Auto Service: Why You Need to Maintain Your Car

Welcome to my blog. My name is Ken. One day, I was driving home from work when the engine in my car failed. While I waited for the recovery truck to arrive, I realised I didn’t have a clue what went on underneath the bonnet of my car. I signed up for an auto service course at my local community college, so I could gain the skills I needed to properly maintain my car and repair it if something when wrong while I was on the road. I wanted to start a blog to pass on these skills to other people so that they can look after their automobiles.

3 Common Reasons Your Car Engine May Not Run at Optimum Temperatures

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Is your car engine running too hot or too cold? This is an obvious sign that something is wrong with your engine's cooling system. Just like the cooling system comprises many different components, there are many possible reasons your engine may not work at the optimum temperatures.

Continue reading on below to discover some of the most common culprits behind abnormal engine temperatures. 

1. Low Coolant Level

As the name implies, coolant is the vital fluid introduced to the radiator and cooling system to help cool your car engine. If the coolant level drops before the desired level, you should top it up immediately. However, be sure to use the right coolant for your engine. Otherwise, the performance of your engine cooling system will suffer. Ultimately, your engine performance and lifespan will also decrease. 

As part of normal car maintenance, you should check coolant levels in your car to ensure it is at the manufacturer-recommended levels.

2. Faulty Thermostat

The thermostat in your car is what monitors the temperatures of the coolant flowing in your engine's cooling system. Like any other part of your car, it isn't invincible. There are two scenarios for thermostat failure. "Open failure" occurs when the thermostat gets stuck in the open position whereas "closed failure" happens when the temperature-monitoring component gets stuck in the closed position. 

During "open failure", coolant flows into the radiator non-stop, causing the engine to run cold. This, in turn, causes the engine to run at less than optimum efficiency, thus resulting in decreased fuel economy, higher emission levels and faster wear of engine parts. Plus, the interiors of the car won't heat up properly. When "closed failure" occurs, the supply of the coolant is cut off so the fluid cannot flow into the radiator and other parts of the engine cooling system. This leads to engine overheating. This can cause more damage to your engine than the consequences of an "open failure".

Nonetheless, both scenarios are undesirable and call for immediate repair by a professional mechanic.

3. Bad Cooling Fan

Located at the front or rear of the radiator, this fan is sometimes called the radiator fan. Its primary function is to help cool the coolant flowing through the radiator to the car's engine. If the fan stops working properly, the coolant will remain hot, causing the engine to run too hot. This will, in turn, result in wear of internal components of the engine, which can lead to costly engine repair or replacement.

As already mentioned above, your car engine's cooling system comprises many components, and any of them could lead to abnormal engine temperatures. The best way to deal with this car issue is to seek out a professional car repair mechanic for proper diagnosis and repair.

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3 May 2019