An overheating engine is dangerous, as it can result in extensive damage to engine seals and other components. Your Kia has an efficient cooling system designed to maintain your engine temperature at an acceptable level. The critical element for this cooling system is the radiator. In time, the radiator can become worn or damaged, and you’ll need to visit your Kia dealer for a radiator repair. These are a few signs that your radiator could be failing.
Damaged Radiator Cap
The radiator cap’s two most important functions are to control the pressure in the system and prevent coolant leaks. Coolant is an essential part of the cooling system, as it removes engine heat. To work effectively, the cooling system must operate at high speed and under high pressure. Wear or damage to the radiator cap can easily cause your engine to overheat.
The radiator cap is securely attached to the top of your radiator and has two seals that provide an airtight fit. Constant high pressure and temperatures over 300 F can damage these seals. A damaged seal can be identified by white steaks on its surface from escaped coolant or by an unexpected increase in engine temperature. We’ll replace the seals or the cap to fix this problem.
Leaking Coolant
As we saw above, coolant is vital for your engine’s health. It’s pumped through the engine and absorbs heat from the engine components as it passes over them. When the hot coolant enters the radiator, the heat inside it is removed by heat exchange as cooler inflowing air passes over the coolant in the radiator fins.
Coolant leaks can occur internally or externally. An external leak is easy to see, as coolant is available in pink, orange, yellow, or other bright colors. A puddle in any of these colors means the cooling system is leaking. An internal leak will cause your exhaust smoke to turn thick and white due to the water content in the coolant. We can trace a leak and repair it; then we’ll refill the coolant.
Engine Overheating
This is the most extreme sign of a cooling system failure. If this happens, smoke will billow out from underneath the hood. Your engine will suffer catastrophic damage if it overheats and may need to be replaced.
Fortunately, there are numerous warning signs that something is wrong. The most obvious warning that something is wrong with the system is a steady increase in the engine temperature registered by the temperature gauge on the dash. If the engine temperature continues to climb, call our service department right away so we can diagnose the problem and repair it.
We can repair any radiator damage. Call us today at Hart Kia.
Connect with us
Recent Blog Entries
Categories
Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.