.Also,checkthegroundundertheenginetoseeifthereisanythingdrippingfromabove.

Checkunderthecarforsignsofcoolantleaks.(CourtesyCarBasics.co.uk)

Thetypeofrepairneededwilldependonwheretheleakiscomingfrom:•Leakcomingfromtheradiator.Youcanusestop-leaktreatmenttoplugit.Manystop-leaktreatmentsaresoldas‘permanent,’andthereforetheradiatorshouldnotneedreplacing/repair.However,afteranytypeofcoolantsystemrepairalwayskeepacloseeyeonthecoolantlevels.•Leakcomingfromhose.Youcaneasilyuserepairtapetofixittemporarily.Theserepairtapescanbepurchasedfrommostcarpartsshopsandsomefillingstations.Theseself-amalgamatingtapesshouldonlybetreatedasatemporaryrepair,andyoushouldgetthefaultyhosereplacedassoonaspossible.NotethatHoltsRadWelddoesstatethatitcanrepairhoseleaksaswellasradiatorleaks.Bothoftheseleakrepairproductsarerelativelycheapandeasytouse.

Theycangetyououtofanemergency,andcanbefoundatyourlocalcarpartsshops.Evengaragesandsupermarketscarrytheminstock.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Withaslowleakandaconstanteyeonenginetemperatureandwaterlevels,youshouldbeabletodriveuntiltheleakhasbeenfixed.Carryalargebottleofwaterincaseyouneedtotopup.Readthetipsinsection15.1tohelpkeeptheenginetemperature

down.Remember,ifyou’vetemporarilytoppedupthesystemwitha

substantialamountofwater,itwillhavetobedrainedandthedilutedcoolantreplacedwiththecorrectwater/anti-freeze-inhibitormixtureassoonaspossible,especiallyinwinter.

sixteenFuel

16.1RunningoutoffuelWehavealltriedtogetmoremilesoutofourcarthanthefuelinourtanksmayallow,whichiswhyitisalwaysimportanttocarryasparefuelcan,soyouhaveanemergencysupplyshouldyourunout.Ifyoudon’townasparecananddorunout,thenearestgarageshouldbeabletosellyouonethatyoucanthenfillup.Takeitbacktothecarandrefuel,and,hopefully,thecarshouldstart.Runningoutoffuelonmoderncarscanbeveryproblematic,andissomethingthatshouldalwaysbeavoided.Theprocessofgettingfuelfromthetankandintothefuellingsystem

onceairhasenteredthesystemiscalledpurging.Mostmoderncarsshouldbeself-purging,andabletorestartafterrunningoutoffuel.Butpleasenotethatitmaytakesometimetorestartthecarasittriestopumpthefuelfromthetankintotheengine.Itisimportantheretohaveafullychargedandhealthybattery.Oldervehiclesmayhavetobemanuallypurged,andyouwillneedto

checktheuserorworkshopmanualforinstructions.Thisnormallyinvolvesoperatingaplungerintheenginebaytodrawthefuelthroughfromthetank.Ifyouhaveanoldorpartiallychargedbattery,thereisastrongchance

thatthebatterywillrunflatbeforeenoughfuelispumpedthroughtotheengine.Ifthecarfeelshesitantorspluttersafterrunningoutoffuel,consider

changingthefuelfiltersorhavingthefuel-injectorscleaned.Thefaultmaybeduetothesepartsgettingcloggedupbecauseyouranthecarsolowonfuelthatdebrisfromthebottomofthetankhasbeenintroducedtothefuellingsystem.16.2FillingupwiththewrongfuelThishappenstoover150,000UKdriverseachyear,soyou’renotalone.

Caution!Themostimportantthingis:donottoturnontheignitionanddonottostartthecar.Thisiscritical,becauseassoonasyoustartthe

car,youwilltransferfuelintotheengine.Wearenottalkingaboutabitofdamage–itcouldbecatastrophic!

TheRAChasaspecialservicecalledRACFuelPatrol,whichwilldrainthefueltankattheroadside,flushoutthefuelsystem,andprovideyouwithenoughfueltogetyouonyourway.Youdonotneedtobeamembertousethisservice.

WhattodoifIdidstartmycar?Thecarprobablystoppedofitsownaccordandthenyourealisedwhatyouhaddone.Donottrytorestartthecar,asyouwilljustbepumpingmoreofthewrongfuelintotheengineandcausingmoredamagetoit.Whatyoumustnowdoisarrangewithabreakdownserviceorgarage

tocomeandcollectthecarsoitcanbeassessedfordamageandrepaired.

