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Cooling System Service
Did you know that overheating is the most common cause of mechanical breakdowns on the road? And that overheating can cause severe damage to the engine and the transmission? Maintaining your vehicle's radiator, fluids and cooling system is essential to keeping you and your old friend on the road.
Coolant (anti-freeze) protects your engine from overheating and from freezing. The coolant's effectiveness can diminish over time and lose many of its protective properties even causing your radiator to rust and corrode. The cooling system itself can get clogged with built-up deposits from oil, grease, scale, hose decomposition, and other materials.
Most drivers know it's recommended that a vehicle's oil should be changed about every 3,000 miles. Drivers typically don't realize, however, about the proper intervals for changing their vehicle's other vital fluids. For the cooling system, the coolant/antifreeze manufacturers recommend changing the coolant once a year, and some service manuals stipulate flushing and refilling the radiator every 24 months, regardless of mileage. Check your car's owner manual to see the recommended interval for changing the coolant in your vehicle, but you'll want to get it changed at minimum every 24 months or if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Your vehicle has recently overheated
- Your coolant or temperature light comes on
- Your temperature gauge reads higher or lower than normal
- Your heater does not work
Radiator, Thermostat and Heater Services
The certified technicians at GIC Car Clinic have years of experience in working with radiators, thermostats and the complete cooling system. GIC Car Clinic can repair or replace any of the following components of the cooling system:
- Radiator, radiator cap, radiator hoses and radiator fan or fan clutch
- Thermostats
- Water pumps
- Fan belts and serpentine belts
- Temperature sensors
- Heater cores and hoses
The basic system is made up of the following components:
- Radiators
- Radiator caps
- Radiator upper hoses
- Radiator bottom hoses
- Water pumps
- Thermostats
- Thermostat housings
- Heater cores
- Serpentine belts
- Fan belts
- Electric cooling fans
- Thermal Fan clutches
- Temperature switches
- Coolant temp sensors
- Extended life Coolant
- Anti-freeze
Radiator:
The radiator is the most prominent part of the system. Coolant that has traveled through the engine is pumped through the tubes of the radiator and is cooled off for another round.
Radiator Hoses:
Your cooling system has a number of rubber hoses that move the fluid from one place to the other. These need to be replaced before they become brittle and cracked.
Water Pump:
The water pump does what you think it does - pumps the coolant through the system. The pump is belt driven, except in the case of some race cars that use an electric water pump.
Thermostat:
Your engine isn't always the same temperature. When you start it on a cold morning, you want it to get warm quickly. If you stop in traffic, you want it to cool itself off. The thermostat controls the flow of coolant so that it cools down more or less depending on the temperature of the coolant. It rests in a housing just after the radiator bottom hose.
Electric Cooling Fan:
Many cars these days have an electric fan for either primary or added cooling. The fan draws air through the radiator when you aren't moving fast enough to get things cooled down.
Thermo Time Switch:
Also known as the fan switch, this is the temperature sensor that tells the electric fan when to blow.
Coolant or antifreeze, like all the other fluids used by your vehicle, has a tendency to break down over time. This is why it is important to replace or “flush” your coolant mixture. When the coolant breaks down there is more stress on your radiator and your engine runs hotter than normal. Dirt and deposits also build up and reduce your vehicle’s performance. A prolonged use of bad coolant can result in damage to your radiator that would require you to have to replace it. Also today’s engines are built with aluminum, the radiator and heater are also aluminum and aluminum needs much more corrosion protection to keep it in good condition.
How often you should flush your cooling system depends on the type of driving you do and the weather conditions where you live. If you live in an area that has moderate climates, you can flush your system less often. But if you live in an area known for its harsh winter and/or hot summers, and do a lot of driving than you might need to change your coolant twice a year, at the beginning of the summer and the beginning of winter. A basic rule of thumb is every two years or 30,000 miles. But no matter what, you need to ask yourself the question, “is it time for a cooling system flush?”
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GIC Car Clinic is a full service shop with ASE-certified mechanics providing auto repair services for all makes and models. Contact us in San Jose, California to schedule your vehicle repairs.