Does Your Car Start But Then Stop Immediately

Figuring out why an engine starts and stops immediately is either going to be a very easy problem to find or it will send you in circles trying to find it. I typically do not see many situations that fall between. With todays electronics it can be a very difficult problem to find without using a computer scan tool. But, I am not saying that you shouldnt try to find out what is wrong.

As I have mentioned it previous articles "you should go back to the basics." You have one of two problems, spark or fuel. Its really easy to figure out which one you are having the issue with. First spray some starter fluid or some brake cleaner into the intake and have someone start the engine. Watch here for details. If the engine fires and can run with the spray and stops when you quit spraying then you have a fuel issue. If you remove a spark plug and test the spark and there is none then you have a spark issue. Watch here for details on testing spark.

Most of the time when a car has a problem with starting, running, and immediately cutting off, then the issue is not normally spark. If you are having a fuel issue then consider changing your fuel filter. But first, look at how many miles you have and how long since you filter has been changed. Fuel is filtered much better than it used to be, so mileage recommendations may very from mechanic to mechanic, but your fuel filter should be changed every at least every 60,000 miles. I am not saying run out and put a fuel filter in your car and it will be fixed though.

You need to test and back probe the fuel issue, such as testing for fuel pressure. There are very simple tests that can be done by someone who has almost no mechanical knowledge to rectify the fuel issue. When I say "simple" I mean simple. You can diagnose things easier than you know. All you need is good information and a willingness to fix your own car. Youll be surprised at how much better you feel about driving your car when you are not scared of it breaking down.

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How Safe Are Your Brakes

You must have seen the villain devilishly clipping the brakes of car used by hero in an action movie, driving him into a nerve-racking ride down the limited-access highway. Quite reverse to this, in real life, the subject of having safe brakes, is not thrilling, but is something indispensable. In case you sense that anything is burning in your car while you are driving it, or may be if you hear a squealing sound while you arrive at a stop, time has come that you check your brakes thoroughly.

Basically there are two chief constituents that affect the safety of the brake:

- Level of the fluid

- Condition of the Brake pad

- At any time the warning light of brake gets on it means that the light has not got on because of some problem in the hand brake. The problem lies somewhere else in the brake. Besides this, level of the brake fluid and the condition of the brake pad should be thoroughly checked at least one time in a year.

Checking the Level of the Brake Fluid:

Go through the manual of the car in order to know the location of the reservoir of the fluid. As soon as you find out the reservoir which is generally marked with the particulars concerning the kind of fluid needs to be used, ensure that the level of the fluid is not less than the "Minimum" line and possibly it reaches the "Maximum" line closely. Besides this, ensure that the fluid appears to be clear with yellowy appearance, if which is not, you might have to change it. Thoroughly check the container of the brake fluid in order to ensure that it does not leak. Apart from this, possibly try to park the car on the slab of cardboard and spout the brake to check if the fluid is leaking or not. Quite reverse to this, if you come across a leak, get a mechanic to check your car immediately and possible try to get the part changed due to which the brake fluid is leaking.

Replacing the Brake Oil:

Pouring in more fluid would resolve problems such as softening of brake pedals, brake warning light getting on, etc. Besides this, it is important that you get the brake fluid changed at least once in a week to ensure that it performs at the optimum level. As per trustmymechanic.com, it is important that you replaced the brake fluid of your car after you cross every 30,000 miles or in case the color of the brake fluid turns dark and dim.

Amidst of all this, when changing fluid comes into the picture, you could clean out the system on your own by getting someone to help you in it, or allow the gravity to bleed the fluid on its own, in case you do not have anyone to help you. Together these systems include jacking the car up, taking away the tires and unscrewing the screws to allow the fluid and the unnecessary air pour out.

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