"Cooling System Maintenance That Prevents Catastrophic Engine Damage"

Good morning Niagara you're tuned into car connection where the coffee is hot the tools are ready and the talk is always tuned up and I'm your host dial motor mouth Jenkins coming to you straight from the car connection workshop where we mix a little humor, a little know how and a whole lot of horsepower.

Here it's not just about fixing cars it's about keeping you rolling saving you money and giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood from the classics to the commuters to the weird noises and to the what the heck moments we've got you covered.

So grab your coffee get it in your cup holder you're just going through the drive through this morning and jam that right down in there so you don't lose your favorite morning beverage.

Double check your order before you pull out a line and join the crew this morning because this is car connection your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories smarts a few good laughs and I'm now motor mouth Jenkins and we're shifting into drive this morning right here.

So thank you for tagging along this morning and also making us a part of your morning drive. This is the motor mouth morning drive. That's right. So let's start off on the right foot being the last day of the year that's right this is the last podcast of 2025.

Isn't that amazing when you think about it. No let's not think it's like way too early for that. All right let's raise our favorite cup of morning beverage whatever that is I have a still working on a concoction to a kind of fuel injection cleaning my body.

Yeah, I think it's time I think we built up just too many 2025 cooties and it's time to blow them right out if you know what I'm saying. So whatever your morning beverages raise it up we count it down 321 and we have a swiggy together.

And then we'll say thank you to our program partners for making this podcast available to you our YouTube channel as well. Facebook, Instagram, Stevensville on the web dot ca and our I heart radio podcast wherever you pull your podcasts from.

You just type in the search bar car connection workshop and you'll find us be able to join us each and every morning throughout the week including Saturdays and have a beverage together 321.

Yeah, it's not coffee but you know what I've been getting used to it because I am feeling a whole lot better. Yeah, it's just whatever this cootie is. A lot of people have a different version. You know what I'm saying.

It might just kind of goes away. And you go. Yeah, feeling like. Yeah, this is it. Feeling like an F1 formula race car. Formula one race car and then all of a sudden, bag of hammers. Take care of yourself because we don't have our health. We don't have a whole lot going for us right.

All right, well this morning we kick off part number three. I had to think there for a minute. I was almost dangerous for coffee. Yeah, this is episode 48. Can you believe it? We almost have 50 podcasts up already and we haven't been going all that long.

So thanks for joining us. Thanks for sharing us. Thanks for becoming part of our community. We have merch available. We've been on the radio for 31 years and now we're podcasting and I'm loving it a lot more because I can spend more time with you.

And do a program each and every morning, six days a week. Be a part of your life and you're a part of ours as well. And how cool is that? So we're going to continue with part number three, episode three.

Pulling system maintenance or catastrophic damage. And if you've missed the first two parts, you can go back and collect those on our iHeart channel or anywhere where you're pulling your podcast from. You can find our library. Go back and it would be worthy of your time because when I do the wrap up of this series on New Year's Day, then you'll really, really get a big picture.

Of what this series is all about. I'm going to pull it all together and share a little story with you as to how all these components are what takes a vehicle into the wrecking yard.

Way before its time. Way before. And it was a real eye-opener this past summer when my videographer Skippy and I went out harvesting parts in St. Catharines to a U-Pullet yard and that was the first time ever we were in there. And I'll tell you, it was one hot day.

Hotter than a pepper sprout. We're out there amongst the wrecks. And I'll tell you, we really were taken aback at the condition of the vehicles that were in there.

Like seriously, I could have gone down. We were harvesting some Dodge Caravan parts. One comes to mind. There was this black, fully loaded Dodge Grand Caravan and I'm going, it even Skippy goes, take a look at that thing.

Like the doors, the body, front to back is pretty much in pristine condition and the inside isn't bad either other than some dust. But the transmission was all half-hacked out of it and the grille was all out.

But it wasn't smashed. It died. Why did it die? I looked at it and I go, this would be an interest when you wanted to drag into the car connector workshop, go through it, determine why it ended up in the wrecking yard in such good condition.

