How to Check the Car Engine When Buying a Used Car?

Today, we have to be practical in different ways.Buying a brand new vehicle is too expensive if your budget is limited.But, if you get a brand new one thru bank loans you can. The risk is you have to pay it for a couple of years and it is also a burden in our budget line.Having a used car is very wise provided you have a guarantee that you will not bring your car to a shop after one or two weeks run. In buying a second hand you have know first the car history records.Some cars may have been flooded others were written off by insurance due to serious accident,some may be altered mileage so on...worthless to buy. Then check the car engine :

1.Check the oil - park the car on the level spot,turn the engine off and set the hand brake.Locate the engine oil dipstick and pull it out.If you find the oil is completely black suspect is lack of maintenance or excessive oil consumption.In that case the engine would have problem in the future.

2.Look for leaks-check the lower part of the engine or transmission.Turned the engine off and try to open the engine oil cap and look inside the oil filler hole.If you see a lot of black oil sludge build up inside the engine it means the either the engine oil hasn't been chnaged for a long time or has been overheated.Avoid buying such kind of car.

3.Check the oil pressure - check the engine pressure on cold engine.Start the engine and look at the low oil pressure warning lamp or oil pressure gauge in the instrument panel.The time between the engine start and you note oil pressure at the instrument panel should be not more than 1 to 2 seconds.

4.Check the anti-freeze level in the overflow tank-antifreeze should not have a spot of engine oil and level of the overflow tank should be between "min" and "max" marks.

5.Check the smoke- start the engine ,let it idle for 5 to 10 mins. Then someone to press more than a half way down in the accelerator for 2 to 3 secs.while you look at the smoke from the exhaust.Normally there should be no smoke at all.

6.Listen for noises when the engine is running-knocking or tapping or rattling noises indicate excessive wear of internal parts.

7.Look at the instrument panel- there should be no warning of lights such as"low oil pressure" , "low oil level" ,"overheating" , " check engine " etc..

8.Test Drive - try to test drive as long as you can.You may have to accelerate or decelerate.

9.Mechanical Inspection - before buying have the vehicle inspected by the experienced mechanic of your choice just .