A dry radiator or an engine temperature light that comes on in the summer time is no picnic. On a freeway you may have to pull over to the road and feel rather unsafe with all the speeding traffic and large tractor semi trailers zooming by. In the city it may be a long wait. Sure it’s not a 40 below zero Canadian winter with no heat from your heater or defroster but still how can you prevent auto radiator and cooling system problems and emergencies by checking all the time on an ongoing basis for leaks and tell tale signs of rad leaks. Where do leaks occur? Where you should instruct and ask your mechanic to inspect or check if leaks are ongoing and seem troublesome and almost impossible to cure.

Luckily most water and ethylene glycol coolant leaks are fairly routine and clearly visible to the naked eye. However to locate such leaks, it may be necessary to apply pressure to the cooling system network. Such pressures can be increased by means of special equipment. If the pressure is applied to the system as indicated by a pressure gauge or led pressure measurement readout, is maintained over time and does not falter, it is a simple case of differential diagnosis.

No leakage is occurring via the sealed cooling system itself. The fault must lie, by means of deduction and exclusion, in the radiator cap and overflow. You may notice that the overflow reserve container is abnormally high on a regular basis.

However if the pressure is not maintained then that is the tip off that no doubt there is leakage somewhere, and if it cannot be seen by the naked eye, it is most likely in all odds a case of a defective cylinder head gasket.

If your radiator and cooling system is forever and chronically running low and none of the professional mechanics or rad shops seems to be able to diagnose the causative factor, or if your leakage problems are not routine and never seem to be corrected what else can be checked out? Firstly instruct the mechanic to check for exhaust leaks into the cooling system. Your mechanics drain the system until the “water “level stands just above the cylinder head. The upper radiator hose is disconnected, engine thermostat removed as well as fan belts. The engine is then started and quickly accelerated and wroomed several times in succession. What are the tip offs are any appreciable water rise , or the appearance or appearances of “bubbles”, which are indicative of exhaust gasses actually leaking into the coolant system and ethylene glycol coolant itself.

If this is the case then the corrective repair procedures involve repairing and plugging these entry points by means of specialized preparations designed in the automotive trades especially to stop such leaks and leakages. Instructions covering the use of such chemical supplied by the manufacturer should be carefully and methodologically followed to the tee.

In the case of leaking core plugs, these should be replaced. There are a number of these core plugs in the water jacket and in many cases they are more than difficult to reach. To simply remove a rusted core plug, drive a screwdriver or other pointed tool into the center of the plug, and pry it from the engine block itself. After carefully cleaning the recess, a new plug is installed by driving it into position with a drift approximately the same diameter as the plug itself. Before driving the plug into position, the recess is carefully coated with suitable cement.

Two last points of merit. First if the cause of the chronic low fluid levels is determined to be rad cap leakage take great care and thought before you replace that cap. Your cooling system has in effect been running in a low state of pressurization and stress. Once you replace the cap with a new replacement part it may be the beginning of the end of your reliable form of transportation. Once under the stress of proper radiator pressures above atmospheric level often under the new stress, and extra heat temperature levels, often mechanics and used car owners will tell you it’s a kiss of death. One part after another (usually hid deep within his engine itself requiring expensive labor ridden repairs) seems to occur one after another. You may well learn new auto components names you never heard of before, on a regular and quick basis. Lastly a low radiator is not only an inconvenience to you. Ethylene Glycol antifreeze fluid is deadly to pets and wildlife that lick it off the road. It’s wet and sweet. Animals often lick up the escaped anti-freeze of roadways with dire results. This is another good reason why you should keep your automobiles cooling system in good repair and stead.

Author Bio: Kerri I. Swan Edmonton Used Car Dealers Alberta Canada Edmonton Truck Dealerships Ford F150