Car Engine Problems

The main part of an engine is the cylinder, in which fuel and air are supplied. The pistons in the cylinders move up, and compress the fuel and air mixture. As the mixture is compressed, the spark plugs ignite it. The combustion forces the pistons down, that drives a crankshaft, attached to the car axle.

There can be a number of reasons, why a car engine may not function properly. Here are some of the common problems that may occur in your car engine.

This problem may arise due to the presence of certain impurities in the fuel, or because the fuel system is not providing correct amount of fuel to the fuel mix. A bad fuel mix could also occur when the intake of air is improper, which may lead to more air in the fuel mix than the fuel.

It is important to compress the air and fuel properly, so that the mixture can be ignited. Faulty compression could occur, if there is a hole or leak in the cylinder.

It may also occur if the piston rings have worn out, due to which air or fuel leaks out of the piston when the mixture is being compressed. Failure of the intake and exhaust valves to seal properly, may also result in leakage of air or fuel.

The spark is important to ignite the air-fuel mixture. If the spark plug or the wire leading to it has worn out or torn, then a spark cannot be caused. Apart from this, for the air-fuel mixture to be ignited, the spark has to occur at the right time, if the spark occurs too early or too late in the ignition cycle, the fuel would not burn.

The cooling system prevents the engine from overheating, as too much heating reduces the efficiency of the engine. A faulty cooling system, due to a leakage in the cooling system, poor performance of the fan, or worn out fan belts, may also cause your car to stop functioning properly.

The oil grade and oil type used for a car, should be as per company recommendations. A car engine may react, showing some problem, if oil of proper grade and type is not used. Moisture or dirt in the oil may also hamper performance of the engine.

The major causes of engine problems, are worn out or clogged car parts. Worn out parts may cause overheating of the engine, engine surging, etc. For example, damaged seals and valves cause excess fuel consumption.

Hence, it is advisable that the engine should be checked regularly for worn out or damaged parts. If any such part is found, then it should either be repaired or replaced.

It is always advisable to read the manual and follow the recommendations before repairing or replacing any part of a car engine. One must always remember, that adding any part to a engine that is incompatible with the type and make of the engine may damage the car engine.