Low Coolant!

Do you have low coolant?  Are you sure? Even if your car has a coolant level indicator, they are notoriously unreliable in most vehicles.  Many times you can get a “low coolant” light or message in your vehicle’s information center and really have plenty of coolant in your system.  Similarly, you may not have any warning, either because your car doesn’t track coolant level or because the system is malfunctioning and have so little coolant you are risking damaging your engine!

The first step to finding out if you have low coolant is learning how to check how much coolant your car has in it.  Nearly every gasoline and diesel engine vehicle on the road today have a way to check the coolant level. A good place to start is the vehicle’s owner’s manual.  Often there is a “maintenance” section that not only tells you how often to replace certain fluids, like coolant, in your vehicle but will tell you where you can check the level in your car.

As your coolant gets hot from the engine running and cools down, it will expand and contract.  Your cooling system will have an overflow bottle or expansion tank to allow for this change in volume of your cooling system.  This is also most likely where you will be able to check your coolant level to see if it’s low. The bottle is often clear with “low” and “full” markings on it but it may also be black and have a dipstick you can read or pull out from the top under the cap.

Great job!  You know exactly how much coolant your vehicle has in it!  Unless you found your coolant bottle empty, then you need to start adding the manufacturer’s recommended coolant until the level stops dropping in between drives.

If you do find a low coolant level, it may simply be due to evaporation.  Some coolant overflow bottles are vented to the air and are filled with hot coolant so it’s not unusual for some to evaporate over time.  It also could be an indication that you’ve got a leak! Coolant system pressure tests are the best way to check for leaks in your cooling system, so we recommend having your mechanic start there.

If you find a leak in your head gasket, heater core, freeze plugs, radiator or other cooling system components, try using BlueDevil Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer to seal your system and stop your leaks!

You can pick up BlueDevil Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer at one of your local auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• Bennett Auto Supply
• CarQuest Auto Parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Fast Track
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
• S&E Quick Lube Distributor
• DYK Automotive
• Fisher Auto Parts stores
• Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
• Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
• Salvo Auto Parts
• Advantage Auto Stores
• Genuine Auto Parts stores
• Bond Auto Parts stores
• Tidewater Fleet Supply
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
• Any Part Auto Parts
• Consumer Auto Parts