This is one of the most important component within the car rather it is the soul of a car. Any problem within it can lead to huge expenses in the future or may even require an entire engine rebuild. Whenever you go to a dealership or any other private person you instantly look at the exteriors and this forms a major first impression on you. However it is also very essential to look at the engine to find the overall health of the car.
If the engine gives out lot of noise or there is an oil leak you might generally hear excuses like it is because of a overflow which occurred during a recent oil change or the strong noise coming out of the engine will go away itself within a few weeks of regular use. In these conditions ask for the service records. Check if the oil change has been done at regular interval. A minor 1000 miles extra would not harm the engine however overshooting the schedule by 10000 miles can harm the engine very much. Do note that the current engines coming out are very sensitive to the overall oil change interval.
Things to check while inspecting the engine:
1.Checking the oil level and the condition of the oil
2.Check for any oil leaks
3.Check the engine parts
4.Check for badly repaired parts
5.Check the Engine Noise
6.Check the Smoke
7.Check the Timing Belt
8."Check Engine lights"
9.Test drive the car
10.Inspection by a mechanic
Check the oil level and the condition of the oil:
You need to park the car at a level spot. Take out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean cloth and then dip it back in. Now take it out again, if you see the oil color as totally black or the oil level is very low it can mean that the engine has some problem and proper maintenance has not been done. The oil level should be between the low level mark and the full mark and should be brown in color. However this does not always mean that the engine is in good condition as many times the sellers fill the oil just before selling.
Check for any oil leaks:
You need to check for oil leaks. However sometimes the engine is cleaned just before purchase so you might not see any oil stains or leaks which might appear soon on driving. You can find out if the oil is leaking by taking a flashlight and checking below the engine and looking at the transmission parts. These places should be dry. If you see oil leaks or oil dropping on the parking space this might be a problem.
Check the engine parts:
While the engine is off open the oil cap and look inside the hole with a small flashlight. If there is any oil sludge it can mean that the oil has not been changed for a long time or that poor quality oil has been used or that the engine has been unduly overheated. In any of these cases you should avoid purchasing the vehicle at any cost. Here you can see a lot of oil sludge has developed.
This is a well maintained vehicle with zero oil sludge in the engine.
Check for badly repaired parts:
If you can see any parts that have been repaired very badly like stripped treads, missing bolts,altered wiring you should avoid such cars because when they are not properly repaired from outside it can mean that the inside might be in a worse condition and might develop expensive repairs in the future.
Check the Engine Noise:
If the engine gives out strong noises in any condition either when cold or hot it means the engine has few problems. A knocking sound while starting shows that the engine is poorly maintained and means that the internal parts have had excessive wear. Avoid such cars.
Check the Smoke:
When starting a car if there is blue smoke it means that the engine has problems. You should avoid such cars. Black smoke while starting means that the engine is consuming a lot of gas and might have some problem with fuel injection however diesel engines do have small amount of black smoke which is ok.
Check the Timing Belt:
Many cars require a regular replacement of timing belt at around 100,000 miles. Although it is difficult to check this because of protective covers you can ask for service records which will show exactly when they have been changed.
"Check Engine lights":
The instrumentation panel shows very important functions of the car and if there is any problem in them proper diagnostics need to be done. If the check engine light is on ask the seller about the problem and get it repaired before the purchase.
Test drive the car:
This is the most important part and will tell you a lot about the overall health of the car very quickly. If this is your first used car make sure to test it as much as possible with highway speeds, high acceleration,gear shift etc. you can find several engine problems like misfiring, rattling noise, vibrations etc., avoid purchasing such cars. Again it might be very useful to drive a similar model car to have a good comparison of the ride quality.
Inspection by a mechanic:
If you have finally decided on a car you want to purchase and still think it would be better to have a second opinion get a mechanic or any other knowledgeable person look at the car. He might be able to find problems which can occur within 5 minutes which will save you lots of wasted hours and money in the future.
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