Topping up Car Fluids
Any motorist needs a rundown of priority fluids common to any vehicle. All things considered, there are a total of five different types of fluids common with motor vehicles, the majority of what are lubricants necessary for minimizing wear to the vehicle's various moving and impacted parts. Each of these fluids can be serviced by the owner, and here is a chance to learn them. It's a good idea to check all serviceable fluids throughout the vehicle during the first 5,000 miles in order to ensure that there are no problems.Vehicle fluids fuel, pressurize, lubricate, cool, insulate and clean the vehicle. The respective systems that these fluids belong to are the braking system, power steering system, fuel system, drive train, cooling system, and the windshield washers.Before checking fluids, be sure to park on a level surface. Have the car running warm - fluids drain best in any season with a warm engine. If changing the fluids is necessary, then it is important to put down a pad such as of newspaper and a drain pan that can hold the amount of oil or fluid that is to be drained. If necessary, the fluids can be poured into clean, distinctive milk jugs andrecycled.Changing fluids in a motor vehicle is a messy job that will leave your hands slogged with poisons. Have some rags, cardboard and newspaper on standby to prevent contaminating the ground or concrete and for quick accidents. Some components will require a socket or Allen wrench to get at the fluid level.• Estimate the proper tools for the job.• Get a good, gritty hand cleaner of the type often sold with an orange base and some towels to wipe off with.• Clean oily rags over time while preventing combustion - soak oily towels and rags in a barrel of water with added special detergent.• Keep a working, laminated list of all car fluids to be checked available in a suitable storage space of the car.• Buy fluids, oils, and any filters recommended by the manufacturer in the owner's manual.• Check fluid levels on a level surface after the vehicle has been running until thoroughly warmed.• It is always important to put the proper fluid in the correct fill region of the correct part of the component.• Know to mix fluids from other manufacture naught if refilling. Chemical interactions may undermine the intended role of preservation of each key part, as designed by the engineer.• Whatever method is used to raise the car from the ground, be sure to use additional support to protect yourself in any case, once the simple method fails.• All petroleum, A/C, and coolant fluids that are swapped-out should be collected andrecycledseparately.Choosing a proper fluid or oil is a whole other topic now with so many choices and superior performance synthetics now on the market. Be sure to refer to the operator's or service manual for compatible fluid types, and remember - it's not all petroleum-based.Below are more specific tips to help with the task of changing a car's fluids.BrakesFor protecting the lives of all passengers, having well-maintained brakes can't be beat. There are many different types of braking systems to consider that include the basic rear wheel and front wheel configurations. Brakes themselves are commonly either drum or disc types.The brake fluid generally sits inside of a small, translucent cylinder that generally accepts enough light to let the eye see where fluid levels out. The cylinder itself should have labeled graduations. It is often doffed with a cap held on by tension or suction alone that has a pin-sized hole in the middle to bladder air as seasonal pressures prevail.• Locate the brake fluid reservoir and clean the outside with a rag.• The fluid that goes in needs to be fresh and not left uncapped for any extended period of time, as its glycol component absorbs water madly. Fluid boiling impairs braking, and water boils much sooner than the formulation itself. DOT-3 standard fluid is rated to withstand temperatures up to 460°F before boiling.• Brake fluid is so important to a car that the manufacturer's required type should always be used. Don't risk brake failure with inferior product.• Refill with the type (or brand) of brake fluid recommended by the car's manufacturer, as specified in the operator's manual or service manual. Usually the specification shall be listed as a DOT-3 type.• Take a towel and wipe away any grime or filth from the brake fluid cylinder and cap. Take care to observe and distinguish the minimum from the maximum brake fluid fill indicators located at extreme ends of the graduated cylinder.• Be sure that the hole in the cylinder cap is not waxed over with filth; stick a sewing needle gently through it, if necessary.• Make sure not to shake the fluid nor pour its contents in haste. Any bubbles that form in the fluid may need to be bled through use of certain screws at each caliper and wheel cylinder called bleeder valves. If you have to bleed the brakes, be sure to refill the cylinder at each bleed to prevent air from gaining entry once again. Once the color of the new fluid emerges, the brake has been bled.• Dispose of brake fluid by municipal government provision or by professionalrecyclingsolely to prevent heavy metal environmental contamination.SteeringPower steering fluid is easy to forget about but nonetheless important to check. A dry system is at heightened risk for oxidation and deterioration, and the system's pump shall soon fail. Power steering fluid can be left unchanged until a leak or till deterioration releases abrasive particlesinto the fluid.• You may beat faultin a traffic accident if your power steering fluid was empty at the time of the accident.• Disconnect the power steering if it will bedriven without fluidfor a while. Look for a corresponding fuse or disconnect the wire at its source.• Purchase a quality power steering fluid that will help protect all its points-of-contact if doing a complete drain & refill.•Recyclepower steering fluid.BatterySome batteries are capped and filled with water to keep the electrolyte functional. Charged batteries actually come back to life once water is replenished. It's a simple matter to use a Flathead screwdriver to lift each cap and fill close to the top. Be sure to replace the caps when done.