Diagnosing Car Problems

The Oldsmobile Alero was a mid-sized sedan introduced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors in 1998. The car was produced until 2004. During this time, several common problems with the...

The intake on a Jeep controls the flow and direction of air coming into the engine. The intake must be free of contaminates in order to function properly. If an excessive amount of dust or other...

The Dodge Ram is a pickup truck made by the Dodge brand of Chrysler. The Ram is considered a "heavy duty" truck and is frequently used for hauling a towing. Unfortunately, the Dodge Ram has had...

The idle air control sensor or valve on an automobile controls the idle speed of the motor. It is also called an idle speed control, automatic idle speed motor and idle speed control solenoid. The...

The relay in your car or light truck's air conditioning system controls the compressor. By using a relay, the high-current electromagnetic compressor clutch can be controlled by a low-current...

The Mercedes, as with most vehicles, is equipped with a "check engine" indicator light. It illuminates when something requires the attention of a mechanic, or to remind you of periodic service...

There is nothing more frustrating than a frozen lock. However, it's something that we all have to deal with at one time or another. Here are a few tips on how to quickly thaw a frozen lock.

Acura factory installed navigation systems come with pre-installed personal identification numbers. Should you be the one of many that have been locked out of their Acura's navigation system,...

Freightliner AC systems are much larger than most vehicle systems, and they use a larger condenser and an air compressor to cool the air. An evaporator is used on freightliner trucks as a heat...

The Toyota T100 is a first-year model of the Toyota full-sized pickup truck line, which was offered with optional air conditioning. The A/C system can leak or become damaged, and troubleshooting...

As they have no moving parts, radiators are usually one of the more reliable parts on any car. However, the intricacies involved in a radiator's design and construction do allow for multiple...

If your car is pulling to one side or the other, is vibrating or seems to go through tires in a short period of time, you may have an alignment problem. Mechanics see these conditions in all types...

The Chevrolet Aveo is a Chevrolet in name only. This subcompact world car is a licensed and rebadged version of the Daewoo Kalos, and is sold in more than 120 countries under five different GM...

The Ford Tempo was sold from 1984 to 1994 as a two or a four-door sedan. If you've ever owned a Ford Tempo for any length of time, you will know it will eventually give you problems. The most...

An electrical short in your vehicle's headlights can keep you from driving at night. Most electrical shorts are caused by moisture or damaged wiring unless there is a known manufacturer's defect....

The Ford Ranger uses a standard transmission to deliver power from the engine to the drive wheels. Many transmission problems on the Ranger can be traced back to insufficient and chronically low...

Ignition coils supply the distributor with high voltage electricity to fire the spark plugs. The coil consists of a primary winding (coil of copper wire) and a secondary winding inside of the...

The fog lights on a BMW should be checked every six months to make sure that they are working properly. When you notice that your fog lights are not working, a few things can be wrong with them....

The harmonic balancer in your vehicle is a pulley that sits on the end of your crankshaft. It is typically on the driver's side of the engine. The pulley drives your timing belt in most cases, and...

The SRS system in a Honda is a "supplemental restraint system." The SRS monitors the seat belt tension for airbag deployment. When there is a problem with your SRS system, the airbag in your Honda...

Honda is a Japanese company that specializes in cars and motorcycles. Its more popular global models include the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord, CR-V and S2000. The most problematic Honda vehicles...

Vibration in your car can come from many different sources, and can range from a simple fix to problems that must be remedied by a qualified mechanic. Determine which area of your car the...

The Holley carburetor, made for vehicles during the 1950s (and used in many muscle cars of that era), is a device that mixes outside air with fuel from the vehicle's gasoline and reservoir tanks....

The most famous engine made by Chevrolet or any other manufacturer is the small-block, a pushrod V-8 design that dates back to 1955. Though small-block engines are generally as reliable as they...

The Optispark distributor is a special distributor made by General Motors. The distributor was used originally on the Camaro and Firebird. The Optispark uses an optical sensor and close proximity...

