Reference Post: Car Maintenance: scionofgrace

scionofgrace

Nov 28, 2014 17:44

Random car maintenance facts, from personal experience:

Saturns burn oil. They just do. Check the oil often.
When a Saturn is turned off, flooring the gas will not flood the engine. In fact, it will close the gas line, which is useful if the engine is having issues with flooding.
White gunk on the oil dipstick means that antifreeze/coolant is leaking into your oil. This is Very Bad.
If your car is overheating, pull over immediately.

But don't open the coolant cap right away. Let the car sit awhile and cool down, or you will scald yourself.
Most cars have two ways to add coolant: the radiator cap (pressurized - be careful!) and a coolant overflow cap (not pressurized). Saturns have just one.

In a pinch, you can use plain water for coolant. Just not in the winter.
The absolute best tool for scraping frost off your windows is a plastic card, e.g. a used-up gift card.
Saturn body panels are made of fiberglass and don't rust. However, they get brittle with age. JBWeld is your friend.
Know where your car was built. (Older) Ford Focuses need metric tools because they were built in Europe.
If your muffler isn't working, make sure it isn't the exhaust pipe running from the engine that's failed. Because that's something you can probably fix yourself with a patch kit.
If a power window goes out, you can probably fix it yourself. And there's probably a YouTube video that explains how to take the door apart.
Best source of car parts online: carpart.com
A bubble in your tire is Very Bad. (It looks like a lump in your tire wall.)
If the engine won't start:

and it turns over very fast but you don't get ignition: your battery is fine and something else is broken.
and it turns over lethargically, or only once or twice, or won't turn over at all (no noise, maybe just a "click"): your battery's dead.

If the battery is dead, it could be that your battery is bad. It could be your alternator is bad. It could also be that your battery terminals are dirty, which is about $20 for the appropriate cleaning spray & brush.
When jump-starting a car, you have to wait a few minutes after hooking the two batteries up before your car will start. It can't draw sufficient charge directly from the "donor" car.
There are new A/C systems and old A/C systems, and a pressure gauge for one will not work on the other.
If a brake caliper is damaged, it should be replaced. If the brake caliper has put a groove into the brake disc, the disc is probably okay. (This happens when a brake pad wears down too far.)
You can probably replace your own air filter and cabin filter. If you change your own oil, you can replace your own oil filter. Don't even think about changing a fuel filter.

The air filter is for air going into the engine. The cabin filter is for the air coming through your vents.

Suspension goes bad slowly. You may not realize your shocks are bad until they're really shot.
In cold weather, don't let your gas get below a quarter tank.
The newer the car, the more helpful its computer.
Know your check engine lights. Know which ones are Very Bad, because not all of them are.
Know your smoke:

The only time you should see any smoke from your tailpipe is in cold weather. This smoke is white, smells of exhaust, and dissipates quickly.
Blue smoke out your tailpipe: probably too much gas being fed into your engine. Get it checked.
Black smoke out your tailpipe: Very Bad.
Blue/black smoke anywhere else: Very Bad.
White, sweet-smelling smoke: burning coolant. Check your coolant level. Check your radiator. Check your oil for white gunk.
White, sweet-smelling smoke coming out of your tailpipe: coolant leaking into your engine. Very Bad.

The owner's manual probably shows how to change most of the bulbs (headlight, taillight, turn signal, etc).
If the turn signal starts blinking extra fast all of a sudden, one of the bulbs is out.
When using a donut, go slow. As in, avoid highways.
It is possible to reach highway speeds with the emergency brake on. Just not a very good idea.
When the "power" part of steering/brakes isn't working, you can still steer and brake, it just takes more effort. You can put a car in neutral and "drive" it safely down a hill without the engine running.
Sometimes it's cheaper to replace the engine. This does depend on the engine.

Stuff to keep in the glove box and/or trunk:

Battery cables - the longer the cables, the better
A small shovel for digging/clearing snow
Extra of any fluids the car consumes too much of (oil, coolant, windshield wiper fluid, etc)
A screwdriver/ratchet set with a nice variety of bits - you would not believe how many sizes of hex heads one car can have, plus a whole range of other head types, and that's before you get into deep sockets.
Pliers
A flashlight that works (maybe a wind-up?)
Tire gauge

Random weird car issues:

Transmission fluid creeping up the speedometer line and dripping on my foot ('92 Geo Prizm)
Power locks locking on their own in very cold weather ('02 Ford Focus)