Your check engine light is on, now what?

Your check engine light is on, now what?

By-Andy Cotey

 

There you are, driving down the road, minding your own business and suddenly a yellow light comes on your dash “check engine”, maybe “service engine soon” or just a picture of an engine. Now what do you do? 

 

There are a couple of things to consider first:

 

Did the engine change the way that it is running? If not, you may only have a minor issue. Believe it or not, it could be as simple as a gas cap that is loose or not sealing properly.

If it did change the way it is running, or if the light stays on or blinks, you should call your repair shop and talk with someone They can help you decide what to do. Something in the emission system may be malfunctioning, causing the light to be on. This can damage other components. 

It may require diagnostics to find out why it came on and what is required to repair the problem, or if you should even drive the vehicle. Many times you will be asked to leave the car for testing.

If you have a light come on and want more information, feel free to contact Andy via email at hoauto@msn.com

Andy Cotey is the service manager for Hockett & Olsen Automotive & Tire and has over 24 years in the automotive repair field and another 6 years experience in small engine mechanics.

Ideas for an article? Questions about car repair? Please send them to Andy at hoauto@msn.com 

Tire speed ratings and what they mean

Speed rating. Wow, that sounds cool! But what is it and why is it important to me?

I still use the term speed rating from time to time. More often now, I refer to it as performance rating. In the real world, most people will not drive as fast as the tire is capable of  going. The reason I call it performance rating is simple. By upgrading to a higher speed rated tire, I can improve the handling characteristics of my car without an expensive upgrade. It doesn't mean the car will travel that fast, just that it will be more responsive. There will be less flex in the sidewall when cornering. I upgraded from 'S' rated (up to 112mph) to 'H' rated (up to 130mph)That has suited me just fine
BF Goodrich has a chart that lists most of the different ratings here- (http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires-101/tire-basics/about-tires/tire-speed-ratings-and-tread-life.page

I work on an island. It is rare to get my car over 50 mph, let alone 186mph. Heck, my car isn't even capable of going safely at the maximum rated speed for snow tires. (around 99mph)

So, why do they have different ratings and why does it matter to me? The handling characteristics, the sidewall strength, the extra support built in to the bead(where the tire mounts on  the wheel.) the additional strength in the center of the tire and the design of the tread. Most higher performance grade tires do not have a mileage warranty and will tend to wear out quicker than one with a lower rating. Most also use a different rubber compound to help with traction.

There are other structural things in the tire that increase its strength and durability. Still, 75mph is plenty for my little car.

There may be an upgrade available on your car. Contact me and I can help look for what is available. I will give you some advice or recommendations based on your specific needs. Feel free to contact me via email- hoauto@msn.com

National Tire Safety Week, May 24th thru May 30th

There is a lot of information out there about tires. During National Tire Safety Week, I will try to touch on 1 topic per day.

I was on YouTube and found several good videos to help demonstrate tread depth & air pressure. Pirelli has a good one that shows you where to find the proper tire pressure for your vehicle, and how to tell when your tires are almost worn out. https://youtu.be/z-cuWzuZzgc 
DO NOT GO BY THE PRESSURE ON THE SIDE OF THE TIRE! That is a maximum setting and it will adversely affect your handling, possibly even causing a blow out. For best performance, follow the vehicle manufacturers tire pressure specifications.

One thing that I try to explain to my customers about tread depth is what it really means.I think that it is really important to understand why there are various grooves and channels in tires. The grooves that go around the tire 360 degrees are designed to help evacuate water. When a tire is new, the tread depth is usually between 8/32" and 10/32" deep. That gives plenty of room to move the water thru the grooves. The smaller blocks of tread aid in traction and will help evacuate water to the sides of the tires. When a tire is worn out, there is not as much room to channel the water. This can cause hydroplaning on wet roads.

I will usually recommend tires be replaced when there is about 4/32" remaining. There is still enough room to move the water and prevent hydroplaning.

Next up.......... Speed ratings on tires

Tire Basics 101

Most folks don't know much about tires. Most people seem to think that they are round, black, rubber things that the car/truck has to have that costs too much. What you may or may not realize is how very different and very important tires are. They are the single points on your vehicle that must maintain contact and traction on the road.

If your engine is running well, transmission works as it should, the vehicle won't handle  as well as it should if the tires are not the right type for that vehicle. There can be too much flex in the sidewall during “spirited acceleration, braking, or cornering”. The tire may not have the capacity to handle and hold the weight on heavier vehicles.

