A radiator is one of the parts of cars that most drivers don’t care much about until there is some trouble, especially when the radiator keeps pushing water out.
Yet, you are not alone. Many drivers have also been stuck with the problem and searching for reasons and solutions for it.
We have already experienced situations like this one on our way. So today, we are willing to share with those who have the same curiosity some wise tips to help your car stay healthier in the coming journeys.
Let’s dig in with us to find out the thoughtful answer now.
What Is The Problem When The Radiator Keeps Pushing Water Out?
Apart from coolant blowing out of the reservoir, leaking is also a common case when it comes to coolant-related issues.
What Is The Coolant In Radiator?
Coolant (or antifreeze) is a crucial part of a car’s cooling operation. It aids in maintaining the motor from overheating by adjusting the heat of this antifreeze and warding off freezing in wintery weather.
If your car doesn’t have enough antifreeze inside or the coolant tank empty radiator full, its engine might overheat and possibly cause tremendous harm.
This explains why it is vital to inspect your coolant volume frequently and ensure that it’s filled when necessary.
What Is A Coolant Leak?
As shared above, engine coolant helps regulate the temperature of an automobile’s engine. When the heat change happens at the surface, coolant is traveled throughout the engine block to stabilize the normal heat inside.
Sometimes, the coolant could leak because of varying elements being subject to one’s usage.
A leak might happen anywhere in the car’s cooling operation and is generally not difficult to find when you catch some drip from the part.
Also, it has a recognizable color and odor that lets you easily identify the leaking antifreeze spot in your vehicle.
Fixing the coolant leak might be easy at an affordable cost, yet sometimes it might be a complex, expensive task, depending on the extent of leakage in your car engine.
Thus if your vehicle has some problem with the antifreeze, you have to find out the root of the leaking and how fast it is.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Coolant Leak?
Visible Signs
If you notice some coolant smell or telltale blue, green, pink, or red puddle inside or under the car, and even some residue on a certain component of its cooling system, you have caught an imperative symptom of the leak.
Overheating Engine
You could have some coolant leak if you see the temperature warning light or the heat gauge switch to the red warning zone.
White Smoke
In some cases, after warming your car up, you encounter some white smoke in its exhaust, this could indicate some internal motor leak, probably a head gasket or cylinder head failure or cracked block.
Bubbles
If you spot some bubbles in a coolant overflow tank or a radiator, this means that the combustion gasses are being compelled onto the cooling operation.
This is indeed a sign of the antifreeze leak, yet it could also be rooted in the head gasket or cracks in the motor.
Why My Radiator Keeps Pushing Water Out?
That the radiator keeps pushing water out can stem from: corrosive parts, punctured hoses, problems with the water pump, bad head gasket, faulty coolant expansion tank, and poor radiator cap.
Corrosion
An automobile endures a lot of severe weather conditions in the operating process. There is always some corrosion arising inside the radiator, which becomes one of the culprits making the coolant spill.
When the components deteriorate and wear out, debris can fall into the tubes and then trigger a leak.
Over time, the hose connection and radiator will accumulate rust sediments. Then this corrosion indeed results in holes throughout this radiator, pushing the antifreeze system to leak.
In addition, its radiator’s heat poses a big risk of wearing down faster.
Broken Radiator Gasket
The radiator gasket plays as a sealant to link the cooling system and radiator. It’s made from plastic and may get softened by pressure and heat. Any possible leak in this sealant will also result in water leaking from its radiator.
Worn-Out Radiator Hoses
When hoses experience wear out, it’s quite tough to connect them with the radiator to form a compact seal. The points where they attach to this radiator, water pump, and heater core are usually prone to leaks and damage.
Failed Water Pump
A coolant operates properly by running between the radiator and engine. Circulating among these two components, the heat is switched from the motor to its radiator, leading to it cooling down. Then, this cycle will repeat itself.
The circulation is carried out almost as much as your vehicle’s water pump. Over time, however, the pump’s shaft seal might get rusted.
