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3 Common Radiator Problems
Your radiator is in charge of keeping your car’s engine cool so that it can run without blowing itself up by cooking itself. If your radiator has stopped working the way that it should, there are a few common things that should be checked. Read on to learn more about radiator repair.
1. Thermostat
Just like your house, your car has a thermostat too. It’s designed to sense how high the temperature your engine is running at. Then it releases any necessary coolant. While the thermostat isn’t strictly part of your radiator, it is vital for its proper function. Without the thermostat and its sensor, the radiator will overheat. Checking the thermostat should be the first thing that anyone does when it comes to figuring out why your radiator is overheating. It’s also probably the easiest and least expensive fix.
2. Leaky Hoses
Your radiator has hoses that run from the coolant tank and to other parts of your engine. Those hoses are usually made out of rubber. While they are generally sturdy, there are things that can happen to make them not function well. One of them is that they can get old. As radiator hoses get old, they start to harden, which can lead to them cracking and leaking. The heat of an engine can cause this to happen faster. The problem with leaky hoses is that it isn’t always possible to tell where the leak is coming from. The hose may not be visibly damaged. That means that the mechanic is going to have to check out all the hoses to see if there is a problem with any of them. The hoses may not be easily accessible, which means that it can take some work to check out the hoses and to put new ones in.
3. Coolant
This is one that you can check on your own. If your radiator starts to overheat, it may be because there is no coolant in the reservoir or the radiator. You can check it out on your own and add some coolant in so that you can alleviate the problem. However, you need to make sure that you are doing it safely. Never ever take off the radiator cap or the cap for the coolant reservoir when the engine is hot. You are asking for an injury. There will be steam coming up out of your radiator if it has overheated. Wait until your engine is cool before you do anything. That may mean that you are waiting for a little while, but waiting is better than getting hurt.
If you check and there is no coolant, then you need to add something in. Again, wait until your engine is cool, because if you add cold fluid into a hot engine, you can and end up with a cracked engine. It is possible to limp along until you can get to a place you can add more in. You may have to stop frequently to cool your engine off and running the heat full blast in your car can help bleed off the extra heat.
An overheating radiator can damage your car. Getting it checked out professionally as soon as possible will make sure that any damage is minimal.
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1. Thermostat
Just like your house, your car has a thermostat too. It’s designed to sense how high the temperature your engine is running at. Then it releases any necessary coolant. While the thermostat isn’t strictly part of your radiator, it is vital for its proper function. Without the thermostat and its sensor, the radiator will overheat. Checking the thermostat should be the first thing that anyone does when it comes to figuring out why your radiator is overheating. It’s also probably the easiest and least expensive fix.
2. Leaky Hoses
Your radiator has hoses that run from the coolant tank and to other parts of your engine. Those hoses are usually made out of rubber. While they are generally sturdy, there are things that can happen to make them not function well. One of them is that they can get old. As radiator hoses get old, they start to harden, which can lead to them cracking and leaking. The heat of an engine can cause this to happen faster. The problem with leaky hoses is that it isn’t always possible to tell where the leak is coming from. The hose may not be visibly damaged. That means that the mechanic is going to have to check out all the hoses to see if there is a problem with any of them. The hoses may not be easily accessible, which means that it can take some work to check out the hoses and to put new ones in.
3. Coolant
This is one that you can check on your own. If your radiator starts to overheat, it may be because there is no coolant in the reservoir or the radiator. You can check it out on your own and add some coolant in so that you can alleviate the problem. However, you need to make sure that you are doing it safely. Never ever take off the radiator cap or the cap for the coolant reservoir when the engine is hot. You are asking for an injury. There will be steam coming up out of your radiator if it has overheated. Wait until your engine is cool before you do anything. That may mean that you are waiting for a little while, but waiting is better than getting hurt.
If you check and there is no coolant, then you need to add something in. Again, wait until your engine is cool, because if you add cold fluid into a hot engine, you can and end up with a cracked engine. It is possible to limp along until you can get to a place you can add more in. You may have to stop frequently to cool your engine off and running the heat full blast in your car can help bleed off the extra heat.
An overheating radiator can damage your car. Getting it checked out professionally as soon as possible will make sure that any damage is minimal.
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