Posted on 12/25/2022
You are heading down a flat, newly paved street when all of a sudden you feel it. Your vehicle jumps a little bit when you're accelerating and changing gears. You know it's not the surface of the road because it's smooth as silk. So what did you just feel?
That kind of jumping—or grinding or slipping—during gear changes could be a sign of trouble in your automatic transmission. And it's important to get it checked out fairly soon because some transmission problems that aren't fixed early can lead to more involved and expensive repairs.
By far most vehicles on the road in North America have automatic transmissions, and they are workhorses. Unlike early cars with balky, hard-to-shift manual transmissions, the latest automatics allow you to drive without having to even think about gear changes. But you should know about a few signs of trouble to look for if they ever start showing up.
- When you first get going and shift your vehicle from Park into Drive, do you feel a slight pause?
- How about when you shift into Reverse? Is there a little lag?
- Does your vehicle sometimes shake when you're traveling down the road?
- Do you smell something burning in your engine compartment?
- Do you hear a clunk when your vehicle shifts?
- Do you have spots of a reddish or brown, oily fluid in the driveway under your vehicle?
If you do, these are worth getting checked out at our service center. When automatic transmissions start to show signs of wear and age, it can be because of a number of reasons. They can be caused by your transmission fluid getting old and contaminated, or its level may be low. The gears can be worn. You may have a leak somewhere in your transmission. Or transmission problems might be caused by a computer problem.
Transmission issues aren't always expensive to repair. Sometimes there may be a leak in a hose or gasket. Or a computer needs to be reset. Other issues may be much more involved. This is why it's important to get your vehicle checked out when you do notice something doesn't feel, look, shift or smell quite right. Everyone wants their automatic transmission to be a smooth operator.
Camarillo Car Care Center
2739 Daily Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
805-482-2853
www.camarillocarcare.com
Posted on 12/18/2022
Your vehicle gets its power from burning fuel, usually gasoline, and it counts on something called fuel injectors to send gas to the engine in a spray that is easy to ignite. It’s a precise operation, and when it’s working well, you have plenty of power and an efficient engine.
But after time, contaminants in the fuel system may prevent the injectors from spraying like they’re supposed to. They can also shoot contaminants into the engine.
One sign that could point to dirty fuel injectors is a misfiring engine. Misfires can be caused by several things, so it’s a good idea to bring your vehicle to us so we can trace the cause. Another sign is that your fuel economy has gone downhill or your engine doesn’t have the “pep” it used to.
If we discover that your injectors are clogged or not working the way they should, we can clean them to get rid of those contaminants to restore your engine to its top performance. When you bring your vehicle to us, we will connect the flushing equipment, flush out the injectors and reassemble the system.
A good time to have fuel injectors inspected is when you bring your vehicle in for routine maintenance. An oil change is an ideal time to have a technician take a close look at your entire fuel delivery system.
When you have your fuel injectors cleaned, you may see your mileage go up, your engine performance improve, and your exhaust emissions decrease.
Camarillo Car Care Center
2739 Daily Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
805-482-2853
www.camarillocarcare.com
Posted on 12/11/2022
Nearly every modern vehicle on the road today has power steering, a wonderful invention that makes steering take far less effort than it did in the "good old days." Today, we take our steering for granted: until something goes wrong, that is.
Most power steering these days is rack-and-pinion, the rack being a metal bar between the front wheels with notches in it and the pinion being a gear whose teeth fits into those notches. Adding power assist makes it easy to turn. That assist comes in the form of hydraulic fluid that is pressurized by a pump powered by the engine, an electric motor that adds a power assist or a system that uses both an electric motor and hydraulic fluid.
Your vehicle usually gives you a heads up that something is going wrong with its steering. Here are a few signs to look for:
- A humming, whirring, rubbing or grinding sound coming from you engine compartment when you turn.
- Signs of hydraulic fluid leaking, such as wet spots under your vehicle.
- The smell of burning oil while you're driving.
- Steering wheel hard to turn or vibrating.
If you notice any of these signs, it's a good idea to have a trained technician check them out. They may be signs of:
- Power steering pump going bad
- Steering rack or gear seals wearing out, causing them to lose hydraulic fluid
- Broken fluid hose
- Defective power steering cooler
- Loss of pressure in the power steering gearbox
- Worn out steering pump belt
- Failing electric power steering motor
It's important to have these checked out sooner rather than later. You need to be able to steer properly in order to drive safely. Plus, some of these problems can cause more serious—and expensive—damage if they're not fixed. Power steering is a wonderful feature of your vehicle. Keep it well maintained and it will steer you right.
Camarillo Car Care Center
2739 Daily Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
805-482-2853
www.camarillocarcare.com
Posted on 12/4/2022
This MAF sensor is an important part of your vehicle. What it does is calculate the amount of air going into your engine. As you may know, air is taken into your engine where it's mixed with fuel. Then the spark plugs fire, the explosive fuel/air mixture detonates, and these sequential explosions provide the power to get your vehicle moving down the road.
It makes sense that if the MAF sensor isn't sending the engine's computers the correct information about the amount of air entering the engine, the fuel/air mixture won't be right. It will be either too rich (too much gasoline relative to the amount of air) or too lean (not enough gasoline relative to the amount of air).
In this driver's case, the MAF sensor was damaged and needed to be replaced. Another thing that may cause the MAF to give an incorrect reading is if its wires are dirty or faulty. So, replacing or cleaning the wires important as well.
Other symptoms that your MAF sensor is bad? If your engine hesitates when you step on the gas, stalls, or your vehicle is jerky when you accelerate.
A malfunctioning MAF sensor is not just bad for performance. Driving with your vehicle in that condition can cause more damage to your engine. When you bring your vehicle in for us to check, a technician will thoroughly examine your engine to make sure all issues are taken care of.
Camarillo Car Care Center
2739 Daily Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
805-482-2853
www.camarillocarcare.com