What is a car’s cooling system?
The cooling system consists of a cooling fan, water pump, thermostat, radiator, heater core, heater valve, and various other parts that work together to dissipate and remove heat from a vehicle’s engine. Your vehicle’s cooling system is responsible for reducing the temperature inside your engine and preventing possible overheating. Excess heat can build in a variety of places in your vehicle’s engine. When the engine reaches maximum operating temperatures, the thermostat opens and releases antifreeze from the engine to the radiator, which initiates the circulatory flow to absorb excess heat. The antifreeze is also responsible for keeping other engine fluids from boiling or freezing. After the antifreeze flows through the engine, it cycles back to the radiator, where the excess heat escapes through the radiator’s walls. The antifreeze is cooled by the cooling fan and readied to be re-released into the engine to dissipate additional heat.
Why does my car’s cooling system need maintenance?
Over time, antifreeze breaks down and loses its efficiency. If not drained and replaced, old antifreeze can lead to corrosion. During a cooling system flush and fill, our staff will drain the antifreeze from the radiator, flush the cooling system, and fill the radiator with new antifreeze. The cooling system’s cooling fan circulates air through the radiator and passes excess heat out of the engine. If the cooling fan malfunctions, your vehicle’s engine will overheat. During an inspection of the cooling system service, our experts will check the cooling fan for damage and the fan belt for cracks. Because the radiator is responsible for cooling the antifreeze as it circulates throughout the cooling system, a leak or a broken radiator hose can lead to major engine failure. A radiator pressure test is one way we can check for potential leaks or radiator damage. Ultimately, neglecting basic cooling system and radiator maintenance can lead to a potential radiator replacement and major engine or radiator repairs down the road. Heating and A/C systems may break eventually with usage, hose pipes may clog and drip if not serviced, causing reduced efficiency heating and cooling capabilities. Regular maintenance will keep your AC system operating at peak performance!
Indications your A/C system may be having issues:
- If your air conditioning blows only slightly cooler air compared to the exterior air
- Air that blows in smells damp, musty, or like mildew and mold
- Your cabin does not warm up in cold weather, or is just a little warmer than outside
- The defroster takes longer than typical to operate, or does not operate
- Your heater or A/C only functions when driving, not when idling, or quits blowing when the car is stationary
- Your heating system blows cold air, or the air conditioning blows warm air
- Low airflow even at the highest fan setting.
A comprehensive evaluation of heating and A/C system includes:
- Examining the internal controls and blower
- Checking radiator coolant operating temperature, hoses, pressure radiator cap and thermostat
- Inspecting the compressor belt
- Inspecting system and seals for leaks or various other damages.
- A cooling system pressure test
- Verifying the A/C pressure meets manufacturer specifications
- Measuring the interior vent air temperature
Our cooling system repair and maintenance services include:
Air Conditioning
Have you been sweltering in your vehicle lately? Perhaps your car’s air conditioner isn’t functioning properly. At Jon’s Auto we have qualified service professionals who can fix your air conditioner. To have an air conditioning system serviced, repaired, or replaced by experts consider visiting Jon’s Auto.
Coolant System Flush
A car’s air conditioning system contains a coolant which transfers excess heat from one part of the engine and finally loses it through the radiator fins. With time, the a/c coolant becomes old and dirty. The old coolant will negatively impact the system’s performance. To make sure the system is working effectively, consider having a regular coolant system flush. A coolant flush is basic maintenance for your car’s cooling system. Ensure maximum performance from your vehicle’s heating and cooling systems today.
Belts
A fan belt, also known as a drive belt, is a belt connecting your car’s engine to the front mounted accessories. The fan belt rotates the water pump and engine fan, which maintains a cool environment for the engine and its components. Sooner or later, your vehicle’s fan belts will dry out and crack. When you are ready for a replacement you can count on Jon’s Auto for all your vehicle’s repair needs.
Hoses
Hoses transfer coolant and antifreeze throughout the engine’s cooling system (including the radiator). Sooner or later, your vehicle’s hoses will dry out and crack. When you are ready for a replacement you can count on Jon’s Auto for all your vehicle’s repair needs.
You not only have to get the hoses replaced with quality ones but you should have the work done by experts. To have the hoses replaced by auto cooling and heating experts – and get your car driving right – visit Jon’s Auto today. The mechanics at Jon’s will thoroughly inspect your car’s hoses, replace all worn hoses, and adjust the installed hoses.
Radiators
Radiators are heat exchangers for cooling your car’s internal combustion engine. A radiator cools the engine by circulating an engine coolant through the engine block – it then loses the heat to the atmosphere through radiation. A radiator has a set of tubes through which the engine coolant flows. Fins surround these tubes. When the radiator fails, the excess heat produced by the engine could damage the engine components. To prevent this from happening, have your radiator serviced regularly. To have your radiator needs handled by experts, visit Jon’s Auto today.
Radiator Flush
A radiator is the part of your vehicle that keeps the engine cool and protects it from excessive heating. To be cool, the radiator needs to remain clean – always. With time, sludge, rust and other solid deposits build up inside your car’s radiator. These make the cooling system become clogged and less effective. This in effect hurts your vehicle’s performance. A regular radiator flush is enough to keep the system in shape. For this reason, make radiator flushing a part of your routine car maintenance schedule.
Summerize Your Vehicle
It’s important to prepare your car for the perils of summer, especially in the heat of South Florida – heat, dust, traffic jams – which increase the likelihood of a breakdown. At Jon’s Auto in Pompano Beach, FL, our technicians can perform the necessary preventive maintenance to get your car ready for summer. These are some of the recommended services:
- Check the battery
- Change the fluids
- Examine the belts and hoses
- Check climate and coolant systems
- Check wiper blades
- Check tires
- Check headlights, turn signals, and tail lights
Your car will be ready to handle the hot weather so you can enjoy your summer.
Jon’s Auto in Pompano Beach serves Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and the entire South Florida area. Jon’s team specializes in custom installations, retro-fitting a/c systems into older cars, and making custom a/c hoses for those custom jobs. Jon’s also performs cooling system maintenance like system flushes, pressure tests, and replacement of faulty components. Jon and his staff are pros and will keep your car cool and in great shape. Contact Jon’s now!