What Causes a Coolant Leak?
Coolant, sometimes referred to as antifreeze, is one of the essential fluids our vehicles require to operate, yet it often goes overlooked when working properly. You may not notice your cooling system is experiencing issues until you see the engine’s thermometer reading dangerously high temperatures. A lack of cooling system performance can come down to a number of issues, however, coolant leaks are by far the most common cause of an overheating vehicle.
In this article, we’ll cover what coolant accomplishes, how these leaks can develop in your vehicle, and how this problem can harm your vehicle.
What Does Coolant Do?
You likely know that coolant plays an important role in keeping our vehicles at a safe temperature, but how exactly does this process work?
Engines generate a large amount of friction, which in turn generates a lot of heat. This thermal energy must be drawn away from the engine, or else the sensitive internal components will experience warping, cracking, and other failures due to the high temperatures.
Coolant loops through your engine’s components in a closed system, drawing heat from the motor’s internals and moving to the radiator, where the heat is dispersed into the surroundings. Located at the front of the vehicle, the radiator uses the air pushed over its many little metal fins to return the coolant to a lower temperature and loop it through the system once again.
5 Causes of Coolant Leaks
Damaged/Corroded Radiator
One of the most common causes of leaking coolant is a corroded or damaged radiator. As explained above, the radiator plays a pivotal role in your cooling system, dispersing excess heat into the atmosphere and returning the coolant to the proper usable temperature.
Over time, the radiator is exposed to moisture, road salt, and debris that can cause it to rust, corroding through the outer metal and allowing coolant to exit the system.
Similar leaks can develop due to impact damage, either from impacts from the vehicle itself or road debris kicking up into the radiator during driving.
Blown Head Gasket
Possibly the most dreaded sight for any vehicle owner is puffs of white or grey smoke from the exhaust, which is often a sign of a leak in the head gasket.
The head gasket is responsible for creating a seal for the combustion chamber and keeps oil and coolant flowing where they should be throughout the engine’s internals. When this gasket fails, it may allow for coolant to enter the combustion chamber.
Not only does this mean your vehicle is burning off coolant (which causes the white smoke), but it can also cause internal issues in your engine. Internal coolant leaks may lead to misfires, loss of power/efficiency, and expensive engine damage. If you suspect you may have a bad head gasket, you should have your vehicle inspected by a trusted professional immediately to avoid further issues!
Faulty Water Pump
Your water pump acts as the heart of your cooling system, pushing coolant to the necessary areas of your engine. No matter if your vehicle has a traditional pulley-driven water pump or a modern electric one, a failing pump can cause serious overheating issues in your vehicle.
Traditional mechanical pumps are driven off of the engine’s accessory belt, relying on constant rotation of its pulley to produce adequate pressure to pump the coolant. When the pulley or the belt connecting the pulley fails, it may leave your engine without crucial coolant.
Electric pumps are far from immune either, as corroded electrical connections or electrical system issues can cause the same overheating issues as mechanical pumps.
Oftentimes, the coolant will leak from the pump’s “weep hole”, which indicates the pump is failing or has failed and is in need or replacement.
Bad Radiator Cap
The cooling system is highly pressurized, which is critical for increasing the boiling point of the coolant and forcing it into every nook and cranny of the engine’s internals. When this pressurization is lost and coolant exits the system, it can allow for pockets of moisture to accumulate and boil, adding air into the coolant and significantly reducing its effectiveness.
Oftentimes, this loss of pressure can be attributed to a faulty radiator cap. When the rubber seals of the cap degrade over time, it can allow for pressurized coolant to leak past the seal.
Cooling Services in Peoria
If you’re experiencing one of the symptoms listed above, or any issue pertaining to your cooling system, trust the expert technicians at Beachlers Tire & Automotive Center in Peoria, IL! Our team has extensive experience servicing the cooling systems of all makes and models. Give us a call or schedule online with us today.