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4 Possible Reasons Your Car Is Throwing Misfire Codes

If you regularly use an OBD (On-Board Diagnostic) reader to diagnose engine performance issues, you likely dread finding a misfire code. Codes in the P0300 range all signify the presence of a misfire, whether recurrent or random, but they don’t usually specify the root cause of the issue. Once you have a code, you have to check several engine components to find the problem.

Misfires can cause your engine to become inefficient and waste fuel, so leaving this issue unresolved isn’t a good idea. Instead, you can check a few engine components to ensure they are fully functional and in good condition. If you find the following issues in your engine, you or your mechanic can likely stop the misfires with a quick part replacement.

1. Dirty or Old Spark Plugs
If your engine is misfiring, you may be able to fix the problem easily by replacing your spark plugs. Spark plugs are relatively easy to remove from engines and inspect for damage, and at less than $25 a piece, they are relatively cheap to replace, too.

Dirty spark plugs can cause misfires as partially burned engine oil can prevent the plugs from creating the sparks needed to ignite the fuel after it goes into the cylinder. Old spark plugs can simply break and fail to produce a spark.

A broken spark plug is a simple fix: just replace it. If you find that your spark plugs are dirty, you likely have multiple engine problems. The sludge around them comes from an internal oil leak that causes your engine to burn oil. Your mechanic can help you find the source of this leak.

2. Leaky Head Gasket Problems
Your car’s head gasket has a very important job. As oil and coolant flow through various parts of the engine, it keeps them from mixing or entering the combustion cylinders. Head gaskets are made typically from steel, elastomers, and rubberization coatings. Over thousands of miles of driving, they can warp or become damaged, causing leaks.

A leaky head gasket will usually cause multiple cylinders to misfire, especially ones next to each other. If you move a few spark plugs around and the issue stays localized within certain cylinders instead of localized to problematic spark plugs, you should check your head gasket.

Head gaskets are notoriously difficult to get to, but you don’t have to take your engine apart to diagnose this issue. Instead, have your mechanic check your engine’s compression. If it fails a compression test, you likely have issues with your head gasket or engine block, and either of them will require professional services.

3. Clogged Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors do exactly what their name suggests: they inject fuel into the engine’s cylinders. Most vehicles have one fuel injector per cylinder, so if your misfires are localized to specific cylinders, those cylinders may not receive fuel to combust.

Fuel injectors can clog over time due to fuel deposits. As the fuel combusts in the cylinder, small particles of carbon and other residues can settle or stick to the fuel injectors. Over time, they can clog completely.

Frequently, if a vehicle has clogged fuel injectors, its misfires will be sporadic at first and become more and more frequent over time as deposits build up with fuel use.

4. Recurrent ECM Issues
One of the most unexpected reasons for a misfire is an issue with the ECM (engine control module). The ECM is basically the computer that keeps your car as functional and efficient as possible. It carefully times the action of your fuel injectors, spark plugs, and valves to prevent misfires.

However, ECMs can sometimes fail. If your ECM fails, all of the engine components discussed above could be in perfect condition, and your vehicle could still misfire. A mechanic can test your ECM and replace it with a fully functional model if it has failed.

If your vehicle is misfiring, our team at White’s Automotive Center is here to help. Book an appointment with us today, and we’ll find the source of your misfires and restore your engine’s efficiency.

3 Common Ignition Failure Points on Modern Vehicles

Every internal combustion engine requires a few fundamental elements to function. While your engine won’t work without air, fuel, and proper compression, the spark is the flame that sets the whole process in motion. On a gasoline engine, your spark plugs use an electrical charge to ignite the combustion mixture with each cycle of the engine.

Although you can think of your plugs as the business end of the ignition system, they’re just one part of a much broader array of components. Since ignition issues can lead to a variety of symptoms ranging from no-start conditions to poor idle performance, tracking the ignition issues down can sometimes be challenging. Below you will find just three examples of ignition system failure points on modern vehicles.

