Q: Car smoking

The vehicle identification number (VIN) is a number that is unique to your vehicle, and is used to legally identify your car. The VIN is also necessary for registering your vehicle. You can find the VIN on the top left...

Hi there. Common signs of a blown head gasket are: overheating, thick white smoke from the tail pipe, milky liquid in the oil cap or radiator cap, or loss of coolant. If you would like to have your head gasket...

Hi, thanks for writing in. You most likely have spark plug wires (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-check-spark-plug-wires-by-robert-tomashek) that are leaking spark and grounding out. You should try to replace the distributor cap and rotor (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/distributor-rotor-and-cap-replacement), plug wires (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/ignition-cable-spark-plug-wires-replacement) and spark plugs (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/spark-plugs-replacement). This should...

Hi, thanks for writing in. Common symptoms of a malfunctioning fuel pump (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-fuel-pump) include sputtering at high speeds, loss of power during acceleration, loss of power to the vehicle while under stress, surging, and an engine that will not start....

Your engine requires spark, air, and fuel to start and run properly. Air is almost always present so that leaves spark and fuel. Depending on the vehicle, if a crankshaft sensor (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/crankshaft-position-sensor-replacement) is faulty, the engine control unit may not...

Hi - you have diagnosed this correctly! Part of the shift linkage (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/3-essential-things-to-know-about-your-car-s-gear-shifter) has broken, preventing gear selection. I would recommend a shift linkage inspection to determine what parts to order (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-does-not-shift-from-park-to-drive-inspection) by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one...

Among the possible faults that you have listed, the crankshaft position sensor (CPS) is particularly noteworthy. If the CPS has indeed failed such is a very common cause of no starts. Consequently, your most efficient option would be to request...

There are a couple of things that may cause this situation. A clogged engine air filter or dirty throttle body may not allow the proper amount of air to flow while the engine is idling and cause a low, rough...

Your engine design is of the "interference" type. That means that if the timing belt was not installed correctly (or breaks when the engine is running) and thus the camshaft(s) turns out of synch with the crankshaft, the valves can...