Does your antifreeze flow? It’s time to winterize
%18-%11-%2010, %Ranti-freeze, antifreeze, auto repair, auto repair shop, winterizePermalinkThere’s really no better place to start talking about winterizing your car than in terms of antifreeze (we call this coolant in the summer, though it still needs to apply its cooling capacity in the winter as well. You can call it coolant if you’d like. However, in the winter, before it can cool it needs to avoid freezing).
Another term to know about antifreeze is specific gravity. This refers to the temperature at which it will freeze. Your local auto parts store has inexpensive testers to determine the specific gravity of your antifreeze. We use slightly more expensive versions that are somewhat more accurate. However, whether we test it or you do so yourself, you’ll want to know that the fluid in your radiator, hoses and engine block will not form an icy block of its own when the temperature outside dips. The tester also determines the level at which your coolant (same fluid) will boil. The tester will indicate whether your antifreeze is up to par at both ends of the scale.
When adding antifreeze more is not better. By this I mean that you don’t want 100-percent strength antifreeze in your system. The best ratio is 60/40. That’s 60 percent antifreeze to 40 percent water.
Another important thing about your antifreeze is that it needs to stay inside the hoses, radiator and engine block. Antifreeze isn’t as effective on the pavement. Therefore, you’ll want to check to make sure there aren’t any leaks. Look at the condition of the hoses. Maybe they’re not leaking now but, if you can find cracked, dried or soft spots, they may have a leak in development. Soft spots are often visible when the hose has swelled, so to speak. Hoses are generally consistent in diameter. If the hoses look bad now, they’ll only look worse when winter sets in.
The final thing to consider in terms of antifreeze is movement. While we don’t want it to leak, we do want it to move when it’s supposed to. The driving force for the antifreeze is the water pump. In older cars, this is attached to the fan at the front of the engine. Newer cars often have electrical fans and you may need a qualified auto repair technician to locate and check the water pump in your newer auto. If you can find the water pump, checking for side-to-side play in the shaft coming out of the front of the water pump, or looking for signs of leaking grease or antifreeze can indicate wear in the water pump and, possibly, indicate it’s time for a replacement.
Inside the engine is a part called the thermostat. Just like the thermostat in your house, a thermostat in your engine reads the temperature. In your engine, it’s worried about the temperature of your coolant/antifreeze. When the fluid is cold, the thermostat should remain closed so that it heats up in the engine. When the fluid is hot, the thermostat opens so that the fluid runs through the radiator and cools before your engine overheats. A thermostat that is stuck open will never sufficiently heat your engine to operating peak operating temperature. A thermostat that is stuck closed will likely overheat your engine. This is an area where you may also want to call in an expert. However, one way to check is to turn on the heat in your car (the antifreeze/coolant flows through a heater core that provides heat to the interior of your car). If the heat doesn’t blow warm, even hot, you may have a thermostat that is stuck open. If it’s stuck closed, well, you’ve probably overheated already anyhow.
To summarize: your coolant needs to take on the additional role of antifreeze in the winter and a simple tester will let you know if it has what it takes. The fluid needs to stay in the cooling system and needs to move when appropriate. If it meets these requirements, you’ve got these winterizing bases covered.
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Winterize your car Tip No. 6: Windows are made to see through
%16-%11-%2010, %Rauto repair, auto repair technician, winter driving, wiper bladesPermalink“I can’t see. I can’t see.”
“Why not?”
“My eyes are closed.”
I can almost hear that exchange between Curly and Moe. Anytime you’re driving, it’s a good time to keep your eyes open. In the winter, however, sometimes, keeping your eyes open isn’t enough. Windshields become frosted, covered with salt, snow and road spray. Not only is driving without a sufficient view dangerous and maddening, it can also lead to a ticket for operating a vehicle with an impaired view.
There are several steps you can take to ensure your view is as clear through the windshield as possible. One place to start is taking a look at your wiper blades. Do your wipers operate properly when you turn them on? What is the condition of the blades. Visually inspect the rubber on your wipers for wear and breakage. They’re inexpensive enough that, when in doubt, it’s best to replace them. Do they sit evenly across the windshield? Do they leave streaks?
Next, check your windshield washer solvent. If the reservoir is cracked and leaks, you’ll need to replace it. Here at Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Ct., Ringwood, we can help with that. However, once you’ve identified where to fill the reservoir, it’s easy to fill and there are level indicators on the reservoir you can follow to fill to the correct level.
When called upon, does the washer solvent spray across the windshield as desired? We can clean clogged jets and replace pumps that don’t quite have the proper oomph anymore. However, these are parts that generally work well for years and years and will often outlive your car.
Another thing you can do to improve your winter driving vision is to wipe your windshield, inside and out, with an anti-fogging solution. These are available at inexpensive prices at your local auto parts store. You may also want to keep some extra wipes on hand in the car, in case you need them.
Finally, do you have a good scrapper and brush handy? The scrapper should have sufficient reach so you can clean ice off the entire windshield without lying down on the snow-covered hood of your car. The blade of the scrapper should also match up smoothly, from edge to edge, with your windshield. These are relatively inexpensive items are well worth the modest investment.
To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit our facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/WinterWindowVision.
Don’t let the cold starve your engine – refuel often
%08-%10-%2010, %Rauto repair, auto repair specialists, winter driving, winterize your carPermalinkAn internal combustion engine, which, unless you’ve purchased a new electric car, is probably what you drive, must have fuel in order to run. If you let the tank run dry, you’ll find yourself coasting to the side of the road with an engine that’s stopped running.
In the winter time, it’s a good idea, not only to make sure you have gasoline in your tank, but to keep the tank from becoming too low on fuel. The reason this is important is that air, often containing humidity, can mix with your gasoline. While the gasoline won’t freeze until 97-degrees below zero, the water mixed with the air in the gasoline will freeze at 32-degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, when you have less gasoline in the tank, and more moisture-rich air, you are a greater risk of having frozen liquids interfere with the gasoline’s ability to flow.
You don’t merely need to worry about the gasoline in your tank – you also have to worry about it in your fuel lines. This is particularly true where moisturized air has already infiltrated into your gasoline. One way to avoid this problem is to periodically use a gasoline additive that dries the gasoline (removes the moisture) and helps to prevent the gasoline from freezing.
Some of these products claim to help clean your fuel injectors, improve winter starts and improve your mileage. Those benefits are nice, if true, but if all the additive does is to keep your fuel lines dry, it’s well worth the effort. Manufacturers may recommend adding a bottle of their additive with every fill up. That, however, can prove expensive. Every two or three tank full is probably enough.
