Where Should You Put Water in Your Car and Why?
Remember the last time when you were in a rush, driving to your destination, but all of a sudden you noticed that, burning smells coming out from the bonnet with steam? Probably, your radiator needs some attention whether it needs water to pour on it. Even though this can happen to anyone, but this is something that you don’t want this to happen to you.
The radiator helps a lot to keep your car’s engine cool. So, if you are someone who doesn’t really want to face issue with the radiator, it is crucial for you to look after it. If anything goes wrong under the bonnet, the water temperature gauge will grab your attention first. Make sure it doesn’t go beyond 90 degree Celsius.
But if it rises, congratulations! It’s show time!
Putting Watering into the Radiator
Car engines often lead you to tough times. Always keep enough water to feed your radiator when things don’t work in your way. To cool down your radiator, first, you need to open the radiator cap. Be careful dealing with a hot radiator, or you might end up toasting your finger.
Check the dashboard if there is any icon signaling the engine overheating, or the radiator is low on coolant. A radiator does not work accurately without filling with enough coolant.
To avoid burning your finger, place a cloth cover the cap and try turning it counterclockwise to its first stop. It will allow escaping the pressure. However, if you see any liquid or steam coming out from it, wait till things get cool down and retighten the cap.
If there is nothing problematic you find, turn the cap counterclockwise to remove it entirely.
Now, you need to check the level of liquid inside. Through the radiator fill hole, look to check how high the fluid is still there. If you face any trouble figuring out what the liquid level should be, see if the radiator tubes are visible to your eyes when you look into the hole.
It is okay if you witness the liquid reaches to a couple of inches below the radiator cap.
If you find the engine very hot, this whole process of pouring water could be a tricky one. The best recommendation for you would be, let the engine cool. You might face few issues regarding this. If you pour water in such hot temperature, chances are high that the water may quickly boil as soon as you pour it into the hole. The boiling water will cover you with steam.
However, if you think instead of pouring regular water, you should go with cold water, then know that as soon as the cold water goes into the radiator, it can create a thermal shock. In result, you might end up damaging your engine’s parts. Another chance is that, when the cold water hits the thermostat, it will close until being circulated and warmed up.
If you are lost with zero alternatives but ignoring all that we mentioned earlier, we assume you have a good reason to take the risk. After turning the engine off, wait for as long as you can. Cover the radiation cap with a cloth and undo it. Step back when you feel it is released. Wait till everything stops.
Now, start the engine and add some water very carefully. Maintain the flow of pouring water under the radiator cap. After the filling, put the cap back, and then top up header tank. All you need to do is pouring the water slowly when the engine is in running state.
But don’t take this risk every time and any time. The risk is worth taking when you are under unmanageable circumstances.
Mix Coolant with Water
However, you can also mix the clean water with coolant for your car’s cooling system to avoid overheating. Even though it is totally fine to add water to the radiator, but it is always preferable for you to add the mixture of water and coolant.
So that, in case the water boils, the coolant will lead the way to cool the engine and take you to your destination without an additional overheating problem.
You can also have an RV water filter system, if you want.
Conclusion
Maintaining a car is not the easiest job as you have to face various problems like this one. But what you can do is, learn how to deal with those issues. If you would have to pour water into the hot radiator, just imagine what would you do to your car’s engine without having the knowledge to handle the situation.
Hopefully, now you know how to calm the radiator down in the most effective way possible.