3 Sure Signs Your Car's Radiator Needs Repair Service

Posted on: 21 April 2016

The radiator plays a central role in ensuring that your car is cooling properly. It is, however, not always easy to detect radiator damage because it takes many different forms. Armed with a little knowledge about signs indicating radiator trouble, you stand a better chance of knowing when your car is facing radiator problems and needs repair service.

Here are 3 sure signs indicating your radiator requires attention.

Presence of leaks

If upon a visual check you detect that your radiator has leaks, you will need to fix the problem promptly. Sometimes you might have to run the engine of your car to spot a leak; as the coolant fluid inside the radiator circulates, some of it will be forced out through holes created on various radiator components. Apply radiator sealant to stop small leaks. You can buy radiator sealant from an automotive product shop. If the hole created in your radiator is large, it should be welded and allowed to dry well prior to applying cold weld epoxy.

High thermostat readings

All the warning lights in your car are meant to caution you when something is going wrong. The thermostat gauges the temperature of coolant flowing from the radiator to the engine. If the readings on the thermostat of your car shoot up alarmingly, your radiator may be experiencing some serious issues, which you should check as soon as possible.

If the radiator fails to work properly, the engine can overheat and even shut down completely. High temperature readings may indicate that the radiator or the hoses connecting it to the engine are clogged, making it difficult for coolant fluid to reach the engine. An overheating engine can blow off while you are in the middle of the road. Therefore, you should immediately pull over and call in a mechanic to come and fix the problem.

Internal corrosion

Do you see a brownish mess when you look inside your radiator? If you do, then it means the inside of your radiator is suffering rust damage. You cannot fully stop rust damage, but you can slow it down by periodically draining the radiator before rust can build up excessively. Aside from reducing the performance of your radiator, rust will slowly eat up the metal interiors of your radiator from inside-out.

In order to decelerate the rate at which rust forms in your radiator, always use high quality cooling products recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.

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