Here you can get Checking the instruments. A car usually has up to six main instruments — speedometer and tachometer (rev counter); fuel , oil-pressure and water-temperature gauges; and voltmeter or ammeter (depending on whether the car has an alternator or a dynamo). There may also be a battery-condition indicator, which may be a form of voltmeter.
Clocks, radios and other accessories are usually beyond the scope of home repair, but you’ll check their connections and take away them if you’ve got to require them for repair.
Always disconnect the battery before removing an instrument or the panel, to avoid short circuits.
Typical instrument panel
The back of the instrument panel
Removing the instrument panel
An instrument can sometimes be taken out from the front after any clip-on plastic trim has been removed to reveal the screw heads round the edge. On many cars, all the instruments and warning lights begin together on a panel with a printed-circuit board on the back. Earlier cars may have individual round instruments, each held by a U-shaped clamp fitter round the back of the instrument and pressing its front rim against the panel.
Serrated fasteners fitted to one or two studs in the back of the instrument hold the clamp in place. Undo them by hand, feeling at the rear of the panel; taking care to not cut your hand on sharp objects you cannot see. Take care also to not strain wires or damage printed circuits and don’t force anything apart or together when you replace instruments.
On some cars you have to remove a cowl or dismantle the steering-column shroud to remove the instrument panel. you’ll need to remove the entire dashboard panel, which may be an extended and complicated job. A service manual for your car will tell you where all the screws are, and what the sequence is for doing the work.
Vehicle’s Instrument Panel
Being familiar with the parts of your vehicle and how they work together is an important part of being a safe driver.
Your instrument panel contains the following:
- Speedometer tells you the speed of your vehicle in MPH and KPH.
- Tachometer shows how many rotations your engine is making per minute.
- Odometer shows how many miles your car has traveled in its lifetime.
- Fuel Gauge shows how much fuel remains in your car’s tank.
- Gear Display shows which gear your car is currently in.
- Turn Signal Indicators flash when your turn signals are on; both will flash if you turn on your hazard lights.
- Active System Lights alert you to parts of the vehicle that are activated, such as an open trunk or door.
Speedometer
The speedometer monitors your vehicle’s speed. Your car’s computer monitors your wheel speed and reports it to your speedometer, which causes you to conscious of how fast you’re going. Most vehicles offer a speedometer that’s circular and shows different increments of speeds, usually numbered by tens for each 10 mph over 0 mph. Some cars offer a digital version of the speedometer, or just a digitally displayed speed that the car is traveling and zip more.
Fuel Gauge
Fuel is gauged by the utilization of a floater-type mechanism that changes position depending on the level of gas within the tank. The floater-device is monitored electronically by wires that are read by the vehicle’s computer system and sent to the fuel gauge. The fuel gauge usually reads from empty, “E,” to full, “F,” with four marks in between, for quarter, half, and three-quarters full. Some vehicles offer a digital version of the fuel gauge.
Tachometer
The tachometer — if the car is equipped with one –measures the engine’s revolutions per minute. The tachometer is especially helpful to those that drive a manual transmission, as keeping an eye on the rpm can assist with gear shifting and timing. The tachometer usually displays 0 to around 8 rpm, with a line of red soon after. The line helps to stop “red lining” the engine, which may cause significant damage. In some cars, once the tachometer’s needle reaches the red-line point, fuel is cut off to prevent damage.
Odometer
The odometer keeps track of your vehicle’s mileage. Older vehicles offer a rolling-odometer display, similar to an older alarm clock that rolls through numbers 0 to 9. Many modern vehicles use a digital display for the odometer reading. The odometer display often does quite just show the vehicle’s mileage, as in many cars the display doubles as an information center. a close-by button allows you to modify through trip odometers so you’ll record mileage for a trip, tire pressure monitors, fuel economy, oil life percentage and extra information depending on the car.
Warning and Information Lights
A variety of warning and alert lights are within the instrument panel. If a problem exists, a light is sure to notify you. for instance , an exclamation point signifies “check engine,” or an ABS light that stays on signifies an error with the anti-lock braking system. Your car can also have low-fluid lights for windshield wiper fluid or coolant. the number of informational and warning lights differ by car and options. All lights are explained in your owner’s manual.
Temperature Gauge and Voltmeter
The temperature gauge measures your vehicle’s coolant temperature. The gauge helps to work out if your car goes to overheat, which may damage your engine. The gauge shouldn’t go above the halfway mark, and if it does, you’ll pull over or park your car to let it cool down. The voltmeter, signified by a picture of a small battery, monitors your battery voltage. The meter should read around 12.5 volts, otherwise you’ll have a problem with the battery’s charging system. Not all cars have a temperature and volt gauge. If there is no gauge, temperature and voltage alerts are given with a red light .
