My car won’t start!

car won't start

Your car doesn’t start! Now what? The good thing is when a vehicle does not start, there are only a handful of reasons why.

The battery is the most common cause if your car won’t start. Another more common cause is the battery cables not being tight or they are corroded. This is an easy thing to check just by wiggling them. If they move, then they are too loose. Also look for white or blue powdery buildup on the connections. This is an indication that the cables are corroded.

If your car will not turn over then there are several things to check. Step one, check your battery. Your battery can be load tested for free at a variety of auto parts stores and is quite reliable in determining the health of your battery. If you are unable to take your battery to get load tested, there are a few ways to check at home. Try using a volt-meter or multimeter to check the voltage of your battery. A fully charged standard car battery should have a minimum of 12.4 volts for it to be considered healthy.

The next most common cause of your car not starting is… the starter. Many times when the starter begins going out you will hear clicking noises from your engine compartment and sometimes it will take more than one try to get your car to start. If your battery is unhealthy it can cause these same symptoms as well so be sure to check your battery first.

Maybe your car turns over, but doesn’t start. This is where you will need the help of L & T Auto Repair to diagnose where the problem is. This could be a faulty sensor, poor fuel pressure, or a miscellaneous ignition problem.

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive safely!

/by
,

Do you hear grinding noise when braking?

Stopping your vehicle is an important safety feature, don’t you think? What does it mean when you hit the brakes and you hear an awful grinding noise or shaking?

One of the most crucial parts on any vehicle are the brakes. While it’s important to handle any engine problems that come, it can be argued that brake problems are even more critical since they determine whether your car actually stops.

When you step on the brake pedal, the front wheel brakes have a bigger role in slowing down the vehicle than rear wheel brakes. The reason for this is that the weight of the car pushes forward when you apply the brakes.

When you hear an annoying sound such as grinding, rubbing, squealing, or metal scraping sound while driving and applying the brakes, then you may have a problem. Sometimes it might be nothing and the sound will go away on its own. But if the sound is consistent and does not go away or even gets worse, you likely have some type of brake issue. You should bring it in before you are unable to stop!

Possible reasons for brake noise:

  1. Worn brake pads
  2. Poor quality pads
  3. Worn shims
  4. Foreign debris
  5. Worn rotors
  6. No lubrication
  7. Faulty wheel bearings

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive safely!

 

/by

Stay cool this summer

a/c recharge

A vehicle without cool a/c can be an uncomfortable ride. A properly working air conditioner keeps you and everyone else in the vehicle comfortable and cool all the way to your destination. Plus your kids and pets will thank you!

Your vehicle’s a/c system cools and removes moisture from the air inside of your vehicle using three main components: the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator.

The compressor, driven by the vehicle’s drive belt, pumps the refrigerant through the a/c system. Inside, the refrigerant is exposed to high and low pressure, forcing it to change states between gas and liquid in order to capture and then release heat. As a gas, the refrigerant passes through the evaporator, capturing heat. The refrigerant then moves through the air conditioning lines and into the condenser, where the refrigerant cools as heat is released outside of the passenger compartment, and the refrigerant returns to a liquid.

For the system to work optimally, the system must have the proper amount of refrigerant and be free of contaminants.

L & T Auto Repair visually inspects the air conditioning compressor drive belt, serpentine belt and all accessible components for cracks, leaks and damage. Then we check the operation of the air conditioning compressor. If no leaks or damage are found, we evacuate the refrigerant from the system, vacuum test and recharge the air conditioning system using the appropriate refrigerant according to your vehicle manufacturer’s specification.

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive nice and cool this summer!

 

/by

L & T Auto Repair Blog

Dangers Of Driving With Little To No Oil

/by

You know that oil is important for your car and that you need to get it changed regularly, but just how bad is it to drive around with a low oil level? The truth is that sufficient, clean oil is vital to your car’s engine.

Read more

To eat in your car or not to eat in your car?

/by

We utilize our cars to get to work, to school, etc., so it only makes sense that from time to time we may eat in our car. Some food options are more challenging than others. Whether it be hamburgers, tacos, or sub sandwiches there is an art to mastering eating while driving. For safety reasons, […]

Read more

Six steps for a “greener” vehicle

/by

It doesn’t matter if the vehicle you’re driving is new or old, big or small. There are preventive maintenance steps every vehicle owner can take to make sure their car is as “green” or environmentally friendly as possible.

Read more
/by