The heater in a Dodge Ram depends on the heater core assembly in the passenger footwell. The engine coolant gets routed into the heater core and heats up the core. A fan blows on the core to...

The BMW Mini is regarded by its owners and the general public as a fun and durable car. BMW's legendary German engineering helps to ensure that the Mini maintains its composure over thousands of...

Most automotive A/C compressors will give clear indicators of imminent failure or problems with lubricant levels through a series of sounds and mechanical issues. Determining the cause of the A/C...

Dodge power door locks use a simple push/pull-type solenoid actuator. When voltage is applied in one direction, the actuator becomes an electromagnet and draws a steel rod into the solenoid....

The camshaft position sensor monitors the rotation of the engine and supplies the on-board computer with information concerning degrees of rotation for identification of piston position in each...

Saturn is a division of General Motors. The car company ceased production of its vehicles in October 2009. While Saturn placed a high emphasis on quality, in practice the vehicles' plastic molded...

The Chevrolet 434 cubic inch small block engine is a popular engine used in drag racing. These engines are smaller than the 565 cubic inch big block engines. Because of their smaller size, the...

Carburetors are components that draw in outside air and mix that air with gasoline from the fuel tank. The carburetor is responsible for making sure that the engine has the proper mix of fuel so...

There is no single car problem that strands drivers as often as a dead battery. A battery often dies suddenly. It can be fine one day and ready for recycling the next. Drivers think very little...

Fuel is supplied to the fuel injection system of modern cars and light trucks by an electric fuel pump located in the fuel tank. Theses systems operate at high pressure and when the pump fails, or...

The dreaded "Check Engine" light on your dash is illuminated and taunting you. You fear the worst. You can't afford a big repair bill, or worse, being without your car for an extended period....

The anti-lock braking system (ABS) in a big truck is very similar to those in most vehicles. A sensor at each wheel monitors wheel speed. During hard braking, the wheel sensor controls the braking...

The driveshaft on a vehicle is responsible for delivering power to the wheels. The shaft has two constant-velocity (CV) joints that flex. These joints are protected by a rubber boot. When the boot...

The transmission fluid level in an Isuzu Trooper should be checked every six months, especially if you suspect that you might be leaking transmission fluid (i.e., the vehicle is hard to shift)....

Troubleshooting starting problems on a Ford Ranger is necessary when you can't start the vehicle. The problem isn't always obvious, so you'll need to consider a variety of issues. The starter...

Your Nissan Maxima may develop problems starting due to wear and tear of various components. There are many things that can cause a Maxima to not start. However, before you start replacing...

Solenoids are a critical component of the ignition process in automobiles. Also known as starter relays, solenoid starters jumpstart the motor with electric current from the battery when the...

Transmission problems are expensive. They are complex, involve significant time and labor, and require expensive parts. However, without the repairs, your car will stop working as the mechanism...

Checking fuel pressure is the first step to diagnosing and ultimately repairing fuel-related problems with your vehicle. If your vehicle has difficulty cranking or runs erratically or rough, check...

All vehicles produced since 1996 operate on the same computer diagnostic system; this system is called OBD-II (On Board Diagnostics). Previously, diagnosing check engine lights and emissions...

The transmission in a Dodge truck has a few common and known problems for most model years. Dodge trucks are considered dependable by some, and are used extensively for hauling and towing. Because...

The Beretta is a front wheel drive coup made by Chevrolet. The car was in production from 1987 to 1996. Although the Beretta was designed to be a reliable automobile, there are some common...

Batteries supply a direct current (DC) output, and you may wish to verify this output. Vehicle batteries can provide over 100 amperes of current at 12 volts, which is sufficient to power the...

The Honda CRV uses a distributor cap and rotor assembly to supply power to the spark plugs to ignite fuel. An engine needs three things to run: fuel, spark, and compression. For fuel, this means a...

The rear parking brake cable is most easily checked on most vehicles from inside the cabin and at the rear wheels. The parking brake cable is responsible for locking the rear wheels up while you...