Exhaust Emissions Checks
How does a parent tell if their child is "coming down with something?" They probably put a thermometer in his mouth. How do the auto experts find out if your car is ill? They place a probe into the tailpipe. This procedure is done thousands of times during National Car Care Month, when check lane operators find out whether or not our nation's vehicles are operating efficiently and safely.
More than a third failed the test last year, due to excessive carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and/or oxides of nitrogen. While these terms may not mean much to most motorists, the results of high emissions have a direct bearing on vehicle efficiency and performance. And to those of us who worry about the air we breathe and/or our precious ozone layer, vehicle emissions are a serious concern.
Back to the sick child. Just as the fever, combined with other symptoms, call for remedial measures, excessive exhaust emissions indicate something under the hood needs attention. These mean malfunctions in the fuel, ignition or emissions control systems.
Those drivers who were told their cars failed the emission test may have been forewarned of impending car trouble, such as poor engine performance.
[Reproduced with permission from the Car Care Council, Port Clinton, Ohio]
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