Today we want to talk about a key system in our cars – the cooling system. It’s one of those things that Kent drivers don’t give much thought to until it fails and then they’re stranded by the side of a road in Kent.
Cooling systems fail more often than any other mechanical system – usually because of neglect. Don’t you hate it when something breaks, and you could have done something to prevent it?
The good news is that if Kent motorists take care of their cooling systems they can keep working for the life of their car.
Here at AutoNetTV and Central Avenue Automotive in Kent, we emphasize critical preventive maintenance services like replacing your coolant according to the factory schedule. But the various parts that make up the cooling system need attention too. The major components of the cooling system are the water pump, freeze plugs, the thermostat, the radiator, cooling fans, the heater core, the pressure cap, the overflow tank and the hoses.
It sounds complicated, but we Kent drivers don’t have to be experts – we can leave that to our considerate service professional at Central Avenue Automotive. But, having an overview will help us remember how to take care of your car’s cooling system.
Most Kent folks would be surprised to know that burning fuel in your engine produces up to 4,500 degrees of heat. And all that heat has to be dealt with. If the heat can’t be drawn off the engine, the pistons will literally weld themselves to the inside of the cylinders – then you just have to throw the engine away and get a new one. That would cost thousands of dollars.
Now the water pump is what forces the coolant through passages in the SUV engine to absorb heat. The pump is driven by a belt that needs replacement from time to time. And the water pump will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Spending some cash on replacing the belts and water pump is much less than the cost of repairing the extremely expensive damage that can be done when an engine seizes.
There’s another little but key part of the coolant system that protects the engine. It’s called a freeze plug. If you remember from high school chemistry, water expands when it freezes. In very cold areas, the coolant can actually freeze when the SUV is left sitting.
It is hard to believe, but the expanding frozen coolant is strong enough to actually crack the engine block. The freeze plugs fit into the engine block. They fit tight enough to withstand the pressure of a running engine, but can expand or pop out if the coolant freezes. These little things save a lot of engine blocks.
That brings up a good point. An engine has to work in all kinds of WA temperatures – extremely hot as well as very cold. How does the SUV cooling system adapt to external temperatures as well as varying operating conditions?
Well, it’s much like the way you keep your Kent house at a comfortable temperature all year round – with a thermostat. The thermostat in your SUV controls how much coolant flows through your engine. When the engine is cold, it restricts coolant flow until the engine comes up to an efficient operating temperature. Then it starts opening up to move more coolant to keep the temperature within a specified range.
The thermostat needs to be replaced from time to time as well. It’s easy for your Central Avenue Automotive service specialist to diagnose a failed thermostat and is fairly inexpensive to replace. We can do this for you at Central Avenue Automotive in Kent, just give us a call: 253.854.6762. Now we’ve been talking about all this heat we’ve got to get rid of, but haven’t really talked about where it goes. That’s where the radiator comes in. The hot coolant passes through the radiator. Air flows past the cooling fins and cools the coolant.
The radiator has two tanks that hold coolant: sometimes one at the top and bottom or one on either side. If you have an automatic transmission in your SUV, one of the tanks will also contain a second tank that cools the transmission fluid. Large SUV’s and trucks often have a separate transmission cooler. So when Kent car owners drive around Kent, the air is forced past the radiator. But driving doesn’t produce enough air flow. So the radiator has cooling fans that force fresh air over the radiator. These fans may be powered by a belt or by electric motors.
Kent drivers also have something called a heater core. The heater core is like a mini radiator. A small fan blows air over the heater core and into the passenger compartment of your SUV. That’s how Kent motorists warm their cars when it’s cold out in WA.
Next is the radiator cap. With most newer cars around Kent, you never remove the radiator cap, except to replace it. You add coolant through the overflow tank. The radiator cap is also called a pressure cap, because its important job is to maintain pressure in the cooling system.
High pressure raises the boiling point of the coolant, so it cools more effectively even in very demanding Auburn conditions. That is why Kent drivers need to replace the cap from time to time. The team at Central Avenue Automotive recommends changing it out every time you replace your coolant.
Coming back to the overflow tank, it is key because when the coolant gets hot it expands and the overflow holds the extra volume. The tank helps maintain the proper level of coolant and keeps air out of the system. Kent drivers should never open the radiator cap or over flow tank when the engine is hot. This could lead to serious burns.
What else do we Kent motorists need to do to keep our cooling systems working well? Well, there are the hoses that hook all of these pieces together. They’re obviously very tough to deal with the pressure and high temperatures. But they do get worn. Sometimes they get spongy from the heat. Sometimes they lose their connection to the radiator, water pump, etc. It’s a great idea to have your Kent service center or considerate Central Avenue Automotive service professional inspect your hoses at least once a year and replace them, if needed, before they break.
The team at Central Avenue Automotive can check your cooling system and make any necessary adjustments or repairs. Give us a call at 253.854.6762.
Central Avenue Automotive
1514 Central Ave S Ste A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762
