Well, how would you like to do a self test on your knowledge to see how much you have retained? Don't worry. There are no teachers present and no-one is going to flunk you. Without looking at any of our illustrations draw a full page illustration of your own showing the major parts of an automobile and how they fit together.
This is quite a simple procedure. It can be messy so ensure you have a large oil pan to catch all the oil you remove, plenty of rags to wipe up spills, and don’t wear a suit or an evening dress! Do the oil change in a location where you are not going to create an upset if a little oil is spilled. You can get oil stain remover from an auto parts store, though, so don't worry too much.
You will need jack stands to hold your car up safely after you have jacked it up. The jack stands are additional to the jack used to raise the car and are more stable.
Before you can change a flat tire you must have:
a) A working jack that you know how to use, including where to place the jack so it is safe and stable. Check your manual for this information.
b) A spare tire which is kept in good and usable condition. Tires that have been discarded as unfit for the road are too often made into the spare tire.
You should practice changing a tire in your driveway or garage until you feel confident about it so you will have no trouble if you have to do it at the side of the road.
1. Try to park on a flat piece of road to change tires.
So what is it that is actually "revolving"? What are RPMs? It is the rotations per minute of the crankshaft.
Most cars have a dial that shows the RPMs or revolutions per minute also known as "revs." This dial is called a tachometer or "tack" (pronounced "tack"). The numbers on the dial are in thousands of revolutions per minute.
The "tack" in most cars when they are coasting in gear should sit at around two and a half to three on the dial. This will get the best miles per gallon out of your car and result in the least wear and tear on the engine. Consistently driven at higher "revs" your car will start to guzzle gas. You should shift up from one gear to-the next when the-"tach" hits about three and a half on the dial. And shift down to the next lower gear when the "tach" goes much below two and a half.
The battery is in continuous use, putting out power while the car is on. The alternator returns more power to the battery than the battery puts out, keeping the battery charged. If you have a voltage dial on your dashboard this will show the amount of current being put out by the alternator. It should hold at about 13 and 1/2 volts. If the voltage meter is showing the correct voltage but your car will not start then the problem is with the battery. If the alternator is going bad then the battery will slowly run down; the voltage gauge will start to drop. There is also a warning light indicator for the alternator on the instrument panel. If that light comes on while the car is still running then the alternator is not working. If the light comes on dimly then gets gradually brighter and brighter then your alternator is starting to go bad.