Troubleshooting the Cooling System

Video Transcript

"The cooling system basically comprises of antifreeze and water. To start with we need to know what type of antifreeze that particular car takes. As you can see I have got a wide array of antifreeze here. This particular car takes regular ethanol glycol or the regular green antifreeze, which is why I chose this. This right here is a good starting point for the cooling system in this car. If I was to mix the Toyota with the Mopar or the Havoline with it, I could create more damage by simply adding the wrong fluid to the cooling system than it would be worth. Common problems first and foremost is a leak. If we see coolant on the ground or if we take this cap off, and the fluid level is low, the coolant system cannot be as effective as it should be. If I take this off and the cooling system is full, now we have got another problem. Most likely that would either be in the cooling fan, which is critically important, especially in stop and go traffic or places of low air flow. And at highway speeds cooling fan not so important, but especially at lower speeds, stop and go traffic, city driving, cooling fan is critical. If the cooling fan is operational then we need to start looking at why we are overheating. That could be as simple as a thermostat was just stuck closed, and is creating too much heat build up in the engine, which would be indicated by a very hot upper radiator hose, and a very cold lower radiator hose. That indicates coolant is not flowing. If the coolant is flowing through there it can be a much more serious condition going on with a problem with the engine, cylinder heads, or something mechanical."