June 05, 2015
How to Check a Vehicle's Coolant or Antifreeze
How to Check a Vehicle's Coolant/Antifreeze By Deanna Sclar from Auto Repair For
Dummies,2nd Edition The radiator in your vehicle cools your engine and needs
water and coolant (antifreeze) to function. Keep the following points in mind as
you check the level of the liquid in your cooling system and add more,if
necessary: * Rather than open the cap on the radiator,just check to see whether
the liquid reaches the"Full"line on the side of the coolant reservoir shown
here. It's part of the coolant recovery system. If the liquid doesn't reach
the"Full"line,open the bottle and add a 50/50 mix of water and coolant until it
does. Some coolants are premixed,so check the bottle to see whether you need to
add water or just use it as-is. Only in an emergency should you add only water
to the coolant system. Most modern engines have aluminum cylinder heads,which
require the protective anticorrosive properties of antifreeze. A 50/50 mix of
liquid or coolant is usually sufficient. Some coolant recovery systems are
pressurized and have a radiator pressure cap instead of a normal cap. Some older
vehicles have no coolant reservoir,so to check and add coolant,you have to open
the cap on the radiator. Never add coolant to a hot engine! If you need to add
more liquid,wait until the engine has cooled down to avoid the possibility of
being burned or cracking your engine block. Don't open the caps on either of
these systems when the engine is hot;if you do,hot coolant may be ejected Auto Code Scanner. * Coolant is usually
red,green,blue,or yellow. If it looks colorless,looks rusty,or has things
floating around in it,flush your cooling system and add new coolant. * If the
coolant has a sludgy,oily surface,immediately take the vehicle to your mechanic
to check for internal head gasket leakage. The service facility has special
equipment for performing this check. * While you're messing around with your
cooling system,feel the radiator hoses autel
mx-sensor,too. They're the big hoses that go into the top and come out of
the bottom of the radiator. If they're leaking,cracked,bulgy,or squishy,they
should be replaced.
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