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How to Maintain the Engine |
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Why a car breaks down?
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Lack of maintenance is one of the most often reason caused the car to break down.
Many people think that all they need to keep a car in a good shape is a regular oil change. Actually it's not enough.
Here is the regular story : A car runs fine for a while. Once, you miss some minor problem, for example, a coolant leakage. A few days later, lack of coolant results in an engine overheating. As usually, you are so busy and never have time to fix a problem it right away. Right? Eventually your beautiful car got towed to the service station - Bye Bye Money!
And usually, even after repair such a car isn't going to last.
Here is visual example:
Compare the two images below: the left Mazda' engine hasn't been maintained well. Looks like it has been overheated and the engine oil hasn't been changed for long time. This engine has only 205,000 km (127,000 miles) and now needs serious and costly repair.
On the right, the Mercedes' engine has been maintained well. After 310,000 km (192,000 miles) it's still in a very good condition, and it needs no repair at all. Can you see the difference?
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how to keep your engine in a good shape for a long?
There are few most important conditions for long engine life:
- Perfect engine lubrication
which means keep the oil level full, timely change oil and filter, etc.
- Prevent an engine from overheating
which means to check a cooling system periodically: the coolant level, leaks, radiator, etc.
- Necessary replacements and tune up
such as timing belt, spark plugs, replace, throttle body or carburetor cleaning, etc.
- Fix any small problem right away
if any small defects such as irregular noise or performance problems, etc. presents have to be checked by the mechanic right away
Check the oil level and condition periodically.
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Check the engine oil periodically, especially if your car isn't brand new. Driving even a very low distance with extremely low oil level results in expensive engine repair.
How to check the engine oil level - illustrated guide for those, who have no clue on cars.
Never proceed driving with extremely low oil level (less than min.) or extremely low oil pressure (if the oil pressure warning lamp goes on during a trip).
 If you note, that oil pressure gauge indicates extremely low oil pressure - have your engine inspected as soon as possible.
- While checking the oil level, check its condition also. Look at the images. If the oil looks like on the left image, it should be changed as soon as possible.
- Always use only appropriate engine oil type (usually you can find it on oil filler cap or in the owners manual). Don't think mechanics at a service station know exactly what type of the oil your car needs. Often they just use whatever they have on their shelf.
- Always check your parking space for leaks from the car. Any leaks should be checked as soon as possible. (Of course, if you have an old American car, few oil drops on the ground is not a problem, they were always leaky)
- In a cold morning, never start driving right after starting the engine, always let the engine to warm up for at least a minute. |
How often to change the engine oil and oil filter.
Generally the engine oil has to be changed every 10000 km (6000 miles) but actually, the more often, the better. If you don't remember when you changed it last time, it's time to change it now. And every time you change the oil, change the oil filter necessarily. Use only original oil filter, and the oil type accordingly to the owners' manual. It's good idea to change the oil at your car make dealership. They always have original parts and they know what type of oil to use.
Always right after the oil change check for oil leaks in order to make sure that the oil filter has been installed properly.
Whether to use engine flush?
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 Engine flush is special solution that helps to remove deposits and coating from internal engine parts before an oil change. It's useful in some cases, but there is an exception. If there is too much carbon buildup (indicated with the arrow in the image) inside the engine, flushing may have bad effect, because washed off carbon particles may clog the oil sucking screen in the crankcase pan, that will result in engine damage.
Don't worry if your car is petty new and you have never overheated it, most likely its engine is OK inside and you can apply the engine flush successfully if you want.
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Whether apply oil additives.
There are so many various engine oil additives in the market now. Some of them are good, some not. Generally, it doesn't make any sense to use oil additives when the car is not so old. But if your car has more than 250,000 km (150,000 miles), it's good idea to add some high quality additive after every oil change. It can be very helpful for the engine.
Engine overheating
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Engine overheating causes serious engine damage. In order to avoid the engine overheating:
Check the coolant level periodically. It should be at least at "min" point in the extension tank. If it's lower, add the coolant fluid to the "max" point. Never open the radiator and the expansion tank cap when engine is hot!
How to check the coolant level - illustrated guide for those, who have no clue on cars.
! If you find any coolant leak, have it fixed as soon as possible - it may cause engine overheating.
! If you notice that the engine temperature often rises higher than normal, have your engine inspected as soon as possible. Check the front side of the radiator (and the space between the engine radiator and air conditioner radiator) periodically, it should not be clogged (for example, with leaves). It's one of the most common reasons of an overheating. Look at the image on the left. This Buick' radiator is clogged. |
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Necessary replacements and tune-up
There are few more basic engine items which need periodical replacement (check your owner's manual for details):
fuel filter-
dirty fuel filter may cause engine stalling and loss of engine power.
air filter-
dirty air filter causes loss of engine power, increased fuel consumption, etc.
engine coolant-
too old engine coolant loses its anticorrosive and other characteristics.
spark plugs-
simply spark plugs replacement can significantly improve the engine performance.
timing belt-
timing belt damage may cause serious engine damage, especially if it's diesel engine.
! If you note an oil leak around the timing belt area you should stop it up as soon as possible (look at the image, you may see the oil leak from the camshaft front seal). Engine oil may destroy the timing belt.
If your car has a carburetor, at the next tune-up ask a mechanic to clean it with carburetor cleaner. Sometimes it's very helpful.
If your car has fuel injection clean periodically the fuel system with special fuel additives. |
Check the battery terminals, they shouldn't be corroded as this one in the image. If such condition presents, they should be cleaned with metal brush and covered with special rust proof spray or crease. |
Fix any small problems
If there is any problems with your engine, such as irregular noise or smell, or performance problems, leaks or smoke, or "check engine" light is on, etc., have your car inspected with a mechanic. It's always better to fix any small problem right away before they can cause engine damage. Be aware, some mechanics will try to scare you because they always want to sell you more job than your car really needs, so always ask to explain everything, to show you what exactly is wrong and why.
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