Checking Fluids
by: Kevin Schappell
Keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape requires constant monitoring of vital fluids. Read you owners manual and look for a diagram of the engine. Most times there will be a diagram showing where to check all the major fluids. This should be your starting point. If your manual is lost in the glove box or you never had one, then ask your mechanic or a friend who knows cars to show you all the places to check. There are 4 major levels to check on most cars.
Engine oil - Usually towards the front of the engine and marked "OIL" Always check your oil level with the engine OFF. Remove the dipstick and wipe the oil off with the rag or towel then put the dipstick back into the hole. Now pull out and get a reading. You might have to hold the dipstick to the light to get a good reading as fresh oil can sometimes be hard to see. On the dipstick there will be two marks indicating a maximum and minimum level for the oil. Make it a habit of checking your oil every two weeks.
Transmission fluid - If you have an automatic transmission then you will have a dipstick to check the fluid level. It is most commonly found towards the back of the engine compartment or towards the passenger side. You should find out how to check the fluid by looking at the owner’s manual or on the dipstick itself. Most cars have to be running with the transmission in park or neutral. Also the transmission should be warmed up to give a true reading. Make sure the car has been driven for a short distance to make sure everything is up to operating temperature. Checking the level is just like checking your oil, wipe off dipstick, replace, pull out again and check level. If you have a manual transmission there is no dipstick and to check the fluid level you must crawl under the car and remove a fill plug. I would have your mechanic check this for you once a year if you do not feel comfortable doing this.
Engine coolant - -- CAUTION -- Never open your radiator cap when the engine is hot ! The pressure in the system can send hot coolant splashing out on to you. Most cars have an overflow bottle, which will have level markings. Keep the coolant between these markings. If you have to open the radiator, make sure the engine is cold.
Power steering fluid - Your car uses oil to assist in steering the car. The fluid is usually checked at the pump, but can be away from the pump in a separate reservoir. Like the transmission, this fluid should also be checked when up to operating temperature. Most commonly the level is measured by a small dipstick attached to the cap of the reservoir.
Brake fluid - On most newer cars you can check brake fluid level without removing the cap on the master cylinder. There will be level markings on the side of the plastic reservoir. If you have to remove the cover to check the fluid level, be careful not to spill any fluid on the surrounding paint. Brake fluid makes a nice paint remover :-)
Windshield washer fluid - That's the magic blue liquid that squirts out of your hood. Most reservoirs have the level marked on the side but some newer cars have them buried underneath everything so you can not see. Just fill to the top, there is no harm in overfilling.
If you need to add any fluids to bring the levels up, a funnel is helpful to avoid spills. Keep track of how often you add oil, and transmission fluid. Frequent additions can point to leaks and engine wear.
About The Author
Kevin Schappell maintains http://www.carbuyersclub.com where he gives advice on buying, selling, insurance, and financing. A mechanical engineer and car guy, Kevin has decided to spend his online time helping others learn about automobiles. To learn more about how your car works, Kevin has created http://www.mycarwizard.com.
kevin@schappell.com
This article was posted on December 23, 2004
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duminică, 25 decembrie 2011
Hydraulic?
Hydraulic?
by: Seamus Dolly
This may sound a little strange, but one day a man called in looking for some water for his car. That was not unusual, until he started to put it into his hydraulic reservoir for the braking system of his car. I was young and curious, but he explained that water would suffice. Many years later and some hydraulic experience, it seems that he was right. Or partly so!
It should be remembered that twenty-five years ago, and anywhere from there back, the properties of rubber seals were different. Not deviating, but going some way to explain where the hydraulic oil/brake fluid, actually went. The fluid and indeed all oils were much different and had little agreement with the rubbers available at the time. Leakages were commonplace.
Though many may frown upon it, water is still efficient as a medium for hydraulic pressure, in the very short term, and especially in the case of a braking system in a general performance automobile. It is the purity of the water that changes its usability, but anything will do in an emergency. Incidentally, pure water is an insulator, though I wouldnt have the confidence to test the theory on a personal level, with four hundred volts. Lol! Seriously though, this would be a reason why battery top-ups, should be done with distilled or pure water. Water hasnt been simply, water, for some time, or since it was chemically analysed.