1. Spark Plug Failures

Modern cars feature drastically more involved ignition systems than the vehicles of the past, but you’ll still find a humble spark plug at the top of each cylinder. Spark plugs create an arc at their electrode tip that ignites a fuel and air mixture in each combustion chamber. Your vehicle’s performance and efficiency rely on this spark occurring when the piston reaches the very top of its compression stroke.

A spark plug that fails to ignite reliably can cause misfires, poor idle characteristics, rough acceleration, and difficulty starting. Depending on the nature of the failure, these problems may be infrequent at first but worsen over time. Most vehicles will eventually trigger a check engine light once misfires occur frequently enough.

Modern manufacturers typically recommend replacing spark plugs at extended intervals of 60,000 up to 100,000 miles. If your spark plugs fail much sooner than this, then a non-ignition problem may be fouling the electrodes. Frequent spark plug failures are a problem that you should always have a professional shop diagnose.

2. Coil Pack Problems

In the past, vehicles used a distributor and series of wires to provide high-voltage input to each spark plug. Both distributors and spark plug wires were typical maintenance items, so modern distributor-less systems ultimately have fewer potential failure points. These systems also tend to be more efficient than distributor-based ignition systems thanks to tighter computer timing control.

The coil-on-plug (COP) design in most modern vehicles works precisely as the name would imply. Instead of using a distributor to transmit high-voltage from a centralized ignition coil, each cylinder gets an ignition coil of its own. The car’s computer can then directly control the spark timing for each cylinder through these coil packs.

Unsurprisingly, coil pack problems tend to look a lot like spark plug problems. When a coil fails, the plug for that cylinder will not fire or will only fire unreliably. In either case, you can expect the same broad range of symptoms. Most manufacturers do not consider coils to be a regular maintenance item, but they do tend to wear out as most vehicles cross into six-digit mileage numbers.

3. Sensor Issues

Your vehicle’s crankshaft and camshaft position sensors may not seem like a part of its ignition system, but they have a vital role to play. Both of these sensors provide data to the car’s computer that allows it to understand the current position of crucial internal engine components. Since distributor-less systems rely on the car’s computer for proper spark timing, bad data can lead to timing problems.

Fortunately, these sensors will often trigger a check engine light when they fail, making it relatively easy to track down the issue. If left unaddressed, either sensor can cause your car to run poorly, stall, or fail to start entirely. Unlike a bad coil pack or spark plug, a failed sensor can potentially affect the timing of all of your vehicle’s engine cylinders instead of just one.

Modern ignition systems involve a variety of sophisticated and sometimes temperamental components. When one part of the system fails, it can leave your vehicle running poorly or not at all. White’s Automotive Center can help you get to the bottom of any ignition problems and get your car back on the road. Contact us to set up an appointment today!

3 Bad Driving Habits That Affect Your Car’s Health

Most car owners want to protect the substantial investment they’ve made in that key transportation tool. However, even scrupulous attention to the owner’s manual and timely service inspections cannot protect your car from the person behind the wheel. Unwise driving habits can lead to unexpected wear or even breakdowns.

Once you recognize which of your normal driving habits spell potential problems for your beloved vehicle, you can take steps to modify those behaviors and prolong the life of your car’s components. Discover three bad driving habits that might affect your car’s long-term health.

1. Riding the Brakes: Premature Wear and Damage

Careful drivers make a point of driving slowly and predictably through close-knit city traffic and when approaching intersections. However, while this careful attitude might have advantages from a defensive driving standpoint, it can also cause your brakes to age faster than they normally would.

When you press on the brake pedal, your car’s brake system uses hydraulic pressure to close the calipers surrounding the brake rotors. Brake pads attached to the calipers apply friction to slow the car to a stop. If you habitually ride your brakes, the heat builds up until the pads and rotors sustain damage.

Riding your brakes down a long hill can prove especially harmful. This stressful exercise can transfer heat to your brake fluid until the fluid actually boils. The bubbles in the fluid rob it of its stopping power, potentially causing your brakes to fail at a disastrous moment.

