Check in the morning before starting the vehicle, or when the engine is "cold":
1.) Engine Oil. Find the dipstick. It's usually located in the front part of the car, near the radiator. On most cars, it's to the right of the oil cap, and may be marked "Engine Oil". Pull out the dipstick, and wipe it clean (just a couple of long strokes will do). While it's clean, look at the markings: you'll see a "Min" line and a "Max" line. Re-insert the dipstick all the way, and take it out to see where your vehicle's oil level is. If it's below the "Min" line, add oil one quart at a time (re-checking the dipstick between oil additions), but don't overfill it!
Don't forget to have your oil and filter changed about every three-four months or 3,000-4,000 miles to keep your engine in top-running performance. If you don't change the oil often enough, you will eventually be getting a lot of blow-by, and then soot and deposits will clog up the works, leading to loss of power, increased emissions and lower gas mileage.
2.) Radiator (Older cars, pre-70's). Be sure the car is "cold"! Remove the radiator cap and look inside. If the water/anti-freeze level isn't up to the top, add equal parts water and anti-freeze to fill it (it needs to be full to the top). Check to be sure you put the cap back on correctly.
3.) Coolant overflow bottle (check this instead of the radiator on cars manufactured after 1970). The coolant overflow bottle is a white plastic reservoir located next to the radiator, with a hose connecting the two. There are marks on the side of the bottle that show full and low levels. If the level of the liquid is below the low marking, you need more coolant. (Note: since the reservoir is white plastic, it can be hard to tell how much coolant is in the bottle - use a flashlight to help you locate the fluid level.) But, you have to be sure not to mix two different types of coolant, because you can damage the radiator! If you want to switch to a different type of coolant, you'll need to have your cooling system drained and flushed before putting in new coolant. Be sure to use the right type of coolant for your vehicle. Don't overfill the bottle. It won't hurt your vehicle if you do overfill the bottle, but its contents will spill over onto your engine and/or the driveway. You don't want to let pets or children around the coolant - most types are poisonous.
4.) Power steering fluid level. The reservoir is usually located on near the engine (up top), near the passenger side and is usually marked. Open the cap - it has a dipstick attached. Wipe and re-insert the dipstick. Check to be sure the level is in between the markings on the dipstick. If you need to add power steering fluid, check to be sure you purchase the right type of power steering fluid for your vehicle.
5.) Brake fluid. The brake fluid reservoir is located on the driver's side of the car, toward the back side of the engine compartment. Newer models have a clear reservoir, so you can simply look at the full- or low- lines on the reservoir to see if you need brake fluid. For non-clear reservoir models, clean the cap with a rag or paper towel before opening it, so dirt won't fall into the reservoir. Some caps screw off, and some pull off (you may need a screwdriver to help you pop off the cap). Open the cap and check the level. There are full- and low- level markings on the side of the reservoir or inside the opening. It needs to be at the full-line. Use a funnel to avoid spills if you need to add brake fluid. Be very careful to not get brake fluid on your paint - it will remove the paint!
Now, go ahead and start your vehicle and let it run for a few minutes. It will need to be "warm" for the last fluid level check. While it's warming up, you can check and add windshield washer fluid.
6.) Windshield washer fluid. Often neglected when checking fluids, but you really don't want to be out of this fluid when you need it! The plastic bottle is usually marked on the cap (and may be marked with a picture of the windshield symbol). Fill it to the top of the fill line with windshield washer fluid. We recommend adding Rain-X windshield treatment products to water or the blue stuff - it really works to make the water just bead right off the windshield! (If you have a van, go to the back window, open the hatch and add windshield washer fluid to that container while you're at it.)
7.) Transmission fluid. If you didn't start your engine already, do it now, because this level is checked while the engine is warm. There is a dipstick to check the transmission fluid level, but it's not in the same place on all vehicles. Check along the left or right side of the engine, down low, and find the dipstick. Take it out and clean it with a rag or paper towel. Check to see where the indicators are marked on the dipstick. Re-insert it (be patient with this one - it doesn't always fit in easily), and then take it out and see where the fluid level is. You are looking for the "warm" reading in this case. If the fluid level is low, be sure to add the right type of transmission fluid for your vehicle. Also, this fluid should be pink, and sort of clear. If it's dark-colored, you need the transmission fluid changed right away, so you won't damage your vechicle. (Note: manual transmissions don't have a dipstick to check the fluid level - you have to crawl under the vehicle to remove the fill plug to check the level. Feel free to call on your mechanic to check the transmission fluid level on a manual transmission vehicle!)
These fluid level checks really are easy to do, and just take a few minutes of your time - but they can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in gas cost and repair fees, and doing these simple checks can help you to catch things that need to be repaired before they become more serious and costly. Except the windshield washer fluid, most of these really shouldn't be "used up" over time - so if you are replacing any of the other fluids very often, it's time to have a mechanic take a look, because something is likely starting to fail on your vehicle.
Thank you for reading our post! Happy Trails.....
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