Keeping Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)

No matter what the temperature is outside, it’s important for your vehicle’s engine to remain cool, calm, and collected. Well, cool, anyway. If your vehicle has a gasoline engine, it’s powered by a bunch of explosions involving spark plugs, pistons, gasoline, and air. And the by-product of all those things working together? HEAT.

There’s a whole cooling system to keep everything at a tolerable temperature for your engine’s parts, and a key part of that is the water pump. Technically, it’s pumping more than water. It should actually be called the “coolant” pump since the liquid that circulates through the system is a mixture of water and coolant.

Basically, the water pump keeps this coolant moving through your engine, where it picks up the engine heat, and then is pumped into the radiator where it gets rid of that heat. When a water pump fails, the engine heat can build up. When you get a warning light on the dash (either a gauge or a light) that shows the temperature is too high, it could mean a bad water pump.

They can fail for many reasons. They have bearings in them that wear out, as does the seal between the pump and the engine. They’re often driven by a belt or chain that can go bad. Corrosion can spell the end of a water pump, too.

If a technician determines your water pump has failed, it’s time to replace it. In addition, other components of the cooling system will be inspected. The best way to avoid a water pump failure is regular maintenance of your cooling system which includes regular draining and flushing of the coolant.

Just like it’s important for you to keep your cool, the same goes for your vehicle’s engine.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Keeping Your Cool (Coolant leak repair)

If there’s one thing you should pay attention to with your vehicle, it’s the temperature gauge. It’s the one that may say C—H (that means “cold—hot”). Or maybe yours has a picture of a thermometer on it and a blue and red zone. If you see the needle heading farther to the “H” or red area, that means your vehicle’s engine is running hotter than it normally does.

One of the most common causes of an engine running hot is a leak in your cooling system. Maybe you’ve seen puddles of coolant under your vehicle, or you’ve smelled the coolant, either inside or outside your vehicle (it has a sort of “sweet” or fruity smell). That’s your engine giving you a warning signal that it’s time to head over to your repair facility to find out what’s going on.

Your vehicle’s coolant can leak for several reasons. You may have hoses that are deteriorating (heat and age take their toll). It’s possible the pump that circulates coolant has developed a problem (seals and bearings can fail from heat and wear). You may have something as simple as a bad radiator cap. Or your radiator or heater core may have holes in it.

If your coolant is leaking out, this can cause serious damage to your engine if you just let it go. Your engine could get so hot that some of the metal parts start to warp. Sometimes, your coolant can start mixing in with your engine oil. That can result in a very expensive repair if it gets to that stage, so have it checked out before that happens.

A technician will visually inspect your coolant system, including the reservoir tank, check hoses and fittings, test the water pump, and also may pressure test the radiator. When the problem or problems are found, they will replace the necessary parts and get you back on the road.

When it comes to a coolant leak, finding the cause can be tricky. But it’s important to catch a cooling system issue in time—before your engine sustains more serious damage. Now, that’s pretty cool.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

I Want a New Vehicle. Or Do I? (Vehicle Maintenance Payoffs)

Spring is a peak season for vehicle sales; companies aggressively market new models and offer all sorts of incentives. So you may be tempted to buy a shiny new beauty. But should you?

If you’ve regularly maintained the vehicle you’re driving now, you probably don’t NEED a new one. Even if your current one needs some repairs, how do those costs compare to what you’d spend on a new vehicle?

A brand new vehicle starts to depreciate the second you drive it off the lot. How much? Experts say you’ll lose half of its value during the first 5 years of owning a new vehicle. So if you pay $30,000 for a new one, you’ll lose $15,000 in 5 years. That’s a lot.

If you have paid off your current vehicle, think of having to start making car payments again. Let’s say your new payment would be $350 a month. Bet you can think of a lot of things you can buy with an extra $350 a month.

Many considering a new vehicle don’t factor how much their insurance and license tag fees will increase. You may save yourself hundreds of dollars in insurance and license tag fees every year if you keep your old vehicle.

That gets us back to the original question. Do you need a new vehicle? Reliability and durability of most models have made dramatic improvements in the last couple of decades. It’s not unusual for a vehicle to reliably reach the 200,000 mile/325,000 km mark these days. That’s due to new engineering in powertrains, corrosion protection and lubricants.

The best bet to keeping a vehicle on the road longer is scheduled, regular maintenance and inspection. Replacing parts before they fail is often cheaper than waiting till they do fail; frequently that prevents a damaging domino effect that affects other systems in the vehicle. Finding a service facility you can trust and developing a relationship with that facility ensures your scheduled service and maintenance will be done correctly, minimizing breakdowns.

Sure, at some point you may find you need a big repair that will cost more than your vehicle is worth, or rust will destroy vital components. But it’s wise to use reason rather than emotion when you’re making any decision about your vehicle, and sticking with your current one could be the most sensible choice.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com