4/11/2024 0 Comments Daily car maintenance checklistMake sure they are all in good condition. Older cars have more than one belt to run these devices. If your car has less than 50,000 miles, it’s probably fine. Newer cars often have one large belt, called a serpentine, which runs the water pump and all the accessories (A/C, power steering and alternator). If they’re at all ragged, torn, cracked or showing the fiber cords, it’s time for fresh ones. Belts: Check the engine belts by turning them sideways with your hand so you can see the friction surface.As a precaution, buy a hose-patch kit at the local auto parts store. It’s easier to do it now than in the 112-degree heat of Death Valley. If your hoses have cracks or blisters, replace them. Look for bulges or blisters, which indicate a weakness in the hose wall. Also check your heater hoses, which run from the engine (usually near the thermostat housing) into the firewall and back. The extra stress on the hose from the pipe collar and hose clamp means they typically crack and fail there first. Look first at where both the input and output radiator hoses attach to the engine and to the radiator. Once a hose gets hard, it cracks and hot water spurts out. At high temps, the plasticizers that make rubber squishy leach out at a faster rate. In a car, they are regularly exposed to temperatures around the 212-degree boiling point. Hoses: Rubber hoses would last 10 years if all they did were sit on a shelf.While they are under the car, have them give the drive-shaft U-joints and any other grease points a squirt of grease. A regular oil-change shop can handle the greasy job of changing manual transmission oil and the differential oil. Check your owner’s manual for their change intervals, as they are quite a bit longer than engine oil. Transmission and differential fluids: Did you forget about the other oil reservoirs in your car? Both your transmission and drive axle have their own lubricant supply. It will also cut friction losses in the engine and bump your fuel economy while creating savings that you’ll see magnified on a long drive. If you’re traveling in hot weather or pulling a trailer, a fully synthetic engine oil such as Mobil Super™ Synthetic can give you the extra protection against thermal breakdowns that you need. If you’ll be going long distances, consider opting for a synthetic motor oil. Nellie deserves better than a crankcase full of gunky old oil as she hauls you up the Loveland Pass. If you’re close to the manufacturer-recommended oil-change interval listed in your manual, then change it. Engine oil: Check your oil levels and the date you’re due for an oil change, preferably in your driveway before you embark on that first 29-hour leg.Your family is counting on you to take a few preventative measures before you hurl them into the gauntlet of our national highway system. Below are just a few reminders that may slip your mental checklist in the rush to get bags packed and kids fed. We’re not talking about rebuilding the cylinder head or performing a line-bore on the crankshaft mains. Those who neglect doing a quick mechanical check-over – even of newer cars – before taking to the highway are begging to be stranded. The summer road trip is as American as apple pie and Fourth of July fireworks, so don’t fail in your national duty to hit the road this year just because Old Nellie is overdue for some car maintenance.
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