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GENERAL INFORMATION
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TIPS AND TRICKS
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ENGINE
FRONT
END BRAKES
TRANSMISSION
MISC
ENGINE TIPS
Many of today’s autos have timing belts. These are of the same basic materials that the other drive (fan) belts are made of. The timing belt is probably one of the more expensive and more important maintenance items you will have to do. Follow your manufacturer’s time and mileage recommendations for this service. Many of today’s engines are called "interference engines".
This
means if your timing belt
skips or breaks the valve and pistons are no longer in sync and will
hit each
other causing very extensive damage internally to the point of having
to
replace the complete engine itself. A timing belt is a VERY IMPORTANT
SERVICE.
As you can see in the picture above the timing belt in this
case broke and the valves and pistons tried to share the same space at
the same
time. Note the head of a valve stuck and
embedded in the piston. Good-bye
engine, hello big bucks. I would NOT recommend anyone without extensive
experience doing this themselves. Even if you succeed in replacing the
belt and the timing is off by one tooth the engine will not run
properly. If it is off by four or five teeth the damage will have been
done.
When checking engine oil find the dipstick marked "OIL"or "ENGINE", usually yellow on most cars. Always check your oil level with the engine OFF and on level ground. Remove the dipstick and wipe the oil off with a rag or towel then put the dipstick back into the tube. Now pull it out and get a reading. You might have to hold the dipstick to the light to get a good reading as fresh oil can sometimes be hard to see. On the dipstick there will be two marks indicating a maximum and minimum level for the oil. Make it a habit of checking your oil every two weeks.
A "check engine” light on, misfire, stalling condition, or hesitation should be checked immediately. These symptoms can rapidly cause other damage and can lead to very expensive repairs if ignored. If you have a scanner and retrieve a code, don’t just replace the sensor the code refers to. This can become very expensive and the odds are the sensor the code is referring to is not at fault but rather the problem is more likely to be a bad ground, bad connector or a broken wire somewhere in the circuit. This type of problem may better be left to a professional technician. The most common problem for a “check engine” light is a missing or loose gas cap. This will not cause any drivability problems. If your auto develops a “check engine” light shortly after getting gas check and see if the cap is tight and the retaining strap is not wedged underneath it. When refueling your auto make sure you hear several clicks when the attendant or you put the cap back on. Do not leave the engine running or have the ignition key in the on position when refueling. The computer does not understand the fuel level going up while it is running and it senses a large evap leak with the gas cap off. This will cause the light to come on. If your cap was loose just tighten it and within a few drive cycles the computer should be happy and turn the light off. If not a trip to your repair shop is in order to scan the computer for fault codes. Todays auto technology is much more complicated than it was years ago.
If your engine overheats
check the
electric coolant fan. This fan should come on when the coolant
temperature
reaches approximately 220 degrees F. or more. Another check would
be for a coolant leaks. See if the upper and lower radiator hoses are
equally
hot (be careful not to
burn yourself). If one hose is much hotter than
the
other there could possibly be a clogged radiator or stuck thermostat.
Check the
coolant level when the engine cools down.
Never
remove the radiator cap on a hot engine.
Drive (fan) belts are fairly
easy to
change on most
engines. There are two types, the “V”
belt and
the
serpentine belt. On Some
engines the belts are manually adjusted and some have
automatic
tensioners. If
there is no routing
diagram for the belts under the hood be sure to
draw your own diagram
before
removing the old belts. It
is very easy
to forget how the belts went around what and where.
The air filter should be checked and replace whenever it’s dirty or the car has been driven 20,000 miles or so depending on location. For people who regularly drive on dirt or sandy roads, the filter should be checked every 5,000 miles. If the filter gets too dirty the dirt particles can damage the engine cylinder walls, pistons and piston rings. A clogged filter will severely impact fuel economy and engine performance. When replacing the air filter make sure the air tubes are intact and secure. Be careful not to damage the IAT (intake air temperature) or the MAF (mass air flow) sensors.
