Do your sensors have sense to keep you vehicle operating at safest optimal levels on McHenry roads?

You turn onto Crystal Lake Road on the way to First Midwest Bank in McHenry when you notice that the car doesn’t seem to have the same pep when you step on the gas pedal. You’re headed South on Green Street on your way to jh Events and Flowers on Municipal Drive when the engine coolant sensor comes on in your dashboard. You’re driving east on Route 120 bringing your pet to Riverside Animal Clinic when the engine starts running rough. All of these problems and more could have something to do with a sensor gone bad.

Computers play an increasingly large role today in the operation of the vehicles we drive. The computers make adjustments based on feedback they receive from numerous sensors built into the vehicle. You may have as many as 30 sensors in your vehicle but probably as many as 12, unless you drive an older car – a significantly older car.

When sensors go bad the information they provide is often wrong. Operating on bad info the computers fail to call for the proper adjustments to optimize the operation of your vehicle. You’ll often notice this in the performance of your vehicle. Sometimes, you’ll notice because the sensor controlled a warning light and that light is flashing or lighted to let you know there’s a problem.

The sensors affect the operation of the engine, the brakes, emission, and safety features. They can seriously affect the operation of the vehicle, the braking system, the gas mileage and the safety of the driver and passengers.

Here is a list of sensors you may have in your vehicle:

Anti-lock Brake sensor(s)
Air conditioning pressure sensor
Camshaft angle sensor
Crankshaft angle sensor
Crash sensors
Drive shaft rotation sensor
Door ajar sensors
Engine compartment temperature sensor
Engine coolant temperature sensor
Engine temperature sensor
Exhaust gas recirculation valve position sensor
Exhaust oxygen sensor(s)
Fuel Temperature sensor
Fuel vapor pressure sensor
Heater and air conditioning temperature sensor
Manifold air temperature sensor
Mass airflow sensor
Outside air temperature sensor
Seatbelt sensor
Seat pressure sensor
Spark knock sensor
Steering angle sensor
Steering wheel sensor
Transmission oil temperature sensor
Vehicle speed sensor
Windshield cracked sensor

Those are quite a few sensors. When they’re all operating correctly, your vehicle will probably run like a top, stop on a dime and keep you safe (assuming your vehicle is, otherwise, in good shape) on McHenry roads and beyond.

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