Engineering Magazines

Your car is a very important investment that you would never want it to experience a breakdown especially if it is new and you are also new as a driver.

Aside from your parents’ pieces of advice on road safety, it is also better to read some tips on the magazines or on the internet perhaps. Your parents may be experts on raising kids but they may not be when it comes to vehicular concerns. There are several write ups on car safety, repair and maintenance that you as a neophyte on the road should always keep in mind.

Examples of these tips are as follows:

Read your owner’s manual first. Written there is everything about your car that you need to know and remember always. From the auto parts to the proper repair and maintenance, all are written there. It is also important to obey the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule as written there.

To ensure excellent engine performance, at a good repair shop, have your engine drivability problems corrected. These problems include hard starts, rough idling, stalling, diminished power, etc. It is also much better to replace dirty air, fuel and PCV fuels to ensure a real quality engine performance.

In order to keep moisture from freezing in the fuel line, place a bottle of fuel de-icer in your fuel tank once a month. Remember that moisture formation is prevented in a gas tank that is always filled.

The oil and filter concerns are also specified in your owner’s manual. Change them according to the stated schedule. Most often, they are changed at least every 3,000 miles. This is so if driving is mostly stop-and-go or consists of regular short trips.

Flush and refill the cooling system as recommended in the manual. Needed to be inspected periodically are the level, condition, and the concentration of the coolant. The usually recommended concentration is a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water. If you are checking this part by yourself, do not remove the radiator cap until the engine has thoroughly cooled. Let the tightness and condition of drive belts, clamps, and hoses be checked by a reliable auto technician.

To achieve further comfort, the heater and defroster should be in good working condition.

Old windshield blades must be replaced. Buying rubber-clad or winter blades so that ice will not build up is a must in a winter season.

The brakes should be regularly checked. Consult the manual if you can replace the original ones with other brands such as EBC brakes.

Inspect the battery through professional equipment. This is the only appropriate way to detect a weak one. Remove the corrosion from posts and cable connections. Clean the entire surface. Make sure all connections are tightened. These should be your routine. Also check the level of fluid monthly if battery caps are removable.

Removal of cables might damage or loose data or codes on some newer vehicles. For further guidance, it is always safe to check your manual. Contact to acids is dangerous. Avoid contact with corrosive deposits and battery acid by wearing an eye protection and rubber gloves.

Before going out with the car, check all lights and bulb. Burned out bulbs must be replaced immediately. All lenses should be free from road grime. For simple lights cleaning, a dry rag can be used.

Examine the exhaust system for leaks through putting your vehicle on a lift. See to it that the exhaust trunk and floorboards do not have small holes. And take note of this: any sweat in the exhaust is deadly. To avoid this, regularly check the system.

Worn tires are also dangerous. Regularly check them to avoid short tread life, uneven wearing, and cupping. The sidewall should also be checked. Tire pressure should be checked once a month, but be sure tires are in cool condition before checking them. The manufacturer’s recommended rotation must be followed. And remember to always bring with you your spare that is in good condition. The jack, which should also be always present in your tools area, should also be in good condition.

And lastly, in case of emergency, you need to have some equipment to back you up. Always bring with you gloves, boots, blankets, flares, a small shovel, sand or kitty litter, tire chains, a flashlight, and a cell phone. This will further ensure your safety especially that you are a neophyte on the road.

Reading some materials on automotive can further add to your knowledge on cars.

Preventative car maintenance in summer months is not much different from what it takes to maintain cars in winter. In summer, you have to regularly check and maintain the mechanical components of the car to tackle the rigors of the hot summer conditions. The following tips on preventative car maintenance in summer assures you trouble less rides:

The very first thing you need to take care is the cooling system. During the hotter months, the cooling system works more intensely to prevent overheating of the engine. For the mechanism to work effectively, the coolant and water mixture for a vehicle’s radiator should measure to 50:50.

The next point about preventative car maintenance in summer is tire pressure. Tire pressure is important in all contexts – irrespective of whether it is for speed or for safety reasons. If you need your car’s tires to last long and perform efficiently, you will need to inflate them properly. Properly pumped up tires help maintain the best possible contact with the road giving the vehicle steadiness and speed. Inflating tires improperly, on the other hand, leads problems like punctures.

Refer to your owner’s manual for the ideal air-pressure for your vehicle’s tire. Remember, summer heat causes the pressure within the tire to rise; hence, you will be required to check the air pressure when the tires are cold. The subsequent preventative measure for your car’s maintenance involves engine oil. The owner’s manual specifically mentions the best engine oil for your vehicle during hot summers. Yet, the general rule for engine oil necessitates you to use a little thick, viscous oil, which lubricates the integral parts of the engine.

Next in order of importance is the car’s battery. Car batteries hardly signal failure well ahead of time. It is advisable to leave all cares of car-batteries to professionals, especially in summertime when the excessive heat causes further damage to it. Changing your car battery every three years will save you a lot of trouble.