A clogged fuel filter cannot allow the same amount of fuel to flow through as a new one. Driving with a partially clogged filter on local roads the engine will run normal but at highway or freeway speeds your car may hold back and lack power. You can replace the fuel filter yourself, but without the proper tools and knowledge this can be a messy and potently dangerous job. My suggestion would be to have a certified technician do this.
If you are driving at night with several accessories on such as wipers, heater or air conditioner and you notice the headlights keep getting dimmer and dimmer and soon the engine "dies" and will not restart, the most likely cause is the alternator has failed, not the battery. If the battery happened to be weak the alternator would still keep power to the vehicle until you turned it off and then it would not restart.Top
FRONT END TIPS
Spend a little extra money to do the wheel alignment if your tires wore out from uneven wear. If you don’t the new tires will wear out prematurely and you will spend more money on tires again. The front tires should be exactly the same.
If the car drifts one way or another and/or the steering wheel shakes while driving it should be check very soon. This condition can cause other components to wear plus it is a safety issue. Check the tie rods and the wheel bearings for looseness. If the car drifts one way or other and the tires are wearing evenly try switching the front right and left tires or rotate tires front to rear. This will very often solve the drift problem. If the steering wheel shakes at 50 mph. or more it is likely to be a wheel balance problem. If the steering wheel shakes at 20 to 40 mph. check for a bent wheel or a tire with a bubble or bad belt.Tire pressure is one of the things a car needs to have checked most often. Ideally, you should check them once a month as well as any time they may look low. Also, if you are planning a long trip, tire pressure is one of the main things you should check, along with oil level and other fluids. Once you know the proper pressure for your tires, you are ready to check them yourself. In order to do this, you must unscrew the caps on the tire air valve and press the tire pressure gauge against it. You should make sure you keep the tire pressure gauge as firmly against the tire valve as not to let air come out from it. Check tire wear inside as well as outside edges.
When changing a tire first find a level spot then just loosen the lug nuts ¼ of a turn. Next you should lift the car with the jack. If you do not know how to do this, you can find instructions in your car owner's manual on where to place the jack. You should lift the car until the tire you wish to change is some inches away from the ground. Then finish removing the lug nuts and remove the tire. Reverse procedure to install new tire and recheck torque (tightness) when the wheel is back on ground.
You should inspect the rubber boot that protects the front drive axle joint on both right and left sides and both sides have an inner and outer boots. It is known as the CV (constant velocity) joint. The rubber boots degrade over time and can crack or tear open, which will expose the joint itself and all of the grease will be seen in that area from flinging out when the shaft turns.
Once the boot is
torn dirt
will enter the CV joint leading to premature failure. Inspecting the boots will let you know right away if you have a torn one, so you can replace it before damage is done to the more expensive joint itself.
Replacing the CV joint can cost hundreds of dollars, whereas replacing
the boot alone costs a fraction of that amount.
Top
BRAKES You should use your (emergency) park brake at all times especially if the car is parked on an incline. Not only is this a safety feature but it also keeps all the working parts from rusting and “freezing up” from lack of use. The chances are very good if you apply the park brake after not having used it for an extended period of time that the rusty parts and cable will cause the brake not to release when the handle is pulled. Applying the brake with rusted parts is easily done with hand or foot pressure but only spring tension releases this brake and it will not overcome the rusted springs and cables causing the rear brakes to remain locked up. Checking brake fluid is easy. On most newer cars you can check brake fluid level without removing the cap on the master cylinder. There will be level markings on the side of the plastic reservoir. If you have to remove the cover to check the fluid level, be careful not to spill any fluid on the surrounding paint. Low brake fluid usually indicates either a leak in the system or brake pads worn thin. When the brake pads wear thin the caliper pistons have to travel out of their bores more and brake fluid fills the void, hence a low level in the master cylinder.
Top MISC TIPS
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