When any malfunction occurs, the first step is to decide where to start looking. Sometimes it's obvious, other times it's not. An owner who has made, without much thought, half a dozen adjustments or replacements, may be lucky and malfunction (and whether its symptoms) will be lost, but he will not know what to do if the malfunction occurs again and he may spend more time and money than necessary. A calm and logical approach will cost less in the long run.
Always take note of any signs of abnormal operation that may have been noticed during the time interval preceding the failure, such as loss of power, high or low gauge readings, unusual odors, etc. Remember that the failure of parts such as fuses or spark plugs can only be the result of basic malfunctions
These pages provide tips to help you troubleshoot the most common problems you may encounter while using your vehicle. These faults and their possible causes are grouped under headings referring to various vehicle components or systems such as engine, cooling system, etc. Possible causes of malfunctions are indicated in brackets by chapters and sections that contain a description of the corresponding repair procedures. When troubleshooting, the following basic principles apply:
Check if there is a problem
You must know exactly what the symptoms of a malfunction are before you begin work. This is especially important if you are helping troubleshoot someone who may not have described the problem very accurately.
Don't miss the obvious
For example, if the car does not start, check if there is gasoline in the tank? (Do not rely on anyone's words and do not trust the fuel level indicator!). If a fault occurs in the electrical circuit, look for a loose connection or broken wire before removing the tester.
Treat the disease, not the symptoms
Replacing a dead battery with a fully charged one will relieve you of the problem for a while, but if you do not find the cause of the discharge, the new battery will also quickly discharge. In the same way, replacing oil-contaminated spark plugs will allow you to continue driving, but remember that the cause of contamination (with the exception of the use of unregulated candles) not excluded - it must be identified and eliminated.
Take nothing for granted
Remember, in particular, that "new" component can have "congenital" defect (especially if it has been lying in the trunk for several months), and in the troubleshooting sequence, do not bypass components just because they are new or recently installed. When you. finally find the source of a difficult problem, you will probably realize that everything was obvious from the very beginning.