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.
Your car's radiator regulates the temperature in your engine. While this system works fine most of the time, you'll run into trouble if your radiator develops a problem or fails.
You should get some signs when this happens. What are they?
1. Your Engine Overheats
The most obvious sign of a radiator problem is overheating in your engine. If this happens, the temperature gauge on your dashboard should show you that things are running hot. If this reading is consistently higher than normal, then you have a problem.
In extreme cases, you may even start to see smoke coming from your engine. As you drive and things get too hot, smoke could start seeping out of your bonnet. As the car gets hotter, the smoke will build up.
2. Your Car Is Cold Inside
As your radiator works, it spreads coolant around its system to keep things at the right temperature. This coolant naturally heats up; it is then used to power the heating in your car.
If your radiator has a problem, then its coolant may not produce enough heat to power this system. So, you may notice that the car is getting pretty chilly inside even if you have the heating on at full blast.
3. You Can See a Leak
The coolant in your radiator is supposed to stay inside. However, if your radiator fails, such as if it rusts and develops a hole, then the coolant can escape. The same thing happens if your radiator hose comes loose or springs a leak.
This is often an easy spot. For example, you may get a low coolant flash on your dashboard.
Or, if you have a bigger leak, you'll see drips or puddles under your car after it has been stationary for a while. This coolant fluid is often brightly coloured (think bright green, red or yellow) so it's hard to miss.
In some cases, an early leak may not be visible outside the car. However, you may see signs of fluid on other parts of the engine. If the coolant spurts out and hits a hot piece of your engine, it will leave marks and will eventually rust if it hits metal.
While these problems can be a sign that your radiator has a problem, they can also be signs of other problems. To find out exactly what is going wrong, take your vehicle in to see a car radiator repair specialist. They can diagnose the problem and repair it if this is doable. Otherwise, they can talk to you about replacing the radiator if necessary.
To learn more, contact a car radiator repair technician.
Share18 August 2020
