What causes the head gasket on a radiator to fail?
Seals Whenever there is a damaged seal, excess air leaks into the radiator system, causing problems with the internal pressure levels. A failed head gasket is usually diagnosed by the appearance of air bubbles in the coolant or foam in the expansion reservoir.
How can you tell if coolant is leaking from the radiator?
This will be indicated on the engine temperature gauge located on the dashboard. If you check your coolant levels in the radiator coolant overflow tank and they are low, then you either have slowly evaporating or leaking coolant.
What does it mean when coolant bubbles in radiator?
Coolant, or antifreeze, is designed to flow smoothly through all of the cooling passages, with no air blockages. A thermostat opens and closes to regulate the coolant flow for engine warm-up and circulation. Air bubbles in the coolant, at the radiator or expansion reservoir, means air has entered the system at some point.
Why does the radiator cap open and close?
One of the things that has not been mentioned is that the radiator cap serves a dual function. It maintains a pressure when the radiator is hot, but also has a secondary valve that is blocked when the radiator is pressurizes, but opens when the radiator pulls vacuum to let the coolant from the reservoir go back to the radiator.
What happens when you open the radiator cap?
Under lower pressure, the cap draws the coolant back into the cooling system. Please note: since the cooling system is hot and under pressure when the vehicle has been running, it is very important that you never open the radiator cap until the vehicle has cooled completely.
This will be indicated on the engine temperature gauge located on the dashboard. If you check your coolant levels in the radiator coolant overflow tank and they are low, then you either have slowly evaporating or leaking coolant.
When to replace the head gasket on a radiator?
Many symptoms of a faulty radiator cap can also be signs of another problem, such as the much dreaded head gasket failure. If you suspect you have an issue with your head gasket (s), it’s not a bad idea to replace the radiator cap first since it’s so quick, cheap, and easy, before throwing more time and money at a potentially expensive problem.
When does the coolant go back into the radiator?
It maintains a pressure when the radiator is hot, but also has a secondary valve that is blocked when the radiator is pressurizes, but opens when the radiator pulls vacuum to let the coolant from the reservoir go back to the radiator. If the coolant is dirty, the secondary valve can get plugged.