Auto Repair
Cooling System Repair
Overheating is one of the few faults where continuing to drive turns a moderate repair into an engine. The first job is finding out whether coolant is going out of the system or into it.
What you might be noticing
If any of this sounds familiar, it is worth having looked at.
- Temperature gauge climbing, especially under load
- Coolant level dropping with no visible leak
- Sweet smell, or white smoke from the exhaust
- Heater blowing cold, or hot and cold intermittently
- Visible coolant under the vehicle
- Overflow tank boiling or pushing coolant out
External leaks are the straightforward case: a hose, a radiator, a water pump, a housing. Pressure testing finds them and the repair is what it is.
Coolant disappearing with nothing on the ground is the case that matters. That can mean a head gasket, and on some engines it can mean damage to the sealing surfaces underneath the gasket. We pressure-test, inspect the cylinders and establish where it is actually going before anyone talks about engines.
How we approach it
- 01
Pressure test the system
Cold, and held, to find whether it holds pressure at all.
- 02
Rule out external leaks first
Hoses, radiator, pump, housings and heater core.
- 03
Check whether coolant is entering a cylinder
Plugs out and a physical look inside, because compression numbers can look fine while it is happening.
- 04
Verify fan and thermostat operation
An overheat at idle and an overheat at speed are different faults.
Pricing
We quote this work once we have seen the vehicle. The same job can differ a lot between model years and conditions, and we would rather give you a real number than a low one we have to walk back at the counter. Call and we will tell you what diagnosis costs and what the realistic range looks like.
Every repair backed by our 24 month / 24,000 mile warranty
Prices are pre-tax and cover the work described. Anything we find that changes the job gets discussed with you before it happens.
Common questions
Can I just keep topping up the coolant?
Not for long. Coolant is leaving the system somewhere, and if it is going into the engine rather than onto the ground, continuing to drive can turn a moderate repair into an engine.
Is it safe to drive if the temperature gauge climbs?
No. Overheating is one of the few faults where continuing to drive causes real, expensive and sometimes permanent damage. Stop, let it cool, and have it looked at.
How do you tell an external leak from an internal one?
Pressure-testing the system cold. External leaks show themselves. If it holds no pressure with nothing visible outside, the coolant is going somewhere internal, and that means looking inside the cylinders.
Do I need the special coolant, or will any do?
Use what the vehicle specifies. Coolant specification is a chemistry and materials-compatibility question, not marketing, and mixing types can cause corrosion and gelling that costs far more than the right coolant would have.
My car overheats in traffic but is fine on the highway. What does that mean?
That pattern usually points at airflow — a cooling fan, its control, or a blocked radiator — because at speed there is enough air passing through regardless. Overheating at speed instead suggests flow or capacity.
Now open
East Bridgewater, MA
Black Oval Automotive530 Spring St Ste# 3East Bridgewater, MA 02333Hours Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
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