Tip #10: Check coolant only when the engine is cold, and never open a hot radiator
Coolant, also called antifreeze, keeps the engine from freezing in a New Jersey January and from overheating in July traffic. Check the level on the overflow tank with the engine cold, use the type your owner's manual specifies, and never open a hot radiator cap.
Tip #10 in one line
Coolant, also called antifreeze, keeps the engine from freezing in a New Jersey January and from overheating in July traffic. Check the level on the overflow tank with the engine cold, use the type your owner's manual specifies, and never open a hot radiator cap.
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Call nowWhat coolant does
Coolant carries heat away from the engine and lowers the freezing point of the water in the system. Too little of it, or the wrong mix, can lead to overheating in summer and, in a hard freeze, to damage from water expanding inside the engine and radiator.
It also feeds the heater core. A car that blows lukewarm air on a cold morning is sometimes a car that is low on coolant.
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Call nowHow to check it safely
Check with the engine off and fully cold, ideally before the first drive of the day. Look at the translucent overflow or expansion tank and confirm the level sits between the marks.
Never open the radiator cap or a pressurized reservoir on a hot engine. The system is under pressure, and hot coolant can spray out and cause serious burns.
Use the coolant type the owner's manual names. Types differ by color and chemistry, and mixing them can cause problems. Many are sold premixed, which removes the guesswork on dilution.
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Call nowWarning signs
A temperature gauge climbing above its normal spot, a coolant warning light, a sweet smell after driving, steam from under the hood, or a green, orange or pink puddle under the front of the car all point to a cooling problem.
Look at the condition of the hoses too, with the engine cold. Hoses that are cracked, swollen, soft or crusted at the clamps are worth pointing out to your mechanic before they fail. Many cooling problems that end in a tow start as a small seep that was visible for weeks. Coolant also wears out over time, and your owner's manual lists when it should be replaced.
If the level keeps dropping between checks, there is a leak, and topping up only buys time. That is a job for your mechanic.
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Call nowIf it overheats on the road
Turn off the air conditioning and turn the heater to full hot to pull heat from the engine, then get off the road as soon as it is safe and shut the engine off. Do not keep driving with the gauge in the red; that is how a cooling problem becomes an engine replacement.
Let it cool before opening anything. If the car should not be driven, an emergency tow or local tow to your shop is quoted on the call to (908) 444-0129.
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Call nowMore on maintenance
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Tip #8: Rinse the salt off the underside, or it will reach your brakes
- Tip #9: Use winter washer fluid and replace streaking wipers before the first storm
- Tip #88: A brake squeal is a warning, and a grind means stop driving soon
- Tip #89: Check the cooling system before summer traffic, not on the shoulder
- Tip #91: Cloudy headlight lenses cut your light, so restore or replace them
- What to do when your car breaks down in New Jersey
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- What happens to your car after a police-ordered tow in New Jersey
- All posts
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