When you turn the steering column leads to a rack-and-pinion system, which guides the wheels left or right. At the same time, a differential at the end of the driveshaft in a rear-wheel-drive car delivers the turning power of the shaft “sideways” to the two wheels and determines the difference in speed that each wheel must have in order for you to execute that turn.
Going over that rock in your driveway doesn’t send you into the bushes, because the springs in the suspension keep all four tires connected to the road, and you stay in your seat because shock absorbers cushion the resulting bounce.
On the highway you shift into high gear—or your car does it for you, in an automatic—which means less power but more speed. When it’s time for you to stop, pushing on the brake pedal releases brake fluid, which causes the brake shoes and/or brake pads to squeeze up against the wheel, causing friction and a slow down.
Oil keeps everything from grinding against everything else and coming to a stop.
See? I’ll bet you didn’t even realize all the stuff you were learning. While it may not be easy, everything in a car makes logical, mechanical sense. And even if you just understand the basics it gives you a better idea how the whole thing works.
Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Your Car
Or, how not to look like a complete idiot at a garage.
If you ignore everything else in this chapter or book, make sure you at least know or can do everything in this list. It will save you a lot of grief, embarrassment, and scrambling around for information later.
How to pump gas. No joke—in some states, such as New Jersey and Oregon, it’s full service only at all gas stations! So even if you’ve grown up there, you should go over state lines and learn how to “self-serve.” You’ll probably have to pump your own gas eventually, and it’s a lot cheaper than sticking to full service all the time.
How to open your hood. Or how to release your parking or emergency brake. You’d be surprised how many people mistake the two.
The make, model, and year of your car. It’s the first thing a technician will ask you every time.
How many cylinders it has. While this will come up less often, some models of cars are so similar that the only difference is whether it has a four-, six-, or eight-cylinder engine—which is important when you’re looking for replacement parts.
Where you keep your registration, insurance card, and owner’s manual in the car. “Excuse me, Officer; I know it’s around here somewhere”
How to use a jack and change a tire—before an emergency. Even if you never have to, you might have to instruct someone else. And being on the side of the road with a flat is not the time to begin figuring out how to use the jack that came with your car.
How to check and fill your oil, windshield wiper fluid, and coolant. These are easy things you can do to maintain and extend the life of your car.
Whether or not you have anti-lock brakes. This determines how you should brake; whether you should pump them or just brake, let the ABS kick in, and continue to drive.
What to do after you’ve been in an accident. Even if you and your car come out of it okay, there are still things you must do for both legal as well as insurance reasons.
Where the fuse box is. Would you rather shell out for a new radio and the labor, or replace a fuse yourself?
Following Your Owner’s Manual
Before we go any further, take your manual out of the car and look at it
We mean it.
You probably think of the manual as a thick, scary thing that sits in your glove compartment or trunk or on the floor, collecting dust. It seems completely unreadable, like the one that came with your computer.
In fact, car manufacturers have gone a long way in the last few years to make them easy to read, clear, nicely organized, and understandable by those of us without a career in the grease pit. It’s really not so scary! Trust us!
A VIEW FROM THE TOP DOWN
For one thing, the manual probably has a top-down diagram of what’s under the hood with everything labeled: coolant reservoir, battery, oil dipstick, oil filler, etc. One of the best—and easiest—things you can do is to take a spare fifteen minutes with your car and that page, finding each of the engine components for yourself.
IMPORTANT INFO
Remember Top 10 number 3? Not only will your manual tell you the make, model, and year of your car, but it also has a lot of other extremely important information—without which you risk not only shortening the life of your car, but severely damaging it as well. You might consider going through the manual and taking notes, keeping a list of the most important pieces of info at the front of the book for quick reference.
Maintenance Schedule
What octane of gas the car needs. If you put in too low an octane, the engine won’t work right, and at best your car will run with much less efficiency—at worst, you could damage your engine. If you put in too high an octane, you’re wasting your money on something you don’t need.
The capacity of the gas tank. This will help you keep track of mileage and costs.
The extent of your warranty. Again, don’t pay for something you don’t have to if something needs to be fixed that’s covered by the warranty.
How the company that made your car defines severe driving. Obviously you know that severe driving means more frequent oil changes, tune-ups, checkups, and the like—but did you know that “severe driving” can mean stop-and-go city traffic as well? Or driving on perfectly fine winter roads that have been salted?
Type of fluids you should buy and use. Oil viscosity and rating, percentage of antifreeze to water in the coolant, what kind of automatic transmission fluid … Putting in the wrong fluids can damage your car. Always check your manual before adding or changing anything in your engine.
Where important but not easily visible car components are. Such as your fuse box, oil filter, and even the location of the jack—which isn’t always with the spare tire.
