Diagnosing Basic Problems
To start with a very common problem that plagues us now and days when should i perform Basic maintenance to ensure longevity of my vehicle. its always a step in the right direction to change your oil every 2500-5000miles depending on regular oil or Synthetic based oils. Regular oil only lasts about 2500-3500 miles also depends on how much city or highway driving you are doing. Synthetic oils will last from 3000-5000 miles depending on the quality of the oil you used and your driving habits same as regular oil but it will last a little longer. if you car came out of the factory with regular based oil then use regular based oil in it. there will be no advantage to running a synthetic oil in your car if it didn't come from the factory that way.if you want to convert to regular oil once your car has higher mileage you can do that also. if your car has higher mileage then i would suggest a slight thicker weight oil u might as why would i do that well if your car has over 150k on it the bearings and the seals and the oil pump are starting to get weak might not seem like it but they are. here is what i have found works best based on mileage and engine size.4 Cylinder
150k-199k 10w-40w (Regular oil)
200k-300k 10w-40w or mix 10w-40w with 1qt to 2qts of 20w-50w or use lucas oil stabilizer it does work)
6 Cylinder150k-199k 10w-40w (Regular oil)
200k-300k 10w-40w or mix 10w-40w with 1qt to 2qts of 20w-50w or use lucas oil stabilizer it does work)
8 Cylinder150k-199k 10w-40w (Regular oil)
200k-300k mix 10w-40w with 1qt to 2qts of 20w-50w or use lucas oil stabilizer it does work) or 20w-50w only
you can use the oil filter of your choice also depends on budget if you want to spend 6.99 on the best one then by all means its your money the cheaper fram 3.99 will do the same job as the more expensive one.
Cooling system Flush
This is a common problem i have run into. my experience has taught me that you need to change your antifreeze at least every 2-3 yrs depending on climate. there are 3 types of coolant out on the market. check your owners manual or use Google to check what type your vehicel should have. one simple step is to pop your hood when the engine is COLD only and look at your coolant reservoir or take off your radiator cap if your car has one. usually they will twist off push down and turn to the left. if your car has green then use green usually cheaper. if you have red (dexcool) DO NOT PUT Green in there fully Drain and flush before you add Green Antifreeze. Orange :Organic Acid Technology (OAT) is a Long Life Coolant (LLC) / Extended Life Coolant (ELC) widely used in Europe before its introduction in North America. OAT is usually EG. The generally recommended replacement interval is five years or 150,000 miles; find out what the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations are for your car or truck. Never Mix any of the antifreeze together that will cause nothing but problems it will turn into a brown sludge and plug your heater core and your radiator and can cause the thermostat to stick also Ive seen it happen. Signs of a good or bad cooling system operation
Signs of a good system
Coolant Fluid is the color it should be
heater works as it should
running at normal operating temp
Signs of a bad system
Coolant looks off as in black or rusty residue, looks like milky residue,sludge
Might start running hotter then normal
heater might not work as it used to
this is for Fords in general if you own a mercury sable or Taurus then i would suggest that you flush your cooling system at least once a year. years affected by this are 1996-2000 Taurus's and Sables. Ford stated in a TSB (tech service bulletin) that the heater core and easily plug up if not serviced at the correct time. on these you can easily flush them by removing the heater hose's located on the firewall on the lower middle to the passenger side. 2 hose clamps and a garden hose. never flush the engine with the heater core attached you run the risk of plugging your heater core.
Tune Up
This is a very common issue also. older cars you would have to perform this at least once every 2 yrs or less depending on your driving habits. if you have a newer car this should be done per the owners manual. most cars call for 100k then 200k. at this point the air filter should be changed at least every 30k or less depending on your driving habits or where you live. if you live in a sandy environment then i would suggest more often, also at this time check your Belts the life span of a serpine belt or v belt styles are about 30-50k. you can easily check this by opening your hood and looking around the engine compartment looking for the belt or belts. once u have located it make sure that its not fraying or ripped or cracking because that means your belt is needing to be changed. Spark Plug wires if your car has these then you want to inspect them for burn marks or melted wires. if a wire is melted or burned its time to change them. if you have a coil on spark plug no need to change the coil if its not running bad but you do have a coil boot to the spark plug. the coil boot to spark plug should be changed every time you change the spark plugs for best performance. Spark plugs depending on your driving habits. if you do alot of in town driving i would suggest that you change your spark plugs at least every 30k-60k of driving due to your not driving at a Constance speed. if you do alot of highway driving with average stop n go traffic i would suggest they are changed 50k-80k, i pulled a set of spark plugs out of a toyota corolla that had not been changed at the right time the electrode that makes the spark had burnt off and the spark plug was covered in black which means it was burning rich. here is a guide to tell if your engine is running fine or if there is a problem.
Spark Plugs
Black residue (Burning rich,lack of oxygen, lack of compression)
Black residue with oil (burning oil,Running Rich,lack of compression oil ring or bad valve guides) does ur vehicle smoke blue?
White residue (burning lean,lack of fuel,bad O2 sensor explain this one later,Possible exhaust restriction)
Tan (running fine no issues)
Air Filters
change these every 15k-20k you can use which ever one you want to its all comes down to money i am not going to tell you to spend 59.99 on a K&N if your driving a kia or like kinda vehicle. if you want to use a K&N i would only use those in performance cars only. the basic air filters are fine some range from 9.99-39.99 depends on your vehicle. you can change your own air filter its located in the engine compartment usually located in a large black box with a large hose going to the intake. usually no tools are needed to change it.
Ignition Cap and Ignition Rotor and Coil
if your car has a Cap n Rotor they should be changed at the time you change the plugs and wires. signs of a bad cap and rotor can include.
misfiring (rough idle, back firing, hard start, stumbles when you give it gas to go, No start)
once you pull the cap and rotor off of your car do not disconnect the spark plug wires yet if you can, if you cannot remove the distributor cap without removing the wire then make sure to mark them on the cap so that when you change it you do not mess up the firing order. visually inspect the cap and rotor. with the cap upside down you will see where the rotor contacts the cap and each cylinder.
Normal wear
slight burn marks on the terminals
slight black marks on the rotor
Bad signs
Massive burn marks
carbon tracing (where it jumps from one cylinder to another)
Missing terminals
Rotor has melted (yes this does happen)
Missing the Rotor button (wear the coil connects to the rotor)
Ignition Coil or Coils
the job of the ignition coil or coils is to supply spark to your engine to ignite the gas to make it run. fuel+Air+Spark=Run
if you have a faulty coil then you will notice that it doesn't run as it should as in
Misfires at idle (one or more cylinders check engine light codes if available)
stumbles (worse when warm)
Black smoke out of the tail pipe
Bad gas mileage
Randomly dies
Hard start after warm
burned coil electrode (spark plug wire connects)
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