subject: The Basics Of Vehicle Fluid Checks [print this page] Whether you're heading out of town or driving across the country, your vehicle is going to take a tremendous beating. Axels are going to turn, fans are going to spin, and tiny explosions within little metal cylinders will give your truck, car, or motorcycle the energy it needs to propel you to wherever life takes you. But within all this, damage can be occurring, preventable damage that can take miles off the lifespan of your vehicle. All that some of this damage requires is a little preventative maintenance before presenting your vehicle to the extremes of the open road.
Some of the quickest, yet most important checks of your vehicle are the fluids. Engine oil lubricates and maintains the components within your engine, helping to prevent heat that can destroy the parts within. Coolant keeps engines from overheating, as well as from freezing, not matter the environment. Windshield washer fluid helps preserve our ability to operate our vehicles safely as well as protects our windshield. By checking all three before a road trip, significant problems with a vehicle can be prevented.
Oil
Engine oil is the substance that lubricates your vehicles transmission and internal parts, keeping them running without getting damaged. It forms a thin surface covering that allows engine parts to run efficiently. It also helps seal all the little gaps in the metal can take away from the efficiency of your engine, while lubricating the metal parts that pass through each other, thus limiting the friction and heat within the engine. The other big task that motor oil does is that it cleans. By passing through the engine, oil picks up the debris that can hinder engine performance, such as little particles of sand or carbon given off by the firing of the cylinders. The particles are then deposited in the oil filter.
Coolants
Antifreeze and coolant are essentially a mixture. Ideally, they are 50/50 proportioned within each other so that an engine can make the greatest use of both. Coolant and antifreeze is a fluid that should be checked before any long trip because in extremely hot or cold conditions, the engine can loose power due to a lack of it, causing the driver to be stranded in rough conditions. Checking can be as simple as looking for a tube that shows the amount of coolant in the engine, to even letting the engine cool and removing the radiator. One major warning is that you should NEVER remove the radiator cap while the engine is hot. This will cause bad burns from the steam and gases being released toward you should you do so.
Windshield Wiper Fluid
Key to the inspection of your vehicle is the windshield washer fluid. It's usually blue or turquoise in color and is primarily used by drivers on the road while they actually drive. It effectively cleans off most objects that become engrained on the windshield while in normal transit. There are many variations of windshield washer fluid and even multiple deliver systems. One new system that is becoming popular is headed fluid. This, however, is still very much in the experimental stages with the developers.
