Automobile Radiator
If you are like most of the car buying public, then you probably do not worry too much about what goes on under the hood of your car until something goes wrong. However, there are a few things that good car owners should know to keep a watchful eye on their automobile radiator to help take care of small problems before they develop into much larger issues. This is because if you notice that you have a small leak in your automobile radiator, then you can fix the problem before the engine losses all of its coolant and overheats, leaving you stranded on the side of the road.
The automobile radiator is actually one of the more crucial parts of your vehicle because it works as a heat transfer method that will help to keep the car on the road safely and the engine temperature within standard operating procedures. It is also important because it works as a heating mechanism for the inside of your vehicle as well. This is because the automobile radiator pushes a coolant (generally half water, half antifreeze) through the engine while it's running. This liquid mixture absorbs the heat. It then takes the heat that is inside the engine and transfers it to the air that is flowing into the car when it is being heated. The radiator then pushes the coolant back to the front of the engine where the incoming air that rushes over the vent causes the temperature to lower considerably before it once again is cycled through the engine.
Since the cycle of antifreeze is a closed circuit route in an automobile radiator then the radiator fluid should never decrease unless there is a leak. So, one of the easiest ways in which you can tell if your radiator has started to leak is to check the radiator reserve tank (make sure that the engine is off when you do this) to make sure that the level has not dropped. It is a good idea to check your automobile radiator fluid at least once a week. This is because if you get a leak in one of the radiator hoses then it could go from a small nuisance to a large problem in a very short time span. The rubber in the radiator hoses have a lot of pressure going through them at all times, o if they get a small hole, then the pressure that is working to drive the coolant through the engine could actually cause this small leak to increase in size very quickly.
Another way to make sure that your automobile radiator stays in good condition is to get it checked at least once a year by a professional. To help determine if there is any problems they will flush out the radiator fluid and replace it with new fluid and they will inspect all of the hoses and fittings. While this kind of automobile radiator check can get expensive, you should look at it from the perspective that getting this done on a regular basis will help to keep your engine functioning at peak levels.
Something else to keep in mind about automobile radiators is that in recent years the construction materials used to make these devices has switched over to utilize plastic and aluminum because they are less expensive. However, the downside to this construction is that the repair bills can be a lot more costly because it is more difficult to compartmentalize and repair the components that are damaged in the automobile radiator. Instead, when the radiator malfunctions on the newer models you will probably need to have the entire mechanism replaced and this could be costly. This is just another example of why it is so important that you keep your radiator functioning as well as you possibly can.
