15 Minutes of Maintenance Can Keep You Safe

Although life on the freeways is second nature to most Californians, having a car die in traffic is almost as terrifying as having an accident. It’s not just loss of time and the cost of towing; in these days of drive-by mayhem, lives may be on the line as well.

It takes only minutes once a month to avoid problems that can leave you stranded. This simple preventive maintenance requires no special tools or expertise--just a couple of clean, lint-free rags and 15 minutes of your time.

The best time to do this checkup is in the morning, when the car is cool and fluids are resting quietly in their tanks. Be sure the engine is off and the gearshift in park or neutral with the emergency brake on.

1. Check the Air Filter: Open the hood and look for the air cleaner, which resides on top of the engine, or in a plastic air box, usually near the wheel wells. Undo the lid fasteners to get at the filter inside. Most cars have pleated-paper filters that can be replaced for a few dollars. Simply buy a new one designed for your vehicle, lift out the old one, and drop in the new. Some vehicles have permanent air filters that are easily cleaned according to instructions in the owner’s manual.

To see whether your air filter needs to be replaced, just hold it up to the sun or a strong light. If you can’t see the light through it, drop it gently, bottom side down, on a hard, clean surface to jar loose the dirt. (Don’t blow through the filter--you can foul it that way.) If you’ve dropped it a few times and still can’t see light through it, it’s time to replace it. Air filters should be changed at least once a year or every 20,000 miles, whichever comes first, but if you drive in dusty or sandy areas, you may need to replace it more often.

2. Check the Battery: Battery acid forms a powdery deposit on the battery terminals that can corrode the cables and posts. Before you clean off this stuff, remove the cables from the terminals by undoing each cable clamp nut and wiggling the cable until the clamp comes off the post. Always remove the cable from the negative terminal first (the one with the minus sign) before you remove the cable from the positive terminal. (It usually has a plus sign and a red cap.) Conversely, always replace the positive cable first and the negative cable last.

To avoid damaging any on-board electronics, tie back the cables so they don’t flop onto the terminals while you’re working on the battery, and don’t allow anything made of metal to touch the posts. Then sprinkle the area with a little baking soda, dip an old toothbrush or disposable nonmetallic brush in water, and scrub away the deposits. Dry everything with a clean, lint-free cloth.

To prevent deposits from forming again, coat the terminals with petroleum jelly. If battery cables and clamps are badly frayed or corroded, they should be replaced. Most batteries are sealed, but if you have one with removable caps or bars on top, open them and check to see if the fluid covers the metal plates inside. If it doesn’t, add distilled water until it just covers them.

Do not get battery deposits or liquid on your skin or clothes. If you do, immediately wash it off with water. If you see cracks in the battery case or obvious terminal damage, replace the battery immediately. If your car is hard to start, or the battery is very old, have the battery tested to see if it needs to be recharged or replaced.

3. Check Coolant: Check the liquid in your cooling system and add more as needed. If your car has a plastic coolant recovery reservoir, there’s no need to open the radiator cap; just check to see if the liquid reaches the “full” line on the side of the bottle. If you have no coolant reservoir, open the radiator cap and look inside. If the liquid is below the top of the fins in the radiator, or if you can’t see it at all, the level is too low.

Some coolant reservoirs are pressurized and have a radiator-type cap. If you need to add more liquid to this type of reservoir, or if you have to open the cap on the radiator, be sure the engine is cool. Then place a cloth over the cap and turn it counterclockwise to allow the pressure to escape. Tilt the cap as you remove it so that whatever steam escapes shoots under the hood and not on you. Pour a 50-50 mixture of water and coolant into the reservoir until it reaches the “full” line, or pour it into the radiator until it covers the fins or is an inch or so below the cap.

Coolant is usually red, green, blue or yellow. If it looks colorless, rusty or has things floating in it, the cooling system should be flushed and refilled. If coolant has a sludgy, oily surface, have your mechanic check the system. Coolant is highly toxic to animals, who like its sweet flavor. If you spill any on the ground, remove it thoroughly and dispose of the rags safely.

