Hey guys,

Long story short, I was rear ended and my car is in the shop. It got fixed but today I got a call from the mechanic saying that my radiator is leaking anti-freeze and needs replacement.

I'm just wondering what questions I should ask and what I should look into. I've done some preliminary research and I understand that the leak could be due to several problems such as the water pump, the radiator itself, or a hole in the hose.

A few months back something happened to my A/C compressor which needed to get replaced, so I'm wondering if the radiator system is also connected to the A/C compressor (I've read that they sometimes are. I have also noticed that since the compressor was replaced, my A/C is not as cool as it used to be) or could this just be simply a matter of replacing the coolant?

I haven't asked yet if he's done a pressure test to isolate the leak, is that the proper question to ask?

I looked into "muddy radiators" and forums seem to suggest all it really needs is a good hosing, but these links seem to pertain mostly to SUVs/off-roaders.

I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to mechanics of the cars and I'm just seeking some expert advice and to see if anyone has any experience in this arena.

I've posted here a couple of times, mostly when in dire need. I'm sorry for not being more of a participant on this forums but I have always been thankful for the advice I've gotten. So, thank you.

 

ok first off, your ac is not related at all to your radiator, and your ac not blowing cold could be a few things, need more refrigerant, leak some where, blah blah

as for the "muddy" radiator, have you been there to see that it is muddy?

does he mean the coolant looks like mud, i didn't click your links, but the info you read is probably on the outside of the rad being muddy not the coolant itself

main reason for coolant becoming "muddy" is due to age.... you will want to try and clean your cooling system after getting all the old fluid out of it.... i used to work at a general maintenance shop, and we would get some that were just starting to get there, pretty easy to fix, then the ones where it is actually like "mud" you will need to start replacing parts, ie the rad it self, the overflow bottle, the hoses..... first i would try to run some extremely hot water through the system before replacing anything, but worse case scenario you might be replacing parts

 

A leaking radiator is not an uncommon problem, there are other locations for coolant to leak however. Have a look yourself, do you drip coolant near the front of the car, or towards the back (if you have a belly pan on, it might be difficult). If you think the shop is trying to sell you something you dont need, get a second opinion somewhere else, if they also tell you you have a bad radiator, then your radiator is probably leaking. The cars cooling system isnt related to the A/C. The A/C uses REFRIGERANT (a gaseous substance at atmospheric pressure, that also contains a very bright neon oil dye) while the cooling system uses coolant. The only relation between the two is that the A/C has a radiator of its own, called the condenser, it is located right in front of the coolant radiator, it is black while the radiator (for the coolant), is a metal color.

If you A/C was warmer immediately after replacing the compressor clutch, it is likely the shop did not fill the A/C enough after completing work on the A/C system. If the A/C got worse over time, you likely have a leak somewhere. To find the leak look for wet looking circles on the condenser (described above), or for neon green at the various A/C components (which I can describe later if you think this is your problem).

Coolant should be flushed if it starts to become murky in color. This can be done professionally by a shop, or done by yourself. Water should be run through the system and poured out multiple times so that the water that comes out of the system is no longer murky. There are drain plugs on the front of the radiator and at the water pump. If the coolant is extremely thick, either the result of dirt or the result of mixing the wrong coolant together (adding g12 coolant for audis that is pink in color only, nothing else). If it were thick, and/or proper cooling became an issue (cooling for the car, not cooling for you and the A/C), thats when you should start replacing parts. It is good to look at the coolant color itself, the coolant fill reservoir makes the coolant look dirtier than it is if it is a ugly yellow color.