Unfortunately we get a lot of people into our shop who have failed to properly maintain their vehicles, and later need to repair their engine or transmissions here in daphne alabama.
It could be due to lack of knowledge, or maybe due to just being rough on their vehicle.
Whatever the case may be, we’d be happy to offer a few tips on how to maintain your small engine or have you come into our shop for a repair.
Now this article has lots of great tips on how to maintain your engine, but we’ll try and sum up a few things real quickly.
http://www.samarins.com/maintenance/engmain.html
Let’s dive in.
1. Get regular oil changes done for your vehicle
Engine oil helps your car keep moving, simple as that.
Every single part needs some help to keep moving and the lubrication that oil provides is vital and needs to be replaced regularly.
After several thousand miles, the oil starts to corrode and this corrosion spreads to the rest of the engine.
That’s when you get the sluggish performance, increased friction, and blinking check engine lights.
And like any other auto shop, we do these too so don’t hesitate to bring it in.
2. Know whether to use synthetic or regular oil
This will all depend on the age of your car with older cars often needing higher quality oil to keep running, but newer cars often need synthetic oils too.
To know what kind you need just consult the booklet that’s probably in your glove compartment, or ask us.
The reasons many cars need synthetic is that it keeps the engine lubricated for longer and thus prevents the corrosion and friction we just mentioned.
3. Keep your oil levels at the normal amounts
This is another factor you can easily look up in your booklet, and there’s a lot of youtube videos that’ll show you how to check the levels with your dipstick.
Low levels often indicate the need for an oil change, and some cars will have lights on the dashboard that warn you of low levels.
The best thing to do is to bring it to a repair shop right away as its often a quick fix.
5. Get A Regular Tune-Up & Change Your Belts
A tune-up can include an oil change, brake pad replacement, new spark plugs, replacement of the air filter, etc.
Older cars may need new ignition wires and rotor caps amongst other parts.
The timing belts can only be a crucial factor in older cars with more than 65,000 miles on it.
Several things can mean replacing the belt but the most obvious one is if you’re having trouble starting the engine and it’s making a squeaking noise.
6. Look At This Checklist To Maintain Your Transmission
This article did such a great job summing up what you should be aware of when maintaining your transmission that we just decided to put up here!
Take a moment and look it over…..
1. Check transmission fluid regularly and properly. (See Owner’s Manual for Details)
2. Check transmission fluid after running hot. Stop and go traffic, hilly terrain, hot weather, or towing can build up excess transmission heat causing fluid to be lost, damaged, or both. Check it no later than your next stop for gasoline.
3. Install an external cooler in high stress conditions. Towing a trailer, hauling heavy loads, or being stuck in traffic often creates excessive transmission heat. An external transmission cooler will help to bring the temperature down to normal operating level adding significantly to the life of the transmission.
4. Change transmission fluid more often in high stress conditions. Transmission fluid cools, cleans, and lubricates the internal transmission parts while providing the hydraulic pressure to make all of the components work together. When the fluid loses its ability to perform those tasks efficiently trouble can’t be far away. Any of the conditions in items 2 & 3 above will shorten the effective life of transmission fluid. In those cases, change the fluid a minimum of twice a year (unless otherwise specified in the owners manual).
5. Check any malfunctions promptly. Repair bills tend to rise in proportion to mileage driven after the first signs of trouble. The longer you drive with a malfunctioning transmission, the more damage you may cause, and the more money it may cost you.
6. Have the transmission linkage and other adjustments checked periodically.Especially after the vehicle has been in an accident or has had any major engine work performed.
7. Keep your engine properly tuned. A poor running engine can, at times, display symptoms similar to a transmission problem.
8. Have other drivetrain components that may affect transmission function checked regularly. Driveshafts and their universal joints, driveaxles and their constant velocity joints, engine flywheels or flexplates, computer system and sensors, radiator and cooling lines to the transmission, engine and transmission mountings can cause problems.
9. Have your vehicle’s cooling system checked twice a year for leaks, proper coolant level and strength. Antifreeze can deteriorate over time causing it to become ineffective creating overheating or freeze-up conditions.
10. Take your vehicle for a complete physical check up at least once a year. This should includeall safety components such as lights, brakes and steering. Remember that a poor running engine or certain transmission problems can be a safety hazard.
