Why does antifreeze go

Antifreeze leak, regardless of where it appears, signals a malfunction in the car's cooling system. And this, in turn, can lead to disruption of the normal operation of the internal combustion engine. If the antifreeze leaves with visible smudges, then it is not difficult to find the cause of the breakdown. But if the coolant level drops without visible traces, then you should look for the cause of the breakdown by other methods. Signs of an antifreeze leak can be white smoke from the exhaust pipe, poor operation of the stove, fogging of the windows, the appearance of smudges on various elements of the engine compartment, or simply a puddle will appear under the car while it is parked.

The reason that antifreeze flows is usually the depressurization of the cooling system, which is expressed in the appearance of cracks on the pipes, metal elements of its nodes, microcracks in the expansion tank, loss of elasticity of the gasket on the covers of the expansion tank, and so on. It is not recommended to drive for a long time in a situation where antifreeze leaves, because in such conditions the internal combustion engine overheats, which is fraught with a decrease in its resource and even failure in critical situations.

Signs of a coolant leak

There are a number of factors that indicate that a car is leaking antifreeze. Among them:

Low coolant icon on dashboard

• White smoke from the exhaust pipe. This is especially true for the warm season, because it is easier to notice it this way.
• Steam escape from under the cover of the expansion tank of the cooling system. It is usually noted that the car often overheats, even on short trips.
• An icon is activated on the dashboard, symbolizing the overheating of the internal combustion engine.
• The arrow on the coolant thermometer on the dashboard shows the maximum value or close to it.
• The oven is not working well. Often in cold weather, it does not supply warm, but cold air to the cabin.
• The presence of antifreeze smudges on various elements of the engine compartment (pipes, radiator housing, expansion tank of the cooling system, internal combustion engine, and so on, it depends on the place of the leak and the design of the car) or under the car during parking.
• Wet floor in the cabin. At the same time, the liquid feels oily to the touch, not reminiscent of ordinary water.
• Drop in the liquid level in the expansion tank of the cooling system.
• The smell of antifreeze in the car. He is sweet, sweet. Such fumes are harmful to the human body, so you should avoid inhaling them.
• The presence of a foamy emulsion in the expansion tank of the cooling system.

In some cases, several symptoms may appear at the same time. This indicates that the breakdown is already old and requires urgent repair.

Reasons why antifreeze is leaving

When the antifreeze leaves, the reasons depend on which node the cooling system depressurized or broke down.

1. In cold weather, the volume of coolant may decrease. This fact can sometimes be mistaken by a car enthusiast for an antifreeze leak in a situation where there is no obvious leak. This is quite normal, and you just need to add coolant as needed.
2. Damage to the body and / or cap of the expansion tank of the cooling system. Sometimes these are microcracks, which are simply very difficult to see. This situation is relevant for older cars or in case of damage to the tank or cap.
3. If antifreeze flows from under the thermostat, this means that its seal has worn out.
4. Complete or partial failure of pipes, hoses of the cooling system. This can happen in a variety of places, but in most cases, the problem is easily identified by antifreeze smudges that have appeared.
5. Cracks in the radiator housing. In this case, antifreeze can also be detected by smudges that have appeared.
6. Pump seal failure. Accordingly, in this case, antifreeze will flow from the water pump. It is better not to change this node on your own, but to delegate the work to specialists in a service or service station.
7. Breakdown of the cylinder head gasket. In this case, options are possible when antifreeze enters the oil, thus forming a foamy emulsion, which reduces the performance of the oil. For the same reason, the already mentioned “white smoke” from the exhaust pipe, which has a sweetish sugary smell, may occur. It appears because the antifreeze freely and directly goes into the exhaust system, that is, into the manifold and exhaust pipe. This can be especially observed when the car “eats” 200 ... 300 ml of antifreeze daily. Gasket breakdown is the most dangerous failure in this case, so repairs should be made as soon as possible.

Please note that the norm for antifreeze evaporation is a volume of about 200 ml between two regular vehicle maintenance (usually this is 15 thousand kilometers).

As mentioned above, the underlying cause of a coolant leak is a depressurization of the cooling system, even to a minor extent. Due to the fact that there can be many elements and places of damage in this case, the verification usually takes a lot of time and effort.

Leak detection methods

Before proceeding to the repair of failed components or individual parts, you need to diagnose them and still find out where the coolant goes. To do this, they use both simple methods (visual inspection) and quite advanced ones, for example, searching for places where antifreeze flows using a fluorescent additive to antifreeze or by pressing by connecting a compressor or an autopump.

1. Visual inspection of pipes. this method of finding where antifreeze can leak from is especially relevant in the presence of obvious coolant smudges. And the more it flows, the easier it is to identify the leak. During the inspection, you need to carefully examine the rubber elements of the system, especially if they are already old and fragile. Most often, antifreeze flows from old pipes. If no leaks are found, it is still recommended to inspect the integrity of the elements of the cooling system, at least for preventive purposes.
2. Use of cardboard. The method consists in putting a large sheet of cardboard or other similar material under the bottom of the car during a long parking (for example, overnight) so that if there is even a small leak, antifreeze gets on it . Well, the place of its localization can already be found out and the place of the leak.
3. Checking the connecting clamps. Often, with their weak tightening, a situation may arise that the antifreeze leak will occur precisely from under them. Therefore, when installing a new clamp, always observe the necessary and sufficient tightening torque of the bolt.
4. Expansion tank check. First you need to wipe its body dry, then bring the internal combustion engine to operating temperature and see if antifreeze has appeared on the body. The second way is to dismantle the tank, pour antifreeze out of it and check it with a pump with a pressure gauge. That is, pump about 1 atmosphere into it and monitor whether the pressure drops or not. Remember that the safety valve on the reservoir cap in modern machines is set to a pressure of 2 atmospheres and above. At the same time, it will be possible to check the condition of the valve. You can also check without removing the tank, but by applying excess pressure to the system. With increased pressure, there is a chance that the leak will reveal itself faster.

