Check Your Coolant With These Tips

Summer is here and that means you’ll be using the A/C in your vehicle a lot more. It also means that your coolant is going to be doing double time keeping your engine from overheating. Thankfully, modern vehicles have amazing internal regulators that ensure your engine won’t overheat. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check on your coolant every so often – and you might even need to top it off. Usually if you do need to top off, that is an indication of a larger problem that you should bring in to the shop. Take a look at our tips for checking your coolant and making sure that you’ve got it all good under the hood!

Before you reach for the radiator cap, check the coolant reservoir to make sure that the liquid reaches the “Full” line on the side of the reservoir. If it doesn’t reach that far, then open up that lid and pour in a 50/50 mix of water and the coolant your vehicle takes until the level reaches the full line. Some coolants do come premixed, so make sure you read the bottle thoroughly.

DO NOT add coolant to a hot engine! You can burn yourself badly or crack your engine block. You can also spray yourself with hot coolant if you open the radiator or coolant cap when your engine is hot due to the pressure and heat buildup.

Coolant is usually red, green, blue, or yellow. If you see something weird, like things floating in the coolant or a rustiness or even a sludgy, oily surface, then you should take your vehicle to the shop to check for issues such as internal head gasket leakage.

When you’re under the hood, feel your radiator hoses as well. Make sure they are not cracked, squishy, bulging, or leaking. If they are any of these things, replace them ASAP.