Summer - Cooling System
Summer is finally here! The sun is out, and the temperatures are rising. Summer calls for road trips and adventures, but is your vehicle up to the challenge? Your cooling and A/C systems are extremely important to inspect, maintain, and service if necessary for the summer season, and should be a part of your summer car care maintenance routine before hitting the road. Your vehicle's cooling system regulates the temperature of your engine and its components to keep it from overheating or freezing, and your A/C system is what keeps your interior cool. To keep you cool, and keep your vehicle running well this season and beyond, explore our cooling and A/C system maintenance tips! Below we'll cover the importance of each system, how to maintain it, and signs something may be wrong.
Cooling System Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Vehicle Running Well
The main purpose of your vehicle's cooling system is to regulate the temperature of the engine to keep it from overheating or freezing. The main components that make up your cooling system are: thermostat, radiator, water pump, hoses, and coolant. The cooling system uses a water pump to move engine coolant to and from the radiator. The radiator then uses cooler air to bring down the temperature of the engine coolant, a process otherwise known as heat exchange.
While your cooling system is important all year long, it's even more important during the summer when the temperatures are much hotter. Your coolant should be changed every 24,000 or 2 years. However, if you're experiencing any of the following signs that something may be wrong with your cooling system, bring your vehicle in immediately to avoid overheating and engine damage.
- Engine Temperature Is Too High or Too Low: If your gauge shows your engine's temperature is reaching more towards the high side, or more towards the low side, something may be wrong with your cooling system. Typically your gauge should stay around the middle, right between high and low. Your temperature gauge can be triggered by something blocking your cooling fan, or can mean a component in your cooling system is not working properly. Just remember, high temperatures in your engine can cause serious damage, so have your vehicle inspected immediately if your engine is overheating.
- Your Engine Light is On: The sensors around your vehicle monitor the status of each component, which then trigger a light if something isn't working properly. If your engine is too hot, your temperature warning light will come on and your temperature gauge will be towards the hot end. If this happens, you should bring your vehicle in as soon as possible to avoid the engine overheating and dealing with costly repairs.
- The Heater Isn't Working Properly: Your vehicle's heater operates using the same coolant that your engine uses. Lack of coolant, or even a disruption in the flow of your coolant, can cause the temperature of your heater's air release to/ be affected, indicating your cooling system needs to be inspected.
- Your Coolant is Leaking: Coolant is often times orange, green, yellow, or pink, so if you see bright colors under your car it could mean a coolant leak. Another sign of a leak is a sweet smell coming through your vents, which could mean an internal leak.
A/C System Maintenance Tips to Keep You Cool All Season
Did you know temperatures in your vehicle can reach 40+ degrees hotter than the temperatures outside when it's parked outside in the summer? You can park in the shade, or use a sunshade on the inside, but with the hot summer weather, it's just not enough. It takes a properly working A/C system to truly cool your car down and keep you comfortable.
The A/C system works by cooling air and removing humidity. It does so through these parts: refrigerant, compressor, condenser, evaporator, expansion valve, orifice tube, and accumulator or drier. How does one maintain the A/C System? Typically all one needs to do is turn on the A/C and if it gets cold, it's working and doesn't need any further maintenance. Through the years your vehicle may need an A/C recharge, or new filter if it isn't cooling as efficiently, or if the air smells funny. Worried your air conditioning isn't working properly? Check out these signs something may be wrong:
- Weak Airflow: When you turn your A/C on in your vehicle, you should feel a steady flow of air. If you can't feel a steady or strong flow of air, you might have mold or mildew growing in the evaporator, a loose hose, or broken seal in the ventilation system.
- There Is a Lack of Cool Air: A broken seal, leak in a hose, failed fuse or switch, failed blower motor, or damaged condenser or evaporator can all cause a lack of cold air in your cabin when the A/C is on. We'll make sure to do a full system check, get it fixed, and get you back on the road in a cool car!
- You Hear or See a Leak: The refrigerant that runs through your system is a highly pressurized and colorful fluid. If you see bright colors under your car, or even hear a hissing sound coming from your A/C condenser-located in front of your radiator- you most likely have a leak. This will affect how the whole system functions and may eliminate your use of A/C completely, so bring it in for an inspection if you see or hear a leak.
- Air from the vents smells funny: Overtime, moisture, dirt, and sometimes mildew can develop on your air cabin filter, which can create that funny smell when your air begins blowing. Some may notice a 'wet newspaper' smell, when other times it can smell worse, although it's nothing bad. A new filter installation should fix the issue.
Schedule Cooling and A/C System Maintenance and Summer Car Care Services at Serra Honda Grandville
At Serra Honda Grandville we want to keep you cool this summer, and your car running well. We know your vehicle is a big investment, so keeping up with maintenance is extremely important. You can take care of all your summer car care at Serra Honda Grandville's Service Center, where our technicians are factory trained and ready to service any make and model. We recommend having your Cooling and A/C system maintenance and summer car care services done as soon as possible so you're ready to tackle any adventure summer throws your way. You'll feel confident in bringing your vehicle to Serra Honda Grandville with our excellent service, great customer waiting area, and savings on service. Make sure to grab coupons for services on our website to save even more money. You can conveniently schedule your service appointment online, or visit our Express Service Lane, located at 4260 Kenowa Ave. SW, Grandville, MI 49418. Don't hesitate to give us a call at 616-580-1826 for any questions about your cooling and A/C systems. We're happy to service our wonderful neighbors in Grandville, Grand Rapids, Hudsonville, Georgetown Twp., Byron Center, Wyoming, West Michigan, and beyond!
