If your automobile is special to you, you will want to replace the engine when it needs it rather than get rid of your car. We get that here at Miller Brothers Auto Repair. Sometimes, car repairs are so extensive that the engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Here are five signs that your car, truck, utility vehicle, or van needs a new engine rather than continued auto repairs.
1. Constant Overheating
Constant overheating can be a sign of a greater problem that extends beyond the cooling system. A cracked engine block, for example, will make your vehicle overheat all the time. This is not something that can be repaired. Rather, the engine will need to be replaced. If your vehicle overheats no matter how often you have the cooling system repaired, something more serious is wrong.
2. Knocking Sounds
Knocking sounds can also be a sign of extensive engine damage that will require an engine replacement. For example, if you’ve broken a rod, the knocking sounds that you are hearing are the pistons slamming against the crankshaft walls. You won’t be able to drive your automobile when it is in this condition. Other problems that cause knocking sounds include improper engine detonation that damages the cylinders.
3. Metal Shavings
If you have metal shavings in your motor oil, your engine is a goner. In fact, metal shavings in motor oil usually kill the engine within a few hours. The shavings are picked up by the motor oil as it flows through the engine, and this metal is actually disintegrating engine parts. As the oil makes its way through the engine, the metal shavings will clog up moving parts and seize up your engine.
4. Nonstop Exhaust
Even if you drive a diesel engine, nonstop vehicle exhaust that is excessive is a sign of serious engine trouble. If the exhaust pouring out of your tailpipe is black, your vehicle is burning excess fuel, which can be dangerous. If the exhaust is blue or gray, you’ve got oil mixing with the air and fuel in the combustion chamber, i.e., a serious oil leak. White exhaust is caused by burning engine coolant.
5. Power Loss
Finally, you might need a new engine because the old engine just doesn’t have any life anymore. Engines have life spans, and even the best maintenance will not make them last forever. If your engine has lived as long as it is going to, you will find that no repair will restore the power that you have lost. Rather, it’s time for a new engine, and we can do that here at Miller Brothers Auto Repair in Somerset, WI.