How to maintain your car’s cooling system

In winter, it’s likely your older battery or dirty fuel system that’ll conk out, more likely than not when it’s 37 below, and you’re in a rush to get somewhere important.

These are two of the most easy-to-maintain parts of your ride, and countless Canadians still suffer the effects of not paying proper attention to their rides each and every winter. Thankfully, winter is behind us, but us Canadian motorists aren’t out of the blue when it comes to maintaining our rides.

In the same way that extreme cold can make poorly-maintained charging system and fuel delivery system components show themselves, the extreme heat of summer can make life real hard on your air conditioner and your engine’s cooling system.

Fortunately, readying your cooling system, and AC system, for warm-weather travels is a relatively quick and painless endeavour. Here are some tips:

Flush it: Why aren’t radiator flushes more popular? They’re a great idea periodically. Over time, dirt and sludge can accumulate within the cooling system, which relies on the circulation of a special fluid to pull heat out of your engine. Sludge reduces the circulation and effectiveness of that special fluid, and leads to reduced life of your radiator, water pump, and the engine itself. A coolant flush rinses unwanted contaminants out of your cooling system to ensure it’s clean and functioning properly from the inside out. Best of all, this is a quick, cheap and simple job for your local shop, and great for peace of mind.

Full inspection: Your ride’s cooling system isn’t an overly complicated thing, so reliable operation is generally just a matter of keeping on top of the relatively minor maintenance it requires occasionally. Your mechanic can also give your cooling system a full inspection in just a few minutes, checking the coolant level and condition, the pressure-sealing ability of the radiator cap, and looking for leaks, drips and other visual cues that some attention might be required. Did you know that some cars are designed to leak a little coolant to alert drivers that the water pump needs to be changed? Have your mechanic take a closer look if that’s the case.

Don’t skip this one: If your ride is dripping green or orange coolant and you’re planning a road trip anyways, you’re asking for trouble. Remember that your cooling system typically cools your engine and transmission, as well as helping to heat the cabin of your car when it’s cold out. Your cooling system is important, and overheating can quickly lead to engine failure and permanent, catastrophic damage. Cooling system maintenance is considerably more affordable than an engine replacement, so it should be taken seriously.

Air conditioner filter: Is your ride’s air conditioner just the worst? If it’s hesitant to blow cold air, or isn’t huffing its icy breath into your cabin as well as it used to, a few factors may be at play. Thankfully, plenty of the common causes of AC trouble are fairly simple and easy to address. Did you know that your vehicle probably has a cabin air filter? Most folks don’t, so they never change it. This is bad news, as a plugged cabin air filter makes it hard for air to flow into your cabin from the AC system. As such, poor AC performance might simply be caused by a plugged filter, which is cheap and easy to fix.

Under the hood: Another common cause of poor AC performance may be a blocked condenser. This vital part resembles a miniature radiator, and typically becomes clogged by leaves, dead bugs, sand or dirt over time. Learn where your condenser is, and make sure it’s kept clean to ensure proper operation. If you’re not sure how, ask your mechanic. A careful blast from a high-pressure hose, or a little handiwork with a shop-vac can work wonders to keep your AC condenser working perfectly.

Leaks: Leaks are bad news in any of your vehicle’s systems, and since your AC system is full of a pressurized refrigerant, even a little leak caused by a bad o-ring can quickly leave your AC system in a non-functional state.

The leak can also allow moisture and contaminants into the AC system, causing further damage. Translation?

If the cabin air filter and condenser check out, have a mechanic check for leaks right away, and fix them promptly before they cause further issues.

Scan it: Like everything these days, your ride’s AC system is hooked up to a computer network.

It can’t check its twitter on the go or upload questionable selfies to Facebook, but it can tell your mechanic why it’s not feeling well or working properly.

If there’s a sensor, switch or relay that’s acting up on the electronic side of your AC system, the fix is likely simple and easy.

Your mechanic can simply plug in a ‘code reader’ and check the AC system in mere seconds for signs for electronic trouble.