Service & Maintenance > Troubleshooting
Noises, smells, leaks and operating changes are all signs that something could be wrong with your vehicle. To make maintaining and repairing it faster and easier, pay attention to these signals and be prepared to describe them to your automotive technician.
Here is a troubleshooting checklist (PDF) that will help you document problems with your vehicle. You can give this checklist to your counterperson, service advisor, or service technician when you take your vehicle in for service.
Knowing something about how your vehicle performs and handles makes communicating with service advisers and technicians fast and easy.
Performance Problem | How to Describe It |
---|---|
Cuts out | Temporary, complete loss of power. Engine quits at sharp, irregular intervals. May occur repeatedly or intermittently. Usually worse under heavy acceleration. |
Detonation | Mild to severe ping, usually worse under acceleration and load. Engine makes sharp, metallic knocks that change with throttle opening. Sounds like marbles rattling around. |
Dieseling | Engine runs after ignition switch is turned off. Runs unevenly and may make knocking noises. |
Hesitation | Momentary lack of response as accelerator is pressed. Can occur at all speeds. Usually most severe when starting from a stop. May cause engine to stall. |
Missing | Pulsation or jerking that changes with engine speed. Exhaust has a steady spitting sound at idle or low speed. Not normally felt above 30 mph. |
Rough idle | Engine runs unevenly at idle. Car may also shake. |
Sluggish | Engine delivers limited power under load or at high speed. Won't accelerate as fast as normal. Loses too much speed going up hills. Has less speed than normal. |
Spongy | Less than anticipated response to increased throttle opening. Little or no increase in speed when accelerator is pushed down to increase cruising speed. Continuing to push pedal down will finally give an increase in speed. |
Stall | Engine stops running or dies out. May occur at idle or while driving. |
Surge | Vehicle speeds up and slows down with no change on accelerator pedal. Can occur at any speed. |
What’s your car trying to tell you when it clicks, clunks and grinds? Translating these noise signals is key information for automotive technicians who are trained to identify problems via sound.
The important thing to remember with odd sounds is to be specific, narrow that ‘rattle’ down, and then detail when it happens — when the car’s hot, cold, at idle, moving at 90 kmph, etc.
Description | Possible Problem |
---|---|
Squeaky brakes | Dirt in the lining of the pads or hardening of the pads and shoes |
Grinding brakes | Worn pads and shoes |
Metal on metal when braking | Worn-out pads |
Metal on metal when encountering bumps | Worn-out shocks |
Growling from air conditioner | Worn compressor |
Squealing windshield wipers | Worn wiper blades |
Whining from tires when turning a corner | Dry or worn-out wheel bearings |
Squealing from tires when turning a corner | Tires low on air or worn |
Grinding while shifting gears | Worn clutch or clutch that need adjustment |
Screeching under the hood | Loose or worn belt |
Popping from engine | Dirty air filter, bad spark plugs, wires, ignition components |
Scraping or buzzing from transmission | Transmission needs new fluid |
Squeaking noise when shifting | Manual transmission needs lubrication |
Clunking under hood when gears change | Worn joints or engine’s idle speed may be set too high |
Knocking under hood | Need higher gas octane rating, clogged air filter or timing off |
Clicking when idling | Needs oil |
Clunking that worsens as speed increases | Broken or worn engine parts |
Learning to pinpoint strange vehicle odors can help your automotive technician sniff out the real cause of the problem. Here are a few common odiferous car complaints.
Description | Possible Problem |
---|---|
Sweet odour, usually accompanied by steam from under the hood | Antifreeze or coolant leak |
Clear liquid with a smell | Brake fluid leak |
Heavy, thick odour, possibly accompanied by smoke from under the hood or from the exhaust |
Burning oil |
Acrid odour, like burned toast | Electrical short |
Continuous, heavy sulfur odour, like rotten eggs | Emissions |
Burning material or rubber odour | Overheated brakes or clutch |
Metallic odour, usually accompanied by antifreeze/coolant odour | Overheating |
If your vehicle is leaving strange stains or other visual signs behind on the driveway, you need to pinpoint the following signals:
Description | Possible Problem |
---|---|
Black stains with a heavy, thick consistency | Axle leaks |
Clear liquid with a smell | Brake fluid leak |
Yellow, green, pink or orange-coloured stains that are lighter and thinner than oil |
Coolant leaks |
Brownish-coloured stains | Crankcase or power steering leaks |
Clear liquid with no smell | Just dripping water that has condensed on your air conditioner |
Black fluid | Motor oil leak |
Greasy fluid that is pink, red or clear | Power steering or transmission leak |
Reddish-coloured splotches | Transmission leaks |