One crucial system to check every fall is your vehicle’s cooling system. As a vehicle’s engine can go to extreme temperatures, it’s the duty of the coolant and radiator to draw the heat away to keep the engine at a manageable temperature.
Before the seasons change, here are a few things to check to keep your cooling system in top shape.
Coolant
At Mast Service Center Inc., we recommend that you flush the coolant or antifreeze as part of the cooling system service every two to five years, depending on the antifreeze used. One reason for doing so is rusting.
Antifreeze has anti-rusting properties that keep the engine’s interior and metal bypass pipes from rusting. If you develop a leak and then top off the radiator with plain water, you’ll eventually dilute the coolant.
Coolant is not the only thing you need to worry about with cold temperatures. You should also check other parts of the cooling system.
Water Pump and Thermostat
The water pump and thermostat are both made of metal, so you have a rust issue if you don’t keep the coolant changed. Unfortunately, coolant eventually loses its ability to prevent rust and keep the vehicle cool as the chemicals wear out.
In many cases, the water pump is outside the engine and driven by the serpentine belt. However, the water pump in certain vehicles is inside the timing cover. It is considerably more expensive to replace a water pump inside the timing cover than one on the engine’s exterior.
Other Rustable Parts
The engine also has freeze plugs, which are often metal. They are designed to pop out of the block should it expand when it freezes. They hopefully keep the block from cracking.
If the freeze plugs rust in the block, they won’t be able to do their job. You’ll end up with a cracked block.
Moreover, if the radiator has a metal core or tanks, the radiator can start to rust and develop leaks.
Hoses
The vehicle has several hoses for antifreeze to travel through. The top and bottom radiator hoses carry coolant to the engine to draw heat off it. The thermostat is located in the thermostat housing, usually in the top radiator hose.
The system also has bypass hoses that go through the intake manifold and heater hoses to carry warm water to the heater core so that the cabin has heat.
Unlike the freeze plugs, radiator, water pump, and thermostat, the hoses are rubber. The constant temperature changes from cold to hot seriously affect rubber over time, even for rubber designed to handle these changes.
When you bring your vehicle in for a coolant flush, we’ll also check the hoses to ensure they aren’t cracked, dry-rotted, or just plain worn out.
Contact Mast Service Center Inc. for Cooling System Services in Etna Green, IN
Before the temperatures drop every fall, contact Mast Service Center Inc. in Etna Green, IN to check and maintain your cooling system.
We’ll flush the coolant as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. We’ll also check the belts, hoses, cooling fans, and other components to ensure everything is working properly. In the years we do not change the coolant, we’ll test it to ensure it is still working at full capacity.
Contact us at (574) 646-2127 for an appointment. We are conveniently located at 8608 North State Road 19, Etna Green, IN 46524.