Important!Checkyourvehicleinsurance–thereisasmallpossibilitythatdamagecausedbymisfuelingmaybecovered.Yourinsurancepolicymayexcludedamagecausedbymisfuelingespeciallywiththird-partyonlycover,butitisdefinitelyworthcheckingout.16.3StrongsmelloffuelOnmodernvehicleswithfuel-injectedenginesyoushouldneverbeabletosmellpetrolordieselunlessthereisafault.Ifyoudriveanoldervehiclethathascarburettorsoramanualchoke,petrolsmellsareprobablyquitecommonandnotnecessarilyanindicatorofasignificantproblem.Thefuelsystemsonmodernvehiclesaresealedandthereshouldbe

nosmellofthefuelinsidethem.

Inspectingfuellinesandfuel-injectorconnectionsforfuelleaksbecauseofastrongsmell.

Astrongsmellofdieselorpetrolcanbecausedbysuchthingsasleakingfuellines,hoseconnectors,fuel-injectorleaksorpressureproblemsorevenpoorignitiontiming.Whateverthecause,chancesarethatitisprettyseriousandrequires

theattentionofanexpertmechanic.Itisnotsomethingthatyoushouldhopewillbeokay,andnotsomethingyoushouldjustcleanupandcarryonwithyourjourney.

Caution!Turnthecarengineoff,takethekeysoutoftheignitionanddonotuseanyofthevehicleelectrics.

CanIstilldrivethecar?Untilyouhaveidentifiedwhattheproblemisandfixedit,youshouldn’tdrivethecar.Anyfuelthatisleakinghasthepotentialtocatchfireand

causeapotentiallyfatalincident.

Caution!Neverloosen,unfastenorretightenanycomponentsofyourvehicle’sfuellingsystemyourself.Thiskindofworkmustonlyeverbeundertakenbyaqualifiedmechanic.

16.4Fuelfillerflapwon’topenIfthefuelfillerflapwon’topen,itispossiblybecausethelockhasnotreleased.Iftheflapdoeshaveakey-operatedlockonit,andithasalwaysbeen

unlockedwhenyou’vefilledupinthepast,thenyouclearlyhaveaflapcontrolledbythecentrallockingsystem.Somevehicleshaveaspecificbuttonthathastobepressedtoreleasethefuelfillerflap.Theselockableflapsshouldhaveamethodformanuallyoverriding

andopeningtheflapfrominsidethecar.Youwillneedtorefertothecar’suserhandbooktofindthespecificmethodforyourvehicle.Hereisanon-carspecificmethodthatmayhelpifyoudonothavea

userhandbook.Gainaccesstothefuelfillerflapmechanism,whichislocatedinsidethecar.Removetheinteriortrimpanelthatisbehindthefuelfiller,andyoushouldbeabletoseethefillerflapmechanism.Youshouldseearodorlever,whichwilloperatethelockingpinontheotherside.Usingascrewdriverorlongnosepliers,manuallypull/pushtherodsothatitdisengagesthelockingpin.Whenyouhavedonethis,thefuelflapshouldbereleased.Gettingitopensolvestheimmediateproblemofgettingfuelintothe

tank.However,youwillneedtoascertainthecausetopreventtheproblemfromhappeningagain.Thefaultwillprobablybeablownfuse,faultyswitch,stickinglock,faultysolenoid,orfaultywiring.

TipYoucanalsousethismethodifyourcarhasaflatbatteryorthecentrallockinghasfailed.

TipIfyouhavenoticedthatthefuelflapwon’tunlockwhentheweatherisverycold,itmaybethatthelockisfreezingup.Tohelpstopthis,openthefuelfillerflapandspraysomeWD40orotherspraypenetrant/lubricantintothelock/pinmechanism,thuslubricatingitanddispersinganywaterthatcouldfreezeagain.

seventeenWinter

Asfaraswinterproblemswithcarsareconcerned,preventionisalwaysbetterthancure.Thischapteroutlinesafewtipsthatshouldhelpkeepyoumotoringduringthewintermonths.17.1FrozenlocksIfthetemperaturedropsovernight,youcanfindyourselfinarushtogettoworkonlytofindthatyoucannotgetintoyourcarbecausethedoorlockshavefrozen.Youprobablyalreadyknowthatasprayofde-icerorawarmedupdoor

keywillhelpyoutogetintothecar.Ifyoudonothaveanyde-icertohand,youcanuseahandsanitiserthatcontainsalcohol.Spreadsomeontoyourkeyandtrytogetitintothelock;thealcoholshouldstarttomelttheice.

PreventingfrozendoorlocksOnegoodwayofpreventingfrozendoorlocks,otherthankeepingyourcarinthegarage,istosprayWD40intothelocks.WD40isnotonlyalubricant,butalsoawaterdispersant,whichwillhelptopreventfreezing.ThisiseasierifyouusethespraytubethatcomeswiththeWD40asyoucanpushitpasttheflapthatsealsthekeyhole.

