Checking Fluids

Written by Kevin Schappell


Keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape requires constant monitoring of vital fluids. Read you owners manual and look for a diagram ofrepparttar engine. Most times there will be a diagram showing where to check allrepparttar 102749 major fluids. This should be your starting point. If your manual is lost inrepparttar 102750 glove box or you never had one, then ask your mechanic or a friend who knows cars to show you allrepparttar 102751 places to check. There are 4 major levels to check on most cars. ·Engine oil - Usually towardsrepparttar 102752 front ofrepparttar 102753 engine and marked "OIL" Always check your oil level withrepparttar 102754 engine OFF. Removerepparttar 102755 dipstick and wiperepparttar 102756 oil off withrepparttar 102757 rag or towel then putrepparttar 102758 dipstick back intorepparttar 102759 hole. Now pull out and get a reading. You might have to holdrepparttar 102760 dipstick torepparttar 102761 light to get a good reading as fresh oil can sometimes be hard to see. Onrepparttar 102762 dipstick there will be two marks indicating a maximum and minimum level forrepparttar 102763 oil. Make it a habit of checking your oil every two weeks. ·Transmission fluid - If you have an automatic transmission then you will have a dipstick to checkrepparttar 102764 fluid level. It is most commonly found towardsrepparttar 102765 back ofrepparttar 102766 engine compartment or towardsrepparttar 102767 passenger side. You should find out how to checkrepparttar 102768 fluid by looking atrepparttar 102769 owner’s manual or onrepparttar 102770 dipstick itself. Most cars have to be running withrepparttar 102771 transmission in park or neutral. Alsorepparttar 102772 transmission should be warmed up to give a true reading. Make surerepparttar 102773 car has been driven for a short distance to make sure everything is up to operating temperature. Checkingrepparttar 102774 level is just like checking your oil, wipe off dipstick, replace, pull out again and check level. If you have a manual transmission there is no dipstick and to checkrepparttar 102775 fluid level you must crawl underrepparttar 102776 car and remove a fill plug. I would have your mechanic check this for you once a year if you do not feel comfortable doing this.

An Automobiles fuel system

Written by Kevin Schappell


The fuel system feed your enginerepparttar gasoline/diesel it needs to run. If anyone ofrepparttar 102748 parts inrepparttar 102749 system break down your engine will not run. Let's look atrepparttar 102750 major parts ofrepparttar 102751 fuel system, Fuel tank: Basically a holding tank for your fuel. When you fill up at a gas stationrepparttar 102752 gas travels downrepparttar 102753 filler tube and intorepparttar 102754 tank. Inrepparttar 102755 tank there is a sending unit, which tellsrepparttar 102756 gas gauge how much gas is inrepparttar 102757 tank. Fuel pump: On newer carsrepparttar 102758 fuel pump is usually installed inrepparttar 102759 fuel tank. Older cars haverepparttar 102760 fuel pump attached torepparttar 102761 engine or onrepparttar 102762 frame rail betweenrepparttar 102763 tank andrepparttar 102764 engine. Ifrepparttar 102765 pump is inrepparttar 102766 tank or onrepparttar 102767 frame rail then it is electric and is run by your cars battery. Fuel pumps mounted torepparttar 102768 engine userepparttar 102769 motion ofrepparttar 102770 engine to pumprepparttar 102771 fuel Fuel filter: Clean fuel is critical to engine life and performance. Fuel injectors have tiny openings, which clog easily so filteringrepparttar 102772 fuel isrepparttar 102773 only way to prevent this. Filters can be before or afterrepparttar 102774 fuel pump, sometimes both. Fuel injectors: Most domestic cars after 1986 and earlier foreign cars came fromrepparttar 102775 factory with fuel injection. Instead of a carburetor to mixrepparttar 102776 fuel and air, a computer controls whenrepparttar 102777 fuel injectors open to let fuel intorepparttar 102778 engine. This has resulted in lower emissions and better fuel economy. The fuel injector is basically a tiny electric valve, which opens and closes with an electric signal. Inrepparttar 102779 picture below you can seerepparttar 102780 injectors towardsrepparttar 102781 outer part ofrepparttar 102782 intake. By injectingrepparttar 102783 fuel close torepparttar 102784 cylinder headrepparttar 102785 fuel stays atomized ( in tiny particles ) so it will burn better when ignited byrepparttar 102786 spark plug. Carburetors: A carburetor takesrepparttar 102787 fuel and mixes it with air without computer intervention. While simple in operation, they tend to need frequent tuning and rebuilding. This is why most newer cars have done away with carburetors in favor of fuel injection. Common Problems: I would sayrepparttar 102788 most common problem is a clogged fuel filter. Make sure you follow your manufacturers recommendations as to when you should changerepparttar 102789 fuel filter. This information should be in your owner’s manual. Symptoms include sputtering at high speeds or engine not starting at all. Always checkrepparttar 102790 ignition system first, if that's ok thenrepparttar 102791 next suspect isrepparttar 102792 fuel filter. Next most common problem isrepparttar 102793 fuel pump failing. Most modern electric fuel pumps can be heard when you turnrepparttar 102794 key on. If you don't hearrepparttar 102795 pump running and your car will not start, it could be your fuel pump. The first thing a mechanic will check isrepparttar 102796 relay, which sends power torepparttar 102797 pump. If this is operating correctly thenrepparttar 102798 pump will have to be replaced.

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