The engine is by far the most essential part of a vehicle. The engine’s health, performance, and maintenance should be paramount to a car owner.
The engine is by far the most essential part of a vehicle. The engine’s health, performance, and maintenance should be paramount to a car owner.
Poor engine care leads to an unsatisfactory driving experience and frequent breakdowns and reduces your car’s performance, smoothness, and lifespan.
So, we have developed this article that suggests 10 engine maintenance tips for you.
What are the Top 10 Engine Maintenance Tips?
1. Change Engine Oil Regularly
Hundreds of moving parts make up a car’s engine, and they need to be adequately lubricated for these parts to function efficiently and smoothly. This is where the Engine oil comes in. Engine oil is the car’s preferred “beverage.”
There are different brands, grades, and types of engine oil, so be sure to use what is recommended for your engine by the car manufacturer.
The recommended type is often written on the cover of the chamber where the engine oil is usually added to the engine. Always check the dipstick for the engine oil level, color, and viscosity to determine how frequently you need to change your engine oil.
2. Check the Cooling System Regularly
The cooling system is another critical determinant of the engine’s health. The cooling system comprises the radiator, water pump, coolant, and the thermostat.
Each of these components plays a vital role in keeping the engine’s parts cool and pleasant. So, always ensure that the cooling system is functioning normally.
A critical component of the cooling system is the coolant. The coolant is a mixture of water and some additives (antifreeze). Although some car users use tap water, using a coolant best suited for your environment and engine type is the best practice.
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3. Replace the Fuel Filter
The fuel filter filters out junk and debris from the fuel in your tank, preventing them from entering the engine’s combustion chamber. If the filters get clogged due to debris, they must be replaced so the engine can work efficiently.
The newer the filter, the more easily and freely the flow of clean fuel to the fuel pump and engine.
4. Clean Your Plugs Regularly and Change Them When Over-Used
Spark plugs, or simply “plugs,” are the starting point of the combustion process in your engine. They generate the spark that ignites the engine cylinders’ fuel and air mixture.
This means your plugs come into play every time you start your car. These plugs become less efficient as they age or when they pick up dust particles and other impurities.
Remove your plugs and clean regularly, especially before and after long travels.
It is recommended that you change spark plugs every 20,000 km.
5. Find a Fixed, Trusted Filling Station and Stick to it
Find a fuel filling station with fuel filters at the pump and changes these pump filters regularly. Fueling stations without filters are likely to expose your tank to fuel with impurities.
Some filling stations have poor mixture practices, exposing your car to poorly mixed or low-quality fuel. This will affect the performance and lifespan of your car engine.
We advise you to find a station with good fuel quality and practice and stick to it. One smart tip for you, don’t fill up right after the fuel tanker just refilled the reservoirs at the fuel station, as there might be debris from the bottom of the reservoir that has been stirred up.
Go to a different fuel station, or return a few days later!
Also Read: 6 Signs that Indicate its Time to Get a New Car
6. Change Air Filters When Necessary
Air filters easily get clogged by dust, debris, and other solid particles. This causes ‘stress’ on the entire engine system, increasing fuel consumption.
Although replacing air filters after every 20,000 km is recommended, make it a habit to check the air filters regularly for any faults or blockages.
This will help keep your engine healthier and more efficient for much longer.
7. Check Belts Regularly
The Rubber belts in your engine are essential to keep the moving parts of your engine in sync. It’s always advisable to check rubber belts for cracks and other signs of wear.
Once you start hearing sounds from your engine, it’s time to change the rubber belts. The dangers associated with the belt breaking while the engine is moving can be very damning as they may leave your engine needing severe repairs or replacement of major parts.
8. Don’t Smash the Accelerator too Hard
Another simple but very effective engine maintenance tip is your driving habits. How you accelerate affects the performance and lifespan of your engine.
Always apply uniform pressure on your accelerator pedal rather than revving the engine only to come to a sudden stop.
Over-acceleration may lead to wear and tear of your car’s engine, reducing the engine’s life span. The tachometer shows how many revolutions your engine makes per minute (RPM).
A higher RPM means your engine is working harder and consuming more fuel. While the ideal RPM varies from car to car and depends on engine type, the average recommended rpm for manual cars is between 2000 and 2500 and 1200 to 1800 RPM for automatic vehicles.
Idling RPM should not exceed 800RPM. As a rule of thumb, do not let the needle touch the red line on the tachometer
9. Look for Leaks
Considering how crucial engine oil and antifreeze are to a car engine, it will be suicidal to let your engine run without these fluids, especially due to leakages caused by broken pies or other factors.
Make it a rule to always check under your car for leakages of any of these fluids. The best time to check for leakages is after your car has been parked, move the car and check the parking spot for any traces of leakages.
Also Read: Driving Test Questions and Answers in Cameroon
10. Monitor Engine Light
Amongst the most important driving habits is the practice of always monitoring the dashboard for signals on the state of health and potential issues with your car engine and other car parts.
The engine light gives us a general idea of the state of your engine, and although it must always be a serious issue, you will never know if you don’t check!
Final Words
As everyone knows, purchasing and using a car usually cost much money. But due to its necessity, most people cannot do without their cars! The engine is your car’s most expensive, important, and complex part.
It is, therefore, wise to do everything possible to keep your engine healthy and prevent it from quick depreciation.
Respecting the simple but important steps above would help keep your engine in good shape for longer.
Doing so will reduce the frequency of repairs and save up loads of cash that would have been used for repairs and replacement of parts.
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