Keeping your car in good health doesn’t only mean undergoing routine oil changes and tire rotations. checking of your vehicle’s coolant system is often – not discussed nor properly cared for – yet one of the most important aspects of your routine vehicle checkup is to visually inspect the coolant levels. It might be funny to call it ‘coolant’ because your engine is certainly not cool when the system is malfunctioning and overheating, or corroding due to lack of a clear coolant level. A well-constructed engine needs a coolant system much like the human body needs blood to supply nourishment throughout it. If a blood vessel is a burst, the blood can’t do its job of stability. When it comes to the vessels that power your engine, failure to monitor and maintain proper coolant levels can quickly lead to costly repairs for a compromised engine or utter engine failure. This article will explain why it’s crucial to check your vehicle’s coolant levels, as well as how doing so can positively impact your engine health.
1. Understanding the Role of Coolant in Your Vehicle
Before digging into why checking coolant levels is so important, it helps to know what coolant does, and why it’s so crucial to your car in the first place.
Keeping the Engine Cool: It keeps your engine cool. Internal combustion is what makes your engine run, and a side effect of internal combustion is heat. Lots and lots of heat. The combustion chamber internalizes a tremendous amount of heat, and the coolant captures that heat and channels it out of the engine and into the radiator, to be dissipated out into the air.
Preventing Freezing: In colder climates, coolant prevents the liquids in your engine from freezing, which can crack them and cause other types of damage – that’s why it’s sometimes known as antifreeze.
Anti-corrosion Additives: Coolant also has anti-corrosion additives that prevent rusting in the engine and cooling system. If the coolant did not have these additives, the metals used in the engine would corrode and cause leaks, blockages, and other mechanical problems.
2. The Dangers of Low Coolant Levels
Operating your vehicle with low coolant levels can lead to several serious issues:
Overheating of the engine: When your vehicle’s coolant level is low, the most immediate danger of driving your car is to overheat your engine. The coolant absorbs heat and keeps it released mechanical components. If the radiator is below the required liquid. the engine will have no way to dissipate the heat. You can run the car from the minimum of overheating (engine temperature over 100 C / 212 Fahrenheit). Components can deform, crack or break. If the damage is serious enough, your car will have a blown head gasket, something that be very expensive to fix.
More Wear and Tear: If coolant is running low, the engine is being forced to work harder. The harder the engine works, the more wear and tear that occurs on parts. When parts wear out, it reduces your car’s life expectancy.
System corrosion: Because insufficient coolant means insufficient additive, it also means there’s going to be less corrosion protection. So just like oil additives in your engine, low coolant levels could invite rust and deposits in your cooling system which, given enough time, could cause leaks and reduce the capability of the cooling system overall.
Worst-Case Scenario: If an engine runs with low coolant, it will completely seize up – which, in turn, would require a new engine, which is much more expensive than just regularly changing the coolant.
3. How to Check Your Coolant Levels
Fluid that heats the engine is responsible for preventing your car from overheating. Checking your coolant level is very easy to do, and it could completely prevent you from having a major headache in the future.
1 If it appears low, add water or a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze up to the ‘full’ line or ‘MAX’ mark on the side of the tank. If your vehicle has a plastic tank, find the reservoir. Photo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoolantThe plastic tank, often translucent, will be mounted either on the driver’s side of the radiator or somewhere near the front of the vehicle; it will be marked clear of Full and Low or will have a ‘MAX’ line. If you can’t find it, look in your user’s manual.
Levels: Check coolant level only when engine is cool. Opening radiator cap/expansion tank when engine is hot releases steam and hot coolant that can give you burns. Check level between ‘Full’ and ‘Low’ marks. Add coolant if it is below ‘Low’.
Check for Leaks: If you keep topping off the coolant and the level keeps going down, you could have a coolant leak. A coolant leak can be identified by coolant puddles under your vehicle, a sticky sweet smell from your engine, or steam rising from under your hood.
Note: If your checked coolant is low, just top it off with a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and distilled water unless your vehicle’s manual specifies something else. Use the type of coolant recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer.
4. When to Check Your Coolant Levels
It is generally recommended that as part of your regular vehicle maintenance you check your coolant levels. Nonetheless, there are certain times when it becomes especially vital:
Before a Long Trip: On a long trip, your car’s engine will work harder, so it’s a good idea to check the coolant before setting off.
Periodic changes in Seasons: The level of coolant may change depending on the temperature. It is strongly recommended to check them before the onset of summer or winter, as the excessive high or low temperatures could affect the working capability of the coolant.
If You Notice Overheating Signs: if your engine temperature gauge is reading hotter than normal, or if your vehicle is emitting steam from under the hood, then check your coolant levels.
5. The Consequences of Ignoring Coolant Maintenance
Failure to keep the coolant at an adequate level will result in significant problems, many of them expensive and time-consuming to rectify.
While low coolant is the most common cause of a blown head gasket, a roaring radiator fan that keeps running long after you’ve finished driving or even when your engine is completely cold can put your head gasket at risk of failure. Since head gasket repair necessitates taking apart your engine, repairing a blown head gasket can easily cost upwards of $3,000.
Radiator damage: when the coolant level is too low and the radiator overheats, it can break down completely. Another expensive repair can be avoided if you check your coolant on a regular basis.
Low-coolant nightmare: With not enough coolant, engine-block cracks can form, a serious problem that can make the engine tightly fit in its engine bay unusable and demand replacement.
6. Coolant System Maintenance: Beyond Just Checking Levels
Checking coolant levels is indeed important (hence the need to top up every so often), but other aspects of maintenance of the coolant system should also not be ignored:
Coolant Flushes: Recommended annually or every 30,000 miles It’s a good idea to periodically replace the coolant in your car to remove rust, scale and other damage that might be lingering for too long. Flushing your system and replacing your antifreeze every so often can help prevent corrosion in your radiator.
Inspect Hoses and Belts: The hoses and belts that pump coolant to your engine can wear over time. Proper maintenance can help avoid coolant loss or replacement. Check these belts and hoses for wear, leaks, or cracks to make sure that the engine will remain chilled sufficiently.
• Colour and texture of coolant: Your coolant should be a bright color, usually green, orange, or pink in color. If the coolant is rusty, dirty, or has an oily consistency, this may indicate contamination or other problems with the cooling system that should be fixed right away.
Conclusion: A Simple Check for Long-Term Vehicle Health
Just as important, it is also a simple task that you can do yourself with minimal effort, yet that can increase the longevity of your vehicle, save you money on repairs, and minimize your contribution to the climate crisis. Without adequate coolant, your engine will quickly overheat, leading to wear and breakage and expensive repairs. Your engine will also consume more fuel while running at elevated temperatures, so keeping it cool will also save you money on fuel. Regularly checking the coolant level and ensuring that it is properly maintained – you will have to be sure to get the right type and blend for your coolant system – are also important actions if you want your car or truck to last as long as possible. So the next time you pop the hood, don’t forget to check the coolant: your engine will thank you with years of reliable service.