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About This Quiz
"Knowledge is power," that's what they say, right? As the world turns and the years go by, however, certain skills pieces of knowledge aren't valued as much as they used to be. But something that hasn't lost its worth is automotive knowledge. Everyone knows the first person they'd call if they were having car trouble. And, if you're the person who gets called, then you're probably quite popular.Â
But are you as good a car doctor as you think? Do you know what things would likely cause blue, black or white smoke to come from an exhaust? When you apply the brakes, can you assess their condition based on what you hear? If your friend tells you that their car is pulling to the left, what parts do you tell them to check first? The tires? The shocks? The brakes?Â
Maybe your knowledge isn't up to that of a mechanic, but your friends certainly want you there when they're speaking to one. It's time to find out where you stand: Are you the person who gets called or the one who needs to call someone else when there's car trouble?
Its engine could get cold.
Its engine could overheat.
A leaky coolant system is probably the most common reason that a car's engine overheats. Your car's cooling system is essential for keeping its engine's temperature at a safe level. As the coolant drains, the car's cooling system won't perform as well as it should and the engine will eventually overheat.
It could skid.
It could burn fuel.
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The right-hand side tires
The front tires
On front-wheel-drive cars, the two front tires generally wear out faster. On front-wheel-drive cars, the front tires are responsible for accelerating, steering and the majority of the braking. This puts a lot more force through the front tires, causing them to wear out faster than the rears.
The rear tires
The left-hand side tires
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When it's wet
The main purpose of thread on a car tire is to kick out water from the road: This provides a drier surface for the tire to ride on. If the tread has worn away, there's a much higher chance of hydroplaning when it's wet.
When it's dry
When it's very hot
When it's very cold
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A shaky steering wheel
A car's wheel bearings allow its wheels to turn without friction and also help support the vehicle's weight. If they start to fail, they will directly affect the car's driveshaft. Normally, bad wheel bearings only cause the steering wheel to shake when the car takes a corner.
The handbrake won't work.
A rough idle
The engine won't turn over.
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It transports the gasoline to the engine.
It keeps the engine hot.
It keeps the transmission cool.
It reduces friction within the engine.
A lot of parts need to move very quickly for engines to produce power: This means that they run hot. These moving parts create a lot of friction, which is where engine oil comes into play. Engine oil acts as a lubricant, so it reduces friction and stops the engine from overheating.
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Reduced gas mileage
Decreased top speed
A dead battery
One of the alternator's jobs is to recharge a car's battery. If the alternator fails, then the car's battery won't recharge and will keep supplying energy to the car's electrical components until it dies.
A broken transmission
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Grinding
If you hear a grinding sound when you apply the brakes, it's usually because the brake disc is coming into contact with the caliper. This will happen if your brake pads have almost completely worn away. If you hear this, you need to get to a garage ASAP.
Hissing
No sound
A thumping sound
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Brake fade
When a car's brakes fade, there's a temporary reduction or complete loss of braking force. As heat builds up on the surface of brake discs and brake pads, these components aren't able to generate sufficient friction. Braking systems rely on this friction to operate properly.
The car will speed up.
The tires will overheat.
The brake pedal won't work.
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The fuel pump
The battery
No competition here, a problem with your car's battery is the most likely reason it won't start. This could be down to you leaving the lights on or a faulty electrical system that drained the battery. Or it could be because the battery has come to the end of its life, which could be anywhere from three to five years.
The spark plugs
The fuel line
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Increase gas mileage
Keep the engine running smoothly
Lubricate parts of the transmission
There are a lot of moving parts that cause friction in a transmission system, so transmission fluid is there to serve as a lubricant. It also helps to keep operating temperatures down and clean and protect the metal surfaces.
Improve acceleration
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Inflate the tires.
Let some air out of the tires.
Letting some air out of your vehicle's tires when it's stuck in mud can be enough to help you get out. Letting some air out puts more of the tire's surface area in contact with the ground, which can provide more grip in poor conditions.
Keep the revs high.
Reverse
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Brakes overheating
Engine overheating
Car pulling to one side
Over time, a vehicle's wheels can become misaligned. This is more likely to happen if you drive over poor surfaces, such as potholes, frequently. This misalignment means that, even if the steering wheel is straight, the car will pull to one side.
A rough engine idle
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Free up stuck nuts and bolts
Protect materials from weather damage
Spark plug maintenance
Replacement for windshield wiper fluid
Windshield wiper fluid isn't a scam, it has crucial ingredients which mean it shouldn't be replaced with anything else: especially not WD40! Most importantly, windshield wiper fluid has an antifreeze agent that stops it from freezing when the temperature drops.
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Has water in the engine
Has an excessively lean air/fuel mixture
Has water in the gas tank
Has an excessively rich air/fuel mixture
A flooded engine has an excessively rich air/fuel mixture which exceeds the upper explosive limit. This means the engine won't start until the excessively rich mixture has been cleared. Usually, this is best done by letting it sit for a while and letting evaporation work.
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15 - 18 psi
22 - 25 psi
32 - 35 psi
Most manufacturers recommend that car tires are inflated to somewhere between 32-35 psi. Often you can find the exact psi recommendation on the sticker on the inside of the driver's side door panel.
38 - 41 psi
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Every 30,000 miles
Every 50,000 miles
Every 80,000 miles
Never, they don't have any.
Diesel engines don't have any spark plugs, as a spark isn't used to ignite the fuel. Diesel has a lower self-ignition temperature and so can be ignited by the compression of air during a compression stroke.
