Here we’ll help you to identify any problems such as coolant leaked out all at once with your engine coolant or coolant system. By looking at everything from different coolant formulas, to how often you should check it. What to do if you suspect something is wrong.
Table of Contents
What Is A Coolant Or Antifreeze Leak?
A coolant or antifreeze leak can occur for various reasons, including a blown radiator hose, a bad hose clamp, and a warped head gasket. Also the most common reason, a foreign object kicked up by the truck in front of you penetrating the radiator itself. The resulting cascade of fluid can overheat your engine, warp your heads, contaminate your oil. Also, leave you stranded on some lonesome highway. None of those options are good for your health or your car’s. It’s time to fix that.
Always check the label of products. Coolants will usually come pre-mixed with antifreeze and are ready to use straight away. This is why the names coolant and antifreeze are often used interchangeably.
Other antifreeze liquids will need to be diluted with 50% water before use or as the label dictates. Antifreeze also helps prevent scale build-up and corrosion inside passages.
Coolant leaks might not seem like a big deal, but they could create a hazardous situation for your car’s engine. Without the proper amount of antifreeze, your engine could overheat or freeze in the winter months. Because it plays such a critical role in how well your engine runs, the coolant should be checked regularly. That’s especially true for older cars, which may not operate as efficiently as newer models.
Once you’re sure that the leak is coolant, you can start pinpointing where it came from. Coolants can begin leaking for several different reasons, so let’s look at five of the most common coolant leak causes.
1. A Hole In The Radiator
All of your car engine parts have to endure a lot of wear and extreme temperatures, and it takes a toll in different ways. Corrosion within the radiator is one of the leading reasons that coolant leaks. As the tubes get older and weaker, you may get sediment or debris inside that causes a leak. The sealing gasket between the tank and the radiator can also wear out, and that could lead to a leak.
The hoses connected to the radiator can also be a culprit; as they get older. Your hoses are going to get hard and brittle, which means they won’t seal as well. The places where they connect to the radiator, water pump, and heater core all become vulnerable to leaks as a result.
2. A Leaky Radiator Cap
The radiator cap may be small, but it has a big job. The radiator is extremely pressurized. And the cap is responsible for creating a tight seal that keeps the cooling system at the right pressure. However, with time, its seal can become progressively worse. Or the spring might start to wear out, which can allow coolant to escape.
3. Head Gasket Is Blown
Your car’s head gasket plays a huge role in how well your engine performs. When a head gasket blows, you might not know it for quite some time. You could drive for several miles before you begin to notice a problem. The head gasket has to manage a wide range of temperatures as well as encounter both extremely high and very low pressure in the engine. It sits between the cylinder head and the engine block. And also when it develops a leak, it is referred to as blown.
When that happens, it can no longer keep the engine oil and coolant separate. It is extremely dangerous and can lead to engine failure. It also can allow coolant leaked out all at once outside of the engine. As the coolant level drops, so does your car’s ability to cool down.
4. Your Water Pump Has Failed
The water pump plays a critical role in ensuring that coolant is being circulated throughout the cooling system. It is usually driven by a belt and is located on the lower part of the engine, near the drive belts. It connects to the lower house of the radiator. But sometimes that hose connection can become loose or it might corrode. It may also suffer some sort of external damage that causes it to spring a leak.
Regardless of the cause, when a water pump has a problem that prevents it from moving coolant throughout the system. Your engine is eventually going to overheat.
5. A Problem With Your Expansion Tank
To help supply coolant to your radiator, cars have an expansion tank, which is that plastic container beside the engine. It is usually connected to the radiator by a rubber hose and feeds or receives coolant to and from the radiator. As the engine heats up or cools down.
With time and exposure to temperature changes, that plastic can weaken and the parts attached to it. The container might crack or the cap can leak, which lets coolant Carleaked out all at once. Or, it might be that the hose running to the radiator deteriorates and that leads to a loose connection that lets fluid leak.
