05 May, 2024

Tips to Care for Your Car's Radiator

The engine is the energy source behind a car. It has so many rotating components, along with a combustion chamber where the fuel-air mixture is burned to produce energy. The constant movement of auxiliary components and burning of fuel causes high temperatures inside the engine. Increased temperature conditions can impact the life and performance of a car engine. The radiator is the main component that controls the engine temperature and keeps it at a minimum.

A defective, underperforming, improperly maintained radiator is going to damage your car’s engine. Making it of paramount importance to ensure the proper functioning of the radiator, availability of coolant liquid and condition of associated pipelines and components. Notably, a thermostat that determines engine temperature and allows the flow of coolant is the prime component in a car radiator.

The factors stated above accumulate to a basic fact; not maintaining the radiator is going to cost you high time. It can damage the engine, lead to expensive engine repair requirements, and other cascading effects. Therefore, you may check out the following tips to take care of your car’s radiator. Reach out to your Service person if you suspect the radiator is defective or require expert assistance in maintaining it. 

Issues to Consider for Car Radiator Life

Here are some issues you need to consider if you find any of them :

1.     Leakage from the Car Radiator

Leakage is one of the most common problems in car radiators. The car engine cooling system consists of hoses, seals, and gaskets. Any of these components can deteriorate over time and may break or get damaged. Leading to leakage. Each of the components has a specified service life. It is ideal to get the component replaced during periodic servicing. Experienced car servicing centres normally include the replacement of such items as part of maintenance. Even if replaced premature material failure may occur at times. Get the repair or servicing done immediately if you observe or suspect leakage from the car’s radiator.

2.     Cracked Hoses

The radiator hoses that carry and return coolant to and from the engine need to be replaced on a fixed schedule. The subject hoses are made of a mixture of rubber and synthetic material, which can withstand the pressure and temperature in the engine bay. However, the efficiency of the hoses comes down with usage. Cracks also may develop due to ageing. In this case, the engine cooling system will not function as effectively as expected. Avoid waiting for leakage to replace the radiator hoses. Change them as and when due. Normally, the car servicing centre includes the hose replacement in their scheduled servicing.

3.     Rusting of Engine Coolant

The engine coolant becomes rusted or corroded over time. This impacts the functioning of the radiator. The rust can reach the water pump and cause issues there as well. The water pump’s efficiency can also come down as a result. Similarly, the ducts might get choked due to rusty engine coolant. It is in the best interest to replenish the car engine coolant system with new coolant. The rusty coolant should be drained completely before filling it with new oil. Two things to note while changing the coolant are:

• Use good quality coolant only

• Add rust-removing additives before filling the new coolant

• Avoid going for low-grade engine coolant for saving just a few pennies

Read to know: How to Choose the Best Engine Oil for Your Car

4.     Defective Thermostat

The thermostat controls how much coolant gets to the engine. It opens the flow to the engine depending on the engine temperature and closes the coolant flow when the engine temperature comes down. An expert technician will be able to identify thermostat issues by observing the temperature difference in the upper and lower hoses of the car engine cooling system.

How to Test the Car Radiator?

Never delay the servicing and repair of your car’s radiator. Procrastinating these are going to cost you heavily. The engine’s efficiency will come down and it can become defective in no time due to working in high temperatures. If you suspect engine overheating or engine cooling system leakage, get the car inspected at the earliest. By this, you would be saving a lot of expenses. The technician will conduct the following procedures for identifying the reason for engine overheating:

Pressure Test: The pressure test is undertaken to confirm if there are any leaks in the engine cooling system. Leaks will be visible as the system hoses are pressurised.

Flow Test: The flow test will confirm whether the system fluid is flowing freely or not. A choked system will fail in the flow test.

Conclusion

The efficiency and proper functioning of the radiator and other components must be ensured definitely when you buy a used car. A proper inspection by experienced technicians is preferable to alleviate the possibility of system defects, malfunctioning, or inefficiency. Buying a second-hand car from a trusted seller like Indus Used Cars is the best way to avoid such issues. We use an exclusive 376-point checklist to make sure the car is technically healthy perfectly.

Read Similar: How to Deal with an Overheated Car Engine?