Cooling system in your car is in place to prevent heating of the engine. Heat is the number one enemy of your car’s engine. Most people overlook the requirement of maintaining the cooling system in good condition with the result that they are seen on the side of the road with the hood of their car up in the air and steam coming out of the radiator of their car. If you do not want this to happen to you, it is better to carry out inspection and maintenance of the cooling system of your car to prevent a major breakdown.
Check the coolant of the car
You may not be aware of the fact but every time you take out your car on road, it makes use of the coolant to keep the temperatures of the engine down to manageable levels. The coolant in your car is a mixture of water and an antifreeze chemical that keeps on flowing between the coolant box, the radiator, and the passage inside the engine to keep the temperature of the engine down. Two of the main reasons why the temperature of the engine of your car goes up are when
• The level of the coolant goes down below a prescribed level
• The coolant becomes dirty and contaminated to not fulfill its functions properly
If you fail to take action in time, coolant of your car can actually lead to a breakdown of the entire cooling system of your car and lead to a meltdown of sorts. Some of the warning signs that you as a car owner must pay heed to are heater giving off cool air in the winters, steam coming out of the radiator during summers, warning lights flashing about low coolant levels, leaking coolant etc.
A leaking water pump can create problems
Your car has a water pump to carry the coolant to the radiator and to the passage flows inside the engine to keep it cool. You can easily get to this water pump as heater hoses are usually attached to it. Check if it is leaking out the coolant of your car. This is a signal that you need to replace the pump as it is now unable to circulate the coolant to keep the temperature of the engine under control.
Park the car on a large cardboard
If you park your car on a cardboard, you can easily see if there is any leakage of the coolant in the morning. The freeze plug may be leaking to cause the los of coolant Get the car inspected by a mechanic who will replace the freeze plug to stop the leakage.
Sometimes, corrosion of radiator causes leaks
If you see steam emanating from the radiator, you can rest assured that there is some leakage in it. If you are not sure, get it inspected by a mechanic to reveal the leaks. You can get the radiator replaced or repaired to stop this leakage.
Sometimes, the thermostat is the culprit
Under the hood lies a thermostat that is used to maintain temperature of the engine. You can easily replace the old thermostat with a new one to see if it is able to control overheating of your car.
De-clogging the cooling system may be a good idea
Sometimes, there is no major problem in the cooling system and all it needs is a good flush. This is similar to your body having clogging in your veins or arteries. Flushing of the system is done with products available for the purpose in the market.
If you are able to find the problem and fix it, it will save you a lot of money. However, at times, getting professional help may be the tight way of getting over the problem of overheating.
