Symptoms and what to do

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Oil light on

A red oil can light means the engine has lost oil pressure, and an engine without pressure can damage itself in a short distance. Pull over safely, shut the engine off, let it sit, then check the dipstick before you deci

This week

Check engine light on

A steady check engine light means the engine computer logged a fault and the car needs a code read this week. A flashing check engine light means a misfire is happening right now, and you should pull over and shut the en

This week

Burning oil smell

A burning oil smell almost always means oil is landing on something hot, usually the exhaust manifold, from a leaking valve cover, a spilled fill or a loose filter. It is rarely an emergency, but it is a leak, and leaks

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Engine ticking or knocking

A light, fast tick that follows engine speed usually comes from the valvetrain and often eases with fresh oil at the right level and grade. A deep, heavy knock that gets louder under load is a bottom-end noise, and the s

This week

Oil spots under the car

Dark brown or black spots under the front of the car are engine oil, and the usual sources are the drain plug, the oil filter and the pan gasket. Red or pink is transmission or power steering fluid, bright green, orange

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Low oil between changes

Many engines use some oil between changes, and a quart over a 5,000-mile interval is within what several manufacturers call normal. A quart every 1,000 miles or less, or a level that drops faster each time, means the oil

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Milky oil on the dipstick

Milky or coffee-colored oil means water is mixed into it. On a car driven on short trips through a Reno winter, a little tan sludge under the oil cap is usually condensation and clears with a long drive and fresh oil. Mi

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Engine overheating

If the temperature gauge is climbing into the red or you see steam, pull over and shut the engine off now, because a few minutes of overheating can warp a cylinder head. Let it cool completely before you open anything, t

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Sweet coolant smell

A sweet, syrupy smell around a car is ethylene glycol, the base of most antifreeze, and it means coolant is escaping somewhere and warming up. Outside the car it is usually a hose, clamp or radiator; inside the car with

This week

Transmission slipping or shuddering

A slip, where the engine revs but the car does not pull, or a shudder at light throttle, often traces back to transmission fluid that is low, burnt or past its interval. A fluid service fixes the fluid problems; a worn c

This week

Hard or delayed shifting

A harsh clunk into gear, or a pause before reverse engages, usually has one of three causes: transmission fluid that is low or old, a transmission that has not warmed up on a cold Reno morning, or a control computer that

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A/C blowing warm

Warm air from the A/C most often means the refrigerant charge is low because of a slow leak, which an A/C service can confirm and recharge. If the compressor is not engaging at all, or the system is low again within week

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Wipers streaking or chattering

Streaks come from a blade edge that is worn, torn or coated in road film, and chatter comes from rubber that has hardened in the sun or an arm that no longer holds the blade square to the glass. New blades fix most of it

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Headlight or tail light out

One lamp out on a car with halogen bulbs is nearly always the bulb, and we replace headlight, tail light, brake and turn signal bulbs at all four service centers while you wait. Both lamps out at once, or a bulb that fai

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Dim or yellowed headlights

Yellow, hazy headlights are the plastic lens oxidizing in the sun, and dim headlights with clear lenses are halogen bulbs that have aged. Fresh bulbs are something we install in the bay; lens restoration or a new lamp as

This week

Failed a smog check

A failed Nevada smog check means the car cannot be registered until it passes a retest, and the most common reasons are a check engine light that is on, readiness monitors that have not finished, or an emissions part tha

This week

Rough idle or hesitation

An engine that shakes at a stop light or stumbles when you press the gas is short on one of three things: clean air, clean fuel delivery or a good spark. A fresh engine air filter and a fuel system cleaning are the two w

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Fuel economy dropped

A drop in fuel economy with no change in your driving usually comes from maintenance: underinflated tires, a clogged engine air filter, oil of the wrong grade or a fuel system full of deposits. Each is small on its own,

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Musty smell from the vents

A musty or sour smell that hits when the fan first comes on is mildew growing on the A/C evaporator or in a cabin air filter that has soaked up moisture and dust. A new cabin filter and a clear evaporator drain fix most

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Slow crank on cold mornings

A slow, labored crank on a freezing morning is usually a battery that has lost cranking power with age, and sometimes oil that is thicker than the engine wants in the cold. A battery test takes a few minutes at any of ou

This week

Whine when turning the wheel

A whine that rises when you turn the steering wheel almost always comes from the power steering pump, and the usual reasons are fluid that is low, old or full of air. A power steering fluid check and flush handles the fl

This week

Vibration at highway speed

A vibration that appears around 55 to 70 mph and smooths out above or below is usually a tire or wheel problem: balance, a bent rim, a separated tire or uneven wear. We check tire pressure, wear and the obvious wheel dam

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Oil pressure warning light

Any oil pressure warning, a red light, a low-pressure message or a gauge needle near zero, means stop driving as soon as it is safe. Shut the engine off, check the oil level after it sits, and do not drive on if the leve

This week

Blue smoke from the exhaust

Blue or blue-gray smoke from the tailpipe almost always means oil is getting into the combustion chamber and burning. Check the dipstick today, keep the level up, and have it looked at this week, because oil burning also

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White smoke from the exhaust

Thin white vapor that disappears within a few car lengths on a cold morning is condensation and is normal. Thick white smoke that lingers, smells sweet, and keeps coming after the engine is warm usually means coolant is