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A grinding noise when you turn the key
Black smoke from the exhaust
From grinding noises to the engine not turning over, numerous symptoms point to a failing starter motor. But black smoke coming from the exhaust isn't one of them.
Smoke coming from under the engine
An engine that won't crank
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Underinflation
Underinflated tires can produce abnormal wear on the outside perimeter of the tire. Underinflated tires tend to fold inward, which puts greater pressure on the outside of the tire.
Overinflation
Driving too fast
Driving too slow
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Hot
Cold
Rich
When there's too much fuel in the air/fuel mixture an engine is said to be running "rich". The inverse of this is when there's too much air in the air/fuel mixture, in which case the engine is said to be running '"lean".
Lean
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Poor braking performance
Spark plugs ignite the air/fuel mixture in a car's cylinders. So, when they're faulty or failing, there are several symptoms. Spark plugs have no impact on the braking system, however.
Reduced gas mileage
A rough idle
Reduced acceleration
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Cylinder
An intake valve brings a mixture of air and gas into the cylinder. A piston then moves up and compresses this mixture before a spark plug ignites it. This ignition creates an explosion in the cylinder, which pushes the piston back down.
Crankshaft
Connecting rod
Sump
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They'll flash slower than normal.
They won't work.
They'll flash faster than normal.
A car's blinkers are set to operate at a specific electrical resistance. When a bulb burns out the resistance is weakened, and this causes the rest of the bulbs to blink faster. Note that this is not true of all cars, but on older models it's a good rule of thumb.
They'll stay on constantly.
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Maybe
Yes
No
Put simply, you need to operate the clutch manually to push start a car. Push starting involves using brute force to get the car moving fast enough that the engine will start when you engage the clutch. Since you can't do this with an automatic transmission, push-starting is out of the question.
It depends on the brand.
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Ticking noises from the engine
A rough idle
Occasional misfires
Loss of traction
Timing belts synchronize the rotation of a car's crankshaft and camshaft. This ensures that the engine's valves open and close at the correct times. As the condition of a car's timing belt gets worse, the driver will experience more engine-related problems.
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Cylinders
Wheels
Shock absorbers
Engine pistons
The fundamental job of a car's crankshaft is to translate the linear motion of the engine's pistons into rotational movement. Since the pistons are connected to the crankshaft, they won't move if it seizes.
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The car pulling to one side.
The brake pedal is slow to come up.
High-pitched sounds when braking
All of the above
Brake calipers don't tend to stick too often, but when they do, you'll probably notice a wide range of symptoms. One of the most noticeable problems will be the car pulling to one side after you've stopped braking. This is dangerous, and certainly isn't a problem to let linger.
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Engine Control Unit
Practically every modern car has an Engine Control Unit (ECU). The ECU monitors and controls the car's electrical systems and subsystems. Your mechanic has a device that can "read" the codes generated by the ECU, although you can get one yourself for a small investment.
Emergency Control Unit
Electronic Care Unit
Electronic Control Unit
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White smoke coming from the exhaust
Above-average fuel economy
Black smoke coming from the exhaust
If there's too much fuel relative to the amount of air available, it can lead to incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuel produces black carbon particles. These particles are what you see when looking at black smoke coming out of an exhaust.
Better acceleration than usual
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When the car is stuck in deep snow
There are very few instances in which turning off your traction control would be a good idea. But, sometimes, reducing your car's power can hinder its progress, like when you're stuck in deep snow. If the traction control is enabled under these conditions, it may prevent you from getting out of the snow as it will keep cutting in when you lose traction.
When the roads are icy
When you're driving fast
When you're in traffic
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After driving for 15 minutes
After the car has been stationary for a few hours
The best time to check tire pressure is after a car has been stationary for a while, as the tires should be cold. If you check tire pressure straightaway after driving, then the tires will be hot due to the friction from the road. This heat causes the air in the tires to expand and show a higher psi reading.
After driving for two hours
Anytime, it's all the same.
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Fully lower the car.
Tighten the lug nuts.
Mount the spare wheel.
Remove the jack.
After you've mounted the spare wheel you'll need to lower the car slightly before tightening the bolts. Finally, you can lower the car completely before removing the jack and putting it back in your trunk.
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Jack the car up.
Loosen the lug nuts.
Put the wheel chocks into position.
Once you've pulled over to a safe position and applied the handbrake, you need to put the wheel chocks into position. The chocks should be placed on the wheel opposite to the one with the puncture. This prevents the car from rolling while it's jacked up. So if the front-left tire is flat, place the chocks on the right-rear tire.
Check the pressure of all your tires.
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Not much, because the car probably won't start.
The car will run as normal.
The engine will explode.
The engine will cut out after a few miles.
Thankfully, diesel nozzles are usually larger than gasoline nozzles which generally prevents misfilling. If diesel does get into a gasoline tank then the engine probably will start, since there will still be gas in the system ... but once the mixed fuel gets there, you're done. You shouldn't try to start the engine and will need to call a tow truck to get you to a garage.
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Cold water
Boiling water
Saltwater solution
A saltwater solution will dissolve the ice on a windshield much faster than plain water. The salt will also lower the freezing temperature of the water, so it's harder for it to refreeze. Never use hot water, as this can cause the glass to crack!
Water mixed with vinegar
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30 seconds
1 - 2 minutes
5 - 10 minutes
Connect the jumper cables (wear rubber gloves and eye protection) and start the car doing the jumping. Leave the cars connected for 5-10 minutes to let the dead battery charge before attempting to start it. Once it starts, be sure to run it at above-idle revs for a while to charge the battery.
25 minutes
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You Got:
/35
