Is Your Car In Trouble?

Keeping your car on the road and running is very important now that it is getting colder. Dean Bailey, owner of King Auto Service in Raleigh, gives expert advice to anyone confronted with car problems.

Below are some examples of real life situations in which Dean Bailey was of assistance.

Cylinders With No Compression

Carter in Wake County was told that four of the six cylinders of his 1997 Buick LeSabre had no compression. The car has 103,000 miles and has been well maintained. Dean Bailey acknowledges that this car has a very strong engine and typically does not have a lot of problems. The car’s rings could have possibly gone bad from an overheating situation. It could also be that his values are burnt. A cylinder leakage test could determine what is wrong. The timing could be out on the engine because some timing chains break letting there to be a loss of compression on a couple of cylinders. This test can cost around $80.

Check Engine Light Will Not Turn Off

Jackie from Wake County has a 2005 Nissan Frontier. Its check engine light has been on for almost a year. She has been told it is a gas sensor and it could cost about $500 to fix it. Her gas gage is not reading on the dash. It may be sitting on empty or stuck in one place. According to Dean Bailey, the price is right for replacing a fuel tank sender unit, but it may not be related to the check engine light.

Blown head Gasket

Elaine from Wake County has a 1999 Toyota Camry with 213,000 miles. Her water pump was replaced but since then, she has had repeated issues with the temperature going up. She has replaced hoses, bands, and the thermostat, but nothing seems to work. The car is also making a whining noise that keeps getting louder. According to Dean Bailey, she could possibly have a blown head gasket on that engine. A CO2 test could be done that picks up gas inside the radiator or the cooling system that would indicate if combustion gasses were leaking and causing an overheating problem.