It is not always possible to identify car faults in a garage, service centre or inspection pit. They often come as a surprise, occurring on a country road far from any workshop. A typical example is a radiator leak: what do you do when you see steam coming from under the bonnet, the engine starts to overheat and the temperature indicator arrow goes into the red zone?
The radiator: what is it?
The car radiator is a device that allows coolant to pass through small tubes and reservoirs. This is necessary to reduce the temperature under the action of airflow. The radiator creates normal conditions for the engine to work.
Studying the peculiarities of its construction will help to better understand how to eliminate the leakage of the car radiator, how to do it correctly and how to exclude 100% mistakes. This device consists of a set of aluminium, brass and copper tubes through which the coolant circulates. This composition, in combination with blowing, effectively removes excess thermal energy from the working engine, protecting it from overheating with the most serious consequences, up to deformation of valves, destruction of the cylinder head.
The full list of functions performed by the device is as follows
- Removal and dissipation of excess heat
- The possibility of replenishing the coolant level at the point of its reduction through special holes
- Ensuring optimal system pressure, excluding its uncontrolled increase due to the valve.
Radiator leaks: common causes
If a radiator has leaked on the road, there are a number of possible causes:
- Road accident. The unit is located at the front of the vehicle, so it is the unit that is subjected to a significant amount of stress during collisions. As the structure is not made of steel, but of softer metals, even a small impact is enough to cause a serious breakdown.
- Unskilled repair. If there have been welding errors when replacing fasteners, do not wonder why the radiators are leaking. In such situations, it is more rational to contact service centres whose specialists are ready to guarantee the quality of the repair.
- Hit by an accidental pebble. Even if it is not a traffic accident, the impact of a pebble is strong enough to cause damage. Such an inconvenience often occurs on country roads and poor quality, unpaved roads.
- Internal corrosion. Radiator leaks are often due to the fact that the driver uses poor-quality coolants, pouring compositions that are incompatible with each other, because of which chemical processes are activated, leading to rapid oxidation, destruction of metal.
- Violation of the tightness of expansion tanks. Unlike the main nozzles, the tanks are not made of metal, but of plastic, so their strength is somewhat lower, and they are vulnerable not only to mechanical influences, but also to pressure surges and sudden temperature changes. Even a small crack is enough to cause the radiator to leak.
What to do if the radiator leaks?
If the radiator is leaking, there is only one thing to do – try to stop the leak as soon as possible. If the coolant level drops to a critical level, there is a risk of the engine overheating and the consequences can be disastrous:
- Intensive expansion of the cylinder head metal, its deformation, the formation of not only superficial, but through structural cracks.
- Valve seats flying out due to severe deformation of the cylinder head
- Penetration of the cooling compound into the crankcase, oil supply system, because of which it loses its original properties, can not effectively reduce the frictional force arising between the moving parts of the engine, remove heat, which aggravates the situation.
- Blocking of the combustion engine. The most difficult case, where even a major repair will not always help, it will be necessary to replace the engine, which is very expensive.
What to do if the radiator leaks on the road?
Leakage of the car radiator requires immediate action on the part of the driver. It can be repaired by increasing the temperature of the coolant, which is indicated by the corresponding indicator. You should stop, inspect the device, understand where the radiator is leaking, assess the severity of the problem and the size of the crack. The recovery algorithm depends precisely on how fast the coolant is leaking.
The options are as follows:
- Remove the expansion tank cap. This option will help with a minimal fault, antifreeze will not flow out but will barely ooze from the crack. Removing the cap will help relieve pressure in the system, which is a fairly effective temporary measure. Of course, you can’t keep the car running like this, so you need to get it to a garage as soon as possible for a full, qualified repair.</li
- Apply a special sealant. Liquid sealant is a simple and reliable way to fix a radiator leak. It is enough to pour it into the hole for the OJ, literally for a few minutes the composition will get to the crack, where it will solidify due to interaction with air. The main disadvantages of this technique are that it can only be used for small defects, not exceeding a few millimetres in size, and that the radiator must be rinsed after use in order to prevent the sockets from clogging. In short, the sealant is a temporary measure that allows a few hours to get to the service centre safely, without the risk of overheating the engine.</li
- Cold welding. If the radiator is leaking, cold welding can be used. A pack of this effective product should always be kept in the glove box. Its consistency is similar to that of plasticine, and it is made from epoxy resins and metal powders, which ensure that the “seam” is very strong. Before application, the cold welding should be well kneaded in the hands, the damaged area should be prepared, degreased, dust and other impurities should be removed. The initial strength of the product is achieved literally in 2-3 minutes, but for reliability it is better to wait for about an hour, after which you can continue driving. With proper application, such repairs will last for several months, but for reliability it is better to stop by the workshop.
- Over-crimping the tubes. A rather radical method of eliminating radiator leakage. In essence, it is very simple – use a pair of pliers to squeeze the tubes in the area of the leak to restore the seal. The method is suitable if no more than 4 tubes are damaged.
Preventive measures: improving radiator performance
Often the answer to the question: why does the radiator in the car leak, is very simple – improper operation, neglect of the minimum instructions for prevention and maintenance. First of all, you can not save on coolants, it is acceptable to use only high-quality compositions containing components that block oxidative processes, which excludes internal corrosion.
The radiator should be periodically flushed to remove external impurities, dust, leaves and insects. Ideally, the unit should be dismantled beforehand to remove dirt from hard-to-reach places. The water pressure should not be too high as there is a risk of damaging the pipes.
Regular flushing of the radiator is an effective preventive measure. The sequence of operations is as follows
- Drain the coolant completely and replace it with distilled water
- Start the engine, run at idle for about 20 minutes
- Drain the fluid, repeat the procedure until the drained water is perfectly clean.
You can also use special flushing agents, which can be bought in car shops. These will allow you to deal with even the most stubborn contaminants.