Image via Mountain View Hyundai.
A healthy radiator is essential for your car, as its job is to control your engine temperature. The heat produced by your engine is taken to the radiator where the heat is exchanged for cooler outside air. A radiator problem can result in major engine damage if it’s not repaired. Our Service Department at Mountain View Hyundai can fix any radiator problem for you, and we want to tell you some tell-tale signs that you need a radiator repair.
Broken Water Pump
Liquid coolant is pumped through your engine continually and absorbs engine heat. The coolant flows into the radiator and enters a series of parallel tubes. Air flows in through the radiator grille and over the tubes, and this removes the heat. This cycle continues until your engine temperature drops below a pre-set point. The cooling system depends on the water pump to move the liquid coolant through the system at high speed. The pump will increase and decrease its speed when your car accelerates or decelerates to maintain the engine temperature at the optimum level. If your water pump is damaged, the coolant won’t move through the system and your engine will overheat. We’ll diagnose the pump problem and repair or replace it.
Cracked Radiator
The coolant that flows through your engine can easily exceed 300° F, and this can take its toll on the as time passes. In addition, the radiator operates under high pressure and the combination of heat and pressure can cause damage. Cracks can take a long time to develop, and this makes them more likely to appear in older radiators. A tiny crack in the radiator case can expand fairly rapidly due to heat and pressure. If this happens, coolant will leak out and the cooling system will start to suffer. As coolant is lost, the speed of the cooling system will drop, and heat will be slower to remove. You’ll notice this problem when the temperature gauge shows a steady increase in heat. We can’t repair a cracked radiator, but we can replace it to fix this problem.
Clogged Radiator
As the coolant passes through your engine it absorbs dirt, rust particles, and other minute debris. This debris is carried into the radiator with the coolant, and it’s left behind when the coolant leaves the radiator. As time passes, this debris will accumulate in the radiator and can cause blockages.
These blockages can appear in the lower section of the radiator and prevent coolant from flowing out. This disrupts the cooling system and increases engine temperature. Blocked radiator tubes reduce the surface area available for cooling and will slow the cooling system down. We’ll examine your radiator and we can remove any blockages by flushing the radiator. Overheating is a serious danger for any engine. Schedule your service with Mtn. View Hyundai in Chattanooga, TN today.
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