Common Causes of Car Engine Breakdowns

The greater the mileage that your car covers, the higher the chance that it will experience engine problems. The amount of money you might have to spend to repair or replace a faulty car engine can total up to thousands of dollars. Therefore, it is important that you keep your engine running at its best for as long as possible. Here are two major sources of engine problems that every car owner should be on the lookout for, so as to avoid premature engine failure.

Overheating

Having excessive heat in an engine can culminate in grave problems since heat causes metal components to swell. As temperatures continue to rise in the engine, clearances become tighter until the point where no more clearances are left. Engine overheating can cause piston scuffing, exhaust valves to stick in their guides, an overhead cam to seize and break, damaged head gaskets, and radiator and heater hoses to get blown under extra pressure, etc.

When your car's engine overheats, the temperature gauge will warn you of the issue. There are several possible culprits that may be behind the overheating issue. These include: low refrigerant level, faulty radiator, coolant leak, dirty air filter, or a defective thermostat among many other sources of overheating issues. So, if you can troubleshoot one or more of these symptoms, they are likely responsible for your overheating woes.

Keep in mind that overheating problems exacerbate the more you continue to ignore them. Therefore, you should take your car to an auto service shop for engine repair immediately you are alerted of an overheating issue.

Lubrication issues

Your car engine comprises many movable components that rely on proper lubrication to run smoothly. The engine is the heart of your car and oil is the life-giving blood that keeps it running. Without sufficient lubricant, engine parts experience excessive friction that causes them wear out quickly. Aside from reducing friction, oil is also the key means by which your engine is kept cool. Hence, oil starvation is something that will kill any engine and is commonly caused by a defective oil pump, dirty oil or a low oil level. Pistons and bearings are frequent victims of wear due to poorly lubricated engines.This is an important part of car services.

In order to avoid lubrication problems, you should never disregard the importance of changing engine oil in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations and also keep a watchful eye for oil leaks. Always keep in mind that engine damage is probably taking place when the engine oil light is blinking.