Your Chevy’s radiator plays a crucial role in controlling your engine’s temperature. Combustion, scores of moving parts, and environmental factors all help to increase the engine temperature. If your engine gets too hot, it can overheat and cause serious, even permanent, damage to vital engine components. To prevent damage to your engine, your Chevy dealer would like you to know the signs that you need a radiator repair.
Damaged Radiator Fins
The front of your radiator is filled with lines of thin tubes that look like fins. The hot coolant is pumped into the radiator through the top hose, and it flows into the fins. As your car moves, air flows through the radiator grille and over these fins. This airflow cools the hot coolant, and once it’s cooled, the coolant flows out of the radiator. The purpose of the fins is to provide a larger surface area, which allows for a faster reduction in the coolant temperature.
The fins are very delicate, and can even be damaged by grit, or sand blowing through the grille. If enough of the fins are damaged, the coolant will be blocked from entering the radiator. Hot coolant will back up in the hoses, and this will increase your engine temperature. The damaged fins can’t be repaired, unfortunately, but we can replace your radiator.
Damaged Hoses
Two thick rubber hoses connect your radiator to the rest of the cooling system. These hoses are made from tough, reinforced rubber, and they are securely attached to the radiator with strong clamps. These components need to be strong, as they have to withstand a constant flow of hot, pressurized coolant. Despite their strength, all components can eventually wear out or get damaged.
The hoses can become less flexible over time, and as they lose elasticity cracks can form in the rubber. A crack can easily become a hole, which can result in hot coolant spraying out into your engine. The clamps can also wear loose due to the movement of both your car and the hoses. Our technicians will check the hoses and clamps, and replace any damaged parts.
Coolant Leak
Coolant is pumped through the cooling system when your engine temperature gets too high. The coolant absorbs the heat and transports the now hot coolant to the radiator for cooling. The cooling system is pumped, at high pressure, through the system to reduce the engine temperature. A coolant leak will reduce the pressure in the system, and also increase the heat.
A coolant leak is usually easy to spot, as the coolant is pink, green, or yellow. If you see leaking coolant, call our service department right away. Our highly-skilled technicians will trace the leak and repair it.
A damaged radiator can cause serious damage to your engine. If you have a problem with your radiator, call our service department immediately at Stevinson Chevrolet. Our technicians are experts at Chevy repairs and maintenance.
