9 Essential Engine Maintenance Tips

The Essential Maintenance tips and advice to keep your engine in good health and to increase its lifespan.

There are a lot of answers to why proper maintenance of engines is essential. Not only does it can save you a lot of money, but it can also prevent your car from any unexpected failure. Besides, it also prolongs the service life of your car. They are a myriad of ways for maintaining your car engine. Let's discuss the most important maintenance tips.

1. Oil Change Periodically

An oil change is the easiest and the simplest way to keep all moving parts well lubricated. It makes sure that the wear and tear on the engine parts are the least. A good quality lubricant helps to protect all internal engine components from the damaging effects of friction, heat, etc. It can also keep dust, dirt, and sediments out of its places. The oil level should be checked every month and should be refilled when the level is low. An oil filter is also important as it keeps any particles from damaging delicate internal components to make your engine run smoothly.

2. Changing Air Filter

All engines need a steady supply of oxygen for efficient combustion. And, an air filter prevents dust and grit from entering the delicate internal components of your car engine. However, as time goes on, the dust particles collected by the filter can constrict the airflow into the engine causing incomplete burning of fuel which in turn reduces mileage and increases emission. So, it's important to clean or change your air filter regularly.

3. Checking the Cooling System

The engine coolant helps the engine to prevent damages from overheating. So, it's a must to make sure that an ample amount of coolant is present at all times. And, its also possible that the coolant leaks might occur. When the coolant level falls too low or when the coolant leaks, it's possible that the engine overheats damaging the engine and the car. Also, make sure not to check coolant levels while the engine is still hot.

4. Replacing the Fuel Filter

Similar to an oil filter, the fuel filter also has a critical part. A fuel filter prevents unwanted dirt or debris from entering the combustion chamber of the engine which would cause unnecessary wear and tear on the engine components and wreaks havoc on the overall system. For optimum performance, the fuel filter must be replaced at regular intervals.

5. Check for leaks

Leaks are something you have to look out for especially something like an oil leak or antifreeze which is hard to ignore. It's always a good idea to check under your hood to see if anything is leaking from the engine. It's better to take care of minor leaks before it reaches a big issue.

6. Never let your Fuel Level go too low

Gasoline contains sediments that can settle at the bottom of the fuel tank. After many years of driving, there will be a significant amount of sediments at the bottom of the gas tank. When it runs very low on fuel, it can get pulled into the fuel pump and can get into the engine and cause internal damage. So, fill up your tank before going too low to avoid the repair cost of the fuel filter and pump.

7. Check your Belts

The rubber belts are an essential component to keep everything in tune when an engine runs. Belts on the engine usually last for a long time. But, eventually, it can develop cracks and signs of wear. If you hear some squeaky noise coming from under the hood, its time to replace them. If your belt breaks while driving it can cause major damage to the engine components.

8. Follow-up Check Engine light

Never ignore the engine warning light. It can be an indication of problems with your alternator, battery, engine temperature or other areas surrounding the engine. To protect your engine, you should either run a self-diagnosis or take it to a vehicle mechanic.

9. Changing the Spark Plugs and Wires

Another way to protect your engine is to change the spark plugs and wires regularly. The spark plug is used to start the combustion in the engine. It needs relatively low maintenance. Regular maintenance of spark plugs will ensure that the engine retains its spark. It can help you in keeping your engine fire consistently and your gas mileage up at the same time.