17
votes
Accepted
Replacement ford fiesta radiator has extra hose
What you've been sent is the radiator for the diesel variant - as opposed to what appears to be the 1.25l Zetec petrol engine in your first diagram.
You're correct in that the "main" radiator ...
- 10.3k
17
votes
Should I accept this help in fixing a 1" hole in my radiator?
Do it right the first time.
In the best case the "quick and dirty"-fix fails at the first pressurization, in worst case when you need it at most.
What should concern you more:
How does a ...
- 8,488
16
votes
Should I accept this help in fixing a 1" hole in my radiator?
Aluminum foil is at best a very temporary fix to get you to the mechanic, it's not a long-term solution. Your mechanic is right, the hole shows that there's damage to your radiator, probably due to ...
- 17.1k
9
votes
I put Adblu in radiator coolant tank in Peugeot Boxer 435 Onnicar
ADBLU is a mix of uric acid and water, and you don't want acid in your cooling system as it can cause corrosion. It's not a disaster, you just need to drain your coolant out of the system and refill ...
- 17.1k
8
votes
Will driving car without coolant cap do long term damage to car?
If you didn't overheat the car, then you've done no damage. The radiator cap seals the system and allows pressure to build (to a point), which raises the boiling point of the coolant. This allows it ...
- 160k
7
votes
Accepted
Excessive Coolant Expansion: Part 2
It's possible that the impeller blades on the water pump are either compromised or gone completely.
I ran into a somewhat similar situation with a Chrysler. The engine would not overheat driving. ...
- 16k
7
votes
Accepted
How to remove coolant hose from T piece
Yes, you need to cut them - difficult but possible with sidecutters, they do make special cutters for these, but you can grind them : be very careful where the sparks go : cover everything...
For ...
- 34.7k
7
votes
How can I fix a mixed coolant problem?
"Green" coolant is usually considered a typical coolant. It should get changed out about every two years. "Orange" coolant implies Dexcool, which is the stuff used in GM vehicles and is a long life ...
- 160k
6
votes
Accepted
Why does the radiator fan have to start when turning the A/C on?
In a nutshell: The radiator fan comes on so the A/C works at its highest efficiency.
The A/C condenser (the part which sits in front of the coolant radiator) is a heat exchanger. If air isn't ...
- 160k
6
votes
Resting a radiator on metal brackets
The vibration from the engine and driving will cause fretting which will wear away at the metal of the radiator. The softer metal will wear faster and will eventually make a hole in the base, most ...
- 34.7k
6
votes
Accepted
How can I tell if my radiator is bad?
Coolant coming out clean is a good sign.
How to spot a bad radiator
A radiator is a device consisting of tubes through which coolant flows and fins connecting the tubes. The fins increase the ...
- 683
6
votes
Accepted
Does Coolant Actively Circulate Through Overflow Reservoir?
It depends on if you're actually talking about an overflow reservoir or an expansion tank. Expansion tanks are a lot more common in this day and age then they used to be, so this may be what you're ...
- 160k
5
votes
Accepted
How do car cooling systems cool the engine? Won't the air flowing through the radiator flow over the engine (as it exits the car) making it hot again?
The difference is that a radiator is constructed to have very high surface area it is this contact area between the surface of the radiator and the air which allows a high rate of heat transfer.
The ...
- 1,586
5
votes
How long to wait for radiator to cool down before working on it?
Probably…
You don't say how far the drive to your friends house is, but in my experience an hour of down time results in a pretty big temperature drop. But your milage may vary, so before you proceed ...
- 14.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Was sent radiator for automatic rather than manual. Can I simply connect the two unneeded outlets with a piece of radiator hose?
Depends on the design.
If those ports are connected to the same fluid channels in the radiator then you will need to blank them or connect together.
Many have a separate radiator built into the same ...
- 34.7k
4
votes
Can I drive a car with only water and no coolant if it has a leak?
I’ve driven without coolant using only distilled water for a week or two. Although, I wouldn’t recommend it for long term usage, it can work in a bind.
Depending on where you live, it doesn’t seem ...
- 141
4
votes
less coolant everyday in the radiator reserve tank
You have air in your engines cooling system/radiator
If you have air in your cooling system it will expand as you drive the vehicle and the engine gets hot.
When the air expands it eventually finds ...
- 32.9k
4
votes
Accepted
Replacement Radiator Cap
It's by far better for your vehicle than to run without one. The replacement radiator cap is going to be fairly close in pressure to your original one. The system should be able to handle it if it's a ...
- 160k
4
votes
How long to wait for radiator to cool down before working on it?
Great question! One hour should be plenty. If you open it too soon, you'll have an explosion of boiling liquid in your face and on your arms. However, if you wait for it to cool for an hour, you ...
- 5,235
4
votes
Accepted
Poured Antifreeze Coolant into radiator without diluting. Any issues? How to remedy it
Run it for a bit so it mixes.
Then go to a shop / garage and have the ratio tested. Once you have the result, then you can drain a bit and add water if necessary. If it is within the correct range ...
- 34.7k
4
votes
Rubber pieces found in engine coolant
If the hoses are shedding rubber then they are nearing their end of life. To avoid problems, like having one burst open on the road, you should replace any of them which are showing signs of age. ...
- 12.1k
4
votes
Accepted
How long can I run radiator flush in my car?
Radiator flush isn't anything magic. It is just a corrosive liquid that attacks everything in contact with it, to greater or lesser extent.
You hope it dissolves the blockage before it makes a mess ...
- 2,974
4
votes
How much coolant drip is normal on old car without overflow tank
I don't really know if it is normal or not, but I don't think it's a good thing. I don't ever remember my older cars dripping coolant, but then again they all had overflow bottles attached. To my ...
- 160k
3
votes
white smoke coming from engine
White smoke= blown cylinder head gasket. Coolant is entering the cylinder and is being burned along with fuel. Over time your volume of engine coolant decreases hence the reason the reason you are ...
- 3,962
3
votes
Accepted
Subaru 2002 Impreza 2.5 TS - Head Gasket
What's the best course of action?
Figure out where the coolant is going. Here are some ideas:
Drain your oil and change it, and the oil filter too. Look for signs of coolant in the old oil. If you ...
- 4,890
3
votes
Accepted
2003 Kia Spectra - New radiator cap for a new radiator?
No. Reusing the radiator cap (almost certainly) didn't cause the water pump failure. The advice to replace the cap is probably based on the logic that the cap is a relatively inexpensive part and ...
- 14.5k
3
votes
Cooling systems without a drain valve
In general, the easiest way to drain coolant from systems like these is to disconnect the lowest fitting between the coolant hose and the engine block and let the coolant just drain out. Usually, it'...
- 131
3
votes
Suzuki motorcycle radiator doesn't get hot
Assuming the radiator is topped up and coolant is flowing ok there may be an air lock in the cooling system. Whilst you're topping up the cooling system the bike will need rocking from side to side to ...
- 5,067
3
votes
Coolant leaking from the radiator hose
Cooling systems build pressure as they get hot.
You will need to isolate where the leak is coming from. Here are a few scenarios that could be in play.
Radiator cap is not holding pressure and ...
- 9,005
3
votes
how do I clean 4 qts of 10W30 out of the cooling system,
Check out how to flush your system on this SE question : How do you clean out blue devil (sodium silicate/liquid glass) out of your cooling system?
DO NOT add DAWN washing up liquid - this used to be ...
- 34.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible