Coolant leaks can be frustrating, but most of the time they are caused by simple malfunctions like old connective tubing, worn out seals, and broken gaskets. Understanding how to fix coolant leaks is largely a matter of knowing which parts to check and replace, but preparing for the job might involve getting some new tools.
Equipment
There is not one piece of equipment that can tell you exactly where you will find a leak in the system, but there are tools that can help. A cooling system pressure tester will tell you if the system is holding pressure or not, and that helps you narrow down whether the issue is a leak or a malfunctioning part like a bad heater core or a broken radiator.
Tools & Safety Precautions You Should Know
It’s often necessary to run the vehicle for a while before you can take measurements like the pressure in your engine cooling system or the refrigerant pressure in your car’s air conditioning unit. After you get those readings, it is important to let the vehicle cool down before you start work.
Even then, you should wear gloves as a precaution against parts that stay hot longer than expected. The right work gloves can also help protect your fingers from sharp edges on parts when you use an AC recharge kit. Other than gloves for safety and a pressure checker for diagnosis, most of the rest of the process of tracking down a leak can be handled with basic hand tools like your socket set.
Regular Maintenance and Refrigerant Checks
When your vehicle’s cooling system is working properly, you should not lose very much coolant. Like the air conditioning system that keeps your cabin cool, the engine’s coolant supply should be recycled back through the radiator and overflow for further circulation, with coolant flowing into the engine at a low temperature and coming out with the excess heat that needs to dissipate. The only way to know that it’s working correctly is to check it regularly for leaks.
Checking radiator coolant levels can be done with a simple measurement when you check your oil, but a more detailed look at your coolant condition is a good idea every six months or so, around the same time you should be checking your vehicle’s refrigerant levels to see if it’s time for a recharge kit. Radiator fluid testing kits give you color-coded results based on the density and viscosity of your coolant so you can see if it is losing effectiveness. When that happens, you just need a simple flush and refill with fresh coolant to refresh its function.
Preparing for Your Next Round of Regular Maintenance
You can find the new coolant, diagnostic tools, and testing kits you need in one place if you already have an automotive maintenance routine. If you do not have one, now is the time to build the habits that will help keep your car on the road longer. That means keeping the supplies you need to top off fluids, checking their effectiveness with testing kits, and dealing with minor issues like dead batteries by keeping chargers and other tools in your garage.