Modern hydraulic oils have anti-foaming, anti-wear (component-wise), anti-corrosive, lubrication, and heat dissipation properties. They also have special properties that limit their ability to compress, which is the area that hydraulic excels over pneumatic. Higher control comes with the solidity of the fluid, much as that sounds like a contradiction.
Indeed, pneumatic control is favoured where there are risks of contamination, from the oil itself, and this is one of the reasons that air is preferred to oil in a lot of production systems.
Friction does exist, even with fluid, and this as well as compressive forces, is the cause of heat generation. Any such heat generation, can result in a change in the liquids viscosity, thickness/thinness, ability to flow. It can also have a negative effect on the various sealing arrangement, whether steel on steel, rubber/plastic and its composites (sometimes brass or bronze impregnated polymers), or indeed, where cast iron replaces steel. Incidentally, dissimilar materials in juxtaposition and dynamically, are better than similar ones.
Steel on cast iron, generally, is better that steel on steel.
So, while this man went for the only resource available at that point in time, the pressure generated should be similar, or the difference negligible, he would have been missing the lubrication properties that oils achieve. His saving, was the short piston movement, the relatively slow speed of his vehicle, and the limited time of usage.
Hydraulics are exceptional at what they do, and large forces can be transmitted through tight radii, and indeed, returned through 180 degrees, such is its theory with respect to acting equally in all directions. Hydraulic systems have replaced the numerous and purely mechanical applications, where the moving parts are essentially and consistently lubricated. This is even better in a corrosive atmosphere, where for example, salty air will compromise all exposed parts.
On a lighter note, if such an improvising individual was thirsty, then he would have a choice between his brake fluid reservoir, his window washer reservoir, or indeed, his radiator.
by: Seamus Dolly
This may sound a little strange, but one day a man called in looking for some water for his car. That was not unusual, until he started to put it into his hydraulic reservoir for the braking system of his car. I was young and curious, but he explained that water would suffice. Many years later and some hydraulic experience, it seems that he was right. Or partly so!
It should be remembered that twenty-five years ago, and anywhere from there back, the properties of rubber seals were different. Not deviating, but going some way to explain where the hydraulic oil/brake fluid, actually went. The fluid and indeed all oils were much different and had little agreement with the rubbers available at the time. Leakages were commonplace.
Though many may frown upon it, water is still efficient as a medium for hydraulic pressure, in the very short term, and especially in the case of a braking system in a general performance automobile. It is the purity of the water that changes its usability, but anything will do in an emergency. Incidentally, pure water is an insulator, though I wouldnt have the confidence to test the theory on a personal level, with four hundred volts. Lol! Seriously though, this would be a reason why battery top-ups, should be done with distilled or pure water. Water hasnt been simply, water, for some time, or since it was chemically analysed.
Modern hydraulic oils have anti-foaming, anti-wear (component-wise), anti-corrosive, lubrication, and heat dissipation properties. They also have special properties that limit their ability to compress, which is the area that hydraulic excels over pneumatic. Higher control comes with the solidity of the fluid, much as that sounds like a contradiction.
Indeed, pneumatic control is favoured where there are risks of contamination, from the oil itself, and this is one of the reasons that air is preferred to oil in a lot of production systems.
Friction does exist, even with fluid, and this as well as compressive forces, is the cause of heat generation. Any such heat generation, can result in a change in the liquids viscosity, thickness/thinness, ability to flow. It can also have a negative effect on the various sealing arrangement, whether steel on steel, rubber/plastic and its composites (sometimes brass or bronze impregnated polymers), or indeed, where cast iron replaces steel. Incidentally, dissimilar materials in juxtaposition and dynamically, are better than similar ones.
Steel on cast iron, generally, is better that steel on steel.
So, while this man went for the only resource available at that point in time, the pressure generated should be similar, or the difference negligible, he would have been missing the lubrication properties that oils achieve. His saving, was the short piston movement, the relatively slow speed of his vehicle, and the limited time of usage.
Hydraulics are exceptional at what they do, and large forces can be transmitted through tight radii, and indeed, returned through 180 degrees, such is its theory with respect to acting equally in all directions. Hydraulic systems have replaced the numerous and purely mechanical applications, where the moving parts are essentially and consistently lubricated. This is even better in a corrosive atmosphere, where for example, salty air will compromise all exposed parts.
On a lighter note, if such an improvising individual was thirsty, then he would have a choice between his brake fluid reservoir, his window washer reservoir, or indeed, his radiator.
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