Get into the habit of tapping your brakes occasionally to slow your vehicle gradually, which will allow the brakes to cool themselves down intermittently. When you must go down an extended hill, downshift into a lower gear to slow your car via the transmission.

2. Letting Your Gas Supply Run Low: Fuel Pump Failure

You might feel overly worried to see your car’s fuel gauge needle creeping to the Empty mark, especially when you know that a gas station lies just up the road. Unfortunately, while you might reach that gas station before you run completely dry, you may have already damaged your car by that point.

Gasoline does more than just drive your car’s cylinders; it also plays an important role as a coolant for the electric motor that powers your car’s fuel pump. If the fuel pump starts taking in the air instead of gas, the resulting heat buildup can cause the fuel pump to fail. A failed fuel pump can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.

Keep your fuel tank at least one-quarter full at all times, even if you have to adjust your anticipated route in advance to permit it. This habit should ensure that your fuel pump receives enough gas for cool, safe operation.

3. Shifting Sloppily: Transmission Trouble

Drivers of manual transmissions quickly learn how to shift gears without thinking too much about it, while drivers of automatic transmissions may assume that they don’t have to think about their shifting practices at all. However, shifting gears improperly or with the wrong timing can leave you with serious repair bills.

Some drivers don’t pay enough attention to the relationship between their transmission and their brakes. For example, if you fail to come to a complete stop before shifting between drive and reverse, you force the transmission band to act as a brake. The extra stress can destroy this critical transmission component.

Resist the temptation to rev your car from a neutral gear position and then shift into drive. You might get a welcome forward thrust out of this maneuver, but you’ll also strain the transmission band.

Curb any tendency you may have to shift your car into park before you’ve actually come to a complete stop. This habit transfers all the braking responsibility to the parking claw, which may break it.

White’s Automotive Center can evaluate your car and let you know about any problems that might benefit from different driving behaviors. Contact us to request an inspection.

Driving Less These Days? Maintain Your Car Anyway

During these days of social distancing and work-from-home precautions, many people drive significantly less than they once did. If you fall into that group, you might assume that the fewer miles you put on your car, the less you need to worry about maintaining it. In reality, however, long periods of inactivity can do a car more harm than good.

Whether you have aspirations to return to your normal routine soon or you have simply reduced your driving needs substantially, careful upkeep can ensure that your car will be ready for you when you do need it. Here are some vehicle maintenance issues and strategies to keep in mind.

Sedentary Cars and Fluids

Your car may not lose or burn up its various automotive fluids if it mostly sits in a garage, but it can still suffer from fluid-related problems. Engine oil, coolant, and other fluids play a vital role in keeping internal components lubricated. This lubrication not only prevents rust from settling into metal parts but also preserves the integrity of rubber or plastic parts that might otherwise crack or crumble.

Even 20 minutes of sustained driving per week can keep these fluids moving through your car just enough to protect its moving parts, hoses, and gaskets. Between those small trips, keep an eye out for puddles underneath the vehicle and check your fluid levels. Remember that some fluids, such as power steering fluid, have a cold-engine level as well as a warm-engine level.

Sedentary Cars and Battery Drainage

The lead-acid battery that starts your car will naturally drain over time. Interactions between the volatile chemicals in the car will inevitably lead to deterioration, with the average battery lasting about three years under normal driving conditions. A routine of minimal or no driving, however, can leave you with a completely dead battery.

Car batteries naturally drain at a rate of about five percent per month. When you drive your car, the motion of the serpentine belt conveys power to the alternator, which in turn charges the battery. Even idling the car can produce enough electricity to recharge the battery, although the process will take longer. Your auto service technician can check your battery’s charge level with a voltmeter.

If you don’t even have the option of idling your car from time to time, consider investing in a battery tender. This device, also called a float charger, can charge a low or dead battery without any need to start the car. The battery tender attaches directly to the battery terminals at one end, and to an electrical outlet at the other, thus feeding your home’s electricity into the battery.

