After you have purchased your used Toyota from your local used Toyota St. Louis Dealer, Spirit Toyota, you will want to be sure that you do the regular scheduled maintenance to ensure the engine life of your new car.
Maintaining the fluid levels
- Checking the Engine
1. You should drive the car for a while and then allow it to sit for at least five minutes before you perform a check on the oil level.
2. Locate the dipstick in the front of the engine and then remove it, wipe it clean, re-insert it, and then slowly remove it again to check the oil level
3. The oil line should be between the two lines on the dipstick, if it is below the lower line, you will need to add oil (usually a quart), but double check the oil level before adding oil, just to be sure that your first observation was accurate
4. Add a quart, restart the engine to let the oil circulate and then check the oil level again (wait 5 more minutes) if it is still below the bottom line on the dipstick, you may need to add another quart of oil, but be very cautious not to overfill the level above the top line and this could add damage to your engine.
• Check the Automatic Transmission/Transaxle Fluid;
1. Make sure to keep your engine running when checking the automatic transmission fluid level, the dipstick is typically located behind the oil dipstick, but it is not as high. If in doubt, check your owner’s manual to be sure.
2. For safety reasons, you should make sure that when you lean over to grap the dipstick you do not have any lose fitting clothing or neck wear that could get caught in the fan belt.
3. Remove the dipstick and perform the same procedure as you did checking your oil, the lines on the transmission fluid dipstick are similar to the oil dipstick with 2 lines, a level showing up below the bottom line means the level is too low-this is almost NEVER the case unless you have a leak in the system.
4. Check the color and consistency of the fluid, if it is very dark or black it may be time to change the transmission fluid. Be sure to refer to your owners’ manual to record time for all regularly scheduled maintenance.
Maintain your Toyota Part I
Maintaining the fluid levels
1. You should drive the car for a while and then allow it to sit for at least five minutes before you perform a check on the oil level.
2. Locate the dipstick in the front of the engine and then remove it, wipe it clean, re-insert it, and then slowly remove it again to check the oil level
3. The oil line should be between the two lines on the dipstick, if it is below the lower line, you will need to add oil (usually a quart), but double check the oil level before adding oil, just to be sure that your first observation was accurate
4. Add a quart, restart the engine to let the oil circulate and then check the oil level again (wait 5 more minutes) if it is still below the bottom line on the dipstick, you may need to add another quart of oil, but be very cautious not to overfill the level above the top line and this could add damage to your engine.
• Check the Automatic Transmission/Transaxle Fluid;
1. Make sure to keep your engine running when checking the automatic transmission fluid level, the dipstick is typically located behind the oil dipstick, but it is not as high. If in doubt, check your owner’s manual to be sure.
2. For safety reasons, you should make sure that when you lean over to grap the dipstick you do not have any lose fitting clothing or neck wear that could get caught in the fan belt.
3. Remove the dipstick and perform the same procedure as you did checking your oil, the lines on the transmission fluid dipstick are similar to the oil dipstick with 2 lines, a level showing up below the bottom line means the level is too low-this is almost NEVER the case unless you have a leak in the system.
4. Check the color and consistency of the fluid, if it is very dark or black it may be time to change the transmission fluid. Be sure to refer to your owners’ manual to record time for all regularly scheduled maintenance.