Frozendoorlockscanbearealnuisance.

TipKeepasparecanofde-icerinthehouseaswellasinthecar,incasethelocksfreeze.Youwillalsofindthatthede-icerkeptinthehousewillspraybetterthanonethatisreallycoldfrombeinginthecar.Justmakesurethatyoureturnthecantothehouseafterusingit.

Spraylubricantintothelockstopreventfreezinginwinter.17.2FrozendoorsIfyoumanagetounlockthecarandfindthatyoucannotpullopenthedoor,thisisprobablybecauseithasfrozensolid.Don’tkeeppullingonthedoorhandle,asyoumaycausedamagetoit,thedoorpanelorthedoor’sseals.Frozendoorsareoftencausedbyraingettingintothegapsaroundthe

door,thenfreezingsolid.Trytoavoidchippingawayattheicearoundthedoorwithascraper,

asyoumayscratchthepaintwork.Insteadsprayde-icerontotheareatomeltit.

PreventingfrozendoorsTopreventthedoorsealsfromfreezingtothebody,openthedoorsandspreadalittlepetroleumjellyontotherubbersealsthatrunallaroundthem.Thisshouldpreventanywater/moisturefreezingthesealstogether.Youwillneedtotakealittlecautionwhenenteringthecarsoastonotgetanyjellyonyourclothes,butatleastyoushouldbeabletoactuallygetintoit.

Petroleumjellyondoorsealscanstopdoorsfromfreezingshut.17.3FrozenwindscreenwipersNEVERusethewindscreenwiperstoremoveanythingfromthewindscreenotherthanrainuntilyouhavecheckedthatthewiperbladesarenotstucktothewindow.Eventhen,usingthewiperstoshiftalotofsnowfromthewindscreenisgoingtoputexcessivewearonthewipermotorandmechanism,andyouareatriskofbreakingitorblowingafuse.

Avoiddamagetowiperbladesandmotorsbyremovingalliceandsnowfromaroundthem.

Ifyoucanhearthewindscreenwipermotorsturningbutthewipersarenotmoving,youwillhavedamagedapartofthewindscreenwipermechanism,anditwillmostlikelyneedtobereplaced.Thechancesarethatsomethinghasbentorshearedoff,anditwillnotbejustacaseofboltingitbacktogether.Ifthewipersarenotworkingandyoucan’thearthemotor,you’ve

probablyblownthefuseanditwillneedtobereplaced.Checkthecar’suserhandbookforthefuseposition.

TipBeforeyoutryliftingthewiperbladesfromthewindscreen,givethemaspraywithde-icerincasetheyarefrozeninplace.Thisshouldpreventdamagetothewiperblades.

TipBeforeoperatingthewindscreenwipers,makesurethatallthe

built-upsnowandicearoundthewiperarmsisremoved,especiallywherethearmsmeetthebody.Failuretodosomaycausedamagetothewipermotororwipermechanismunderthebonnet.

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Doyouknowhowyourcarworks?Thisbookdissectsandexplainsoneofthefinestinventionsevermade.Writteninasimple,jargon-freelanguageandpackedwithillustrationsandcutaways,itwillsuiteveryonewishingtoknowmoreaboutwhatmakestheircarwork.

CaringforyourcarHowtomaintain&serviceyourcarTrevorFry

eBookISBN-978-1-84584501-8PrintISBN-978-1-845843-96-0

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Thisbookisaimedatthedriverwhowantstodohisorherownbasiccarmaintenanceandservicingwithouttheneedforin-depthmechanicalknowledge,oratechnicalmanual.Itcoversareassuchasoil,brakes,tyres,transmission,electrics,etc,allowingtheownertoaddressthemostregularlyserviceditemswithoutforkingoutforadditionalcosts.Illustratedwithfullcolourphotographsthroughout,andfeaturingclear,easy-to-followinstructions,thisbookisamust-haveforalldrivers.

Caringforyourcar’sbodyworkandinteriorSimonNixon

eBookISBN-978-1-84584543-8PrintISBN-9781845843885http://digital.veloce.co.uk/ebooks/eV4543.html

Carscanbeexpensivethings,anddeservetobecaredforproperly.Acleanandwell-tendedcarwilllookbetter,bemorepleasurabletodrive,andhaveasuperiorresalevalue.Thisbookisastep-by-stepguidetothevariouselementsofcarcare,fromwashing,waxingandpolishingtoenginecleaningandleathermaintenance.Featuringillustrationsandproductrecommendations,thisisamust-buyforallcarlovers.

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