again. With the summer weather comes the hot temperatures. Is your car ready for the summer?
Have you had the engine cooling system checked? No, I don't mean the air conditioner when I say
"Cooling System" I mean the system that prevents the engine from running too hot. The antifreeze, fan
belt or belts, water pump, thermostat and radiator. I've worked on many vehicles that had overheated
because the cooling system was not checked and a simple thing like the fan belt that drives the water
pump broke causing the engine to overheat. A small investment that would have prevented a very
expensive repair to the engine had the cooling system been checked for summer use. If your vehicle is
five years old or more you should have the cooling system drained, flushed and new antifreeze installed.
The radiator, water pump and fan belts should also be carefully inspected. I would recommend a qualified
auto technician perform this service.
How about the windshield wiper blades? They usually get pretty beat up over the winter months due to the
snow and ice. Now is a good time to replace them. There are some auto parts stores that will even replace
the blades for you at no extra charge.
OK, now lets get to the tires, you know, those four round things that keep your car from touching the
ground. It seems most owners neglect ever checking the condition of the tire wear much less the
pressure in the tires. Good tire condition and proper inflation will give you safer handling and better fuel
economy and with the cost of fuel, that is a real plus.
Well we now have the engine running cool, we can see out the windshield when it rains and our vehicle
rides and handles great so off we go only to find that it is hot as you know what inside of our vehicle.
WHAT happened to the air conditioner.
Most of the vehicles today will retain their refrigerant charge for a good number of years but should be
checked for proper performance by a qualified technician in the AC field. Yea, I know what your going to
say. If my system doesn't get cold like it did when I first bought it, I can go to a Wal-Mart or other parts
store and buy one of those recharge kits and do it myself. Now, I'm not saying you can't, what I'm saying is
that a low refrigerant charge may not be the problem and that by adding additional refrigerant to the
system you may be creating a dangerous condition of excessive high pressure which could cause a
refrigerant hose to rupture which may cover you with refrigerant and cause injury to your body especially
your face or eyes, or a compressor to seize up and damage drive belts or other parts of your vehicle. I
strongly recommend you have the system serviced by a qualified AC technician.
