How Well Do You Know Your Radiator?

Radiators are heat exchangers that help cool off your car's engine

. Without a radiator, your car will definitely overheat. If you have never experienced an overheated radiator, it is a good idea to prepare. Watching your car's hood have smoke come out of it is one of the most disturbing sights you can see, especially when you are driving on a very long bridge. Trust me.

Radiators cool off car's engines by transmitting the heat through tubes to the car's fan. The radiator uses a mix of antifreeze and water that goes through the engine block and the engine head enabling it to cool off the engine. It is imperative to make sure you have the right amount of water and anti-freeze in your engine, unless you really want your car to overheat and have smoke come out of your hood while you're taking an afternoon drive after work. Seventy percent antifreeze is the most often recommended amount.

For average antifreeze products, it is recommended that you have it changed every other year, or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. It is probably a good idea to change it out every year to help protect against engine damage. Antifreeze can be found extremely cheap. If you were to do a Google shopping search for antifreeze and selected the price: low to high option, you could find a gallon of antifreeze for three dollars. Add in shipping, and you're looking at eight bucks total. The cost to repair an overheated radiator can be several hundred dollars. Go ahead and take the time to replace the antifreeze in your engine. Or, stimulate the economy by taking your car to a licensed mechanic.

Replacing the antifreeze in your car's engine is not too daunting of a task, however. To start, make sure your car is OFF and the engine is cool! Then, unscrew your engine's radiator cap. After that is done, crawl under your car and locate the drain-cock. Funny name, but it is responsible for holding the radiator's liquid. It is advisable to put a pan under the drain-cock first, or you will have an antifreeze spill on your garage's floor. You don't want that. Once it is done draining, put the drain-cock back in its place. Then, poor in an antifreeze/water mixture, either 70/30 or 50/50 and fill it up to the top. Once that is done, start the car's engine with the radiator cap and hood still open. The radiator will release air bubbles. Once the air bubbles have passed, fill the radiator back up again, put the radiator cap back on, and you are good to go!

by: Stephen Lawes

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