Like us humans in the winter season, our cars need special car especially with the weather changes we have here in Chicago. I went to my local Sears Auto Care and learned a few things about all the car fluids. All of your car fluids are what really make your car work.
Coolant 101
Coolant is the fluid—usually bright green in color, but also found in orange, yellow, and red hues—that allows the engine to maintain its optimal temperature by redistributing heat away from the engine through the cooling system. This is accomplished by circulating the coolant from the engine and through the vehicle’s radiator. Why use coolant instead of water? Well, water freezes. If you have frozen water in your car, that isn't going to lubricate anything and actually will probably break it! To determine if the engine needs coolant needs to be replaced, a technician will check for:
- Current mileage on vehicle
- Scheduled maintenance requirements
- Fluid contamination, sludge, rust
- Visible scaling and corrosion in the radiator
- Low coolant level
- Leaks
I could even tell this car was low on fluid! However, I always wondered how they know when you need things done like a coolant flush (we had to get one before we went to Myrtle Beach this summer). Their computers keep track of manufacture recommendations. After a certain amount of time and/or miles, certain maintenance things need to be done. They also test the coolant with these ph strips:
These tell the technician the condition of your coolant.
What’s the Deal with Differential Fluid?
The primary responsibility of the differential—which is part of what’s called the “drivetrain”—is to help evenly distribute the vehicle’s power to each wheel, accommodating for the differences in which each wheel may be turning, hence “differential”. Before my Sears trip, I didn't even know that I had differential fluid in my car! Here's what your differential looks like:
The 411 about Fuel System Cleaning
What makes up the fuel system?
- Fuel Tank
- Fuel Line
- Fuel Pump
- Fuel Filter
- Fuel Injector
- Combustion Chamber
- Spark Plug
Yes, that is lots of stuff and places for sludge to go hiding. A clean fuel system makes your car work better and more effective. During fuel system cleaning service, technician will loosen and wash away all dirt and deposits, enabling fuel to flow freely.
You can't see it, but this car had sludge in there!
Since I learned so much, I want you too to make sure that your car is ready for winter! I have a $50 Sears Gift Card for one lucky reader! Here's what you need to do:
When is the last time you checked your cars fluids?
Also, make sure to keep an eye on the Sears Auto Facebook page and website during the 12 Days of Car Care promotion from 12/13-12/24, where there will be exclusive deals on Road Handler tires and Valvoline oil changes!
Lots of great info. Always good to know what your car needs.
I am pretty fluent in car care language but the differential fluid really stumped me. THanks for sharing this it is very important especially at this time of year.
This was informational. I know nothing about cars – my husband usually takes care of all that stuff.
Thanks for this great information. It was very useful. Women should always be informed about car care & maintenance.
Thank you for the reminder to get my car winter ready. It’s on my to-do list now! 😀
Wow I learned a lot here. Very interesting and informative i never knew the fluids in your car were so important.
This kind of stuff goes totally over my head. Thankful we have a great mechanic that is on top of all this for me!
This is great information. I normally leave the car stuff to my husband.
This was so informative – I know nothing about cars but I know I desperately need new tires
Are you trying to make my husband loose his car crown? Fist you told me about tires. Now I’m learning about fluids. Pretty soon, I’ll be changing the oil! =D
My husband is my car guy, but I’ve been getting the oil changed recently. It’s always interesting to see what they tell me (and if I have to ask my husband what they mean!).
I have always wanted to know more about what is going on under the hood, but haven’t had the time or found something in English. Thanks for sharing!
I didn’t realize there were so many parts to the Fuel System. Okay, I’ll be honest and say I didn’t know about 90% of this article! I do need to get my car’s fluid levels checked though!
Car repair can be so expensvive I would love to win this giveeaway. thanks for the chance.
So glad you shared all this- too many times we have NO idea what’s up with our cars. Thankfully, my BIL is a mechanic. Without him I’d be lost!
This is great information. I need to take better care of my car, it will pay off
I’m driving up north soon so this is useful. My car isn’t used to the cold weather!
I know so little about cars, and this post was so helpful to me. I had no idea there were ph strips for your coolant!
I know very little about cars other than to make sure that my husband keeps up with the maintenance on them. I loved learning more about fluids through this post. Great pictures!
Isn’t this something every woman should know! I mean really! Thanks for the info!
This is seriously the most useful post! ESPECIALLY around the Holidays!
I know nothing about cars! So glad my husband takes care of all of this stuff!
What great information. Keeping your vehicle maintained is so important. Thanks for sharing.
I made myself make sure I knew enough about cars to troubleshoot in an emergency, but man I wish I knew more
Me too! If it wasn’t for my husband, I would have been stuck on way too many occasions.
I didn’t know a lot of this. It’s always important to know what your car needs.
My dad has been telling me for years that preventative maintenance is very important. I just had my car serviced.
