Taking the Right Safety Precautions When Working on Your Car
Whether you're replacing your vehicle's fuel filter, installing new spark plugs, or bolting down the head gasket, doing your own auto repairs can be dangerous. Even if you're merely replacing the battery, it's worth following a few safety precautions. Batteries can unexpectedly explode. Fuel can spray into your eyes. Long hair, loose clothing, and dangling jewelry can become caught and pulled in a belt.
With that in mind, we'll provide a quick checklist of critical safety measures to observe while you're working on your car. Some will seem like common sense (though many people ignore them). Others may surprise you. All of the following suggestions are important.
Avoid Excessive Physical Stress
Some of the components and systems are located in such a way that accessing them requires you to twist, turn, and reach in odd directions. Sometimes, you'll be hovering over parts. Other times, you'll be reaching upward toward them from the ground. Still other times, you'll be lifting heavy pieces, such as tires or the engine block. Your body has limits. If you're unmindful of these limits, you can easily injure yourself.
Cut The Power
Whenever you're repairing or replacing a component that is part of your vehicle's electrical system, remove the connecting cables from your battery. This prevents shorts from occurring. Not only can a short in the system damage the components of your car, but they can also place you in harm's way. For example, your airbags are deployed by the electrical system. If you're working in the front of your vehicle's cabin, an unexpected deployment can be dangerous.
Watch For Shocks
Whenever you work on your ignition system, make sure your engine is turned off. To play it safe, you should also consider disconnecting your battery cables. The reason is due to the voltage that travels through the system. Your battery delivers a low charge of 12 volts. You'll barely feel it. However, the other components of your ignition system can amplify the current to 30,000 volts and higher.
Tie Up The Loose Ends
If you plan to work under the hood, make sure you remove any possibility of something getting caught in the belts and pulleys. If you have long hair, tie it back. Avoid wearing clothing with loose ends or laces. Remove your jewelry, tie, and anything else that can become entangled in the moving parts.
Use Support Stands For Under-The-Car Work
If you need to get under your vehicle, don't trust your safety to a jack. The only time a jack is appropriate if when you're removing a tire. Instead, use support stands. They're designed to hold a substantial amount of weight and are far more sturdy than a jack.
Wear Protective Goggles
Always wear goggles when you're working under your vehicle, even if you're just changing the oil. While you're lying on your back looking up, dirt, fluids, and metal flecks can fall toward your face. Goggles will protect your eyes.
You should also wear them while working on any part or system that involves fluid. That includes changing the battery, since acid could potentially fly toward your eyes if the battery explodes.
Relieve Pressure In The Fuel System
If you intend to replace the fuel pump, you'll need to open the fuel lines. The problem is, fuel injection systems operate based on high pressure. If you open the lines with pressure inside, the fuel could spray toward you (another reason to wear protective goggles). Relieve the pressure by starting your engine and removing the fuel pump fuse from your fuse box. When the line pressure expires, your engine will stall.
You can save a significant amount of time and money performing simple auto maintenance and repairs on your own. But make sure you take the proper safety precautions. Otherwise, you might expose yourself to injury or worse.
Questions and Answers
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