As you may already know, your car has plenty of different systems and components crucial for it to function correctly. However, parts like the car radiator are more critical than others. If something goes wrong with the radiator, the car will suffer from overheating and will break down.
Five of the most common car radiator problems include leaks, rusting, blockages, as well as a faulty thermostat or water pump.
Any of these five problems will prevent the radiator from working correctly. That could lead to the engine overheating and the car breaking down. You can prevent most of these problems with proper installation, using only clean and high-quality fluids, and occasionally flushing the radiator out.
In this article, we will focus on what the radiator is or how it works. For that background information, you should check out our previous article explaining the basics.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the 5 most common radiator problems.
5 Most Common Radiator Problems
If you have a radiator problem or your car overheats, it’s probably caused by one of the following reasons.
Leaks in the Radiator
One of the most common problems anyone will face with a car radiator is a leak. Remember: Radiators are heavily based on fluids that flow through them to remove heat. If the radiator were leaking coolant or water, that would make it a lot less efficient at doing so.
Whenever you hear people talking about radiator leaks, they could be talking about:
- A leak in the hoses connected to the radiator
- A leak at the connectors between the hose and the radiator
- A leak in the radiator itself
As you might imagine, a leak at any of those three points is a significant problem since it’ll allow fluids to escape, making it impossible for the radiator to do its job.
But why do those leaks happen? Well, there are several possibilities. Firstly, it could be that the radiator is overworked and suffers from excessive pressure.
Besides that, it’s also possible that the hose connectors have not been tightened enough or have been over-tightened.
Lastly, it’s also possible that there’s a hole in the radiator itself. The radiator cap could have been punctured, or a hole might have formed on the radiator after a strong impact of some kind.
To prevent radiator leaks, it’s crucial that the hoses are tightened only as far as needed. Plus, any other leaks that develop, such as on the cap or the radiator unit itself, should be fixed as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming larger.
Rusty Radiator
Like most car parts, rust is also a problem for your car radiator. Rust comes from the radiator being exposed to a mixture of air, moisture, and the metal of the radiator itself. The challenge here is that we rarely look under the hood close enough to spot rust on our car radiator.
So what’s the big deal about a rusty radiator? Well, for one thing, rust could lead to leaks developing in the radiator, as discussed in the previous section.
One helpful way to prevent rusting in your car radiator is to use an engine flush that comes with anti-rust properties. Some radiator flush products are formulated to neutralise the corrosive acidity inside the radiator, which helps remove any existing rust and prevent future rust from developing.
Blockages Disrupt the Flow of Coolants
Forgive me for sounding like a broken record. Still, it must be repeated: your car radiator is all about its ability to let fluids flow through, whether it’s coolant or water. Anything that jeopardises that flow will stop it from working correctly, and there’s nothing more devastating than a full-on blockage.
Unfortunately, the fluids that we use might not always be the cleanest. As those fluids flow through the radiator continuously over a long period, small obstructions or blockages may develop. The bigger that blockage becomes, the less efficient the flow of fluids, and the hotter your car engine will get.
At this point, the prevention and solution to this problem might already be clear to you: You can avoid a radiator blockage by flushing it out every once in a while. Just keep in mind that if the blockage is already quite severe, a radiator flush might not be enough to fix it.
Faulty Radiator Thermostat
In a way, your car radiator is somewhat ‘smart’. Instead of allowing fluids to flow continuously at full blast, the radiator relies on a thermostat to sense the engine’s temperature. As the engine gets hotter, the thermostat will lead to the radiator releasing more fluids to keep up and manage that heat.
Unfortunately, thermostats do get faulty over time. When they do, the radiator won’t release the correct amount of fluid to cope with the temperature rise. The end result? Your car engine will probably end up overheating.
There’s not much you can do to avoid the problem of a faulty radiator thermostat. When they break down, all you can do is replace them entirely. However, it might be helpful to buy a replacement thermostat compatible with your vehicle model.
Faulty Water Pump
At this point, it’s evident that a car radiator is all about fluid flow. But what actually helps to push all of that fluid through? Well, you can thank the water pump for that. Unfortunately, one of the most common car radiator problems you’ll experience is a faulty water pump.
As you might imagine, when that pump fails, none of the fluid will be able to flow through the radiator. No heat gets absorbed, and so the engine will overheat.
Like the faulty thermostat early, there’s nothing much you can do to prevent it from happening. If the water pump fails, you’ll need to replace it.
However, it’s always a smart move to buy a high-quality replacement water pump to ensure that it’ll work for a very long time and that the likelihood of it failing is low.
Learn More from CarPartAu!
To learn more about parts like the car radiator and many others, check out the blog at Carpart.com.au. It's the best place for finding informative articles on every system in your car to help you become a better-informed car owner and driver!
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By Ray Hasbollah