Virginia Wing Transportation
Coolant Systems

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Virginia Wing Transportation Directorate
Automotive Batteries
Coolant Systems

Winterizing

Corrosion inside the cooling system can cause failure of various components such as the water pump, thermostat, radiator cap and heater control valve. The best way to prevent corrosion is to flush the cooling system periodically and replace the antifreeze. If the car has more than 60,000 miles, you should also consider replacing the thermostat and radiator cap preventatively. Some modern engines cannot tolerate even a single bout of overheating without incurring serious damage like a blown head gasket. So everything you can do to prevent overheating is a plus.

If you have leaks in the cooling system, get them taken care of now.

While many people think of overheating as a summer problem, cars can overheat in winter, too, if they run low on or out of coolant. And overheating can cause expensive engine damage whenever it happens. Plus, if you have no coolant -- or low coolant -- you have no heat!

Transportation Directorate, Virginia Wing Headquarters, CAP