Auto Mechanic: Tools for the Auto Mechanic in You is Frankie D’Antoni’s excellent automotive repair blog.  I stumbled across the site the other day and was immediately struck by the simply stated, practical advice Frankie offers about taking care of your car. 

When I read his entry on how to flush your car’s cooling system I knew I had to share this wonderful site with all of you do-it-yourself mechanics out there!  I was particularly happy to see that the first step in that tutorial was this one:

Step 1: Wait until you have a cool engine. If you’ve been driving, then it’s always best (not to mention safer) to wait for your engine to cool down before you start working under your vehicle’s hood.

We all know how I feel about the importance of letting your car cool down before messing with your cooling system.

 -Emily

Every week, as I scan the internet looking for radiator news to share with all of you I come across stories of men and women who injure themselves with hot coolant while trying to repair or remove their radiator.  This can result in serious injury to the eyes and face and in most cases it is a problem that could be easily avoided.  You simply need to let your engine sit and cool off before attempting to remove the radiator cap.  I’ll repeat that: LET YOUR ENGINE COOL DOWN!!!

Coolant works by coursing through the engine, absorbing it’s heat, returning to the radiator where that heat is released into the outside air.  The coolant is then sent back to the engine where it picks up more heat and heads back to the radiator to be cooled, fanned and prepared for another run.  This is why we refer to radiators and fan assemblies as part of a car’s heat transfer system.  Coolant transfers immense amounts of heat away from the car’s engine, and in the process the fluid is heated to scalding hot temperatures.

This increase in heat leads to a build up of pressure in the system.  This is because heat is energy, and molecules that are full of energy/heat bounce around more than molecules that are not full of energy (cooler ones).  The extra movement of the molecules in hot coolant means that the coolant takes up more room.  In a closed system, this means more pressure.  When this pressure is released through say, the sudden removal of a radiator cap, the result can be a veritable gyser of burning hot radiator fluid.  This is a recipe for injury to the eyes and face.

After reading story after story about people who don’t let their engine cool and are subsequently burned, I feel strongly for the safety of my readers.  It is a simple, easy, and safe thing to remove a radiator,  but make sure to read up on our car care articles and speak with a mechanic before embarking on a radiator removal or installation.  And whatever you do, for goodness sake, LET YOUR ENGINE COOL DOWN FIRST!

-Emily

With a long California stretching out in front of me my mind has been turning increasingly to thoughts of grand adventure and fun. I want to go camping, to visit relatives and friends in every corner of the state and maybe even cruise on down the coast and spend a couple days lounging on a warm beach or goofing around at Disneyland. Before embarking on any adventure though, it is important to make sure your car is in good working order. In the hot summer we have to be especially careful to avoid overheating our cars. The last thing anyone wants is to be stranded at the side of a road far from home in the blazing sun. An overheated engine is not only bad for your car, but terrifically inconvenient. In summer, when heat exposure can cause illness and discomfort, a roadside breakdown can even be hazardous to your health.

So, what can you do to avoid overheating your engine? Well, Anything that can interfere with your cooling system’s ability to transfer and discharge heat can cause your car to overheat. Make sure your hoses are not brittle or cracked, and that you have no coolant leaks (if your car is leaving any mysterious stains on the driveway it is a good idea to check them out before going on a road trip). Check to make sure the car’s fan is operable, that there are no signs of corrosion on the radiator. Make sure that your radiator cap fits tightly, a loose cap can lead to lost coolant and a loss of pressure in the system. Check to make sure the coolant levels are correct and inspect the coolant for oil, sediment, or muck. Dirty coolant can indicate corrosion of the radiator, or that you are in need of a radiator flush. Failure to take care of either problem could lead to an overheated engine.

According to the U.S. Department of transportation, cooling system failures are the number one cause of roadside breakdowns. So before you go on your road trip make sure to check out your radiator, fan assembly and hoses. It might save you from a breakdown, or prevent the engine damage that can be the result of a cooling system failure.

-Emily