Monday, March 25, 2024

How To Tell If Car Engine Is Blown

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How To Tell If Your Engine Is Blown

Possibility two is a connecting rod breaks. A connecting rod is a part that connects the piston to the crankshaft. Because the other pistons may still be connected and firing, the crankshaft will keep spinning at thousands of RPM, forcing the broken piston rod through the wall of the engine block. A broken piston rod will cause the oil to come spilling from the side or bottom of the engine and crankcase. If you’re asking yourself ‘Did I blow my engine’, well, you can expect blue smoke and maybe a small fire here, as well.

The third most common cause of a blown engine is a loss of oil. There are a lot of parts very, very close together moving very, very quickly in an engine. Oil is pretty much the only thing preventing those parts from creating enough friction and heat to melt. If your car loses enough oil, the pistons and other internal moving parts can seize up and stop moving, causing tremendous damage to your engine. Loss of oil is dangerous.

Loss of coolant can wreak havoc on an engine, as well. The coolant works to keep the operating temperature of your engine low enough for the oil to do its job. If your car is burning coolant, you’ll see white smoke coming from the exhaust. Oil that is too hot is almost as bad as no oil at all.

Find Buyers That Specialize In Buying Cars With Bad Engines

If you’re having trouble finding a car dealership to accept your car as a trade-in or if you don’t have the time to sell individual parts from your car, there is a better option available. It might be the best option of all when you think about it.

There are that would be more than willing to take ownership of your car, blown engine and all. They’ll arrange to pick your car up and tow it away after giving you cash for it.

There are more than 8,000 junkyards and salvage yards in the U.S. today, and many of them stay in business thanks to people just like you. These people sell their broken-down cars to junk car buyers in exchange for cash, and many of those cars end up in junkyards and salvage yards when they do.

Look around to see which junk car buyers are operating in your city or town. Try to find ones that have a lot of experience, specifically when it comes to buying cars with blown engines in them.

Smoke Either Black White Or Blue Is Coming From The Engine

No matter what color smoke you see, theres bad news. White smoke can indicate a blown head gasket or cracked cylinder head, both serious, potentially car-killing problems. Blue smoke usually means you have worn valves or piston rings leaking oil into the combustion area of the engine. Black smoke can mean many things.

You may have a clogged air filter, the ignition timing could be off or there could be a malfunction in your emission system. Other than the clogged air filter, fixing any of these problems will require more than a little know-how. If your air filter is not the problem, you should probably take your smoking engine to a mechanic.

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Problems That Cause Fuses To Blow

If you have multiple problems, something could be seriously wrong in your wiring harness or computer system. These are serious issues, and you wont be able to diagnose the car problem on your own you will have to see a mechanic. But if its just one thing, odds are that its a fuse.

All cars use fuses, and if your car has an electrical problem, it could very well be because a fuse has heated up, melted, and interrupted the flow of electricity. Sometimes, a blown fuse indicates a larger problem, but they also blow for simple reasons, like the driver overloading the system by using every available accessory at the same time. They can also blow because theyre past their best before date.

Fuses can also blow if someone has replaced a bad fuse with one that is of a higher amperage. The most common amperages are 15, 20 and 30, and replacing a 15 amp fuse with a 20 or 30 amp, or a 20 amp fuse with a 30 amp, may result in a blown fuse. Worse, it could cause a more severe car electrical problem, because it can cause wires to melt. Conversely, replacing a higher amp fuse with one of a lower amperage will probably not power the component that isnt working.

If you suspect you are experiencing electrical problems with your car, a mechanic can diagnose the problem and determine if its a bad fuse, or something more serious.

Signs Your Car Has A Blown Fuse

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If you own your car long enough, you can assume that at some point, one or more of your automotive fuses will blow.

Usually, a blown fuse just causes a minor car electrical problem, like backup lights or interior lights not working, not being able to use your radio, losing a turn signal, or some of your climate control features not functioning properly. In rare cases, though, a blown fuse can mean that your car wont start.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Blown Head Gasket

Having trouble with your car, but not sure if your head gasket is the issue? You may want to look out for these common signs of a blown head gasket:

Radiator constantly needing to be topped upCoolant clearly leakingBubbles formingOil has a milky discoloration

The final, most noticeable symptom is a big cloud of smoke pouring from the exhaust, and the engine gauge showing maximum temperature after a few minutes. Unfortunately, these symptoms often arrive when it is too late to sort the problem out.

