Symptoms which tell when your car’s engine has gone weak

All engines have a certain life and in Pakistan, we do not believe in that notion. Engines get weaker by the time regardless of all the maintenance. Our attempts to switch of the A/C for rapid acceleration on CNG may be one of the greater signs of a weak engine. Buyers are unable to identify weak engines at the time of purchasing vehicles which causes severe trouble later on. Here’s a list of some core weak engine symptoms that would help you identify weaker engines to a great extent.

Burns Oil:

Usually weak car engines burns a lot of oil. This is the first symptom that indicates that the ring pistons are running weak. Worn out ring pistons allow the oil to get past them and into the combustion chamber. You need to check the dip stick often to ensure that your car engine does not burns oil. In some cases, you may also notice spills of oil on the underside of the bonnet. Note that, engine may also burn oil due to low quality of lubricant used. Get your engine lubricated with a 20w-50 semi-synthetic or non-synthetic oil to ensure that problem lies with the engine. Furthermore, less significant reasons of oil burning include poor gasket condition, worn valve seals and low viscosity of oil.

Emitting Smoke:

Engines burning oil often emits smoke on high rpm and startups. Emission of Light blue and black toxic smoke indicates excessive wear. Weak engines on cold startups often emit plumes of smoke. Smoke emission is usually due to damaged head gasket and cracked block or cylinder head but further less significant factors may include:

• Choked throttle body
• Faulty fuel injector
• Worn out turbo
• Blocked manifold
• Clogged air filter

Carbon in Spark plugs:

Another symptom to consider while identifying engines is to check the spark plugs. Spark plugs of weak engines. Carbon in spark plugs is usually caused by excessive amount of oil through the ring pistons into the oil chamber. Run a compression test, in case the compression is low on cylinders, you may require an engine rebuilt i.e. worn out ring pistons. Carbon in spark plugs results in loss of power and engine knocking. More reasons of carbon in spark plugs include

• Rich air fuel ratio
• Weak ignition
• In-operative pre heating system
• Improper heat range spark plugs used

Loss of Power:

Low compression leads to loss of power. You may notice low acceleration on even on full throttle with struggling engine sound. At first, get your fuel tank filled with a mixture of 30% high octane along with 70% super-unleaded fuel just to ensure that you are using a good quality mixture. If you still feel low acceleration, this indicates that your engine has gone weak. Using concentrated mixture of high octane will not help in identifying the problem with the engine. Other causes of loss in power may include:

• Clogged air filter
• Clogged fuel filter
• Low quality engine oil
• Dirty cooling system

It is important to mention that weak engines surface many other symptoms including

• Sudden decrease in fuel economy
• Vibration and knocking
• Rough running and loud banging
• Engine heating up
• Bad smell from engine or exhaust
• Taking too much time to start

Most of the weak engine symptoms require huge repair costs. However, is not advisable to repair a weak engine for two reasons. It takes a lot of time and money. If you can afford to buy a new car, do not bear huge repairing costs.