Your car’s engine is a hot place. Without a cooling system, your engine would overheat. When the temperature gets too high, coolant is pumped through the cooling system. This liquid absorbs the dangerous heat in your engine and transfers it to the radiator, where it’s cooled. A good radiator is essential for controlling your engine’s temperature. Mechanical parts can get damaged, and you may need a radiator repair. As your Chevy dealer, our technicians are here to help you.
Broken Thermal Switch
When the hot coolant enters your radiator, it passes into a series of thin fin-like tubes. Air flows through the radiator grille, where it blows over the tubes. The flow of cool air removes the heat from the coolant. Once the coolant has cooled enough, it flows out of the radiator and is cycled back through the cooling system. When you’re stuck in gridlock, or in any situation where your engine is running, but your car isn’t moving, airflow through the grill is very limited. Your radiator has a fan for that eventuality.
The radiator has a fan attached behind it. This fan switches on when the temperature from the coolant in the tubes rises. This fan blows across the tubes from behind and pushes the hot air out through the grille. The thermal switch controls the fan. If this switch breaks, the fan won’t activate. The coolant in the tubes will get hotter, and your engine can overheat. We can’t repair a damaged fan we would have to replace the radiator.
Damaged Water Pump
The water pump’s purpose is to pump the coolant through the cooling system. When the engine temperature rises over 180F, coolant is released into the system. A signal is sent to the pump, which then pushes the coolant through the cooling system. If the water pump is damaged, the coolant will still be released, but it won’t go anywhere.
Without a working pump, the coolant won’t be about to absorb the heat and take it to the radiator for cooling. If the heat that’s already present in your engine isn’t removed, its presence will cause the temperature to rise even further. Our technicians will test the pump and replace it with a new OEM one if it’s damaged.
Leaking Coolant
Coolant is pink, yellow, or green, and it’s a mix of antifreeze and water. As we’ve seen, this liquid absorbs the heat from the engine and then transports it to the radiator for cooling. A cooling leak will reduce the pressure in the system, and it will also increase the engine temperature. Your engine will get hotter the more coolant is lost.
Fortunately, the coolant is easy to see due to its color. If you see any of this liquid under your car, it’s time to come in and have your radiator checked.
If your engine’s temperature seems to be rising for no apparent reason, call us immediately at James Martin Chevrolet Detroit.
