Anticipating The Death Of Your Car's Engine? Familiarize Yourself With The Warning Signs
Not matter the make, model, or level of religious maintenance by the owner, every car has an expected lifespan. Vehicles, specifically their engines, are bound to fail at some point and leave you with the choice between full engine overhaul or a new vehicle–the latter usually being the more logical choice. Unfortunately, many drivers never see the warning signs that their engine is slowly dying and are left unexpectedly with a non-functional car. To make sure you are better prepared for your vehicle's final days, get familiar with a few of the telltale symptoms of a dying engine.
Leaking or Losing Oil
Just like the blood pumping through your veins, the oil pumping through the engine of your car serves an ever-important purpose, so this stuff is extremely important to pay attention to. If you start noticing a patch of oil after your car is parked, smell burning oil at an idle, or even consistently have low oil levels, it is definitely signs of a problem. Oil leaks can be related to some serious engine woes, including things like a cracked engine block, blown head gasket, and bad valves–all of which can completely ruin an engine. Sometimes these things can be fixed, but these are the types of problems that usually come along with high mileage and a slowly dying engine.
Consistent Knocking Under the Hood
If there is one sound you don't want to hear coming from your aging engine, it is knocking. If the problem cannot be traced backed to a wobbly alternator pulley or something similar and instead seems to come from within the main parts of the engine, there is a good chance you have lifter rods knocking. This problem comes along when the camshaft and pistons are no longer lining up in time and is a definite sign your engine's life is nearing an end.
Overheating and Steam
Your vehicle's temperature gauge is reading hot just because you're sitting at an idle. You can smell the heat radiating from under the hood. You may even have steam rolling out from somewhere. All of these issues can usually be blamed on major internal engine problems, specifically with the head gasket or main heads. Short-term fixes for this can sometimes be repaired, but a lot of times, an engine that has overheated more than a few times will suffer from warped components. Unfortunately, when main engine components warp and become misshapen, it will usually mean much of the engine has to be replaced.
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