   Finding a leak with a fluorescent additive and a lamp

5. Using Fluorescent Antifreeze Additive. This is a very original way that allows you to quickly and with minimal time spent to find the place of the leak and eliminate its cause. Such compounds are sold separately, and a large assortment of them is presented on the markets. Usually they are added to antifreeze, and diagnostics are carried out on a running internal combustion engine, illuminating the alleged leak location using an indicator (ultraviolet) lamp. The method is one of the most effective, especially for identifying hidden leaks or when the coolant leaves in minimal portions, which complicates visual search.

The condition of the valve on the cap of the expansion tank can be checked in a primitive way. To do this, on a cooled internal combustion engine, you need to remove the reservoir cap and shake it near your ear. If you hear the inner ball clicking in the valve, then the valve is working. Otherwise, it must be washed. A traditional carburetor flush is great for this.

Most methods for finding leaks come down to a banal revision of the elements of the cooling system and the search for its faulty or damaged elements. The main thing is to carry out the search carefully, which, however, takes a lot of time and effort.

How to fix antifreeze leak

However, the most important question that interests motorists in this vein is how to fix an antifreeze leak? The method of elimination directly depends on the reason why the coolant flows out of the cooling system. The first thing you should remember before performing inspections and repairs is that usually a large coolant leak occurs on a hot ICE. Therefore, before performing work, it is necessary to warm up the power unit to operating temperature, or at least let it run for 3 ... 5 minutes at 2000 ... 3000 rpm. This is usually enough to cause an antifreeze leak.

Damage to the radiator

This is one of the most common and easy to diagnose problems. It can be diagnosed by antifreeze smudges on the radiator housing or by the appearance of antifreeze on the mat under the front passenger seat when antifreeze flows from the stove. In the second case, to perform diagnostics, you need to disconnect the inlet and outlet pipes of the heater and connect them to each other (loop). If after that the drop in the level of antifreeze stops, it means that the radiator or heater valve is damaged. You can try to solder the radiator yourself, or contact a specialized workshop. If the radiator is old, it is better to simply replace it with a new one.

This also includes the failure of the valve supplying coolant to the stove (in cars, the design of which it is provided for, antifreeze goes out on VAZ cars precisely because of this valve). If coolant leaks from it or from its nozzles, then it must be replaced.

Leakage of antifreeze in the internal combustion engine

When the cylinder head gasket is pierced, an emulsion appears in the tank

If antifreeze enters the internal combustion engine, then the reason for this is a broken cylinder head gasket, a mechanical change in the geometry of the cylinder head due to damage, the appearance of a crack in it or its significant corrosion. When antifreeze enters the engine cylinders, white smoke comes out of the exhaust pipe, which is the result of the combustion of the coolant. also often at the same time, oil from the internal combustion engine enters the cooling system, forming a foamy emulsion in the expansion tank. there may also be white deposits on the spark plugs.

The easiest option that allows you to get by with "little blood" is to break through the cylinder head gasket. In this case, you just need to replace it with a new one. The situation is much worse if the cylinder head is damaged. Then it must be carefully checked, and if necessary, polished on a special machine. The most costly option is to completely replace it.

Expansion tank

If the body of the expansion tank and / or the covers with the gasket on it are old, then it is likely that they have microcracks. Another option is to skip the protective valve on the said cover. The simplest thing in this case is to replace the cover and install a new gasket. More difficult is to replace the entire tank (including the lid).

Pump failure

If the pump seal loses its tightness or its bearing is worn out, then antifreeze starts to flow from the water pump. Usually, the gasket fails due to banal old age or due to mechanical damage (for example, if the assembly is not installed correctly, the torque is too strong, and so on). Fixing such a problem is quite simple. To do this, you need to replace the said gasket with a new one. The main thing at the same time is to choose a sealant of the appropriate size and shape or apply a special sealant. You can perform this procedure yourself or delegate this procedure to car service workers or a service station. But with bearing play, there is only one way out - replacing the assembly.

System Cleaning and Temporary Repair

An interesting fact is that antifreeze leakage can occur both due to the failure of individual elements of the cooling system, and after cleaning it with various means. When performing this process, cleaning agents can "bare" existing cracks in the system that have been "tightened" by dirt, rust or special agents.

So, for temporary elimination of leaks in the cooling system, you can use special compounds. For example, powdered mustard or cigarette tobacco can be used as folk. However, it is preferable to use factory-made additives, since their choice in car dealerships is quite wide today. Such additives to eliminate antifreeze leaks will temporarily help fix the problem.

Radiator Sealant

Radiator sealant is used if you need to quickly eliminate a leak in the cooling system. There are liquid and powder ones, their use is simple. Which sealant is best to use, and is it worth using at all? More details

 

Hack and predictor Aviator

Locating an antifreeze leak is a simple, but sometimes time-consuming task. To do this, you need to revise the elements of the cooling system - the radiator, pipes, rubber pipes, clamps, expansion tank and its cover. The situation worsens if the machine is old and the listed elements have microcracks on their bodies. In severe cases, buy a special fluorescent agent added to antifreeze, with which you can easily find the leak in the rays of an ultraviolet lamp, no matter how small it is. And after identifying the leak, as well as performing the appropriate work, do not forget to add new antifreeze to the desired level.