How to Take Care of Your Car Radiator
There are many ways to keep your car radiator looking all happy and healthy. See, you own your car now. Therefore, responsibility comes with it after purchase. Once you step out of the car dealer’s shop, your vehicle becomes your baby. You have to attend to it to the maximum to ensure it functions effectively and efficiently.
In essence, taking care of your car means you have to invest time. Time to clean it, time to service it, and time to ensure it runs well on the road. You also have to do a bunch of other stuff, including replenishing fluids, oiling it, changing tires, etc.- the list goes on and on. As you maintain your car regularly, don’t forget about the radiator.
The radiator plays a significant role as part of your car’s cooling system. The piece would save you stress and frustration of costly repairs when it is working correctly. That said, there are many ways of taking care of your car radiator. Here’s how:
Flush Your Radiator Regularly
A healthy heater needs frequent flushing of the coolant system. Now, it is evident that all vehicles come with a user manual when you purchase one. Subsequently, your manual may say to flush the system after, say two or three years. Well, that’s okay. However, on top of the paper, its always good to consider expertise. That way, you’ll never get it wrong.
The radiator needs a flushed cooling system to enhance the flow of the coolant. Correspondingly, it would cause your engine to work well, thus avoiding overheating.
Top Up Your Coolant to the Right Level
The right level of coolant will ensure that your engine does not overheat. Therefore, you need to check the levels regularly when your engine has cooled down. If your car requires you to take your radiator cap off, your manual will guide you on how to go about it. A malfunction in the coolant system would raise the alarm for a leak in the radiator. Always use your mechanic to your advantage to ensure that your coolant is topped up to the maximum.
Pay Attention to Temperature
The temperature of your engine-yes, that’s an important feature too. Always check the temperature too to ensure that your engine temperatures are not rising above normal. A warning light indicates that things aren’t good. Therefore, you should check it out as soon as possible for maintenance.
Don’t Strain Your Engine
Talk of straining your engine- how does that even happen? Well, it’s quite straightforward. Driving too fast or climbing up long, hilly terrain would work your engine hard and fast. In turn, it produces a lot of heat. If it happens, the radiator takes action to try and cool down things for you. If the task becomes hectic for the system, you’ll have to take your car for repairs and maintenance.
Inspect Your Cooling System
You have to check your cooling systems for any faults and mishaps in the machines. For instance, check the radiator cap, clamps, and hoses for breaks, cracks, or rust.
Check the Car Radiator Fan
As the word suggests, a fan is used to draw air to provide a cool environment. Ideally, that’s how car radiators work as well. For most cars, there’s a fan fitted in to draw in cold air to the heater.
In essence, if your fan fails, your radiator is bound to fail too. The fan won’t be able to maintain a steady flow of air: hence, you’ll notice temperatures rising gradually but slowly. You’ll also see a light warning on the signal or steam coming out of the bonnet. Any of these signs should prompt you to act fast before significant damage is done.
Ensure Your Water Pump is Working Properly
A failed water pump would not mean well for your radiator. Ideally, the pump works to pump the coolant to and fro around the engine. Now, this function is a regular thing, which means that your pump may wear out in the process. For instance, you can get loose pulley and bearings in the system. These cause your pump to malfunction by pumping at an irregular water flow rate. When that happens, you can expect your radiator not to work as it should.
Car radiators work hard to keep your car fresh. Therefore, you should also work hard to ensure that they do what they need to do. Generally, taking care of your car’s radiator is no rocket science, as you probably imagine. You only need to wrap your head around it to get it right.