What are some symptoms of a bad idle air control sensor?
Idle air control valves open to allow more air to "leak" into the intake, raising the engine rpms, or close when not needed. When your AC compressor kicks in or power steering is activated as you suddenly turn the steering wheel, the sudden drag on the drive belt will bog down the engine. These systems send a signal to the engine computer telling it they are active and it then signals the IAC valve to open, which increases the engine speed. Without this occurring, the engine could struggle, or die. The IAC valve can cause weird idle issues, mess with throttle functionality or cause the car to die. Sometimes they fail, get stuck or just get all carboned up. Sometimes people have success at cleaning them, but generally it is best to replace them when bad. Idle issues and even problems with the IAC valve may not be due to the IAC valve being bad itself. An idle issue does not mean the IAC valve is bad. It is best to pay close attention to how the vehicle is acting, and then communicate that clearly and as completely as possible to your mechanic. Intermittent problems can be very hard to diagnose. Details will help. Knowing more about the vehicle in question and its symptoms (in detail) will also help in understanding more about what it is doing.
Does running completely out of gas have any negative effects on the car? What is the difference between running a diesel and a petrol car out of gas?
Running a gas engine out of fuel doesn’t hurt the engine, but it can have negative effects on the fuel pump.Fuel pumps are either cooled by the gas around them or by the gas that is flowing through them. If you run out of gas, the fuel pump isn’t being cooled anymore and you can damage the pump. Fuel pumps are located in the gas tank in most cars these days. It would probably take several or many times running out of fuel to damage the fuel pump so if you do it once or twice, don’t sweat it. Turn off the key when the engine dies so the fuel pump won’t sit there running. Fill up with fuel and move on with your life. Next time, fill up when the needle gets down around 1/4 - 1/8 tank remaining.Diesels can be difficult to start again if you get air into the fuel lines by running them out of fuel. Of course, you have the same situation as with gas cars - don’t run your electric fuel pump without gas in the tank. shut off the key when you run out of fuel. Fill up the tank before you run out of fuel. Some diesel will start up again if they have an electric fuel pump and you turn the key on/off a few time, waiting for the pump to prime before turning it off then on again. Cycle the fuel pump 4 or 5 time, then see if the diesel will start. If it doesn’t, you may have to manually bleed the air out of the fuel lines. Don’t find out if your diesel is one of those that must be bled when you run out of fuel. Fill up before you run out.
How do I fix my car having a rough idle after replacing the alternator?
You're right to assume that something else going on. Because it is!Personally I'd check to see if the alternator is providing the right amount of voltage. it's not impossible to get the wrong part installed. and when I say that, I don't necessarily mean you chose the wrong part, but during the assembly line a part they grabbed while assembling the alternator could have been or of spec or something. Check the grounds. A lot of the time, over years of use a little sand blasting or sand papering of the hookups does help. while running the engine, disconnect the battery. A poorly performing battery can drag the entire system down. check to make sure your AC ain't causin' problems too. make sure the clutch is spinning or not spinning when not being used. double check the water pump to see if it was messed up. lastly check all your ignition wiring too. depending on the model year and brand, it might be chatty with obd2. if it's carbureted, obviously you won't get any feedback. if it is obd2, there might be information in there that can give you an idea of what's going on. so get a reader and check. also with modern fi engines, they'll run rough after a battery removal for a while. make sure your fuel economy hasn't been affected, if it has, it's a clear indication that something is wrong.
What are the effects of driving a car with a misfiring cylinder?
OK. I am a gear head who loves working on cars and has done so since the 1960’s.If a cylinder is misfiring because of an ignition problem you will, in the short term, just experience a loss of power increase your fuel consumption. In the longer term, continuing to drive it that way could destroy a coil and cost you more money.If, however, the misfire is caused by an injector problem, you could seriously damage your engine. Running that cylinder too lean will cause it to overheat and potentially damage the valve or the piston. If it is running excessively rich the unburned fuel could be washing the lubrication off of the cylinder walls leading to severe wear. In either case, repairing the damage will be expensive.NEVER drive a car that has a problem. NEVER drive a car in which the Check Engine light is on. If the Check Engine light begins to flash, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, NOW! A problem that to you seems small, if not repaired, can cause a lot of damage that will be very expensive to fix.Read your car’s manual. Do exactly what it recommends. Find a mechanic you trust. Doing preventive maintenance will cost you a lot less than repairing the damage caused by neglecting to keep your car serviced.
Will a faulty transmission control module cause a car not to start?
When you say won’t start, is that meaning will not turn over, or will simply crank and not start, big difference. Transmission neutral switch will prevent engine from turning over, but transmission module is a shift control and will not usually prevent car from starting in my experience. If anything, clean connector contacts for some are located in area which collects road grime, so check connections. If you simply put shift in neutral and try again. Moving shift lever through all positions as you are trying to start will sometimes give you your answer if it starts. You need to be more specific as well as make and model to get accurate answer.In the case of no crank situation, here is a way to analyze your starter control module. Most vehicles have a gear selection indicator in dash, so with ignition on, simple watch indicator as you shift from P park to R reverse to N Neutral and each of 1–2–3–4–5 gear positions if you have the typical select shift transmission option. If the indicator coordinates with your shifter, it is likely not your transmission start module. Always try to start your vehicle in the neutral position as well is an easy way to narrow down problem. If it is a dirty transmission position contact, this may solve your no crank situation, check for bad plug connections as well, this is common problem on many models where location of transmission control module is exposed to elements. Again, there are many issues which can stop an engine from starting, so more specifics and model and options would be needed for more accurate answer.Forced-Success-System.com
Why do my hazard lights work, but not my turn signals?
Hazard lights and turn signals use the same bulb, so it is not the bulb, the lamp, or the cables to them. Turn signals only work when the ignition is on; hazard lights work whether the ignition is on or not. The two systems have separate power supplies, so they have separate fuses. You may have a blown fuse.Different vehicles use different circuits, and it is not possible to accurately diagnose the fault with the small amount of information provided. You need a circuit diagram and a voltmeter, and a continuity tester. First locate and test the turn signal fuse. Do you have voltage to and from the turn signal switch?The hazard light switch is not a simple on/off switch. In the “on” position, a fused battery feed connects to left and right turn signal. In the “off” position, the left turn switch wire is connected to the left turn lamp and the right turn switch wire is connected to the right turn lamp, so there are 3 inputs and 2 outputs.The fault could be a fuse, turn signal switch, hazard switch, flasher unit, or a broken wire or connection.