How-To. While we give you the basics here on how to do a lot of your own basic maintenance, every car is a little different and their components may be in different places. Also, manuals will often take you through things such as changing your oil step-by-step, including diagrams and information specific to your car. Like what kind of oil to use, where to find the pan and filter, how much oil you need, and the replacement part number for the filter.
We’re not asking you to read your manual from cover to cover (though it would be helpful if you did), but please, please take a look at it. You’ll be glad you did.
Parts and Tools
Okay, now you’ve read your manual—or at least taken a look at it—and are ready for some real hands-on car work. While most of it won’t require any special tools, here are a few things that will make your life easier:
Work gloves. No, this isn’t to protect dainty manicures. A lot of the stuff in, around, and on cars is unhealthy at best, and toxic at worst. Wear them. If you don’t like the way they feel, get disposable latex gloves.
Safety glasses. Do you like getting hot oil in your eyes?
Clean rags. Things are going to get very dirty, and some things, like the oil drain plug, need to be wiped very clean.
Funnel. Did we mention the toxicity and expense of the chemicals you put in your car?
Jack. You probably already have this.
Jack stands. Absolutely necessary if the car is on a jack. Under no circumstances should you perform any work underneath your car unless it is first supported by jack stands.
Socket wrench set. If you’re not particularly strong in the arms, consider getting a breaker bar extender so you can get more force for your push.
Lug wrench. Again, you probably have this already with your jack; sometimes jacks have them sort of “built-in.”
Filter wrench. If possible, when looking for one try to bring an oil filter with you so you can buy the right size.
Screwdriver. Both flathead and Phillips.
Wood blocks or
wheel chocks. To put up against the wheels when you’re working on the car.
Tire pressure gauge. Keep this easily accessible somewhere in the car so you can check the pressure when you have a minute or two of downtime—like at the gas station. If you can spare the cash, get one with a dial instead of the typical “stick” ones; they’re easier to read and far more accurate.
Flashlight. One of the newer ones with LEDs that allow you to focus the beam tightly would be really useful when you’re trying to follow the path of a hose or belt, or look at something deep in the engine.
Be Careful!
Read this carefully before tinkering with your car!
Never, ever go underneath a car unless it’s in park and has blocks placed firmly on both sides of at least two wheels.
Never go underneath a car that is only being held up by a tire jack. Always use jack stands, and carefully read the instructions that come with them.
For almost all maintenance that involves touching, opening, or filling things, the car must be completely cool so you don’t burn yourself. Wait a minimum of forty-five minutes after you’ve turned it off.
There are many, many things on a car that can tear, scrape, burn, poison, bruise, itch, cut, lacerate, gash, damage, injure, rend, combust, mutilate, scald, mangle, wound, singe, and generally irk you. Always wear protective clothes and safety goggles, be careful, and use your head.
Do-It-Yourself Light Maintenance
It may sound a little compulsive, but consider keeping a notebook in your car or notes in the back of your manual of what you did and when. Do this not just for monthly checks and inspections, but for things such as changing the oil, changing the air filter, aiming the headlights, etc. Not only will this keep you organized, it may also help you save money by not forcing you to take your car in for the little things. For that matter, you should also keep the receipts and service forms from your garage so you can keep track of what they have done as well.
FAST, EASY, AND OFTEN
“At the Gas Tank”
Many people recommend doing some maintenance work every time you fill up. In reality, we realize this isn’t too likely unless you’re already a gearhead. Instead, try to perform the following checks and adjustments once a week or every couple of weeks. Once you get into the routine it will all go really quickly.
You’ll notice we don’t go into a lot of detail on exactly where you’ll find things like the coolant reservoir or the battery. Remember earlier when we told you to go under the hood with your owner’s manual and identify each of the major components of your engine?
Visual check. In some ways, this is the most important “maintenance” work you can do. While it doesn’t involve adding, changing, or adjusting anything, it will give you early warning if something is wrong with your car.
The first few times you give your car the once-over (and even if you did your homework we still recommend doing it with the owner’s manual in hand), it might seem a little intimidating. After a while, though, when you get to know how your car normally looks, you’ll immediately be able to spot something that looks different. Oh, and by the way, we mean a visual check under the hood as well as just around your car.
Some things to watch out for immediately are:
Leaks. Is there something pooling under the car when it’s parked that’s not the clear water of air conditioner condensate? Refer to our “fluid identifier” on this page to help diagnose the problem.
Tire damage. Bulges, punctures, slashes, unusual wear—anything that shouldn’t be there.
The battery terminals. Are they clean? Covered in gunk? Dusted with a strange white powder that looks suspiciously like mold? While you don’t have to do anything immediately at the gas station, make a mental note to clean them when you get a few minutes. If the battery develops the white powder often, it could be a sign that your battery’s getting old.
