Intro to car maintenance: Part 2

Checking your oil level: The oil in your car is the lifeblood of your engine. It is the sole reason your motor is able to function and if it all leaks out while your motor is functioning it will come screeching to a halt pronto! Maintaining a proper oil level is important to increase how long your motor lasts. Under your hood, there is always an oil dipstick that allows you to see the level of oil inside your motor. It usually has the words "Full" or "Maximum" followed by hash marks than "min" or "minimum".

This an example of one type of dipstick

These two marks indicate the safe levels of oil that the engine requires. It's important to note that engine oil is always checked with the motor not running.  If your engine oil level falls below the minimum amount on the dipstick serious engine damage will most likely occur. Any auto parts store will tell you the type oil you need for your car free of charge.

Belts: The belts on your motor spin the accessories that are attached to your engine such as the alternator, power steering pump, water pump and air conditioning. Most newer cars have a singular belt called a serpentine belt that is routed through all the of accessories as opposed to the older style that has multiple belts. Occasional checking of these belts is a great idea because if your breaks your vehicle might overheat ( causing engine damage), or lose power steering (causing very hard steering) when you least suspect it. A visual check for cracking and fraying is good, and physical check for excessive looseness is a great way to check for a bad belt tensioner.

This belt needs replaced. See the cracks and fraying?

Hoses: There are not many coolant hoses in a typical engine, but their role is vital to the function of the engine to prevent catastrophic damage. Typically radiator hoses can go for 100,000 miles or more before needing to be replaced.  A visual check for swollen hoses is a great preventative maintenance idea. 

See the difference between the two identical hoses?

The above picture represents a high mileage radiator hose. Do you see how the first inch of the swollen hose is a different size? The clamp that attaches the hose prevents swelling in that particular area. What you want to look for is a difference in size right where the clamp attaches. When you see a difference in size your hose needs replaced and it's only a matter or time before is ruptures and causes your engine to overheat.

I will stop here for now. As always I hope you found this helpful in your day-to-day lives. Thanks for reading!