Is It Better To Fix A Bad Engine Before The Trade

If youre thinking about trading in a car with engine problems and want to know if you should fix the engine first, you need to do a few calculations. Engine repairs are expensive, and spending too much on repairs could significantly eat into potential profits without much to show for it.

Its important to ask yourself, how much is a car with a blown engine worth? Will repairing it still be profitable? In most cases, the answer is no.

An engine replacement can cost several thousand dollars, which means unless your vehicle is brand new, paying for a new engine or a replacement will be too expensive to make financial sense.

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Understanding A Vehicleselectronic System

Thecars electronic system powers different parts of your car and it is commonlydivided into the following categories:

  • Transmissionelectronics
  • Electronicintegrated cockpit system
  • Passenger comfort

Ifa car part from any of these categories isnt working, you should check thefuses in the fuse box that protect the vehicles circuits. It is worth notingthat seeking assistance from a professional is advised in case a cars enginecontrol unit or transmission control arent functioning properly.

However, if the cars tail lights or its sound system arent working, then you can probably change a blown fuse on your own. Most car manuals contain a fuse map that will help you locate the fuse boxes in your car.

Thefuses located in the so-called cigarette lighter socket or the accessory powersocket are the most prone to melting, as car owners often forget to unplugtheir phone chargers or because a coin makes contact with an exposed poweroutlet.

Keepin mind that even the simplest car models have over thirty electroniccontrolled units, while luxury cars can have up to one hundred electroniccontrol units.

Theinformation regarding which car part is protected by a particular fuse islocated within the fuse box, which enables you to easily locate the fuse thatis associated with the malfunctioning car part.

Think About Selling Parts From Your Car For Cash

How to Tell if Your Car’s Engine is Bad

The engine in your old car might be worthless at this point. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of your car isn’t filled with parts that people out there might want!

If you’re handy when it comes to working on cars, you can pull many of these parts from your car and get offers for them. You can sell car parts like:

  • Radiators
  • Transmissions
  • And even tires

Your old car isn’t worth very much as a whole. But when you part it out, you can make more money than you might realize.

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How Many Fuse Boxes Can Acar Have

Thevast majority of cars and vans have two fuse boxes, but some vehicles can haveup to four fuse boxes, and you should check the user manual in order to findout their exact location.

Themost common fuse box locations are:

  • Under the hood
  • In the trunk
  • Under the backseat

Whatsmore, all cars have at least one fusible link or the main fuse that is commonlyinstalled at the positive battery terminal or in the fuse box that is attachedto the battery positive cable.

Additionally,some car models can have more than one fuse box under the hood, and you mustmake sure that the blown fuse is located within the fuse box youre inspecting.

Most dashboards are located in the vehicles footwell area, although on some car models the fuse box can be placed in the panel on the side of the dashboard that can be accessed after you open the door. Click here if you are searching for a floor mat.

Ultimately,the positioning of the fuse boxes depends on the car manufacturer and aparticular car model, which is the reason why you should consult the usermanual if you are not sure where exactly the fuse boxes are located in yourcar.

There Is Smoke Coming From Your Exhaust

There are several reasons why your exhaust could be producing smoke. The colour of the smoke can give you an idea of what is causing the problem.

If the smoke is black, it means that your engine is has incomplete combustion which leads to burning too much fuel. This could be due to:

  • Damaged fuel injectors.
  • A clogged fuel return line.
  • Mechanical damage in the engine

Grey smoke can mean several different things, making it difficult to diagnose. Possible reasons include:

  • A stuck PCV valve.
  • Problems with your transmission fluid.
  • Excessive oil consumption.

Dark blue smoke means that your engine is burning oil. This is due to oil leaking into your engines combustion chamber. This can be caused by:

  • Worn out piston rings.
  • Other worn or damaged engine components.

To get your engine diagnosed by experienced, reliable, honest mechanics, contact Grimmer Motors in Hamilton. We offer engine servicing, diagnosis and repair to all vehicles since 1934.

Got my engine checked here, proper diagnostics and they even took the time to explain things. Would totally recommend their service. Even got my car cleaned as a free of charge bonus…keep up the good work!

Reasonable price, great service, professional, manage to get the exhaust fixed in an hour! Definitely recommend and will come back again.

Again great service, was fast and efficient, reception was helpful and friendly, I have been with Grimmer motors for over a year or more now and am extremely happy with the service in all areas.

