I am going to be buying a used car in Yuma, Arizona and sharing with you some of the things I check for. Today we will focus on the engine of the car. First, let’s make sure we are ready to go car shopping. We will need plenty of water, sun screen, and gloves. Oh, did I mention it was summertime here? The water is to keep us hydrated, sun screen to protect us from the ultra-violet rays, and gloves for opening the hood to check the engine. Oh yeah, metal gets real hot out here.
Well, we are now at the used car dealership, and the salesman has allowed us to roam free in the lot to find the car of my liking. O.k. I think I know what car I like so, lets get the key from the sales person. Let us begin by checking for fluid leaks under the car. Good no oil, transmission, anti-freeze, break fluid or water leaks. Walking over to the tail pipe(s), I’ll take my finger and run it in the inside of the tail pipe to see if there is a heavy build up of carbon. I get a little carbon on my finger and that’s not bad. If I were to get a heavy black carbon residue, like you would from a diesel engine, then that would be an indication that there is something amiss with the motor. Especially, if the motor was not running on diesel fuel.
A swig of water and now its time to don the gloves. Lift the hood up to reveal the motor. Twist and remove the radiator cap. You should be able to see water and anti- freeze in the opening. If you see oil floating in the water and anti-freeze this is a bad sign, but I don’t so carry on. Remove the oil engine cap. If the cap is fairly clean with a thin film of oil in it, then it is O.K. And, guess what, it’s O.K. If you remove the cap and it looks like black or dark brown sludge, the engine was poorly maintained. Also, If the cap has a light creamy look to it, then you have water and oil mixed, the engine is no good.
Remove the oil dipstick from the engine and check the color of the oil. If the oil has a light brown color or a lighter color that looks white, then “Houston we have a problem.” Do not purchase the car. Next, remove the dipstick for the transmission. If there is no transmission fluid at all, there is something wrong. Transmission fluid should look like a light red or pink in color. Now, smell the end of the transmission dipstick. if it has a smell like something has burned, then there is something wrong with the transmission..
Alright! Now I get to start the engine. whoa…wait a minute. I had better check the “check engine light” first. Turn the key so that the idiot lights start flashing and turning on, on the dash. The “check engine light” should remain on. Now, turn the key further to start the engine. The “check engine light” should turn off. If, the “check engine light” remains on after you start the car, then something is wrong. keep the engine idling and walk to the from of the car. If you left the engine oil cap off, good! What you want to do is now look for smoke coming from the opening where the engine oil cap goes. If, there is smoke. That is a bad sign. With your gloves on, place a hand on top of the motor to feel if it is running smoothly and not rough. Do you notice any misfiring, noises, or irregularities in the sound it is making? So, far everything is looking pretty good. Last thing. While the motor is still running, go to the tail pipe(s) and see if smoke, blue or black in color, is billowing out. We should get a fairly clear exhaust and water should be dripping off the exhaust pipe(s).
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