• Clean the battery top as thoroughly as possible before uncapping. Don't dilute the electrolyte with anything like dirt or foreign matter.• Use a small, clean watering can for a precision fill to ¼" of the top of each cell. It's a good idea to use the purist water possible, such as distilled, but as long as it's filtered, that may suffice.• Electrolyte will eat holes in clothes or skin. Take necessary precautions.FuelEach vehicle has its own fuel gauge to register the proportion of gasoline or diesel fuel that is present. There is also a fuel filter that connects to the gas line. It's important that the fuel filter be changed regularly, and fuel flow is a prime suspect if the electrical components work but the vehicle starts or accelerates poorly or won't start at all.• Buy gasolinebefore sunrisewhen it has condensed at the pump after a night of cooling to get more for your money.• If the gauge has been broke and is no longer working, be sure to top up at first opportunity and develop a working estimate of how many miles the tank is good for to the nearest hundred, in city driving MPG, until repair is possible. Then refuel after about half the expected maximum distance has been traveled.• In Winter,keep the tank full for maximum safety, refilling any time the indicator shows 3/4 tank or less. At other times of the year, refuel at half a tank to limit air in the tank that facilitates rapid evaporation.• It is important not to overfill the tank on cold Winter days because gasoline has contracted to become very dense in the cold and may leak freely from the tank cover if it is not driven far from the pump. This point goes especially for older trucks that can be filled with ease to the very brim. The leak may create a hazardous condition. Bear in mind that many motorists throw tiny, burning cones of fire or sparks out from their vehicles.Drive TrainConsidering the drive train, it is a collection of gears that require constant lubrication, connected by some logic of sequence. For instance, there is the transmission that is connected to the gear box but also to the rear differential. And there may be any type of wheel component fittings that need lubrication in the form of good old standard grease. Even though most grease fittings are sealed, those may nonetheless dry out. Some DIY mechanics will equip the service-free parts with accessible fittings anyway so the parts may be serviced.• Motor oil is changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months - or sooner if it is too dirty.Look for signs of leakage regularly. You don't have to be superstitious about checking motor oil levels, but it helps.A check after arriving home from an outing may show the degree of dirt in fluids in its running state. Do not check any fluids with the motor running except as part of a recommended and thoroughly-reviewed procedure, as some fluids may reach high pressure states and can cause severe injury if unplugged.For operations that involve plug removal, clean the plug and its insertion area with a degreaser & rag combo. See that the plug is not torqued to excess when replacing it; snug is fine.Except for the motor oil, change the drive train fluids together at a planned interval or time. Do this especially if you use synthetic oil or fluid and re-use it after straining, since it can take the heat. Recommended maintenance for the vehicle may suggest doing so less often, but you'll be glad that you took the trouble. First, everything is taken care of in one swoop. And second, nothing will be overlooked. Third, you'll be in the mood to do a complete and thorough job. And fourth, it's all right to change your mind later once completely comfortable working with each component.Transmission fluidCheck transmission fluid using the dipstick provided. Refer to the operator's manual of the make & model to find out whether its fluid should be checked cool or warm.Transaxle :: Rear transaxleThere is a transaxle present on about 65% of vehicles, consisting of components in certain manual and automatic transmissions. Some components are shared in common and others are not. If the fluid ever needs replacing due to wear, the entire unit will need a re-haul. That's why it's important to monitor its level and purity. In manual transmissions, the transaxle is called the rear differential. But in automatic transmissions, the transmission may be integrated into one piece.The rear differential, often overlooked, contains gears that relate to moving the rear wheels in regulated mechanical fashion. It is an easy part to identify, being in the middle in a sort of round hub, directly between two rear tires. There are two plugs that can be unscrewed.• Thetop plugof the or rear transaxle rear differential, is the one used to check the fluid level.• The bottom plug is used to drain transaxle or differential fluid.• Check transaxle fluid at the same time as engine oil by referring to its dipstick, if provided.• Refer to the operator's manual on whether the fluid is best checked cold or warm.• Refer to the operator's manual about whether to top with motor oil or transmission fluid.• After establishing a stable fluid level for a couple months, check transaxle fluidevery 1,000 miles.• Overfilling can damage seals and cause contamination by water, grease & and dust. Fill just beneath the line rather than just over the line.Transaxle :: Front transaxleThefront transaxle fluidis sometimes part of the transmission. In cases where it is not integrated into one chamber, a ratchet set or Allen wrench may be helpful in removing the plug.GearboxThegearboxis a part of the vehicle related to wheels that can be compared to a multi-speed bicycle. The gearbox manages the ratio behind gear changes instigated by the given type of transmission. Any transmission houses gears that initiate the gear-shift process from the little stick that identifies that a car has a particular type of transmission. Gearboxes can be found as in-between parts attached between the transmission and the wheel's axle. These components sometimes institute directional change in the vehicle, whether Reverse or Forward.
