Learning how to check on your car's fluids isn't as difficult as it may sound. In fact, you can quickly and easily learn how to check on your car's most important fluids using these tips.

Tips to Help You Check on Your Car's Fluids

The mere mention of your motor oil can be enough to make you feel intimidated. Although technical things involving your car can sound super intimidating, there's really nothing to fear. To help you get a better understanding of your car's fluids, use these simple tips to check on them.

Give Your Motor Oil a Quick Check

Motor oil is often referred to as the lifeblood of your car, so saying it's important is kind of an understatement. Since it's this important to your car's overall wellbeing, it only makes sense to check on it periodically. If this sounds like something that you can't do, you're completely wrong. Checkin on your oil is an easy enough task that just about anyone can do it from the comfort of their own home. To check on your oil, first park your car on an even surface. This means no inclines because this can cause an inaccurate reading. Next, open up your car's hood and locate the oil dipstick. Once you've located it, pull it out, clean the oil off of it with a clean washcloth, and put it back in its place. Once it's all the way back in, go ahead and pull it out once more. Your oil dipstick will have two indicator lines towards the bottom end of it. Ideally, your oil level should fall somewhere between these two lines. If your oil is lower than the bottom indicator line, then you're running low on oil. Oil levels can drop over time, but if you haven't had your oil for a long time, this can be a sign of an issue. Your car may be burning it off or you may have a leak. Before this causes issues for your engine, get your car checked out by a professional. Next, take a closer look at your oil to see what condition it's in. To get a better sense of this, use your index finger and thumb to rub some of the oil between your fingers. Oil that is still good will be slick, slightly translucent, and a light color. If your oil is ready to be changed it will be thick, opaque, dark, and gritty. You may even notice it has a burnt smell. When your oil reaches this state, it's definitely time for an oil change. To keep your engine running at its best, give your car a synthetic oil change in Idaho Falls ID. Be sure to use an oil like AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil to keep your car running strong. You can find even more great products like this by contacting Schell Distributing Inc. at (208)524-0322. Stop by their online store to browse all of their products or to place an order.

Check on Your Car's Coolant

Next, take the time to check on your car's coolant. This fluid is also super important because it's what helps keep temperatures under your hood at a reasonable level. Without enough coolant, your car's engine could overheat, leading to serious and pricey engine damage. Luckily, just like with your oil, this fluid is super easy to check on. Before popping open your hood, first make sure your car is completely cool. This is a task best left for when your car has been parked or your engine has been turned off for a while. If your car is still hot, your coolant may be very hot and even cause serious burns on your skin. Once you're certain everything is cool, go ahead and open up your hood and locate the coolant reservoir. Once you've found the reservoir, checking your level of coolant will be super easy. Most coolant reservoirs are slightly translucent and have indicator marks on the side which make it easy to see how much is still left. If your coolant level falls below the lowest indicator mark, go ahead and top it off with more of the same fluid. If, however, you notice that you have a leak, get this fixed before you're left without any coolant. After this, you may want to open up your coolant reservoir to inspect the condition of your coolant. Your coolant should still maintain the same color it had when it was new. If the color has changed, if it's lost its color, or if it looks rusty, flush it and replace it with fresh coolant.

Get a Synthetic Oil Change in Idaho Falls, ID

Keep your car running at its best with the help of a synthetic oil change in Idaho Falls, ID. You can find all the products you need for your next oil change by contacting Schell Distributing Inc at (208)524-0322. They will be happy to give you the personalized service you need to find the right oil for your car.