1. Car wash. If possible, it is advisable to wash the car from the outside, including the bottom, before work. Moreover, if the work is to be done in the engine compartment, then it should also be washed there.
Warning.
- When washing the engine compartment, avoid getting water on the connectors, sensors and actuators of the fuel injection system. Also, avoid getting water into the generator and starter.
- In any case, washing the engine compartment must be carried out with the obligatory disconnection of the wire from the negative terminal of the battery.
- After washing, the above parts and assemblies must be thoroughly dried by blowing with a jet of compressed air.
It is better to wash the engine at a non-automatic car wash. Here, the car will be washed by hand, having previously treated the outer surface of the body and the engine compartment with special detergents, remove dirt from the wheel arches and from the bottom of the body with a high-pressure water jet, followed by drying.
2. Vehicle staging:
A) car installation on a flat horizontal platform. It can be a garage with a concrete floor or other solid and even surface, a horizontal hard surface indoor or outdoor area (asphalt, concrete, wood flooring). A hard and even surface allows, if necessary, to raise any part of the car on a jack and securely install it on a stand (see point 3).
To perform work without hanging the wheels, it is enough:
- turn off the ignition;
- to fix the car with a hand brake from spontaneous movement. In the event of a malfunction of the hand brake, as well as before repairing the brake system, to fix the car, use the wheel chocks (see Special tools and fixtures item 3).
Warning.
- Leave the gear engaged only if, during the repair process, it is not necessary to start the engine or crank the engine crankshaft. In any case, before starting the engine, by pressing the clutch pedal to the stop, be sure that the gear lever is in the neutral position.
- Do not leave the ignition key in the passenger compartment, as it is possible that the security system installed on the car (signaling) spontaneously «get up» arm and lock the doors. If there is a need to leave the key in the ignition during operation, then first lower the glass of one of the doors.
b) installation of a car on a viewing hole or overpass. If part of the repair work has to be done from below the car, then in many cases the ideal place to work (available to a private car owner) there will be a garage with a viewing hole and a concrete floor. Before driving into such a garage, the pit should be covered with wooden or steel shields that can, in the event of a collision, withstand a car. The rest of the recommendations are the same as when installing the car on a flat horizontal platform (see above).
Some garage cooperatives have a repair overpass welded from metal structures on their territory. As a rule, it is impossible to install a jack or stands under a car on such a flyover without a special flooring made of boards. It is better to enter the overpass under the control of an assistant.
V) parking the vehicle on a slope or on uneven ground. The need for this may arise when a car malfunction has to be fixed on the way, and it is not possible to find a more suitable place for repair (see paragraphs 2a and 26). Do not repair the car on grass, loose gravel, sandy soil and stones. It is better to try to tow or roll the car to another place (for example, it is very difficult to find a nut that has fallen into thick grass). Loose soil should also be avoided, especially if you have to use a jack and stands. If the forced stop occurred on a slope, then it is better to try to roll the car down the slope, otherwise it is necessary to put wheel chocks under the wheels, and on the side of the slope it is advisable to put several of them under different wheels. Otherwise, you should follow the same recommendations as when installing the car on a flat area (see above).
3. Hanging the car on a jack and stands. Such work must be carried out on a flat horizontal platform with a hard surface. When working on soft or uneven ground, a solid flooring of at least 30x30 cm should be placed under the jack and all stands. A thick board is suitable for making floorings.
Warning.
- Use a rolling jack (see Special tools and fixtures, item 1) it is possible only on a solid foundation, while the jack must remain movable.
- Jacking up a car on a slope is allowed only to replace a faulty wheel, provided that the car is securely fixed from spontaneous movement.
- Disembark passengers before jacking up the car. Do not get into a vehicle that is on a jack and do not load or unload.
- Before repairing a vehicle with a suspended wheel (or wheels) under the power elements of the body, be sure to install reliable stands (see Special tools and fixtures, item 2).
- In hot weather, the asphalt heated in the sun becomes soft, it is pressed through by the supports of the supports and the base of the jack, as a result, the car installed on them may fall.
To raise the car on a jack, you must:
- follow all the recommendations of paragraph 2 (see above);
- install wheel chocks under the wheel located diagonally on the opposite side of the car from the wheel being hung out.
- a standard jack is installed under the threshold. Special areas are marked with arrows on the plastic sill trims (see more details. Wheel - replacement, item 6).
- turn the jack handle to raise the car (in many cases it is enough that the wheel just comes off the surface of the base).
- install under the power elements of the body (threshold, side member or body cross member) stand. Rotate the handle of the jack, lower the car onto the stand.
Similarly, you can hang the rest of the wheels of the car.
4. Cleaning threaded connections on the car. During long-term operation, threaded connections due to corrosion, as a rule, «take a liking» and covered with rust. This is especially true for suspension parts, transmission, external elements of the brake system and steering. Therefore, before repair, all disassembled threaded and fastening connections should be cleaned with a metal brush and treated with a penetrating lubricant in an aerosol package (see Operating materials, item 5) or, in extreme cases, moisten with kerosene. It is better if such work is done in advance (several hours to days), to allow the grease to penetrate into the joint.