What is a car radiator?
The main function of a car’s radiator is to cool the internal combustion engine that powers the vehicle – not to heat it up!
The radiator is designed to remove the heat generated by the engine to the air in order to regulate the engine temperature and prevent overheating. If the engine overheats, it will stop working, leading to a costly replacement.
To avoid this, it’s critical to understand how your car radiator works so you can quickly identify any common radiator leak symptoms, such as radiator hissing and frequent engine overheating.
How does a car radiator work?
An engine needs to burn fuel to run, a process which naturally produces an immense amount of heat. The engine therefore needs to be cooled as much as possible so that the pistons do not break down and destroy the entire system.
This is where the car radiator, which is part of the engine’s cooling system, comes in.
How your car radiator cools the engine
- The coolant in an engine is passed through tubes inside the car radiator, where heat it has absorbed from the engine is dissipated into the atmosphere, before the coolant returns to the engine. This is why it’s also important to keep an eye on your coolant temperature level.
- Coolant enters the pipes in an overheated state, causing it to become highly pressurized (aided by turbulence inside the car radiator pipes).
- This causes the pressure cap to open at a predetermined pressure point.
- The heat is released, allowing any excess coolant to escape into an overflow tank attached to the side of the radiator.
- That coolant is then returned to the car radiator when its temperature has sufficiently lowered.
Car radiator and cooling systems vary slightly from model to model (especially in older cars versus newer models), but this is the process that the majority of systems employ.
Why do car radiators fail?
The main reason for car radiator failure is a coolant leak, which can lead to the cooling system failing.
If the coolant has not been checked or topped up properly, the radiator, hoses and hose connections will become clogged and begin to rust. Over time, such corrosion will cause small holes or ‘pinhole leaks’ to develop in the car radiator. This will result in engine coolant loss, and a need for car radiator repair – or even the costly complete replacement of your radiator.
How to repair car radiator leaks
If you’ve identified a common symptom of a leaking car radiator, act quickly to get it fixed. To start with, you need the best radiator stop leak you can get your hands on.
Find your local supplier and grab yourself a bottle of K-Seal. A highly reliable car radiator stop leak, K-Seal products will permanently repair and fix most leaks in the radiator or radiator casing – putting a stop to those troublesome pinhole leaks in your car radiator.
How to use car radiator stop leak
Using K-Seal as a radiator stop leak is simple:
- Shake the bottle.
- Put car radiator stop leak in the coolant reservoir or radiator.
- Run the engine up to operating temperature.
The liquid formula will make its way around the engine and fill any pinhole leaks, holes and cracks in your radiator or cooling system to fix it, permanently. K-Seal is also a scientifically tested formula, meaning there is no risk that this radiator leak sealant will cause overheating.
Why you should choose K-Seal to fix your leaking car radiator
Although the car radiator may be one of the cheaper components in the car engine, it can still cost hundreds to have it repaired or replaced.
Scientifically tested, K-Seal, K-Seal HD and K-Seal Ultimate are the #1 head gasket sealer and radiator leak repair, able to do the following:
- seal holes up to 0.635mm in diameter
- seal slots or crack up to 0.254mm wide by 12.7mm long
Just one bottle of K-Seal could save you a lot of money by fixing an engine coolant leak instead of you having to replace the parts.
Could other parts of my engine be affected?
Although your car radiator could be the source of your engine troubles, it might not be the only part of your engine you need to take a look at.
Select an engine part in the interactive diagram below to explore your engine and the important components that keep everything ticking over.
Still not sure what the problem is? Try our 60 second problem solver to quickly identify what the issue is based on your symptoms.