When looking for the cause of any malfunction, the first step is to decide where to start looking. Sometimes it's obvious, but other times it takes a bit of detective work. A car owner doing half a dozen different adjustments or replacements can be successful in troubleshooting (or its symptom), but will not gain a single drop of experience in case the malfunction occurs again, and it is quite possible that he will spend more time and money than is really necessary. If you think about the future, a calm and logical approach would be more appropriate. Always pay attention to any signs of a possible malfunction or abnormality that were noticed before the malfunction occurred: loss of power, low or high gauge readings, unusual odors, etc. And remember that malfunctioning items such as fuses or spark plugs may only be signs of some other cause.
The following is a handy quick reference guide to the most common problems you may encounter with your vehicle. These faults and the possible causes of their occurrence are grouped by element or system under the appropriate headings, such as, for example, «Engine», «Cooling system» etc. In addition, chapters are indicated in parentheses (or) a paragraph that deals with one or another malfunction. Whatever the problem, there are some basic principles to keep in mind, as outlined below.
Is there a malfunction. This simply means that before you start working, you must make sure that the malfunction is present, and you must know its symptoms. This is especially important if you are helping to find a malfunction for some person who did not describe it very accurately to you.
Don't overlook the obvious. For example, if the engine does not start, check if there is gasoline in the tank? Do not take anyone's word for it, and do not trust the indications of the level indicator! If there is an electrical problem, first check for loose or broken wires.
Treat the disease, not the symptom. Replacing a dead battery with a charged one will relieve you of strained shoulders, but if the cause is not found, then the same thing will happen with a new battery. In the same way, by replacing oily spark plugs with a new set, you will be able to drive again, but remember that the cause of oiling (if it was not just the wrong choice of candle type) so it will remain to be identified and corrected.
Don't take anything for granted. In particular, do not forget that «new» item may be defective (especially if it has been lying in the trunk for months), and do not exclude items from the troubleshooting chain just because they are new or recently installed. When you eventually identify the hard-to-find cause of a malfunction, you will probably realize that all of its symptoms were present from the very beginning.