Tips for Testing Your Radiator’s Coolant in the Summer

If you haven’t changed the coolant in your vehicle in the last 20,000 miles or within the last year, you probably need to change it immediately. This is especially true if you notice problems such as your vehicle frequently losing liquid in the system or overheating easily. Problems might also arise if you’ve regularly been adding plain water into your cooling system to where the proportion of coolant to water is less than the required 50 percent.

It’s especially important to test your coolant in the summer, as your vehicle will be operating in much warmer conditions. Fortunately, today’s coolant testers are both inexpensive and easy to use—they’ll quickly tell you whether you have your system properly protected with the correct amount of coolant.

Most coolant testers have you open a pressure cap and draw liquid out of the system and into that tester. A little float will tell you whether you need to add coolant.

Here are a few more things to consider when you decide it’s time to check your coolant as part of diesel repair in Memphis, TN:

• Liquid quality: The coolant tester doesn’t just tell you whether or not you need to add any more coolant to the system. It also makes it easy to check the liquid for signs of rust or other debris. Coolant comes in a variety of different colors, including green, orange, red, greenish yellow or blue. In any circumstance, the liquid should be clear with nothing floating around in it, and it shouldn’t appear rusty.
• Water frequency: How often have you been adding water, and how much have you added? Again, you need to maintain a 50/50 water to coolant proportion. If you’ve been adding water every several days or couple of weeks, you’re almost certainly not getting much protection from your coolant.
• Your climate: It might sound obvious, but extreme weather makes it even more important that you protect your vehicle with coolant. We’re right in the middle of summer, and it can get quite hot and steamy here in the Memphis area. Make sure you maintain coolant protection to prevent your vehicle from breaking down on a hot day.
• Air conditioning: How frequently do you use the air conditioner in your vehicle? Sure, the air conditioner will keep your car’s interior cool, but it will actually warm up your engine, which means it will force your coolant to work harder. This again means you might have to add coolant more often during the warmer months if the year if you’re frequently using your air conditioner in your vehicle.
• Flush: If the level of coolant in your system is low or it is providing very weak protection, you might need to flush out the cooling system.

For more information about keeping good coolant protection in your vehicle during the hottest months of the year, we encourage you to call United Diesel Power and we’ll be happy to tell you more about diesel repair in Memphis, TN.

Categorised in: Diesel Engine Repair

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