Learning to check on your car's fluids is a must if you want to keep it running at its best for a long time. To learn how to check on two of its most important fluids, use this simple information.

Tips to Help You Check on Your Car's Most Important Fluids

Checking on your car's fluids may sound like a difficult task, but it's actually quite easy. Most drivers aren't super in-the-know when it comes to their vehicle, but this is something just about anyone can do right in their driveway. Since there are no special tools required to check on these fluids, there's no reason not to do it. To get better acquainted with your car's fluids, check out these tips.

How to Check on Your Car's Motor Oil

You may have heard your car's motor oil be referred to as the lifeblood of your car. If this tells you anything, it's that your car's oil is super important for the wellbeing of your vehicle. Because of this, it's essential that you get to know a bit about your motor oil. Before you get intimidated just thinking about it, use this information to check on it. First off, you want to make sure your car is parked on a level surface. If your car is parked on an incline, this can affect your oil reading and it won't be accurate. Once your car is as level as possible, open up the hood and look for the oil dipstick. After locating it, go ahead and pull it out, clean it off with a clean washcloth, and stick it back in. Now, pull it out once more and take a close look at the oil on the stick. Your oil dipstick will have two indicator markers towards the end of it. These are used to measure the level of your oil. When your car has enough oil, your oil level will fall somewhere between the two indicators. You can tell when you're running low on this fluid because your oil will fall below the lowest marker. If this is the case, you can top off your oil using the same type already in your car. However, do pay close attention to your oil level because if your car is losing oil fast, this isn't a good sign. You may have a leak or your car may be burning off your oil. Get this checked out by a professional before you run into more issues. Finally, check on your oil's condition. To do this, simply wipe some of the oil off the oil dipstick using your thumb and index finger. If your oil is slightly translucent, a light shade, and slick, your oil is still good. On the other hand, if your oil is opaque, thick, and gritty, you're ready for an oil change. Click here to buy Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and give your car a synthetic oil change this season. You can also contact the friendly oil experts at Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer for all the help you need finding the right oil for your engine. For more information or to place your order, give them a call at (503) 329-9004. You can also check out the online store for a full range of the best AMSOIL Oil products.

Check on Your Car's Coolant

Next up is checking on your car's coolant. This fluid is responsible for keeping your car running at a safe temperature and ensuring your engine doesn't overheat. Because of its importance, you want to be sure you know how to check on it. Before opening up your hood, it's important that you wait until your car is completely cool. Since a hot engine can mean hot or boiling coolant, not waiting for it to cool down can lead to serious burns. Once everything is cool, go ahead and open up your car's hood. Locate the coolant reservoir and focus on checking your coolant level. This will often be as easy as looking at the reservoir since many cars have translucent reservoirs with indicator lines on the side. Like with your oil, if your coolant falls below the lowest indicator line, you're running low. Top it off but be sure to keep an eye out for leaks or other issues that can be contributing to coolant loss. To check on the condition of your coolant, carefully open up the coolant reservoir and take a look at this fluid. It should still be the same color as when it was brand new, whether this is bright yellow, green, red, or blue. If it's lost its color or has developed a rusty color, you will want to flush your coolant and replace it.

Give Your Car a Synthetic Oil Change in Portland, OR

If your car is ready for an oil change, be sure to give it a synthetic oil change for maximum protection. To learn more about the benefits synthetic oil, contact the friendly experts at Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer by giving them a call at (503) 329-9004.