HAPPY MOTORING

Cooling System: Have you ever heard a bubbling sound while driving? If so, the problem most likely is in your cooling system. The engine’s cooling system used to transfer heat from the engine to the radiator by the cooling system.The radiator removes heat from the coolant by forcing air through the radiator fins. Without coolant your engine will over heat and if left unattended severe engine damage will occur. When your engine over heats it can force coolant into the overflow container which can create a bubbling sound. Never check the coolant level until the engine has cooled completely. If the engine is not overheating air can be trapped or CO2 (exhaust gas) is being generated will cause bubbles in the cooling system. Complications from these bubbles can include: overheating, thermostat operation malfunction and coolant displacement. Once a cooling system is empted sometimes it can be tricky refilling the system. Due to the design of the cooling system air is sometimes naturally trapped inside the system so look for “bleeder” screws on the cooling system components, they are there to let the trapped air out. Sometimes it can take several cycles of the system being hot and cold before air is completely displaced. This is what your mechanic needs to perform before they can make sure it is safe to drive. If once the cooling system has been purged of air the air bubbles return it could be a sign that the head gasket or other engine component has failed. When a CO2 leak first develops it may or may not cause the engine to overheat. If you attempt to make the repairs yourself, make sure you run the vehicle to operating tempurater, then turn off the vehicle and let sit until the fluid cools, which will draw what coolant is needed from your reservoir bottle. Make sure that the bottle is at it’s max level. If the cooling system is low, it will pull what it needs from there.

Heater System: Air in the heater system (core) can be caused by excessive coolant volume being pushed through the core. This may also happen if the coolant level is low. This is designed to have “restricted” coolant flow to minimize cavitation. This cavitation can cause the heater core to extract air from the coolant I have had customers complain about the sound of gurguling inside their vehicle. If this happens, with the engine cool, check the coolant level. If it is low, do not forget to check for leaks.