I know how to check the basics like coolant and oil, but have my mechanic do a trip check before I take a long drive as well as check all the fluids when I get my oil changed.
Every woman needs to learn stuff like this. I have been very lucky that my husband was a mechanic for 10 years while he was going to school and earning his degree. But if something happened to him I don’t know the first thing about cars! This was very informative
It’s so important to take care of your car! Especially with the winter upon us!
Checking the fluids is actually one of the few things I know how to do.
Proper car maintenance is so very important. especially during the winter months.
You gave very helpful information! My dad needs to know more about this.
I admit that I knew very little about all the fluids in my car. I get my oil changed and just say yes to whatever I’m told I need. It’s great to feel a little more informed.
So important to take care of your car. This is some interesting information.
This is such great info to have all in one place! We are in need of some car TLC at our house!
I am a car girl and I’m loving this article. So much information!
What an amazing post~ I learned a lot of great car tips, here. My hubby takes care of our car maintenance but now I feel like I can do more since reading your tips.
Taking good are of your car is so important especially in extreme weather. Looks like they can do it all for you there. Good to know.
It’s always good to keep an eye on your car; this is a good give away!
I know nothing about cars, but this was informative. thank you!
Great give away, a lot of people forget about their car fluids!
Great info and giveaway! I know nothing about cars so this really helps.
All these things are so important. I wish I knew more (or maybe cared more) about taking car of my car.
My husband went to school for mechanics so it is nice that he knows how to keep our car running good! It is good to know all of this information for sure!
Thanks for the information! I am not a car person, at all, so it’s nice when I can learn something new.
This is great stuff to know! We never know these things and then end up paying for them at the garage!
My husband usually takes care of our car maintenance issues. However, with the cold weather here it would be nice to just head to Sears.
I am lucky and have a really good car guy as I know nothing about cars and how to do anything but put gas in and drive it. I really should learn more.
I had no idea they used Ph strips to test for fluid health. Very interesting post!
I learned that each car fluid has a specific purpose and keeps the level high will help your car last longer and work better.
This is a great reminder, got to get my car checked before the snow!
When I was in my teens and early twenties, I always did my own car fluid maintenance . I checked and added my vehicles oil, coolant etc..Then came the kids and forget it, I didn’t have time for things like that and have since let a professional do it.
You definitely gave some helpful info here!!! Thank you so much!
I certainly have no idea about cars. It’s always the hubs who does the “tinkering.” I’ve learned a lot here today. 🙂
I don’t know much about cars. Reading this was very informative, I learned a lot but I think I will still have it checked by hubby 🙂
I am so not educated when it comes to my car, yet I know that it needs proper care. There were so many great tips that I really benefitted from, thank you!
I love all the great info you have in this post! I am so bad about remembering to take care of all the car maintenance.
Thanks for the reminder! I recently got back from a road trip and need to make an appointment to have my car checked out. Would hate to be stranded in this winter weather.
I am so grateful that my hubby is quite knowledgeable when it comes to our cars and that he happily takes it upon himself to make sure that our cars are always in perfect working order. I did learn a few things when I bought my first car after college like changing my oil and filter … fun!
I definitely need to take better care of my car! Thanks for the advice.
A great reminder…especially for those of us that don’t know about cars!
I love this post! I feel as though there is so much more I could, and would like to learn about the workings of my car. Just never find the time to get it done.
One o f my happies tmemories is of my uncle in law teaching my husband and I about changing the fluids in the car when we got our first used car.
Thank you for this great information! My niece just got her first car this year, so this is something that I will be sharing with her!
What a great giveaway! Sears is really great and I’ve taken my vehicles there before.
My car needs air (tires), gas, and oil right now. All at once. It made me laugh when the ding lights started dinging. 🙂
Great info! Car care is so important to the longevity of your car. It’s great to be informed about it.
Thank you for your friendly reminder.. We are going on a road trip this winter and need to ensure that we get the vehicle checked.
I am clueless when it comes to cars. I would definitely have to seek professional help.
Wow, what a great learning experience. I should pay more attention to this stuff just in case but right now my husband handles EVERYTHING related to the vehicles.
I love posts like this. As I’m not the driver in the household, I find that I remain uninformed where a lot of stuff about our vehicle is concerned. I do like to have basic knowledge of the workings, or an ability to change breakpads, so I like posts like this. Quick, easy to understand reasoning behind the way things are. Thanks! 🙂
I learned the primary responsibility of the differential—which is part of what’s called the “drivetrain”—is to help evenly distribute the vehicle’s power to each wheel
Keep your car always in good condition! It always prevent accidents 🙂
hi, i’m leaving my link for ‘comments on another blogpost’ because the ‘submit’ button wasn’t working…not sure why.
http://mythoughtsideasandramblings.com/2014/12/16/kiss-instawave/
This is a great reminder, got to get my car checked before the snow!