Signs Your Car Needs a Tune-Up
Has this happened to you? Your car stalls in traffic when the air conditioner is turned on? Or it keeps running after the ignition is turned off? These are classic signs your engine is overdo for attention.
Maybe you've driven into a transmission shop because the automatic transmission is shifting erratically. After a test drive the mechanic reports your problem is not in the transmission at all; the engine needs a tune-up. (A "sick" engine, because it is losing power, signals the transmission to shift to a lower gear to relieve some of the strain.)
These are a few clues to a common automotive malady, a neglected tune-up. In contrast to cars of the 70's and earlier which required a complete tune-up every 10,000 miles, high-tech engines in most vehicles on the road today can be driven longer before needing tune-up services.
In the interest of more efficient engines with reduced exhaust emissions, auto engineers have incorporated sensors and computerized controls to keep engines operating efficiently even after service is needed. That's the good news. The bad news is that people tend to neglect automotive service to a point where postponed preventative maintenance sometimes becomes catastrophic repairs.
Technology has not eliminated the need for preventative maintenance; diagnostic and tune-up services should be a normal part of auto ownership. Car dealers now provide their customers with diagnostic analysis forms with which vehicle owners can more accurately report performance discrepancies to their service departments.
There are several other indicators that an engine may need tune-up services:
* Excessive fuel consumption. A consistent drop in miles per gallon over several fill-ups, when driving conditions remain fairly constant, indicates the need for service. (you should keep records of gas purchases and mileage in order to calculate gas mileage).
* Knocking or pinging on acceleration. This sometimes can be traced to an inferior grade of fuel or an overheated engine. Often, however, this condition is a sign the engine needs a diagnostic check-up and/or certain tune-up services.
* Rough running or stalling. A variety of discrepancies within the engine can cause these most common symptoms.
* Hard starting. The American Automobile Association says most of their emergency road service call are from motorists whose vehicles won't start. And neglected maintenance usually is at the root of the problem. Careful attention to tune-up services, beginning with an engine analysis once a year, helps prevent car trouble.
[This article was reprinted with permission from the Car Care Council, Port Clinton, Ohio.]