Guest Blog: How to not boil over

Even the most high-tech vehicles can overheat, especially in hot summer weather. You can save your customers time, money, and aggravation by helping them cost-effectively prevent common causes of engine overheating. Pro tip: The best way to keep an engine from overheating is to regularly check the coolant level and seal any leaks with an affordable, reliable chemical solution like Bar’s Leaks Liquid Copper Block Seal Coolant Leak Fix Stop Leak (p/n 1109).

Here’s a cheat sheet that lays out the four top reasons engines overheat:

• Low coolant level. Suggest your customers check the coolant level and top off as needed before every big trip, especially in summer, and at least once a month for normal driving. If the customer regularly adds coolant or sees other signs of leakage, a chemical stop leak is an easy, inexpensive solution. Antifreeze-compatible formulas like Bar’s Leaks Liquid Copper can be added directly to the radiator with no draining, training or tools needed. It stops most cooling system leaks, including those in radiators, intake manifolds and gaskets, heater cores, blocks, heads and freeze plugs. And once installed, it stays in the cooling system to prevent future leaks.
• Coolant issues. Every vehicle is designed to use a specific type of coolant. Choosing the wrong type of coolant, adding too much or too little water, or mixing different types of coolant can result in major cooling system problems. Suggest your customers review the recommendations in their owner’s manual before topping off coolant.
• A broken water pump. The water pump is a critical component of the vehicle cooling system as it circulates the coolant throughout the engine and radiator. A leaking or faulty pump is a common reason for vehicle overheating. While a chemical stop leak like Bar’s Leaks Liquid Copper can help with a leak at the water pump gasket, faulty pumps should be replaced to prevent engine damage.
• A blocked radiator. Blockages in the radiator tubes and exterior fins reduce how effectively the cooling system performs. If the radiator is clogged internally, the customer may need to drain and flush it before refilling it with fresh coolant. Accumulations of dirt, leaves, bugs, etc. blocking the outside of the radiator can be washed away with a garden hose.

Help your customers keep their – and their vehicles’ – cool this summer by suggesting they regularly check vehicle cooling systems and address any leaks or other issues before they grow into big, expensive problems.

Information provided by Bar's Leaks.