Cooling System Care
Your vehicle’s cooling system is responsible for controlling the heat generated by burning fuel – and that’s no small order.
The antifreeze/coolant that flows through these systems should be changed according to recommendations in your owner’s manual. Older fluids may not be able to regulate temperatures and could allow components to corrode. They’ll also degrade the hoses that deliver fluid from your engine to your radiator.
Recommended Maintenance:
- Inspect coolant every 12 months or 24,000 km
- Inspect hoses every 3 months or 6,000 km
- Top up with 50/50 mix of coolant/antifreeze and distilled water
Maintenance tips
When changing the coolant, you should also replace these components at the same time:
- The thermostat that regulates the flow of coolant from the engine to the radiator. This ensures that hot coolant goes to the radiator.
- The spring-loaded pressure cap that retains the coolant and raises the boiling point of the fluid. A cap that can withstand 15psi will raise the coolant’s operating range by 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The boiling point rises 3 degrees F for every 1 psi of extra pressure.
- The hoses should be replaced every four years, regardless of how they appear on the outside, since antifreeze/coolant chemicals break down hoses from the inside out. If one hose has failed, chances are pretty high that the other hoses have also weakened.
- The radiator clamp and hose clamps that hold everything in place.
- Engine coolant can come in a variety of colours, such as yellow, green, orange, blue and red. While the colour doesn’t affect performance of the coolant, it will identify the formula that should be used with your engine or the period of time that it will last.
Did you know?
Cooling systems should NEVER be topped up with pure antifreeze/coolant or water – they require a 50/50 solution. Pre-mixed solutions are widely available.