Belts and hoses are needed in our car to make sure the battery, air conditioning and cooling systems are working properly. As an example, the timing belt is needed to keep the camshaft and camshaft well synchronized. Both are needed to maintain engine timing and power can be transmitted to the power-hungry systems like the fan and air conditioning. Cooling hoses are needed to distribute coolants to different parts of the car’s engine. In this case, overheating can be prevented. Hoses and belts are made out of rubber and they will slowly wear out. We can be left stranded when hoses and belts break.
It means that we should replace belts and hoses before they fail. There are different types of belts in our car, serpentine belts and V-belts. In general, V-belts should be able to last 36,000 miles or 3 years. As the usage extends to the fourth year, the failure rate will actually skyrocket. Serpentine belts are more durable and they could last at about 50,000 miles. In any case, we don’t want to be around during a breakage. It is important for us to pay a closer attention to the overall life span and we should plan it accordingly. Rubber hoses in the car’s cooling system may develop small cracks and they may enlarge.
During monthly maintenance, it is important to check rubber hoses for signs of wear. Cracks could become bigger and leakage will occur. Rubber hoses could be damaged more quickly by vibration, continuous urban driving and oil contamination. Hoses should also be neatly positioned, because constant vibration could cause it to rub against other objects. In this case, we need to check hoses for brittleness and cracks. The coolant hoses could also develop wear from the inside out due to the constant erosion of the hot coolant that flows inside it. Our safest bet is to replace belts and hoses when it is recommended by the Owners’ Manual.
Coolant is an essential fluid in our car. It has a specified lifespan and we need to change it every so often. Long-life coolant should last up to 100,000 miles. Coolant should be changed periodically because it will progressively break down. It contains different kinds of additives, such as rust or corrosion inhibitors. When the coolant reaches its useful life, rust may start to develop. Due to continuous chemical reactions, the coolant will eventually turn acidic. Rust will clog the passage of our radiator and our engine will start to overheat. Now, we are talking about a real money expense.
We should be aware that overheating could cause some parts of the engine to warp, such as the rings and head gaskets. Some engine models have aluminium parts that are more vulnerable to heat fluctuations, compared to components made from cast iron. Affordable cars may have engines with more aluminium components, so we should try to keep heat at manageable level. We need to make sure that the coolant level is topped up.