With the engine being one of the most, if not the most, important part on your car it is important that you check it thoroughly especially if it is on a used car that you are planning on buying. If you were to replace the engine in some cars the engine can cost more than the car when buying a new engine. There are a variety of checks you can do so to make sure you check the engine properly, follow the steps below:
- Smoke (blue) - If the car does have blue smoke coming out of the exhaust then this means the engine is bringing oil through the cylinders and burning oil through out the system. This, as you may already know, is not a good thing for the condition of the engine and can eventually cause the engine to fail. It is normally caused by a leak in one of the engine valves and is quite difficult to rectify so if the car shows a sign of this then it is advised that you don't buy the vehicle as there can be many more costs on top of the price you pay in total.
- Engine noises - Under no circumstances should the engine make loud noises so switch the engine on and listen for any noises coming from the engine. If the engine makes loud shaking noises this could mean the parts in the engine have had excessive use. If there are any whistling sounds coming from the engine then this could mean it has a loose fan belt. If the engine does make lots of noise then it usually means it will soon need quite a lot of work, however, keep in mind that diesel cars will always be a bit noisier than petrol cars so some noise is to be expected from diesel engines.
If you are unsure on checking any part of the vehicle you can always hire a professional to examine the engine for you. This is advised especially if you think there is a problem but you can't see what it is, if you do find the problem then you may be able to get the price of the vehicle reduced slightly.
- The internal engine - Just by looking at the engine on the inside you can tell if it has been well maintained, a poorly maintained engine will most likely have a thick oil layer over the parts in the engine. This sludge could be the result of low oil levels or poor quality oil being used, the oil affects the engine massively and eventually could cause the engine to fail even though many think of it as a small factor when maintaining your engine. A well maintained engine will still have some dirt but it should not be thick or oily it should be fairly clean in comparison to the poor one. If the engine looks extremely clean then you should check the actual oil its self if the oil color is light brown then this is a good sign, however, if the oil is black then there definitely is a problem. Also if the oil looks clean and was said to have been changed that morning after your test drive check it again just to make sure the oil being pumped through the system is as clean as that was in the tank.