Very rarely does your car malfunction suddenly. It might seem sudden if you have not noticed signs of a problem, but usually a problem tends to build up over time. There are some occasions, often due to outside forces, in which your car does break down abruptly. Usually there are some warning signs of your car malfunctioning. Those signs can be either noises or operational peculiarities. Here are some of the noises or aberrations that signal there’s a problem with your car and what they actually mean.
High-Pitched Whining
If you start your engine and instantly hear a high-pitched whine that lasts for a minute or so, you could have a belt issue. Most cars in the 21st century have two main belts: a fan belt and a serpentine belt. The fan belt uses the turning of the engine to turn a fan. When that belt becomes stretched or dries out, it can start to slip. At the incredibly high speeds of your engine, such slipping can manifest into a high-pitched whine. It tends to go away since the heat of the engine causes the rubber to become a little more elastic and adhere better. If you seek car servicing in Leicester at the first sign of whining, you can avoid bigger problems in the future.
Squealing When Braking
To stop your car, the brakes apply pressure to a disc that is connected to your wheel. The friction of the application stops your car. However, such friction also wears down the rubbery substance of the brake pads. Therefore, manufacturers install a material that warns you when the brakes are running down. That material will squeal when you apply the brakes. In some cases, it’s more like a grinding sound.
A brake pad replacement is a quick and common repair. If you let it go too long, you can damage your rotors and harm your braking ability, which is a much costlier repair.
Grinding When Shifting
If you have a manual transmission, your car may begin grinding when you shift into certain gears. That’s a sign that your transmission is either misaligning certain gears, or it needs a fluid flush. If you have an automatic transmission, such grinding can mean the same thing as well. However, automatic transmissions are much more complex than manual ones and may require more work. It’s also much more difficult to avoid problematic gears with an automatic transmission.
Knocking
If you hear your engine knocking or if you hear your exhaust pipe backfiring, it means that petrol is not combusting fully in your cylinder. It can then combust again later on. That can be a sign that your spark plugs are not operating properly. It’s also a potential problem depending on where the secondary combustion is occurring. You should initially check to make sure you are using the right octane fuel.
A higher octane fuel combusts at a lower temperature, and you could be using the improper fuel. If you are not using the right fuel, you need auto repair done quickly. That could be a small problem you should not allow to grow.
These are just a few of the common indications of future problems with your car.