Not Diagnosing the Original Engine Failure

In the list of most common engine installation errors, nothing ranks higher than failing to diagnose the original problem correctly. Diagnosis is a pain. It’s tedious. Often, it’s a process of eliminating likely suspects to arrive at an accurate conclusion. Getting it right the first time is imperative, especially when dealing with something as costly as installing a new engine.

Don’t Be a “Parts Changer”

The term “parts changer” came about as a direct result of the difficulty inherent with accurately diagnosing engine problems. A parts changer is someone who does nothing but throw parts at a car until the problem is fixed. Don’t be a parts changer, even when you find cheap engines and swapping parts seem cost effective, it’s not.

You can’t afford it. It’s inefficient, doesn’t address the actual problem in most situations and is costly to both yourself and your customers. Correctly diagnosing the cause of engine problems can be time consuming, but it pays off in the end with less frustration and a happier customer.

Determining the Actual Cause

When it comes to engine problems, there are seven broad categories with various causes. These are:

Hesitation

Stalling

Lack of Power

Exhaust Smoke

Detonation

Consuming Too Much Oil

Rough Idle