Your eyes are a powerful tool in diagnosing your care. There are many car mechanics in Melrose MA that can tell you there are times that your sense of sight can help you determine what is wrong with your car by the color of smoke or the color of the liquid that might be under your car. If you find that your car is emitting smoke or leaking fluids you might be able to tell the problem with your car before taking it into an auto mechanic.

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The first thing that you should do is determine if your car is dispersing smoke of any kind. This might be from the tailpipe or from the hood. Car mechanics in Melrose MA understand that when there is smoke coming from a car there is a problem and one should note if the smoke is coming from the tailpipe or from under the hood you will also want to make sure that you note the color of the smoke. If you have white smoke coming from the tailpipe of your car this would be an indication that you have antifreeze or water in the engine cylinder. This is a clear indication that you have a head gasket that has failed. There are a few things that will cause black smoke to come out of your tailpipe. This could be an indication that you have a problem with the carburetor, fuel pump, fuel injection system, or the fuel pump. Generally when dealing with black smoke from the tail pipe you will need a car repair soon. When there is a problem with the O-ring, seal, or gasket you may see blue smoke coming from your tailpipe.  When you have white smoke coming from your hood you are generally dealing with a leaky water pump or you might be dealing with a leaky radiator. If you find that there is black smoke coming from your hood you might have a problem with a leaking gasket or you might be burning oil.

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Now that car mechanics in Melrose MA have gone over the various types of smokes to look out for you should get familiar with the various spots of liquid you might encounter when you are working on your car. For the most part when you are dealing with fluids you will want to check the colors to determine what the fluid is and where you might possibly have a leak. If you see a puddle of a bright green fluid you are more than likely looking at a radiator leak. If you see a puddle of red fluid you will generally need to be looking at a transmission leak or steering fluid leak. You will need to make sure that you are looking at a red fluid and not a brown fluid. If you determine that you are looking at a puddle of brown liquid then you are more likely dealing with a leak in the engine or a lubrication leak. A clear puddle of fluid would indicate that there is a leak in the power steering or it could simply be from your air conditioner. Generally when you are looking at fluids and find a puddle of blue fluid you would more than likely dealing with a windshield washer system.

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Now that you are familiar with the number of items you can check with your sight you should think about the items that you can hear. There are some noises that car mechanics in Melrose MA think that you should be familiar with. The first noise would be a loud squealing noise which will more than likely be an indication that you have a loose belt. If you notice that there is a clunking sound coming from your car you might be dealing with a problem with the car’s CV joint or universal joint. A clicking sound that you notice and it increases as you increase speed may indicate that you have something stuck in your tire. You might experience a clanking or thumping sound and have problems steering this would be an indication that you have a problem with your tire-rod or ball-joint.

Using your senses can allow you to figure out what is wrong with your vehicle before there is a more severe problem. The longer you let a problem go the more you are going to end up paying in the long run. You will want to make sure that you are being proactive by looking for smoke or leaks, listening for a problem or in some cases feel shakes to determine there is a problem with your car.

For more information on car mechanic’s in Melrose MA feel free to give us a call at (617) 361-3100.