This rust can then let the antifreeze get loose from under this water pump wheel shaft.
Bad Head Gasket
Severe temperatures are to blame for the radiator gasket deteriorating and bending remarkably. These damages can hinder the head gasket in separating the engine oil and coolant.
Once the engine oil and coolant mix, a coolant leak might occur.
Failed Coolant Expansion Tank
An expansion tank which is a container of coolant made from plastic offers water or coolant to its radiator. There is a hose to connect it with the radiator.
External hits or high temperatures may leak the plastic container resulting in water or coolant leaking from this radiator.
Bad Radiator Cap
A cap provides a compact seal to keep steam created inside the car’s radiator. If the spring is fatigued and worn out or this cap doesn’t fit completely, it will let the steam out.
The escape can lead to the internal coolant level of the radiator falling down because of a water leak.
What Are Solutions When Your Radiator Keeps Pushing Water?
How To Determine The Leak
- To discover a leak, drive your car until it is completely warmed up; park the car in a dry, clean place.
- Turn your car off, then let it cool down slowly. Note: when the automobile is warmed up, its coolant is under pressure and boiling hot; please don’t detach the radiator cap or tank cap before the motor has properly cooled.
- After the vehicle rests for around 15 minutes, take a look under your car to see whether it has any fresh puddles of coolant-colored fluid or not. If you don’t see any puddle yet smell some coolant odor, scan the car’s underside and check whether you can find anything wet or even formed in drops.
- When a stain or small puddle of antifreeze appears under the automobile or almost the front of the car, lift its hood and begin observing the motor bay. Also, try to smell literally around, and you might recognize where the coolant smell could come from.
- Seek symptoms of antifreeze leakage, like some light-colored stains or residues around on hoses throughout its engine parts, or this radiator and its cap as well.
If one of them looks like it is leaking, use a screwdriver to fasten the clamp. In case you don’t find any clear indication of leakage, inspect the whole motor compartment, this leak might stem from some other places under the car’s hood.
- Check carefully to find out where the leak is rooted from, then decide to ask the help from a technician or address it by yourself (only when you are outstanding with wrenches).
How To Fix The Water Leak
After locating the root of leaking, apply one of these below solutions to figure out the problem.
Utilize A Radiator To Fend Off Leaking
You may patch up minor leaks utilizing radiator leak-stopping concentrates or sealants. These items are engineered to cover leaks in the internal cooling system.
You just need to visit a mechanic shop to buy one of these products to equip your car.
Replace The Wrong Hoses
Changing these leaky hoses is pretty simple. Purchase new hose clamps and hose, then change all the problematic ones. It works very well as soon as this replacement is carried out.
Change A New Radiator Cap
As shared earlier, a radiator cap plays a key role in holding the antifreeze in this radiator. When the cap works improperly, leaking is inevitable. Then changing the new radiator cap is necessary to deal with the situation.
Repair The Antifreeze Reservoir Leak
You may fix that easily as the reservoir begins leaking because of minor punctures or cracks. All you have to do is to use some silicone sealers and stick them on the problematic areas.
Other Solutions
With problems related to water pumps and head gaskets, you need to ask experts before fixing them. These components are quite imperative and complicated, so you need to put more consideration into repairing them.
What Are Other Common Radiator Problems?
There are five common radiator problems. In particular, they are overheating as idle, faulty thermostat or problematic water pump, gunk or other obstructions, rusty radiator and leaks..
Final Thoughts
Until these last words, if we still see your company, we completely believe that we have fulfilled your curiosity earlier about your radiator keeps pushing water out.
From now on, this issue will not give you any trouble anymore. As you get the reasons why coolant gushes out radiator, put more consideration into checking your car engine more frequently.
If you want to find more tips about using your car wisely, such as coolant reservoir empty but radiator full, don’t forget to subscribe to our sites. We are planning to publish more useful blogs for you.
We make sure you will feel peace of mind when getting more tricks from our content.