Car shakes at high speeds, steering difficult

ANSWER : It is very possible that you have a valve cover gasket or spark plug tube seal leak on your vehicle. These type of leaks will allow oil to leak onto the spark plugs causing misfires. When the engine misfires due to oil getting on the spark plug, the engine oil will burn. Since oil and tires are both petroleum products, they will both smell similar when they are burning. I would recommend having an oil leak inspection performed by a qualified professional to determine if there is an oil leak. Consider YourMechanic as an Oil/Fluid leak inspection can be peformed at your home or office.

ANSWER : Considering the mileage on your car, there could be some worn out pieces in the front and rear suspension. The links that attach the wheels to the body of the car have rubber pivot points that eventually lose their elasticity and begin to crack and tear. This might be what is causing your creaking sound. The vibration you’re getting may be related to that, or it could be that you have badly balanced or worn tires. Vibrations caused by an imbalance often go away above certain speeds. For your safety and peace of mind, you should have this checked out. You can have that done at your convenience by contacting Your Mechanic. They can send a technician to your home or office to check out your Hyundai and let you know what steps need to be taken.

ANSWER : Hi there. Check the high and low circuits with a digital meter for a voltage reading. The low should have a lower voltage reading than the high. I recommend putting the wires on the high selection to prevent the engine from overheating at any time. If you need further assistance with hooking up your radiator fan motor, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

ANSWER : I have only seen this situation once in my 30+ years and it turned out to be a broken crankshaft pulley. Belts are driven by the engine. The crankshaft pulley spins the belts, which in turn spin the air conditioner compressor, power steering and water pumps, and the alternator. The vehicle should be towed to your local repair shop and not driven. Without the water pump spinning to circulate the coolant, the engine will quickly overheat and result in more extensive damage.

ANSWER : Hi there. What had happened is the wrong key set the security to the vehicle. This is to prevent the vehicle from starting with the wrong keys. Try removing the battery cables (+) and (-) for 13 minutes. During that time, put the original key in the ignition and turn it on. Activate everything in the car even though there is no power. Then remove the key and hook up the battery cables. The computer should have reset and reset the security. If the security is still being tripped, then I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you

ANSWER : The only way to determine if the collision caused damage is to carefully MEASURE the alignment and, as well, the frame dimensions using a tram. If those steps have not been specifically taken, what the mechanics have told you about "no damage" is meaningless. If the dealer has told you there is a problem with the steering rack, there very well could be and that possibility should be investigated. If the rack is faulty, it should be repaired or replaced. There is not supposed to be any clunking noises when you turn the steering wheel. The fact that there is a noise indicates a problem. The noise could be due to a problem with the strut bearing that allows the strut to turn freely with the steering knuckle, a defective tie rod end, a sway bar link or component and so forth. If you have hydraulically (not electric) assisted powered steering, loss of power assist could be due to a fault with the pump, the pump drive belt, or rack. Based on what you are describing, I would recommend you request a steering inspection – intermittent loss of assist and the responding certified mechanic will pinpoint the origin of the noise, as well as the cause of loss of assist, and get the required repairs implemented. With regard to the possibility of damage to the suspension and/or frame due to the collision, the ONLY way to determine that is to have those components measured using the appropriate tools and having in hand the Factory Service Manual which contains every relevant frame measurement for reference. You CANNOT visually look at a vehicle and determine if it is straight and undamaged because some of the specifications are measured within tens of thousandths of an inch (toe, for example) or tiny fractions of a degree (wheel camber). A carefully selected shop with trained individuals will have to perform such an inspection. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.

ANSWER : Hi there, thanks for writing in. Being that you’re a new driver, if you live in the United States; I’d take advantage of a great program aimed at teens called B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everybody Safe). It’s based in North Carolina, but they have BRAKES events across the US. They teach defensive driving tactics and also how to gauge the overall width, length of your vehicle.

Without knowing what type of vehicle you’re planning on driving first, it’s difficult for us to tell you what reference point is good. However, when driving, having your hands at 10 o’clock and two o’clock position is the best for easy and safe operation of the steering wheel. It’s also a good idea for you to take a basic driving education class; which can easily be researched online.

ANSWER : The pull, or jerking, at low speed could be due to an internal belt separation in the tread of a tire(s) which defect might not be externally visible. In a circumstance such as this, with the symptoms you are describing, IF the tires have irregular wear and less than 4/32 or 5/32 tread depth remaining, you should just replace the tires as a set, get them properly balanced and see if that resolves the issue. The alignment should also be verified immediately AFTER the new tires are installed (alignments with worn tires are not accurate). When replacing the tires, ask the shop to evaluate the wheels for damage and ask them to be sure each wheel runs true on the balance machine. If new, properly balanced tires do not resolve all the symptoms, I recommend you schedule a vehicle vibration diagnostic and a certified Mechanic will identify the issue during that and explain the needed repairs. Basically, with new balanced tires, if there is a remaining vibration it could be due to any rotating component and, as well, could be due to, or aggravated by, looseness or wear in the front suspension.