Your vehicle’s cooling system consists of many different components, of which one or more can at any time fail and make your car over heat. These components include a cooling fan, water pump, thermostat, radiator, heater core, heater valve, and various other parts that primarily work together to dissipate and remove heat from a vehicle’s engine. When its in good working order, your vehicle’s cooling system is responsible for reducing the temperature inside your engine and preventing it from possibly overheating.

Radiator Coolant

Excess heat can build in a variety of places in your vehicle’s engine. When the engine reaches its maximum operating temperature, the thermostat opens and releases coolant from the engine to the radiator, which in turn creates a circular flow to absorb excess heat.

The coolant is also responsible for keeping other engine fluids from boiling. After the coolant flows through the engine, it cycles back to the radiator, where the excess heat escapes through the radiator’s walls. The coolant is cooled by the cooling fan and then released back into the engine to dissipate additional heat.

Benefits of a Radiator Coolant Flush

Over time, the radiator coolant breaks down and loses its efficiency. If not drained and replaced, old coolant can lead to corrosion. During a cooling system flush and re-fill, our mechanics will drain the coolant from the radiator, flush the cooling system, and fill the radiator with new coolant.

Cooling System Inspection

The cooling system’s cooling fan circulates air through the radiator and passes excess heat out of the engine. If the cooling fan malfunctions, your vehicle’s engine will overheat. At Bexley Auto Centre our technicians can carry out a cooling system inspection. During this inspection our technicians will check the cooling fan for damage and the fan belt for cracks.

Because the radiator is responsible for cooling the coolant as it circulates throughout the cooling system, a leak or a broken radiator hose can lead to major engine over heating and failure. A radiator pressure test is one way we can check for potential leaks, radiator damage and poor worn out water hoses. By having this quick inspection of your cooling system will make sure your radiator and cooling system componants are all in good working order which in long term will make sure your cars engine is cooling enough to give your car its ultimate power and prevent costly unneeded repairs.

Water Pump

The water pump is a simple component which is driven by a belt connected to the crankshaft of the engine. The pump circulates fluid whenever the engine is running. The fluid leaving the pump flows first through the engine block and cylinder head, then into the radiator and finally back to the pump.

The water pump uses centrifugal force to send fluid to the outside while it spins, causing fluid to be drawn from the centre continuously. After a while the water pump can get affected by its constant use and in turn just like other moving parts it can also start to fail. One of the main reason for water pump failure is its centre bearing. Once this bearing starts to fail the water pump will start to malfunction as it will not be able to distribute the water that passes it. This will then make your engine to over heat. By having a cooling system inspection from time to time will make sure that the water pump is in it optimum working order and is free from issues.

Water Hoses

Water hoses transfer coolant from the radiator to the engine block. Water hoses are designed for extreme heat and pressure, and must be replaced according to your vehicle maintenance guide.