Does a car's radiator need cleaning?
2 Answers
When the engine's water temperature is high, the water pump circulates water repeatedly to lower the engine's temperature. (The radiator consists of hollow copper tubes. Hot water enters the radiator, is cooled by air, and then circulates back to the engine cylinder walls) to protect the engine. In winter, if the water temperature is too low, the water circulation stops to prevent the engine from getting too cold. Prevent the car from "boiling over," regularly replace the coolant, avoid using tap water as a substitute for coolant, and perform regular maintenance on the engine radiator.
That day I went to the repair shop to change tires and casually asked the mechanic if the radiator needed cleaning. The mechanic pointed to the rusty water dripping from the neighboring car’s chassis and said, 'Look at that car—it learned the hard way! Radiator pipes are like blood vessels; over time, scale and rust build up inside, especially in areas with hard water like the north.' He mentioned that if coolant isn’t changed for two years, it becomes sticky, like syrup clogging the cooling fins. He once had a car in his shop that kept overheating in summer—when they opened the radiator, they found all the cooling fins blocked by willow catkins and dead insects. Now, I follow his advice: every spring, I use an air gun to blow debris off the radiator surface, and when changing coolant, I add a specialized cleaner to circulate for half an hour. This keeps the engine cool and extends its lifespan.
