Cooling System Failure
There are a lot of different reasons for vehicle cooling system failure. Let’s look at some of the most common issues to can cause you to experience a breakdown. We will be going over a few of the main issues and will go over others in another post soon.
Low Coolant Level
Your coolant is key to keeping your engine running at the proper temperature. It is important to regularly check fluid levels to ensuring you have the necessary amount of coolant in your vehicle. If your coolant levels drop due to a leak, your engine will overheat.
Thermostat Malfunction
The thermostat helps your engine know when it needs to cool down, and if it is not working properly, your engine will continue to get hotter and hotter until it gets seriously damaged. The thermostat can be easily removed and tested for accuracy.
Radiator Cooling Fan
A malfunctioning fan can quickly cause an overheating situation. With the vehicle in park and running open the hood and turn on the air conditioning. Your fan should be running and if it is not you may have a number of things that can cause the fan to stop working. The radiator’s fan needs to pull air through the radiator and dissipate the heat from the coolant. If not working you will need to have it repaired as soon as possible.
Cooling System Leak or Radiator Leak
A leak in the cooling system can be one of the easier ailments to diagnose, but may be harder to locate. If there is liquid leaking out of your system, there may be a few different places to look. Check hoses for pin holes or cracks first, as they are usually the first to go. If you can not find it within the hoses, check the radiator itself for cracks, corrosion or pin hole leaks.
Cooling System Obstructions
Obstructions within your system can be hard to diagnose because some are internal. While obstructions to the outside can be power washed off, internal blockage can be difficult to locate and fix. Trapped air, clogs and buildup can all block coolant and cause inefficient flow and overheating. Maybe you had to add stop leak and that can cause heater core blockage or plug up an already dirty radiator. If you have an internal problem you should start checking things simple at first and work your way down the list.
Cooling System Failure Wrap up
Though there are many reasons your cooling system may not be working properly, it’s best to start with the most common and simple issues first, to help identify exactly what is causing the issue, If you are lucky you can repair or replace the correct part the first time.