How to Make Your Car Last Forever: Avoid Expensive Repairs, Improve Fuel Economy, Understand Your Warranty, Save Money

Tom Tom, Q I own a 2004 Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup. The battery is new and it won’t keep a charg ...

Tom ...

Chapter 9 Cooling Systems Nothing kills a car engine faster than overheating it. Today’s engines are predominantly ...

RADIATOR Coolant absorbs heat from the cylinder walls as it courses through the engine’s water jackets. The co ...

Automotive radiators vary in shapes, sizes, and what they are made of. Radiators of old were made of ...

WATER PUMP The job of the water pump is to move the coolant through the system. It is driven by a belt (the ...

Water pumps also vary in shape and size, depending on engine design and cooling system specifications. Whil ...

The impeller is attached to a shaft that rides on bearings inside the pump. When the bearings go ba ...

THERMOSTAT The thermostat is a temperature-sensitive valve in the cooling system that opens and closes according ...

Automotive thermostats come in different temperature ranges to accommodate different operating temperature ranges as ...

HOSES Coolant hoses make up the infrastructure through which the coolant flows to and from the engine, radiator, ...

WATER JACKETS Water jackets are channels that line each cylinder; they are cast into the engine block ...

Water jackets line each cylinder in the engine, which carry cooling water to absorb the heat caused by ...

COOLING FAN The cooling fan is designed to draw air across the face of the radiator core, decreasing the temper ...

A cooling system pressure test (including the radiator cap) to uncover any leaks. An antifreeze protection ...

The fan for the cooling system is located in front of the radiator to draw fresh cool air over the face ...

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When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap. Squeeze the rubber bulb on the antifreeze tester. Insert ...

Draw coolant out until it fills the plastic reservoir and read the indicator. It will show the freezing ...

TIP Recommended coolant replacement interval varies with manufacturer. The rule of thumb is two years or 25,0 ...