KEEPING IT CLEAN

COMMON SENSE AND PROPER PLANNING KEEP 99 PER CENT OF CONTAMINANTS OUT OF YOUR 4X4. HERE’S HOW TO STOP THE LAST ONE PER CENT.

- Dan Everett

THE AGE-OLD saying ‘you only get out what you put in’ couldn’t be truer than it is with four-wheel drives. Want more capability? Put the parts in. Want more talent? Put the work in. Want to find yourself standing at the start of endless dirt roads and a thousand possible adventures? Flip your boss off, slap the credit card to the dash and head off into the sunset.

On occasion, however, the saying ‘you only get out what you put in’ can be a little too literal, and it’s nowhere near as fun when that happens.

You see, like us specimens of male health here at 4X4 Australia, your 4x4 is a finely tuned machine. And just like we require a very specific diet of Friday beers and burnt campfire snags, your 4x4 needs an exact diet to stay fighting fit so it’s able to take you on those previously mentioned adventures. In most cases the complicated engine control unit will keep everything metered spot on. The right amount of air, the right amount of fuel, the right amount of combustion – it’s the perfect recipe to get you on the tracks. However, much like a peace-keeping mission in the Middle East, things don’t always go to plan.

Over the next few pages we’ll be taking a look at the three vital ingredients required to make your diesel or petrol 4x4 live a healthy life, and what kind of preventative measures you can take to ensure it stays firing on all cylinders.

FUEL

WHEN IT comes to foreign bodies killing your 4x4, dirty fuel is right up there, especially when travelling to the more remote corners of Australia.