Check Your Automotive Heating and Cooling System to Prevent Big Engine Problems

If you've ever sat in a rush hour traffic gridlock pattern, watching the temperature needle on your car, truck, or SUV dashboard, inching swiftly upward, you know how scary it can seem. A hot engine, after all, isn't just a temporary inconvenience; serious damage can result. Your smartest way to prevent engine overheating is to perform regular checks and maintenance on your automotive heating and cooling system.

Your vehicle owner manual almost certainly shows you the layout of the heating and cooling system. This system usually includes:

- a radiator located at the front of the vehicle, usually positioned directly behind the grill
- a pressurized radiator cap that sits atop the radiator; this must always be removed slowly and with great care with the engine is hot
- radiator hoses - most vehicles have at least two: an upper and a lower hose
- a coolant overflow tank which is where you usually add a mixture of both water and antifreeze
- the crucial water-coolant mix itself which usually acts to protect your vehicle against any extremes of temperature
- a valve or petcock below the radiator you can release to empty or flush the coolant system
- a thermostat which, as its name implies, is a device which tries to regulate the temperature of the engine; over time, the thermostat can stick open/closed or wear and die
- a water pump that helps circulate water through the system to cool

If you have air conditioning installed, you also have an air conditioning system. Like the rest of the vehicle's systems, this needs regular maintenance.

Your owner manual will usually tell you exactly how frequently you should check your coolant/water mixture level as well as how often you should flush the radiator. This is usually a fairly simple, straightforward operation.