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rad leaks when car is forced to work hard.
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mike hammer
User
Jan 5, 2008, 7:39 AM
Post #1 of 2
(1467 views)
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rad leaks when car is forced to work hard.
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hello, this is a very general question concerning radiators. living in montreal quebec my car is often forced to haul itself through deep snow and crash through walls of tractor made ice and slush it is in these occsions that as a driver i am forced to press the gas pedal a bit more rudely than both the car and myself would like to. recently i was stuck in the snow and in the process of rather agressively reversing and driving to unstick myself steam began to rise from under the hood when i popped the hood i saw a very fine stream of coolant almost like a jet of liquid very fine shooting towards the centre of the engine compartment from the rad in the top right corner. since i have driven the car several times and seen that the rad leaks only when the wheels are turning very fast like on ice.does this sound likesomething that can be repaired in a radiator, or is radiator repair even an option at the best of times.does a coolant line conditioner exist something to condition radiator gaskets if a radiator even has gaskets. when a rad pops is there a tendency as to which part of the rad will break in a case of overheating.i believe a radiator to be made up of many small lines and chambers filled with liquid is it possible to close those lines if i can locate a place where it leaks and by pass that section of lines or chambers and if i can do this what percentage of funtioning radiator must remain to effectively cool it. the car is a 94 plymouth acclaim. and i still drive it though it leaks coolant i just continue to add fluid as it doesnt empty very fast. the weather is very cold here so i think the rad doesnt have to work very hard. and out of curriousity if the coolant were to empty completely and i continued to drive what would happen and is there a link between the coolant system for the engine and the heating for the cabin, a guy told me there was. sorry its so long to describe but i know nothing about radiators. thank you.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 5, 2008, 9:28 AM
Post #2 of 2
(1462 views)
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Re: rad leaks when car is forced to work hard.
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Bonjour Mon Ami,
J'taime Montreal et Rue Ste. Catherine! You posted quite a read. Out of all that you no doubt need a radiator (see one listed below) as they can't take that abuse. I know the weather stinks but you can't just go crashing thru those snow banks. Radiators are delicate. Tanks at ends are crimped on and the lightweight alloys are thin. They can be repaired and you should check on that.
You need the radiator and the whole cooling system in order for Winter as well as Summer. Heat won't work unless coolant is in there and full enough no matter how cold it gets. Without coolant (anti-freeze mix) car will overheat on the coldest day and can easily damage the engine. This is a must fix.
Bonne Ane (sp?)
T. Feuilleverte!
http://www.autozone.com/...artProductDetail.htm
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