Antifreeze is critical to safe operation of your vehicle. It protects your engine from overheating by taking the heat from your engine and cooling it with the outside air flowing through your radiator. It also keeps your cooling system water from freezing in cold temperatures. Additionally, it acts as a rust inhibitor inside your engine, piping and radiator. As an important under-hood fluid, your antifreeze needs to be checked regularly, especially on older vehicles.
An antifreeze leak can be caused by many different things:
- A blown head gasket can allow your coolant and engine oil to mix. This is dangerous for your engine and can cause a major catastrophic failure. Even if it doesn’t cause a breakdown right away, you will see your fuel economy drop, your engine performance suffer and your emissions go sky-high.
- A blown head gasket can also allow coolant to leak to the outside of your engine and onto the ground. This will result in a low coolant level and decreased cooling of your engine. If you drive even for a short time without enough coolant, your engine can seize or die altogether.
- An antifreeze leak can occur through a hole in your radiator. Corrosion of your radiator tubes or damage because of stones or debris can create a leak. You may also see a leak between the tank and radiator body over time, as the sealing gasket wears out.
- You can also have antifreeze leaks at the various hose attachment points. Over time, your hoses get hard and brittle, and as a result, coolant can sometimes leak out where they join with your water pump, heater core, radiator or engine.
No matter what the cause, the result is the same: potential damage to your engine if you drive without the correct amount of coolant. This isn’t just a problem in winter, either. The name ‘antifreeze’ might make you assume it’s only critical in winter, but your antifreeze (also called engine coolant) is critical when it’s hot out as well to remove the heat generated by your engine. Your coolant needs to be in tip-top condition all year round.
In the case of a small leak at a radiator hose, it might be possible to tighten the clamp and stop the leak. In most antifreeze leak conditions, however, you only have two options: repair with expensive, time-consuming physical repairs to the hoses, gaskets or parts that are leaking or use a bottle of Bar’s Leak.
We carry many different products for various antifreeze leaks, including these popular solutions:
- Cooling System Repair, for general cooling system leaks
- Radiator Stop Leak Concentrate, a powerful stop leak product for your radiator
- Radiator Stop Leak Tablets, for professional strength, long-term leak stoppage
We can stop mild to moderate antifreeze leaks with our affordable, easy-to-use Bar’s Leaks products designed to work quickly and give you years of leak-free driving. Trust the company with 69 years of experience in the business and some of the most advanced chemical formulations on the market.
