radiator cap
DIY

How to Check Your Hose and Radiator Cap for Problems

The cooling system plays an integral role in ensuring your engine runs at an optimal temperature at all times. Besides maintaining fluids, drivers must keep a vigilant eye on the all the working parts that make up the cooling system. This includes the radiator, water pump, hoses, and radiator cap, all which manage the temperature buildup under your hood.

While gearheads and car enthusiasts are pretty familiar with this pivotal function, some drivers aren’t as aware of its importance nor know all the mechanisms that work congruently to cool off your engine. When something goes wrong with your cooling system, you may want to have the right knowledge and proficiency to assess the situation yourself.

That’s why in this post, we’ll briefly detail how to check the condition of your hose and radiator cap should you suspect there is a flaw within your cooling system. Because all coolant hoses need to be intact for the cooling system to operate properly, it’s important for car owners to never neglect this common maintenance task.

Image source: How a Car Works

How to spot coolant leaks

While assessing your cooling system, a tell tale sign that a leak is present is when you notice any unusual bends or brittle junction points on one of the radiator hoses. In most cases, the hose from cylinder block to heater or heater to water pump will cause you the most trouble. Aside from visual indicators, you can typically feel around to pinpoint any weak spots that imply internal damage exists.

Pro tip: Pinch the hose with your fingers in the areas you suspect damage has occurred. When you apply pressure, it should widen the visible cracks so that they are easy to spot.

In some cases, damage won’t be as obvious. Depending on the severity of the leak, a flaw in your radiator hose may be hard to detect. However, common signs that stem from a hose leak involve low coolant levels, coolant crust buildup, and broken clamps.

How do I know if I have a bad radiator cap?

If you find damage on your radiator hose, it’s also a good idea to inspect the radiator cap in the process. While mechanics often use a pressure tester, car owners don’t always have the means to purchase this type of equipment. Instead, you can simply run a DIY test all while taking the right safety precautions. Before getting down to business, things you should look out for include:

  • Any damage to the rubber sealing ring
  • Overall function of the large pressure relief valve
  • Effectiveness of the small center valve (Question to keep in mind: Does it move freely?)

Luckily, it’s relatively easy to determine if the radiator cap is in good working condition. First, warm up the engine of your car. Next, wrap the cap with a thick cloth and put on safety gloves before performing the next step. Lastly, loosen the cap to evaluate the pressure. (Reminder: do not completely remove the cap.)

At this point, if there is no sign of air escaping, the radiator cap is not maintaining the correct pressure for the cooling system to function. As a result, you’ll need to replace the old cap with a new radiator cap that upholds the correct pressure rating.

Overview

Are you a looking to improve your mechanical skills? We hope these tips put you on the right track. Fortunately, checking your hose and radiator cap for problems is easy enough to do on your own. Though small tears and cracks are often the culprit of a coolant leak, sometimes there is internal damage that can’t be spotted by the human eye.

For that reason, we recommend taking your vehicle to the mechanic if you are ever unsure if a leak is compromising your coolant system. You may need a replacement part to get your vehicle up and running in pristine condition again. And remember, if your engine starts to overheat, the cooling system is the first place you should check to see what’s causing trouble under the hood.

Want to learn more DIY tips? Check out our recent feature on “How to Inspect Your Oil like a Pro“.

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Michaella Malone
Michaella Malone is a content specialist and full-time freelancer with 5+ years of experience working with small businesses on online platforms. She is a graduate of Florida State University (Go Noles!) and avid traveller, having visited over 25 countries and counting. In addition to blogging, ghostwriting, and social media content, she has contributed to the development of English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculums for international programs.

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