Beside these essential tips about preventative car maintenance in summer months, your cars need some lesser yet significant maintenance programs too. Replacing belts and hoses is one such car-care as is inspecting the wipers and wiper fluids.

Round up your preventative car maintenance in summer time by placing an emergency kit including basic tools like flashlights, pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. inside your car. With your car ready to budge, you can hoard some rations if you are really thinking of a long journey. Placing a first-aid kit in the car will make your journey 100% safe.

Making sure that your car stays at its optimal level of operation is about having regular maintenance performed on your vehicle. However, there are so many parts that need periodic checkups that it may be difficult to know what to check or change and when. It is helpful, however, simply to look at the various systems that make a car run.

You’re probably pretty familiar with the things you need to do to keep the engine running smoothly, like changing the oil every 3,000 miles or three months. In addition, you should change the oil filter, air filter and fuel filter regularly. Keep an eye on your spark plugs and accompanying wires, as well as the PCV valve.

Most things simply need to be checked regularly because they shouldn’t be breaking down, at least not unless your car is very old. Systems like the transmission and the emission system need a yearly checkup.

Your brake system, however, may need more regular attention. If anything strange appears to be happening with your brakes (you should be able to tell if they don’t “feel” right), then you should have them checked by a professional. For instance, there could be air in the hydraulic system or an imbalance.

The brake pads will also need changing from time to time. You can tell if your brakes begin squealing or grinding, creating metal-on-metal sounds. This system should also be inspected regularly to prevent major breakdowns at inconvenient times, such as when you seem to be careening at a high speed into another vehicle.

A car’s climate control system may actually be working year-round in some areas, so it is important that you have yours inspected regularly, even if you live in a climate where it is not necessary to use the heater or the air conditioner much. While the car’s climate control system works to keep you cool, the cooling system keeps the engine itself cool, which is very, very important to the life of your car. Your engine has a lot of moving metal parts that are difficult to keep cool.

However, car engines are technological wonders, using fans and liquids to keep the engine from catching fire, blowing up, or just heaving a big sigh and quitting. The cooling system is best cared for by checking the coolant levels in the reservoirs and checking the wear and tear on hoses. In addition, ask your mechanic regularly to flush your cooling system to replace the dirty coolant with clean fluid.

The final system to keep an eye on is the suspension system, which is the shocks, springs and struts, as well as the steering and tires. One interesting thing about this system is that your tires can act as a monitor for the rest of the suspension system. For instance, heavy wear on one edge of your tires can signal an alignment problem and the need for maintenance.

Thinking about all the hundreds of parts in your car in terms of systems makes keeping a maintenance schedule much easier. Having a regular maintenance schedule can help prevent the necessity of costly repairs.

ndian automobile industry is dominated with a wide variety of car models. These car models falls in various different categories based upon the size, body structure, price and even the type of car engines.

Old and new cars running on Indian roads have different engine specifications. Apart from differentiating between petrol, diesel and electric engines, Indian cars are also outfitted with engines that have their own authenticity and uniqueness. Some of the most common and popular unique engine types are Hyundai’s kappa engine and Maruti Suzuki’s K series engine.

Though the engines differ in their specifications, they face the common problems and troubles. Car engine problems need special observation and care to maintain the engine performance and effectiveness. There are ways that are helpful to sort out engine problems but only when the causes of car engine problems are known.

Here are top 5 causes of car engine problems:



Improper cooling system is the major cause of engine problems. This prevents the process of engine cooling and overheats the car engine. Heated engine hampers the performance of the car. Improper cooling system also includes worn out fan belts and poor performance of cooling fan. Any sort of leakage in the cooling system also overheats the car engine. Check the cooling system of the car thoroughly for leakage, worn out articles and proper working because it plays a vital role in maintaining the actual engine performance.

Damaged and worn out engine components like distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and ignition wires also contribute to improper functioning of the car engine. Worn out components result in engine surging, engine heating and creates faulty engine sounds. Damaged seals and valves results in excess of oil consumption and damaged exhaust pipe causes a hissing sound. In order to prevent faulty engine sounds, ensure that the engine components are in good condition and if not replace them.

Changes in the engine oil level, oil type and oil grade directly influences the working of the car engine. If a different grade and type of oil is used in the car engine, it will immediately respond to the change signaling a fault in the engine. The oil type and grade should be as per the recommendations. Mixture of moisture or dirt with the engine oil also hampers the performance. Always check the user manual prior to changing the engine oil. Put the correct amount of oil of the right type and grade.

Dirty and worn out oil filters also causes a great pose to engine performance. If the filters are not well cleaned, it will distract the flow of engine oil and affect the performance and effectiveness. A simple way to get out of this engine problem is to take good care of the filters and keep them clean.

Some fault in the ignition system including the rotor ignition, ignition wires, and spark plugs directly affects the working of the car engine. This enables the car engine to respond slowly to the ignition process. The best way to deal with this problem is to maintain the ignition system and replace the damaged spark plugs and ignition wires. Also ensure that the ignition time is set correctly.



 

 

 

 



By: carazoo.com

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