• Gearbox fluid needs to be of uniform consistency and pure color.A/C systemRefrigerant in the aftermath of the banning production of certain types of refrigerants has changed due to regulations again, but now there is more choice on the market with refrigerants even cooler and costlier than the old. (Freon is actually a DuPont-reserved name slapped onto, say, the current refrigerant product manufactured by the company).• Check for the presence of refrigerant by following the thin ¼" A/C tube to a little glass window. Clean the window if necessary and start up the vehicle. Then check the glass window for the state of the coolant. A slew of bubbles indicates need for refill.• If replacing the current refrigerant, let a favorite repair shop collect and recycle the old for the sake of the environment. The mechanic can also add new refrigerant, or the DIY route is also available now that newer refrigerants sold on the market are considered safer.• When checking for a leak in the refrigerant line, use a system certified as "SAE J1627." Some of these systems provide for use of UV light and gaseous dye that can be used to isolate its pressure point.• When refilling, use a special gauge that monitors pressure respectively from the low pressure and high pressure regions of the A/C system.• Refrigerant is added to thelow pressureregion of the A/C system. The gauge helps prevent explosion that occurs if filling at the wrong valve. So be sure to fill on the side that the lower pressure shows to register on the gauge for the safety of everyone as well as the mister.• Wear gloves for handling the refrigerant. This coolant can gets cold fast while draining.CoolantWith basic radiator maintenance checks, it is best to plan to leave the cap on. Instead of opening the cap, go by the reading taken from the coolant reservoir, where there is a maximum and minimum fill line. When the reservoir is empty or beneath the minimum line, that is a sure sign of need for fluid.• Top the radiator by filling the overflow reservoir to the minimum line. Don't even bother touching the dangerous radiator cap unless the overflow is stark dry and empty.• Use more of the same type of coolant used last time. Otherwise, both types may degrade in short order.• If the check requires opening the radiator, wait a good fifteen minutes. Preferably, take time to go have a bit to eat and come back to the vehicle when it should be cool.• Use gloves together with a large towel to open the radiator cap with added safety.Since radiator fluid picks up most of the heat of the vehicle, take excruciating care with that lid. A good safety lid has a valve that can be released to check for high pressure without costing a huge boil-over.Wiper FluidDepending on driving conditions, some drivers can get away with using plain water in the washer fluid reservoir during thawed months. Getting spritzed with dirty water by a wet automobile can shut down your driving plans or even cause a wreck without recourse due to an empty windshield reservoir.• If buying for special needs, there is are wide slates of products that can be used both Summer and Winter. There is also plain stock wiper fluid, being a poisonous, diluted mixture of methanol and water. If bugs are a problem for night-time driving or in cicada swarms, consider treating the windshield with a super-slick window treatment to help discourage a sticky mess. There are also environmentally-friendly options worth exploring for any season.• The washer fluid reservoir is typically near the front or fender of the vehicle. Look for an upside-down tetrahedron on a plastic lid that has been drawn curved somewhat to look like a windshield. The symbol also has markings suggestive of a fountain in its middle. It can be an opaque or translucent plastic lid.There isn't much to adding washer fluid. Simply uncap the lid and place a clean, long funnel into its fill tube or tank. Then pour a choice fluid into the reservoir. If using a new type, the reservoir may be drained by operating the pump from inside the vehicle, just like cleaning the windshield until the fluid runs out.• To check for any leaks in the system, be sure that the vehicle has been parked over a dry surface and inspect for any sign by looking beneath the vehicle. If any fluids were spilled during the refill, move the car to a drier area to check under the car.That's a lot of tips, but it's important to develop a comprehensive idea of what the fluids are and where they can be found so that self-maintenance can be planned. To plan, I would recommend getting a PDA that has a Date Book and an alarm that will sound when the time has come. When planning, the more fluids that can be checked, the better. This also prepares the home mechanic for the day when each fluid should be changed and/or topped simultaneously. When each fluid check gets easy and the correct equipment that makes the check clean & simple is all together at your disposal, you'll know that the proper preparations are in order. Lastly, remember that recycling is a very important issue and well worth the trouble. To be economically explicit, 2 gallons of recycled oil yield 24 hours of power for an average household. Be sure to check out Earth911.com for a zip code based search engine that may answer any questions about where to take the waste.[1]Automobile Brakes - A Short Course on How They Work| FamilyCar.com[2]Brake Bleeding | VW-Resource.com[3]Transfer Case and Rear Differential Fluid| NissanMurano.org[4]When to change differential, auto trans, transfer case oil under normal driving?[5]DIY: Rear Differential Fluid Change[6]Recharging Your Car's Air Conditioner with Refrigerant[7]Air Conditioners for Your Car| Popular Mechanics Monthly [on-line archive], 04/1969: pp. 117-132.[8]How To Maintain Your Car's Fluid Levels| Edmunds.com[9]Gear oil change for manual car
