The Car Repair Anyone Can Do That One Garage Could Not

A recent video from the Wrenching with Kenny YouTube channel reinforces the message that “Trust…but Verify” is one of the soundest words to live by when it comes to your car and its repairs.

A Garage Misdiagnosis Fail

In this case, a customer had problems with an overheating Ford Transit that he took to a local chain car repair service facility for diagnosis and repair. However, after inspecting the vehicle, he was told that his vehicle did not have an overheating problem, but that it needed an oil filter and fluid replacement which they did before sending the Transit owner out the door.

Related article: Avoid Lube Center Scams With This Mechanic’s Step by Step DIY Oil and Filter Change Demo

The vehicle was subsequently brought into the host’s garage, whereupon the host quickly diagnosed that the vehicle does have an overheating problem after a simple coolant fluid check showed the vehicle was two gallons low!

In other words, the previous garage failed to follow up the owner’s complaint and failed to make a basic check of whether the Transit had engine coolant.

Had the vehicle been driven much longer, it more than likely would have developed serious engine damage resulting in a total loss for the owner.

Engine Coolant Check and Repair is Simple Enough for the Non-Mechanic Car Owner

The reason why the first garage failed to note the extremely low coolant problem is purely speculative. A good guess, however, is that a non-certified “technician” OJT-trained only to sell and perform oil changes was to blame for the diagnosis failure. Even then, however, this is a basic maintenance and repair skill that every car owner should know at a minimum along with changing the oil every 5,000 miles, checking tire pressure and worn tire replacement, and using the right type of fuel at the pump.

Follow along with the host with this almost unbelievable example of how one Ford owner almost lost his vehicle through another person’s incompetence.

Almost 2 Gallons Low on Coolant. Another Shop Said All Was OK!! Overheating Ford Transit

OVERHEATING ENGINE BASICS

If you are driving down the road and get a check engine light warning on the dash and/or notice that the engine temp light is flashing (or the engine coolant temperature dial is high and rising), you have to immediately pull over somewhere safe and stop your vehicle to access the problem. Failure to do so will result in cylinder head warpage and/or a blown head gasket.

In case you are not familiar with how important your car’s cooling system is or how it works, here is a highly informative animation that will make understanding how your car’s engine temperature is controlled.

Engine cooling system / how does it work? (3D animation)

What to Check When Your Car is Overheating

The first thing to check when your car is overheating is to check the coolant level in the radiator and overflow tank. Low coolant is the most common cause of overheating, as it impairs the cooling system's ability to regulate engine temperature.

Steps to check coolant:

1. Turn off the engine: Allow the car to cool down completely before checking the coolant. Opening the radiator cap while the engine is hot can cause serious burns. Please note, not all cars have a radiator cap but instead are filled with coolant solely through the coolant reservoir (overflow tank) beside the radiator.
2. Check the coolant level: Open the radiator cap and check the coolant level. It should be near the top of the radiator or to the "full" line on the overflow tank.
3. Inspect for leaks: Look for any visible leaks around the radiator, hoses, and engine. Note that some leaks might not be observable unless the engine is running.

• If the coolant is low, the odds are that you have a leak somewhere in the cooling system. The leak might be slow, taking anywhere from hours to days (or even weeks) to observe a noticeable drop in coolant fluid level. Or it might be a serious leak that will be immediately evident after adding water temporarily to the fill mark/radiator cap level and restarting the engine.
• If the coolant level is normal, there might be other issues like a malfunctioning thermostat, faulty water pump, or clogged radiator that need to be addressed requiring the skill set and tools of a professional mechanic.
• In either case, while you might be able to jury-rig a repair with duct tape and several gallons of water to nurse your vehicle back home or to a dependable garage, the safest option (for you and your car) is to have it towed before any further damage could result.

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DIY Coolant Leak Inspection

There are two particularly good reasons why a car owner should add DIY coolant leak inspection to their automotive knowledge bank and skill set:

1. In many cases the cause of a coolant leak is an easy DIY repair that will save the car owner money.
2. Being able to check for coolant leaks after paying a mechanic or garage to fix a leak is the best way to ensure they did the job and did it right.

Fortunately, coolant leak inspecting is easy to do with a small tool investment from the likes of Harbor freight that sells both a Pittsburgh brand coolant leak detection kit (Radiator Pressure Tester Kit: $89.99) and a similar Maddox brand coolant leak detection kit (Radiator Pressure Tester Kit: $129). Both kits work by placing the coolant system under pressure with a hand pump and pressure gauge to reveal hidden or hard to find leaks. The nice thing about both kits (aside from their price) is that they offer different radiator cap adaptors to cover most car models.

To show how easy it is to check the pressure in your car’s cooling system, here is a useful video from the Adam’s Analysis YouTube channel that shows how it is done and what to look for when using radiator pressure testing kit.

Cooling System Leak and Pressure Testing

Last Thoughts About the Topic

The point to all of this is that even the mechanically disinclined can avoid being scammed by a garage and save a lot of money by knowing and understanding their own vehicle’s basic car maintenance and repairs. As such, I highly recommend all car owners to invest a little money into a repair manual for their particular model as a good reference source when having questions about their car’s maintenance and repair…whether or not they take it to the next level by doing it themselves.

For additional articles for the DIY mechanic, here are a few recommended useful ones for your consideration.

• DIY Car Repairs Just Made Easier for These Car and Truck Owners
• Important DIY Test After Jump Starting Your Car
• Easy Toyota RAV4 DIY Fix That Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

COMING UP NEXT: Will Toyota Void Your Warranty…or Worse?

Image Source: Deposit Photos