Prolonged exposure to extreme weather can also cause a battery to die prematurely. Keep your sedentary car in your garage if at all possible, or at least cover it with an insulating cover.

Sedentary Cars and Tire Pressure

Just as batteries tend to lose their charge over time, tires tend to lose a small amount of air pressure, on the order of one to three pounds per square inch every month. After six months, a set of tires may have lost 18 pounds per square inch of pressure, a significant portion of their total capacity. This sets the stage for blowouts or other dangers the next time you drive the car.

Extended disuse in cold weather can cause even more trouble for your tires. Cold temperatures can cause tires to lose air pressure even more rapidly than usual. The combination of low pressure and cold-stiffened rubber can lead to a condition known as flat spotting. When you drive the car, you will experience a rough, noisy ride until the tires warm up. Flat spotting can even become permanent.

Avoid letting your car sit on a cold surface for weeks or months a time without driving it. If you can keep the car garaged, your tires will run less risk of flat spotting. Check the tire pressure once a month and add any necessary air to keep your tires in their proper configuration.

White’s Automotive Center can help you keep your car in optimal shape, whether you drive it regularly or not. Contact us to learn more.

How to Read Your Automotive Fluids

Your automotive fluids can tell you a great deal about the state of your car’s health. Just as doctors diagnose physical disorders from laboratory samples, an auto mechanic can troubleshoot problems based on the level, color, and odor of your automotive fluids.

Even before you place that call for help or drive your car into our auto shop, you can get a head start on understanding your vehicle’s potential problems by reading your car’s various fluids. Here’s a quick overview of some common trouble signs.

Low Levels

Some automotive fluids naturally tend to get used up over time, while others should remain at the same level constantly. For instance, automakers actually expect engine oil levels to drop a bit between recommended service intervals, regarding a certain amount of engine oil consumption as normal.

The older a vehicle gets, the more rapidly it may burn oil. A vehicle with worn piston rings, valve stems, or seals may also leak or burn excessive amounts of oil. If your dipstick reading shows that you lose more than a quart of oil every 3,000 miles, you could have a leak or other problem that needs fixing.

Other kinds of fluids usually drop only if your vehicle definitely has a leak. Automatic transmission fluid reservoirs include a dipstick for easy inspection, while manual transmission fluid levels must be checked with the car lifted.

The fluid levels in your coolant reservoir and your brake fluid reservoir should both rest at the two-thirds mark. If these levels appear low, refill them as soon as possible. Low brake fluid, in particular, requires immediate attention.

Color Changes

Automotive fluids come in a veritable rainbow of colors. In some cases, the color of the fluid can even help you determine whether you have the right fluid for the job. For example, different makes of cars typically call for specific types of automatic transmission fluid, each of which may have a different color.

The fluids in your car may change color over time as they become increasingly burnt or dirty. Engine oil may transform from a golden color to a black or dark brown shade, a sign that it can no longer protect the engine properly. Brake fluid should also look golden in color, not black.

Transmission fluid may come in blue-green, lime-green, pink, or orange variations. Whatever fluid color you started out with, however, is the color you should still see in your reservoir. If the transmission fluid has turned brown, go ahead and have it replaced. Born power steering fluid (which should appear red or pink) also needs changing.

Strange Smells

When you check your vehicle’s fluids, don’t just examine the level and look at the color; use your nose as well. A burnt smell coming from any fluid may mean that the fluid has gotten old and worn out. In addition to old or dirty engine oil, this odor can indicate that your (normally sweet-smelling) transmission fluid has seen better days.

Some automotive fluid odors can verge on the bizarre. For instance, brake fluid can take on an oddly fishy smell, especially if your car has developed a problem with its master cylinder. Burnt power steering fluid smells like toasted marshmallows. Whenever you pick up these smells, check your fluid levels and colors.

Think of your vehicle’s fluids as an extra early-warning system that helps to detect problems that need professional care. At the same time, remember to get these fluids checked and changed regularly. Call White’s Automotive Center for emergency assistance, or stop by our auto shop Monday through Saturday to get your vehicle inspected and/or serviced.