Even when you stay on top of engine maintenance, it does not guarantee that your engine will never need repair. Knowing the signs of trouble can give you timely warning of impending engine trouble and turn a potential major problem into a minor issue.

Signs of engine trouble:

Warning Lights: If your check engine light or any other warning light is blinking or on, we suggest you bring your vehicle to Falcon Car Care for a diagnostic test. Even tough a check engine light could mean something as simple as a loose gas cap, it could also be a sign of engine malfunction.

When you turn the car on, the dashboard lights up. This is the car’s computer checking everything out. One by one, each of the lights turns off and you’re ready to drive.

If they don’t turn off, though, it’s a sign of something wrong. Each of these lights are connected to sensors that monitor everything your car does. If something seems wrong, the sensors signal the computer to turn on a warning light to tell you that there may be a problem.

The lights you’ll probably want to pay the most attention to are:

• Check Oil/Oil Level Low
• Oil Pressure Low
• Check Engine

Shaking, Jerking and Strange Noises:
If your car is shaking, jerking or you hear strange noises under the hood, that’s a pretty strong sign of engine trouble. It could be due to fouled spark plugs, clogged fuel lines or fuel filter, bad bearings, or many other issues. Essentially this is not a good thing and you should have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible

Smoke (Front or Rear):
Whether the smoke comes from the front or back of the car, it’s not a good thing. The color of the smoke may give an indication of the actual issue. Blue smoke through the tailpipe can be an indication of oil being burned with fuel due to to worn or damaged seals. White smoke is an indication of water or antifreeze being mixed with fuel and an early warning of head gasket or even a crack on the head or engine block.

Please note that white smoke when you first start the engine on cold morning is normal as long as it goes away after a brief warm-up period.