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Coolant keeps dropping with no visible leak

Coolant that disappears without a drip usually escapes as vapor from a small external seep, a weak cap, or a leak inside the engine. Keep the reservoir at the full cold mark, watch the temperature gauge, and have the sys

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Heater blowing cold air

A heater that stays cold usually means the engine is low on coolant, the thermostat is stuck open, or hot coolant is not reaching the heater core. Check the coolant level with the engine cool today, because low coolant c

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Transmission fluid leak

Red, pink or reddish-brown drips under the middle or front of the car usually come from the transmission or its cooler lines. Check the fluid level today if your car has a dipstick, because running low on transmission fl

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Transmission running hot while towing

If a transmission temperature warning comes on while you are towing, pull over safely, shift to park and let the engine idle so the cooler can bring the fluid temperature down. Do not keep pulling the grade, because over

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Car will not start, just clicks

A rapid clicking with no crank almost always means the battery cannot deliver enough current, from low charge or a poor connection at the terminals. A single loud click with dash lights at full brightness points more tow

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Battery light on while driving

A battery warning light while the engine runs usually means the alternator is not charging, not that the battery itself is bad. The car is running on stored battery power, so turn off accessories and drive straight to a

This week

A/C compressor cycling on and off

Some cycling is normal, but a compressor that clicks on and off every few seconds while the air stays only cool usually means the system is low on refrigerant. Low refrigerant means a leak somewhere, so a check that find

This week

Washer fluid not spraying

When the washer will not spray, the reservoir is empty, the fluid has frozen, or a nozzle or hose is blocked. Listen when you pull the switch: a pump hum means fluid is not getting through, and silence points to a fuse o

This week

Wipers leaving a haze on the glass

A thin smear or haze across the windshield after each wipe usually comes from blades whose rubber edge has hardened or rounded, or from a film of road grime, wax or oil on the glass. New blades plus a properly cleaned wi

This week

Headlights flickering

Flicker on one headlight usually means a failing bulb or a loose connector at that light. Both headlights and the dash flickering together points to the charging system or a battery connection, and that deserves a test t

This week

Tail light bulb keeps burning out

A tail light that keeps failing is usually being killed by something around the bulb: water in the housing, a corroded or loose socket, vibration, or the wrong bulb type. Replacing the bulb fixes it for a while; finding

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Fuel smell in the cabin

A strong raw gasoline smell inside the cabin can mean fuel is leaking near something hot, so stop driving, turn the engine off, get everyone out and do not use anything that can spark. A faint smell that appears only rig

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Engine stalls at idle

An engine that dies at stop lights usually is not getting the right mix of air and fuel at low speed, often from a dirty throttle body or idle control, a vacuum leak, or a clogged filter. It can leave you without power s

This week

Hard starting on cold mornings

If the engine cranks at normal speed on a cold morning but takes a long time to catch, the usual suspects are fuel delivery, ignition, or oil that is too thick for the temperature. If it cranks slowly, that is the batter

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Loss of power on mountain grades

Every non-turbo engine makes less power at altitude, so some slowdown climbing to Lake Tahoe is normal. A sudden drop, a flashing check engine light, shaking, or a transmission that will not hold a gear is not normal: pu

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Oil change light stays on after service

When the oil change reminder stays on after a fresh oil change, the maintenance counter simply was not reset. It is a reminder system counting miles and engine conditions, not a sensor reading the oil, so resetting it wi

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Maintenance required light

A maintenance required light, or a service code on the dash, is a scheduled reminder that something on the maintenance schedule is due, most often an oil change. It is not a fault light, so you can finish your trip and d

This week

Smog check came back not ready

A not-ready result means one or more of the car's onboard self-tests, called readiness monitors, has not finished since the computer was last cleared, often after a battery change or a repair. Drive normally for sev

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Dust coming through the vents

Dust blowing from the vents usually means the cabin air filter is clogged past the point of working, missing, or the wrong size so air goes around it. Replacing it with the correct filter fixes most cases; worn door or c

This week

Squeal on startup

A sharp squeal for a few seconds after a cold start is usually the serpentine belt slipping on a pulley, because it is worn, glazed, loose or wet. It is not urgent, but a belt that is slipping today can break later, and

This week

Milky residue under the oil cap

A little tan or creamy residue on the underside of the oil filler cap is usually condensation from short trips in cold weather, and it often goes away with longer drives and a fresh oil change. If the oil on the dipstick

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Exhaust smells rich or like rotten eggs

A rotten-egg smell from the exhaust usually comes from sulfur passing through a catalytic converter that is overloaded or failing, and a heavy raw-fuel smell means the engine is running rich. Both deserve a check today,

This week

Steering stiff when cold

Steering that is heavy right after a cold start and loosens up as the car warms usually points to hydraulic power steering fluid that is old, low or thickened by the cold. If the steering stays heavy once warm, or it hap

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Grinding or whine from the rear end

A whine that rises and falls with road speed, or a growl or grind from under the rear of a truck or AWD car, often comes from the differential: low or worn gear oil, worn bearings or gear wear. Check it today, because a

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Fuel economy drops in winter

Fuel economy normally falls in cold weather: fueleconomy.gov reports that a conventional car's city mileage can drop by roughly 15 percent at 20 F compared with 77 F, and more on short trips. Some of that is physics