Car engine maintenance tips
A healthy, functional car requires a healthy engine, and for your engine to remain in good working order it must be well-maintained. Let’s have a look at some basic engine maintenance, what’s required to keep your vehicle’s engine operating at peak performance. Use these tips to reduce later repair expenses, improve your car’s performance, and extend its lifespan.
1. Check the oil regularly
Oil is the lifeblood of your car engine. Because there are so many moving, rotating parts in there, your engine has to be well lubricated. As you drive around, though, your oil starts to degrade, whilst some gets burnt off in the engine – this is why you should check and change your oil regularly. Otherwise, the friction will slowly increase resulting in mechanical wear, whilst the engine will suffer a build-up of carbon deposits and sludge.This in turn will affect performance and driveability in various ways. How often should you change your oil? A useful rule of thumb is that you should change it every 3 months or after travelling 3,000 miles. However, if you regularly make only short trips in which your engine doesn’t have time to warm up, you drive a lot in stop-start traffic, you tow a truck, OR you drive on dusty roads – then you may need to change your oil more regularly. To check your oil, use the dipstick – if it looks dirty (brown/black), then it needs changing. The markers on the dipstick will also tell you how much oil is left in the engine, and whether it needs to be topped up.
2. Keep your engine from overheating
The fuel that is burned inside your engine generates lots of heat. Keeping the temperature of the engine within proper limits – that’s the job of the cooling system. When the cooling system malfunctions – due, say, to lack of coolant because of a leak – this can cause the engine to overheat, leading to serious complications. This is why it’s important to regularly check the coolant levels in your engine – your car’s manual will give you instructions how. Look under your car for any signs of a coolant leak. If you can’t find any problems with the cooling system, yet your engine temperature is still excessive, get your car checked as soon as possible.
3. Get a regular tune up
If for whatever reason the engine of your car feels lacking in power, sluggish etc, then it might just need a good tune-up. A tune-up may involve changing the spark plugs, the air filter, or cleaning out the engine throttle body. PCV valves, and/or the fuel injection system, may also need to be cleaned or replaced. In the older cars, it may include replacing the fuel filter, ignition wires, and distributor system. A tune up should be one every 60,000 to 90,000 miles.
4. Check the timing belt
The timing belt ensures the valves worked by your engine’s camshaft open and close in time with the pistons. If your timing belt is old or damaged, and as a result snaps while the engine is running, this can cause severe damage to your engine. Thus you should regularly check your timing belt for signs of wear and tear, and if it is soaked in oil from the engine. A timing belt should be replaced in event at intervals recommended by the manufacturer; generally from 60,000 to 105,000 miles.
5. Change the air filter at regular intervals
The air filter in your engine prevents dust and debris from clogging your engine. A dirty air filter restricts the amount of air supplied to your engine, resulting in lack of power and sluggish performance. An old air filter can also tear, allowing debris and dust into your engine, causing wear and tear. So remember to replace your air filter at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer, you can find this information in the user manual supplied with your car. (But it’s generally every 15,000 to 20,000 miles – more if you drive on dusty, unpaved roads).
6. Replace worn out drive belts
The drive belt connected to your engine runs the alternator, the air-con compressor plus any additional accessories connected to your engine. Some cars possess one drive belt only, whereas others have several. Over time, the drive belts wear out; if very worn or even cracked, the drive belt can break, which will disable your engine. A squeaking noise is often the first sign that your drive belt needs checking. Usually, the drive belt is examined when you get your oil changed.
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I like that you mention getting a regular tune-up. My brother is looking to get buy car engine parts but needs tips. I’ll be sure to talk to him about also getting a regular tune-up.
Hey Billy, thanks for sharing such helpful car engine maintenance tips. No doubt, the engine is the heart of the vehicle and with our simple heed and care, it can stay serviceable for a longer period of time. Lack of systematic oil change, frequent overheating, immoderate idling, are some of the common causes of the car engine breakdown. A car engine consists of a number of moving comports and each one requires specific care and maintenance to perform efficiently. So, we cannot skip any maintenance task related to the car engine. Rather we should service our vehicle at a certified auto care shop on a regular basis to improve the performance of the engine and keep the engine in the peak shape for a notable period of time.
Amazing article .Great tips .If you need to keep running your car in a proper condition then the car needs to be well-maintained.I will surety follow your tips.Thanks for the amazing article.
Regular oil changing extends your engine life and saves you money. It helps to keep the car engine clean and running smoothly. Regular oil changes reduce the engine’s wear and tear and result in a long lasting car engine.
Thanks for these tips for taking care of a car engine. I’mg lad you mentioned that you should try to keep the cooling engine in check so that it can prevent the engine from overheating. It sounds like you should really get the cooling system examined before the hotter months come so it’s fully ready to handle the heat.
I can totally relate to keeping your engine from overheating, especially checking the coolant levels in older cars. I went on a camping trip with my dad a couple of weeks ago, and our car had to stop halfway up the mountain to cool down, since our coolant had a leak we didn’t know about! I will be sure to check the coolant levels in all of our cars so we don’t have to go through that again!
I really liked it when you pointed out how problematic it will be if the engine overheats, so it is of best practice to regularly check the coolant level and make sure that it is still okay. This seems simple, however, the other things involved in maintaining the car seems a little bit hard for me. That is why I think for the rest, I will need to get in touch with a mechanic for assistance. Thank you.
Thanks for the tip to get a regular tune up on your engine, as a clean system is typically a working system. My friend has been having some car trouble, so she’s been looking for a mechanic to help her, as her check engine light came on. Do you have any tips for choosing a great mechanic in her area?
Having a properly running belt in your car is super important to the overall health of your car. You definitely wouldn’t want your belts to break when you are driving because it would ruin the engine. In my opinion, you should be replacing auto parts at their recommended times to avoid large unexpected repairs.
The engine needs regular maintenance for a prolonged lifespan. Some people underestimate the importance of regular maintenance of the car engine which could cost them a lot. The condition of different components of the engine needs to be inspected at a regular interval. Engine oil plays a vital role in the performance of the vehicle by reducing the friction among different components of the vehicle. So, the quality and quantity of the engine oil need to be inspected at a regular interval and if necessary should be replaced with suitable substitutes.
I like how you mentioned that when maintaining your car engine, you should check the oil regularly. I just bought a new car and want to make sure I take really good care of it. I will definitely keep your tips in mind when caring for the engine of my new car.
Great tips. Especially the timing belt tip because it is expensive to replace timing belt.