As summer temperatures reach new highs, keeping your engine running cool in these conditions is a must. Keep your cooling system well maintained and working at its best with these tips.

Keep Your Car's Cooling System at Its Best

During the summer, outdoor temperatures can reach extreme highs. These temperatures can affect the already hot temperatures under the hood of your car. If your cooling system is at its best, this should be no problem. However, if your cooling system hasn't been maintained well, this can lead to issues like overheating. To keep your cooling system working efficiently and avoid overheating this summer, use these tips.

Your Cooling System's Main Components

Your cooling system is a complex system made up of many parts that all work together to get the job done. From fluid flowing through hoses to parts regulated by temperature sensors, all of these parts contribute in some way to keeping your engine running at an ideal temperature so that you don't have to worry about it overheating. Below are some of the main components you should get to know:

• Radiator: Your car's radiator is considered the most important part of the entire cooling system. You can find the radiator under the hood of your car and right behind the grill. It's located in this spot because it partially uses the air flow to cool down your vehicle's coolant. Once the coolant has reached its ideal temperature, it leaves the radiator and heads back to the engine to remove more heat from it.
• Thermostat: Your vehicle's thermostat can be found between the radiator and the engine. When the car is just heating up, the thermostat will be closed in order to prevent coolant from flowing to the radiator. Once things start to heat up and the coolant is quite hot, the thermostat will open, allowing it to flow to the radiator where it will get cooled down.
• Water Pump: Your vehicle's water pump has the basic job of keeping your coolant moving through the system, including the hoses and other passageways that connect the different parts.
• Fans: You may have never noticed them before, but there will be one or two fans under the hood of your car just behind the radiator. These fans are controlled by temperatures sensors and will turn on when temperatures are getting too high. When your car is moving fast, it will take in quite a bit of air, which helps the radiator cool down the coolant. When your car is moving slowly (stop and go traffic) or is stopped with the engine on, the fans will turn on to help keep things cool.
• Coolant: Coolant will be needed in order for the entire system to do its job properly. This fluid flows through the entire system, picking up heat from the engine and then taking it to the radiator where it gets cooled down. You will need to use the correct type of coolant for your car and keep it at the proper level in order to prevent overheating.

To make this summer less taxing on your engine, be sure to give it a synthetic oil change in Minneapolis. A synthetic oil like AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil can help your engine stay cool no matter how hot temperatures get. Find even more great products like this by contacting the friendly oil pros at All Service Oil. Give them a call at (763) 257-3130 or visit their online store to find a full range of all the best AMSOIL Oil products.

Common Cooling System Issues

A number of things can go wrong in the cooling system if it's not properly maintained. It's important that you check on its many parts regularly in order to detect small issues that can grow in more serious problems. Some of the most common cooling system issues to look out for include:

• Leaky hoses. The hoses in your cooling system may not seem very important, but they can get worn out over time. Through the years, they may start to dry up, crack, or split. This can lead to coolant leaks, leaving your car with too little coolant and at risk of overheating.
• Water pump failure. Since the water is responsible for keeping your coolant moving through the system if it fails you'll run into serious issues. Your coolant will have a very hard time making its way to the parts it's supposed to work with, meaning it won't be able to reduce the heat in the engine.
• Thermostat failure. The thermostat regulates the temperatures under the hood and controls the flow of coolant. If it gets stuck open or closed, it can lead to a series of issues for your engine.

Give Your Car a Synthetic Oil Change in Minneapolis

To ensure this summer goes smoothly for your car, give it a synthetic oil change in Minneapolis. To find the perfect products for your next oil change, contact the oil pros at All Service Oil. Give them a call at (763) 257-3130 for help finding the perfect products for your next oil change.