One of the first things a tire salesperson should ask you is what are your driving habits. Next, do you put snow tires on in the Winter? Snow traction tires have very different features than Summer or all season tires. What did you like about your current tires? What didn't you like? This will help the salesperson narrow down the best options for your driving habits.

Tires have different tread patterns for different uses. The basic design will consist of  several things: water channels (to help displace water), varying tread block types and sizes (to help suppress noise and improve traction), and siping (for additional traction).

Tires have different sidewall construction and can offer a number of benefits. Some are: less flex on turns, more stability when loaded, comfortable ride and styling.

The heart of any tire is the inner liner. Its job is to give the tire shape and hold in the air. Wrapped around the inner liner are fabric belts. Fastened to the bottom of the fabric belts is the bead, which holds the tire to the wheel.

Let's talk about tire size. Most tire sizes start with either a 'P' or an 'LT'. This tells us if it is a passenger or light truck rated tire. The light truck tires have a higher load capacity.

The next number is the approximate width of the tire, then is the aspect ratio or the height of the tire. Lastly is the rim or wheel size. The best part of the whole tire is the next number and letter combination. Usually a number which indicates the tires load capacity, and then the letter that tells the speed capacity of the tire. I like to call it the performance rating since most cars are not even capable of handling the speed that the tire can handle.

A few years ago there was a pretty well known case of tires that failed and there were several deaths associated with it. My perspective on the case was this: The tires were underinflated based on what they were designed to be run at. Most of the rollovers occurred in hot climates. The resulting failure was due to heat build-up in the sidewalls due to road conditions, under inflation (based on design) and outside temperatures.

Tires should be rotated at various intervals, depending on manufacturer recommendations. A good general guide would be about every 6,000 miles. This is very important on all wheel and 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Proper tire inflation is very important for handling, load carrying ability, and fuel economy. Tire pressure should be checked at least 1 time each month. 

Andy Cotey is the manager of Hockett & Olsen Automotive on Bainbridge Island. He has been in the automotive industry for over 20 years. He can be reached via email at- hoauto@msn.com

It's Spring! That means: longer periods of sunlight, warmer weather, yard work, painting projects, and POLLEN.

Many of us suffer from allergies. The dust and pollen can be quite a nuisance. Ever notice that the runny nose gets better when you are in the car? Many newer cars and light trucks (less than 10 years old) have a fresh air intake or cabin filter. When you set the air in your car to come in from outside, these filters help reduce dust and pollen in the passenger cabin area. Some even use carbon technology to help with odors.

If you have one of these filters, it should be inspected and in most cases replaced at least 1 time per year or every 12-15,000 miles.

Have odors in your car when you turn the fan on? This filter could be restricted like the attached picture shows above. It could even be worse, mice and rodents will commonly get into the filter box and make a nest. Sometimes (this part is just gross, sorry about that) the rodent will die. I wont go into any more detail, but you get the picture. Once the nest (and bodies) are removed, there are vent sanitizers that can help remove the odor and clean out the duct works.  Then the filter will need to be replaced.

These rodents can do damage to electrical wiring and hoses by chewing on them. It happens a lot.

Those repairs can be expensive, depending on the amount of damage to the car. It can cause your check engine light to come on. It can cause your car to run poorly or even stall. The external signs are visible when you look under the hood. Sometimes the damage is hidden under the engine cover. If you see signs of rodents, it should go to your mechanic for an inspection.

If you see signs of rodents, give us a call to schedule an inspection and possibly replace the cabin air filter. Mention this blog post and receive $5.00 off of any rodent preventative service or cabin air filter replacement.



This blog post is brought to you by Andy from Hockett & Olsen Automotive & Tire. He can be reached via email at hoauto@msn.com or by phone 206-842-2484

Have a general automotive question that you would like to see on this blog? Send us an email with your suggestions. We want to cover things that you want us to cover

A new automotive blog for the average consumer

My intent is not to help you fix or repair your car. If you are looking for that, you will need to keep on looking.

I will be trying to help educate you about car care to make you a better consumer. If I can help teach you some of the basics about cars, suvs and light trucks,  then I will have reached my goal. We will be looking to have a hands on clinic in October 2015 to help tech the basics like: checking your oil, checking tire pressure, adding fluids, explaining the amber warning lights on the dash and even how to change a flat tire! Watch for more details.

This industry is changing rapidly and with it, the technology.

Soon, the old jokes about putting the car on cruise control and reading the paper will be reality, not a punchline.

If you have some questions about car repair or maintenance please contact me via email me at hoauto@msn.com