Week 5:
06/12/15
Bud’s is here to report in for week 5 of Car of the Week, a 2007 Ford F-150 Lariat!
This truck came in with the complaint of “coolant leaking” as fast as you can put it in and has had a slow leak for at least a few months. We found out that someone else had put a new radiator cap on and it had slowed the leak a bit but not stopped it completely. The customer let us know that the water that was leaking under the truck was rusty as well.
Upon inspection of the cooling system, specifically the radiator, our tech (mechanic) determined that the cooling system had been “topped off” or re-filled with water. You see, antifreeze or engine coolant is meant to keep your water system from freezing but it also contains chemicals that aid in the prevention of rust and corrosion. If you just top off the fluid as it is leaking with water you are diluting the coolant so much that is can no longer protect your engine from corrosion. This is where the rust comes in. As the internal parts of the metal components start to corrode and decompose, there is rust and contaminants in the coolant/water and the water pump will start to malfunction and the radiator will start to clog and leak. Now the customer gets a whole new radiator and hoses. They also get a coolant system flush but luckily they didn’t need that water pump!
Check out the picture below with the “rust filled coolant”!
Bud’s recommends that you schedule your oil changes and regular maintenance before leaving the shop at check out. That way you will get friendly reminders from us as to when your service is due and don’t go past your vehicles’ factory recommended service schedule.
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