Contents: Performing maintenance ⇓ Running engine ⇓
Regular vehicle maintenance is essential.
During the operation of the vehicle, such processes as loosening of the fastening of units and assemblies, wear of rubbing surfaces, violation of adjustment parameters, aging of rubber products and paint coatings inevitably occur. To prevent malfunctions and improve the reliability of the vehicle, scheduled preventive maintenance is provided, which includes inspection, adjustment, lubrication work, as well as replacement of individual parts after a certain mileage.
This subsection is intended to help the car owner maintain the car in good condition, reduce fuel and oil consumption and extend the service life of the car. The subsection provides a general plan for the scheduled preventive maintenance of the car, followed by subsections describing the maintenance operations in more detail. The drawings of the engine compartment and the underbody of the car provided later in the book provide an idea of the location of the main components. Carrying out maintenance in accordance with the given plan will ensure a long and reliable service of the car.
This maintenance plan is complete, so it is recommended to perform all maintenance operations at the specified intervals. When servicing your vehicle, you will notice that some operations can be combined with others - this follows from the nature of the maintenance operations themselves. For example, if you lift the vehicle to perform an operation, the exhaust system components can be checked at the same time as the suspension or steering components. Before you begin, you need to prepare for the maintenance. Read the entire description of the operation you are about to perform and buy the necessary tools and spare parts. If you encounter a problem that you cannot resolve yourself, contact a specialist.
Regular maintenance will ensure:
- good fuel economy;
- long service life of the car;
- enjoying driving a car;
- traffic safety;
- reliability;
- the ability to use all the benefits of the guarantee;
- compliance with the requirements of current legislation regarding environmental protection.
Performing maintenance
Servicing your vehicle can be dangerous if the instructions and appropriate safety precautions are not followed. Certain servicing tasks may involve the risk of serious injury. If you do not have the necessary knowledge and experience, or do not have the necessary tools or equipment to perform the work, have your vehicle serviced by an authorized Mazda dealer.
Running engine
It is dangerous to work in the engine compartment if the engine is running and not turned off. The risk of injury is even greater if you are wearing jewelry or loose clothing. Jewelry, bulky or long clothing can get caught in rotating parts, which can cause injury. Therefore, if you need to work in the engine compartment with the engine running, be sure to remove all jewelry (especially rings, bracelets, watches, chains), as well as a tie, scarf or similar loose clothing before going directly near the engine or cooling fan (which can suddenly turn on and start spinning).
Motor oil viscosity affects fuel economy and engine performance at low temperatures (for example, to start a cold engine). Low-viscosity motor oil can improve fuel economy and make the engine easier to start at low ambient temperatures. However, at high ambient temperatures, it is necessary to use a more viscous motor oil that can provide satisfactory lubrication conditions for engine parts.
When selecting the viscosity of the engine oil, it is necessary to take into account the prevailing range of ambient air temperatures during the period until the next oil change. Then determine the recommended viscosity of the engine oil using the above graphs given in Table 1.3.
Note. Engine oil consumption in the engine is a normal phenomenon during vehicle operation. Engine oil consumption is mainly due to the burnout of the oil film on the cylinder walls, combustion of oil that has entered the engine cylinders through the crankcase ventilation system, and evaporation losses. The natural engine oil consumption for a serviceable engine can be up to 0.8 liters per 1000 km of vehicle mileage. At the beginning of vehicle operation, when the engine parts are running in, engine oil consumption may exceed the specified value. Engine oil consumption depends on engine operating modes (crankshaft speed and load), as well as the driving style of the car. With a dynamic high-speed driving style, when the engine operates in forced modes, the consumption of engine oil increases and can exceed the value specified above.
(The original text is published on: mazbook.ru)