Tire inflation and pressure. Incorrect tire pressure can reduce your mileage, decrease the car’s handling, and increase the danger of a blowout. Low inflation is the number one cause of tire failure. On the other hand, do not inflate to the maximum inflation numbers on the tires—check the manual or door post, and do it early and often. Remember: A tire can lose up to half its air and still not look as if it’s flat. And just when you think you’re done … check your spare!
Checking inflation. Always do it before driving, when your tires are cold: Driving heats up the tires and increases the pressure and inflation. The recommended maximum PSI is based on a cold tire.
Unscrew the cap covering the valve stem.
Place the gauge over the valve.
Push down quickly and firmly so you don’t lose any air.
Hold it down until the gauge stops moving.
Pull the gauge off the valve quickly and read the inflation.
Pumping your tires. This is one of the easiest maintenance chores you can do, with the biggest impact on your car’s health. Most gas stations have pumps, either free or coin operated, and some even allow you to select the right inflation manually before you start.
And speaking of before-you-start, make sure the hose actually works and that there’s air coming out of it—you can deflate a tire by using a pump that’s not working right. Sometimes you can tell if air is coming out by pressing the inflation button on the hose’s handle. If it doesn’t have a button, you’ll have to listen carefully for the sound of air rushing into the tire as soon as you start pumping. If you don’t hear anything, stop pumping after a few seconds and check the pressure with a gauge to see if anything’s happening.
Place the hose valve over the tire’s valve stem.
Push the hose valve down on the tire. If there’s an inflator button, hold it down as you hold the hose in place.
Add only a little air at a time; it’s easy to overinflate or even burst a tire by putting in too much air. Check the inflation as you go with a gauge if the hose doesn’t have one built in.
When you have the correct inflation, remove the hose and replace the cap on the valve stem.
Taking air out of your tires. It can happen, especially if you don’t pay attention when you’re inflating them.
Remove the valve cap and press the tip of a key into the valve to depress the pin there. Air will rush out.
Do this for only a few seconds at a time, checking the air pressure as you go.
When you have the right inflation, be sure to replace the valve cap.
Windshield Wiper Fluid
If checking the level of wiper fluid often seems a little silly to you, just remember the last time you drove with dust covering your windshield and the sun in your eyes, everything glowing and blurry. Tires, brakes, and steering column aside, your eyes and vision are the most important things to keep you from getting into an accident. In the left lane on a thruway behind a pickup full of dirt is not the time to suddenly realize you’ve run out of windshield wiper fluid.
Oil
You knew it was coming eventually, right? Don’t worry! Checking your oil is quick and easy. If you’re doing it in your driveway, don’t wear good clothes, have a clean rag or paper towels with you. If the engine has been running, wait at least three minutes for the oil to drain down.
Make sure the car’s engine is turned off and the car is parked on a level surface, with the parking brake on.
Open the hood and locate the oil dipstick. Do not confuse it with the dipsticks for transmission or steering fluid—check your manual if you’re unsure.
Pull the dipstick out and wipe all the oil off it.
Put the dipstick back in and pull it out again.
Check where the oil level reads at the tip of the stick. Different dipsticks have different markings to indicate level.
If your level shows that you’re a half quart or more away from full, add oil, remembering to use the kind recommended in your owner’s manual. This is where the funnel we mentioned might come in handy. Don’t overfill! Add a little at a time and wait a full minute for it to
drain down. Recheck your level until you’re at full. If you’ve checked the oil and it needs more added but you’re in an inconvenient spot—such as a very busy gas station—just make a note to do it when you get home.
Coolant
Of course you know by now that your car needs coolant to keep the engine operating within the right temperature range and that without enough of it your engine will overheat, possibly damaging the engine and leaving you stranded. Most cars don’t use up their coolant, and you usually don’t need to add more under normal driving conditions, but to be safe you should still check its level.
Never check the coolant when the engine is hot; hot coolant can cause severe burns (a strange thing, if you think about it …). Wait until the engine is completely cool. If you have a modern car, find the coolant reservoir and check the level there; it usually has two marks indicating maximum and minimum (or hot and cold) for proper coolant level. If the coolant is below the minimum level, you should add more, using a funnel.
If your car has no coolant reservoir, you’ll have to check the level by removing the radiator cap. Caution: Never remove the radiator cap when the engine is warm. If you have been driving, even for one minute or so, turn off the car and wait until the engine cools completely. The hot coolant is under high pressure and can burst out and cause severe burns. Always wear eye protection and place a thick rag over the radiator cap before you unscrew it to prevent any coolant from spraying out. The coolant level should be close to the top of the radiator. If it isn’t, you’ll need to add more.
Be careful not to add coolant to the windshield washer fluid reservoir by mistake. Add a little at a time until you have the correct level (again with a funnel). Fill the reservoir to the minimum level. Replace the reservoir cap and run the engine for five minutes. Turn off the engine and check the level again. If more coolant is required, repeat the procedure.
E.J. Braswell Page 3
