Automotive and diesel
Cooling Systems
Overheating is the failure that turns a cheap repair into an engine. It also happens here for a specific reason: this shop sits at the foot of the Sierra, and a long climb in summer heat is exactly the load that finds a cooling system that was fine around town. We pressure test to find where the coolant is actually going rather than replacing parts in order until it stops.
What it usually turns out to be
You do not need a diagnosis to call. Describe what it is doing and we will tell you whether it is a shop job.
The gauge climbs on a long climb and settles again on the flat
The most common version around here, and the most informative. A system that copes around town and not on a grade is usually marginal rather than broken: a partly blocked radiator, a fan or fan clutch not pulling what it should, or a thermostat opening late. We test it under load rather than idling in the yard.
You keep topping up the coolant and never find a puddle
Coolant that goes somewhere without leaving a mark is either burning or going into the oil, and both are worth knowing about quickly. We pressure test cold and hot, and we check for combustion gases in the coolant if the picture points that way.
The heater blows cold, or only blows hot when you are moving
A heater is a small radiator, so a heater that stopped working is often the cooling system telling you it is low or airlocked before the gauge does. It is a useful early warning and worth acting on.
Sweet smell, or a film on the inside of the windshield
Usually a heater core. It is a nuisance job because of where it lives, and it is worth diagnosing properly before anybody takes a dashboard apart.
It overheated once and seems fine now
Get it looked at anyway. One overheat can leave a head gasket weeping in a way that does not show up until the next hot day with a load behind you. Whether it did is checkable, and checking is much cheaper than finding out on a grade.
What we do
- Cooling system pressure testing
- Radiator repair and replacement
- Water pump replacement
- Thermostat and thermostatic circuit repair
- Cooling system flush, exchange and rehose
- Electric fan and motor assemblies
- Freeze plug replacement
- Cylinder head service and gasket work
What we do not do here
- We do not recore radiators here. We repair and replace them, and where a recore is genuinely the right answer we will say so rather than sell you the job we happen to do.
- We are not going to tell you what your vehicle can safely tow. That number comes from the manufacturer. What we will do is tell you honestly whether the cooling system is up to what you are already doing.
- We do not name a coolant brand or specification on this page. The right coolant is the one your manufacturer specifies, and mixing types is a genuine way to cause the problem you were trying to avoid.
- We do not quote a cooling repair from a description of the gauge. Where the coolant is going is a test, not a guess.
Before you call, have this handy
None of it is required. It just gets you a real answer on the first call instead of the second.
When it happens, in detail
Climbing, idling, in traffic, at speed, with the air on, towing. Cooling faults are load-dependent and the conditions are most of the diagnosis.
How much coolant you have added, and how often
Rate matters. A pint a month and a gallon a week are different problems with different urgency.
Whether it has ever actually overheated
And what you did. Pulling over immediately and driving another ten miles have very different consequences, and it changes what we check.
Questions
Questions we get asked
It only overheats when I climb. Is that still a problem?
Yes, and it is the most common version we see, because of where we are. A system that copes around town and not on a grade is marginal, and marginal becomes a failure on the hottest day with the most weight behind you. That is the day it costs the most.
Can I just keep topping it up?
You can, right up until you cannot. Coolant going somewhere unseen is either burning or getting into the oil, and both get more expensive the longer they run. It is a cheap thing to test.
Do you flush cooling systems?
Yes, and we look up the technical service bulletins for your vehicle first. Manufacturers publish known issues and specific procedures for a lot of these systems, and it is worth ten minutes to check rather than doing the generic version.
Is a head gasket always the answer when coolant disappears?
No, and we would rather rule it out than assume it. It is one of several possibilities and it is the most expensive, which is exactly why it should be tested for rather than guessed at.
Do you work on RV and diesel cooling systems too?
Yes. Same bench, and on a turbo diesel the charge air cooler is part of the same conversation. Four bays are sized for large RVs.
Talk to someone who works on these
Call the shop and we will tell you the soonest realistic date rather than book you and hold your rig. Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00, Saturday 8:00 - 12:00.