| Car Condition Check Ups |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Turnmission Team |
| Sunday, 19 July 2009 23:18 |
|
If you are not a driver yet, most probably u have seen your parents, relatives or even friends doing a car checkup before traveling to outstation to ensure that the engine is in a good condition. This is a good practice too if you can do this for like every week or every month to ensure there is no hassle during everyday driving rather than stopping by the roadside one day due to car breakdown. Below are some tips
in brief on how to do the checking. 1. Checking the cooling water (radiator) If you have read the Lubrication and Cooling part, you'll know how important is this checking. The radiator is vital to the cooling of the car. It can be said as without a radiator, a car cannot run as well. It will heat up very soon. So, checking its water level by ensuring the water reach the optimum level required and no leaking occur will complete this step. Step 1 Check if a reservoir tank is provided in your car's engine bay. It is a water tank that is white color usually and it is half transparent so that you can view the water level (if not proceed to step 2). Make sure the water level did not past the max level or lower than the min level (the max and min level is written on the tank). Step 2 When your car engine is cold, open the radiator cap gently. Warning : do not open the radiator cap when your car engine is hot as it will result the hot water to gush out and might cause injuries. Then, look through the opening and see whether the water is about 10mm or higher from the core surface of the radiator. Refer the figure below for references. This checking is considered done if you pass through either step 1 or 2 or both of them. Caution : if the water level is always low or extremely low, check for leaks. 2. Checking the engine oil level There is one 'ring' look alike inside your engine bay, mostly written 'engine oil' on the ring itself, which is shown in the figure below where it can be pulled. Pull the ring out and there is a thin and long dip where its tips do show some recording. Look at the tip where there is a level the oil should maintain. Make sure your oil level did not past the max level or lower than the min level (the max and min level is written on the tip of the dip). Now, take a tissue or paper to wipe off the oil that is on the tip of the dip and then return it back to the original position. 3. Checking the brake fluid level Look for a reservoir tank which normally in dark color and half transparent. If you are not sure of it, the reservoir tank will be written 'brake fluid'. So, do check whether the fluid is near to the max level. If it is extremely low, check for leaks or get your mechanic to help you. 4. Checking the battery liquid level and terminals The battery is very obvious in your engine bay. By looking to its side, you will notice there are again, two level which is upper and lower respectively. The battery casing is also half transparent where you can view the liquid level through it. Tips : Normally it is quite hard to view statically, try moving your car by giving some force to make it down so that the liquid will have movement. If it is not enough, refill it to the same level for each battery cell. After that, check both of the terminals whether the plug is loosened or not. If it is loose, tighten it back. Then, notice if the terminals were corroded. If yes clean it with relevant liquid or material. 5. Checking leaks There are many ways to check for leaks. Fuel leaks, oil leaks, water leaks and you name it. The most basic and easy way to check is by idling your car for about 10 to half an hour depending on your preference. This type of checking is for liquid type leaks only. After the idling process, move your car from the place where you park and see whether there is any liquid on the floor. If there is, you might like to check each potion of hose, joint, pipe and even every liquid container for the leaks. If you failed to find the leak, send your car for an inspection. To go for a more comprehensive type of checking, as this is a good way to check for leaks when buying second hand car too, but it has its difficulty side. It is by placing a cardboard or any material that can cover up the down portion of the engine bay and then driving the car. Try to drive the car hard when it is a safe place to do so. Finally, remove the board to check whether there is liquid on it. Finally, checking by using naked eye by looking at each joint, pipe, hoses and liquid container as some of them will be leaking sue to loosened cap. This way can track even the leak is minor. 6. Checking tyres inflation Keeping a tyres inflation checker in your glove box is a good practice. Check for your tyres pressure every two weeks or one month the latest to maintain and longer your tyre life span as well as saving your fuel for your daily driving! 7. Miscellaneous checking This checks including:
|
| Last Updated on Sunday, 26 July 2009 15:25 |