4. Check Hoses: Most emergency trucks don’t carry spare hoses, so you can avoid paying for a tow by checking your hoses and replacing questionable ones. Feel the big hoses attached to the top and bottom of the radiator, and squeeze every hose you encounter under the hood. If any of them are leaking, bulgy, soft and squishy or hard and brittle, replace them along with any hose clamps that are worn or rusty.

5. Check Belts: If a belt is too loose, you’ll often hear squeaky noises when the engine accelerates. But worn belts give no auditory signals and can break unexpectedly. Many vehicles use a single belt to drive all the engine accessories; older models have several belts.

Wiggle each belt to check if it has more than half an inch of play. If it does--and it’s otherwise in good condition--it should be adjusted. Replace it if the belt is cracked or frayed or if the inside surface is glazed. Keep a spare belt in the trunk for emergencies.

6. Check Wiring: Feel each wire and cable. If they are hard and inflexible, corroded or frayed or have metal showing through the insulation, they should be replaced before they short out.

7. Check Oil: The problem with checking oil at a gas station is that the level on the dipstick will always read a little low because oil is still inside the hot engine rather than in the oil pan. If oil is added to the dipstick’s “full” line, it may overfill the engine and damage it.

So check the oil yourself in the morning when the engine is cold. Pull out the dipstick and rub a little of the oil between your thumb and forefinger. If it feels gritty or leaves your fingertips dirty when you wipe it off, it needs to be changed. (Oil turns black naturally after a short time, but you want to be sure it doesn’t contain particles that can abrade your engine.)

Next, wipe the dipstick with a clean, lint-free rag and shove the stick back into its pipe. If the dipstick gets stuck, turn it around. (The dipstick bends naturally in the direction of the curve in the pipe if you put it back the way it came out.) Pull the dipstick out again and check to see whether the oil reaches the “full” line. If it doesn’t, open the big oil-filler cap on the engine and add oil a little at a time, checking the stick frequently to avoid adding too much.

Use oil of the same weight--and preferably of the same brand because there may be chemical differences among labels--as the oil that’s already in the engine. If done at a gas station, be sure the engine’s been off for at least 10 minutes to avoid overfilling.

8, 9. Check Other Fluids: Though they need replacing far less frequently than oil, it’s also a good practice to put the brake fluid, power steering fluid and automatic transmission fluid on your 15-minute checklist. Your owner’s manual will point you to the proper dipsticks or reservoirs, but a few cautions are worth noting.

Brake fluid eats paint, so if you spill any, wipe it up immediately and get rid of the rag. It is also toxic, so dispose of anything with more than just a little fluid in or on it at a toxic-waste center. Because brake fluid deteriorates with use, it should be replaced by a mechanic if it looks dark in color.

Many symptoms of a faulty automatic transmission are the same as those for being low on transmission fluid. Look for a dipstick handle toward the rear of the engine, or the side of the transaxle, if you have front-wheel drive. Put the car in neutral or park, with the emergency brake on, then start the engine and let it run.

When the engine is warm, pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag. Reinsert the stick and pull it out again. If the fluid is low, gradually add more (your owner’s manual will advise you which type to use), using a funnel and keeping the engine running, until it reaches the “full line.”

10. Check Washer Fluid: Look for the plastic reservoir under the hood. If the liquid is below the “full” line on the side of the container, fill it with windshield washer fluid. Don’t use detergent; it can plug up the lines, and it isn’t easy to drive with suds on your windshield!

Note: If any levels are low, and it’s been only a short time since the last check, have a professional find out why you’re losing fluid before the problem causes more damage.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Stopping Trouble Before It Starts

Getting to know your way around your car’s engine compartment and spending just a few minutes each month looking for signs of trouble can prevent a lot of headaches when you’re in traffic.