I have consulted with mechanic experts and we’re going to be talking about simple checks that you can make on your car at home. So we’re going to start with the exterior of the vehicle, looking at the tyres, the brakes, the suspension, and then we will dive under the trunk and start looking at filters as well as fluid checks. One of the best ways to extend your car life is to do regular car servicing.
Tyres
There are three things we want to be looking at the tread depth, the tyre pressure, and how the tyre is wearing. Starting with the tread depth, on all tyres you’ll have these wear-bar indicators within the grooves.
If you roll your finger across from one tread block over to the next and it runs perfectly smoothly across one of these indicators rather than falling down into the groove and then back up that means you need to replace your tyres. Getting a Full Car Servicing Hemel Hempstead done can help in ensuring that your tyres are in perfect condition and if not then the required repairs will be made.
Brakes
The new pad has about 12 mm of material. Think about replacing pads when they reach about 3 mm; if they’re down to 1-2 mm, replace them immediately. When pads hit about 3 mm, a built-in metal indicator will usually start screeching to alert you.
Suspension
Check the shock absorber for leaks and look for any visual damage on the shock or springs. you don’t need to remove the wheels just turn the steering wheel fully to each side and inspect from those angles.
Under the Trunk
Find and pull out the engine-oil dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert it fully, then pull it out again to read. two holes mark the acceptable range; the level should fall between them. if it’s near the bottom or absent, add about half a quart, recheck, and top up as needed.
Wiper Blades
Ensure the rubber is smooth, crack-free, and flexible so it maintains good contact with the windshield.
Lights
Verify that headlights, turn indicators, and brake lights all work. have a friend press the brake pedal, set up a mirror, or record with your phone to confirm the brake lights.
These quick, easy checks can prevent headaches and save money by catching problems early. Thanks for watching and thanks to progressive for partnering on this video.
Fuel Check Valve Internals
Now, I’m going to chop this open to see what’s inside. so, inside of the fuel check valve, we have the lid here, and that exposes this diaphragm that can move up and down. Now, as long as this side is at atmospheric pressure, this diaphragm can move up and down.
That will allow vapor that builds up to move and go into the charcoal canister. Now, if your fuel cap is sealed, this diaphragm will seal against here, preventing vapors from escaping.
Cutting the Gas Tank Open
Now, I’m going to cut the gas tank open to see what’s inside. All right, so now, with this top piece off of the gas tank, we can have a look at what’s inside. Now, the gas tank itself is constructed of a moderately thick sheet metal that’s stamped into two halves, the top half and the bottom half, and welded together around the outside.
Now, inside the gas tank, we’ve got these baffles that run along the perimeter of the tank. The main job of a baffle is to prevent fuel from sloshing back and forth as the vehicle takes corners.
Inside of here is the fuel filler neck, and we can see this is where the valve is just a one-way check valve that, when fluid goes in, it’ll push the flap and allow it to go into the tank, but if the vehicle rolls over, the gas can’t escape back out the filler neck.
The maximum level of the gasoline is actually limited by the height of the fuel-fill check valve over here. Here, the rest of this area inside of here is left for fuel vapor to build up within the tank. Now, I’m going to pour out all this water.
Fuel Filler Neck and Gas Cap
This here is your fuel filler neck. Now, on these newer OBD2 cars, these gas caps are actually sealed and form part of a sealed system, including the gas tank, and you can see this part is just a cap, and then inside of here we have what looks like a check valve. Sometimes these fuel filler necks can be checked by the MOT Hemel Hempstead tester. So, check them twice so that your car can pass its MOT.
Filler Neck Internal Structure
I am going to chop this neck open to see what’s inside. so, inside the filler neck, you can see it’s just a hollow tube that goes all the way down, with a port for the ventilation, and the filler port has this plastic collar on it with the little flap that goes inside.
Vapor Pressure Sensor
This is the fuel-tank vapor-pressure sensor; it’ll read the pressure in the tank that goes into here as a differential between this and atmospheric pressure. It’s got three terminals here: you apply 5 volts to the two outside terminals, and the middle terminal is your signal terminal that will give you a voltage. The ECU will use this information in order to determine if the EVAP system has any leaks.
Vacuum Switching Valve Operation
I’m just going to break the rust off this vacuum-switching valve here. imagine if you have to change this on the vehicle. This is the vacuum-switching valve; it will take inlet air from the gas tank and vent it to the charcoal canister. It’s a very simple solenoid. When you apply 12 V, it moves a plunger outward or inward to allow or block the flow of vapors going into the canister.
Now, I’m just going to demonstrate how a vacuum-switching valve works. You can hear, when I apply 12 volts to it, the solenoid is clicking, and that’s just redirecting the air from the inlet to the outlet. you can hear there’s no air coming out until I apply 12 volts, then you can hear that there’s air coming out. so, it’s basically a way for the computer to redirect air in the EVAP system.
