Albany Auto Repair

Why Is My Car Cranking But Not Starting?   Your car not starting is a huge inconvenience, and no one has time for that. We’ve talked about batteries and starting issues before. When a car will turn over or crank but not start, that’s not typically a battery issue.  The engine in your automobile requires all the systems to work in order for it to start and run. While these systems can be complex, they can be categorized into four simple functions.   Fuel, air, spark, and compression. If your fuel injectors aren’t supplying fuel to the engine, then there is nothing for the engine to ignite. There is a pump and filter that supplies the fuel to those injectors, and the computer controls all of it. If anything fails, then fuel won't be sent to the injectors.   If your air filter is plugged, then the engine can’t breathe properly and won’t be able to burn the fuel. Also, a sensor that monitors the air intake could fail, making the e ... read more

What Can I Do to Remove Engine Oil Sludge? What is engine oil sludge? Oil sludge, or buildup, happens when proper maintenance is not done or in extreme conditions.    There are some engine issues that can cause oil sludging, but regardless we have the ability to clean it up no matter the cause.   Our partner, Northwest BG,  also provides us with a combination of chemicals to deep clean your engine and keep it clean afterwards.    The BG Engine Performance Service cleans the deposits, prevents future deposits from forming, and helps restore fuel economy and performance. This service is great for an automobile that has been neglected from proper oil changes, poor quality oil used, or severe use conditions.    It is also a great service to add to your regular maintenance, because it helps prevent buildup from the start.   Think of it like this, when you buy a new-to-you vehicle you would like for it to be clean. Your engine likes to b ... read more

Fuel system cleaners are more important than ever before with how complex modern fuel systems are these days.   That’s why we teamed up with BG Services to bring you the best chemicals to service your automobile!    Today we are going to talk about their Fuel System and Intake Services. The reason these services are needed is because carbon can build up in the upper part of the engine because most engines have the fuel injected directly into the engine cylinder vs fuel being injected into the upper intake like they used to be. Even then carbon would build up but not as quickly. When carbon builds up your engine can start to run rough, get poor mileage, and even loose power. Also the fuel we use matters. Some fuel can be pretty dirty and also build up junk in the fuel system.   The Platinum Fuel Service is designed to take care of this issue. By dissolving these build ups and deposits and burning them though the engine. This service is great for breathing ... read more

Why does my car get hot?   Summertime, Bring on the fun and the sun! Some of the best things about summer can give your car the most trouble.   Heat! As we come into the summer months, the warmer temperatures can wreak havoc on your car or truck. It’s already getting warm out there; Texas is melting as we speak! With higher temps, your car's cooling system has to work harder than ever to keep the engine cool and keep you cool inside.    We have gone over the cooling system before, but with summer here now, it's a good time to go over a few things. When your car starts to warm up, your cooling fan will engage, the thermostat opens up, and your water pump may increase its speed.   Usually, that’s enough to keep things under control. But if you have a coolant leak and don’t have enough coolant in your car, then all those things won’t be enough. Or if your fan fails to turn on, the radiator is clogged, or your thermostat gets ... read more

Why Does My Car Shake When I Brake? Usually that's caused by an issue in the brake system, which we discussed earlier in THIS BLOG. Warped brake rotors are usually the cause for a shake while braking. The reason a brake rotor becomes warped can be a few things. Holding your foot on the brakes for long periods of time, pushing very hard on your brakes, or even overloading your car or truck's weight rating can all cause excessive heat in your brake pads and rotors, which in turn warp your steel rotors.  What does warped mean? Normally a brake rotor is a nice flat surface that allows your brake pad to clamp down smoothly when braking. When excessive heat builds up on the rotor, the flat surface starts to form waves. Those waves are what we refer to when we say, “warped” rotors. Now when you step on the brake, the pads and rotors start to shake because the surface isn’t flat anymore.&n ... read more

New automobiles have so much technology in them, that it is very hard to find out what is wrong without needing some special tools. One of the tools commonly used is a scanner. As cars have advanced, so have the tools used to repair them. Before computers and advanced circuitry made its way into cars and trucks, a simple multimeter and a test light took care of most electrical issues in a vehicle.   Those days are long gone! Multimeters and test lights are still valuable tools, but they aren’t going to help with any computer issue. The nice thing about having so many computers in automobiles is when a scanner is used it can help speed up the diagnostic process.    When something goes wrong with the electrical system of a modern car, sometimes it will send an error message to the dash, but sometimes it won’t. That's where a scanner comes in. Scanners will help read error codes, clear error codes, and help a technician pinpoint a faulty sensor, wiring i ... read more