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

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

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