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Oil Or Fluid Under The Car

Spot a patch of oil or fluid beneath where your car has been parked? It could indicate a serious engine problem, like an oil or coolant/antifreeze leak. To help diagnose the problem, wed recommend this guide to car leaks from our partners, Prestone. With information on the different types of fluids that can leak from your car and what they look, feel and smell like, it can help you get to the bottom of the problem before it becomes more expensive to fix.

Get Your Hands On As Many Offers For Your Car As You Can

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Once you’ve generated a list of junk car buyers in your general area, sit down and obtain as many offers as you can from them.

Years ago, this would have meant calling each individual junk car buyer to ask for an offer. But today, you can fly through this process by utilizing the internet.

Visit the websites for the junk car buyers that you’re considering using and fill out the forms that they have on them to get offers for your car. Within a few minutes, you can get a cash offer from each of these buyers so that you can weigh your various offers.

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How Do I Know If My Car Has A Blown Engine

Before repairing a broken engine, you must identify the origin of the breakdown. There are several possible reasons for engine breakdown, so you must find the correct source.

Engine seizure can result from a lack of lubrication. As a result, friction is generated by the interaction of metallic engine parts and high temperatures. Alternatively, insufficient oil levels can cause overheating and eventually wear out the main components of the engine.

If the car with the damaged engine is old, you can simply sell it as junk, or trade it in as totaled if the repair costs exceed the value of the car.

The seizure of an engine can affect other mechanical elements such as the pistons, cylinders, crankshaft, or cylinder head. To repair the engine in any of these cases, a mechanic will have to remove it from the vehicle when it is cold as well as all of the coolant and disconnect the exhaust.

What Exactly Is A Blown Engine

This article was published more than 9 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

We passed a car on Highway 401 the other day with the hood up and steam or smoke billowing out. My husband said the engine had probably blown up and that would be expensive. What would cause an engine to “blow up?” Joanne in Oakville, Ont.

An engine does not actually “blow up.”

There are many types and causes of engine failure. The most catastrophic and visual is a broken connecting rod punching a hole in the block or crankcase. A connecting rod is the part that connects a piston, which is moving up and down very quickly, to the rotating crankshaft. If the rod is broken, the crank keeps turning and can push the broken rod right through the side of the cast iron or aluminum block or the crankcase, which holds the oil. In either case, the engine will stop immediately and the hot oil escape through the hole in block or crankcase and onto the hot exhaust causing a lot of blue smoke or even a fire.

Another form of engine failure is a broken valve punching a hole through the top of a piston. In this case, the pressurized oil will escape through the top of that piston out through an exhaust valve. Instead of the blue smoke coming from beneath the hood and under the car, it will come out the exhaust pipe.

Your husband was right, this is not something that can be repaired. A new engine is expensive.

Losing power

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What Does Your Head Gasket Do

Your head gasket sits between the head of your engine and the combustion chamber, and it keeps all the various fluids in the correct channels. This might seem like a pretty simple job, but its so close to the combustion chamber that it gets exposed to a lot of force and movement.

Moreover, if the seals start to give out, then youre going to run into a litany of problems that can lead to further engine damage. It might seem like a simple component, but it has a critical job.

Figure Out If It Makes Sense To Rebuild Your Engine

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Do you drive a 1995 car with more than 200,000 miles on it that’s worth less than $1,000 according to Kelley Blue Book?

If so, there’s a good chance that you’re going to decide that it doesn’t make sense to try and rebuild the engine in your car. In some cases, it can cost as much as $6,000 to replace a bad engine. It just wouldn’t make much sense to spend that kind of money on an older car.

It might, however, make sense to rebuild the engine in a car that’s on the newer side. If you’ve only had your car for a few years now and still owe a lot of money on it, you would be the perfect person to consider rebuilding your engine.

More often than not, though, people scoff at the idea of rebuilding an engine. They realize that they’re much better off taking a different approach to dealing with their problem.

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How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Seized Engine

seized enginerepair couldcostfix

What are the signs of a seized engine?

Seized Engine Symptoms

  • The most prominent seized engine sign is complete engine failure, i.e., no matter how much you try, the engine will not start.
  • On cranking, loud clunking sounds can be heard from a seized engine, due to the stater hitting the flywheel.

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Now You Know About Engine Issues

We’ve put this guide together so that you can gain some insights into how an engine works, and what might cause problems for your engine. We hope you’ve learned a few things, and take away a few useful facts here or there. We have many other articles on our blog page, or if your thirst for engine information isn’t quenched here, you can review some of the additional engine resources we have below. And as always, if you ever need to sell a car with a blown engine or a car with any kind of damage, you can check out our get an offer page.

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