But it wasn't the only one. We had like 57 Dodge Caravans to look through. We looked through them all and because we were really interested in seeing the conditions, some were rougher than a stucco toilet seat, but not very many, not very many at all.

Negligent. That was a common denominator. Skippy asked, what do you think? Put them here. Negligent. That's it.

So let's say good morning to our program partners for helping us to make this podcast and our YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, Stevensvilleontheweb.ca and our I Heart Radio.

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Let's jump into our part three series on your vehicles cooling system.

And I've entitled it, Cooling System Maintenance or Catastrophic Damage.

And this is part three.

So you'll want to drive up on New Year's morning.

Yeah, for the motor mouth morning drive, because that's when I'm going to bring all three parts together with a final countdown series part four.

So I'm going to wrap it all up for you in a nice neat package at the end.

So let's jump into two more issues that you need to know about in your vehicles cooling system.

So I'm not going to do a recap this morning and go back to the beginning.

So if you've missed part one, part two, they're already up on our podcast channel with iHeartRadio.

So you go there, you'll find us car connection workshop.

Type it in, you'll find us.

Well, by the time we finish tomorrow on New Year's Day, we will have 50 podcasts up there for you to learn the basic fundamentals of vehicle ownership.

And that's exactly what I like to talk about is at what point does a vehicle actually become your responsibility.

So whether you're one of those people that buy a brand new vehicle every couple of years and you dump it.

This program is probably not for you because you're not keeping them you're fine with and you can afford to pay the interest and the principal on a brand new car.

This program is for those of you who want to become part of the 600,000 kilometer club.

I call it the 600k club.

And 2007 FJ Cruiser is well on its way to 400k and we are standing tall.

Absolutely.

Not because we got a good one and I didn't buy it new.

I don't buy any vehicles brand new.

We'll do a show on that.

I am a big, huge advocate because of my certified financial planning professional brothers, Tony Miele and Larry T troll.

Best vehicle in your driveway is the one that's paid for and you treat it with the utmost respect and like it is a bar of solid gold.

When you get that mindset, you're going to make it to the 600k club.

And also, you're going to want to come back and find out about, you ready?

The fuel saving tip 30 day challenge.

I'm going to walk you through.

I'll be your coach, but I can't do the work for you.

I'm going to walk you through a 30 day plan so that you can see how much money you're wasting in fuel.

But then we're really going to sew it up in the next 30 days.

That's where the 30 day challenge rubber meets the road.

If you think you can do it, you could get a raise early in 2026 as high as $2,000 for the year.

Sound interesting?

Well, I'm putting the challenge out there.

No guts, no glory.

That's what I say.

There has to be a battle to get to the victory.

But if you're interested in giving your household a raise in 2026, I can get you there.

I can get you there by the fuel saving tips 30 day challenge.

Stick around for that.

Maintenance and excessive external wear are the next two topics in your vehicle's cooling system.

Remember, we always teach you five things.

In every single YouTube video that we've created, and we do three brand new videos per week,

you will learn five basic fundamentals of saving money on vehicle repairs

by simply understanding some very basic, simple concepts of maintenance.

So the component, what it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks,

and what could you have known better to prevent that damage from happening.

That's exactly what I'm talking about in this series.

I'm giving you the gold nugget on another way to save thousands of dollars in needless repairs

and making it to the 600K Club.

So if somebody's telling you a vehicle can only go three years, 60,000 kilometers,

or five years, 60,000 kilometers, that is such a load of bologna.

It's alive from the pit of hell, and it smells like smoke.

That is the biggest dupe I've ever heard in my life.

But I said to a salesman one time, are you telling me the manufacturer can only give me 60,000K

or three years, whatever comes first, and then that's it, that's my warranty?

That's all you really feel the vehicle is worth in quality and workmanship?

Are you kidding me?

I said, if you gave it to me, I wouldn't take it.

Three years, 60K, and then what?

I come back and get another one, and then do the same, and come back and get another one,

and do the same, and come back and get another one.

You know what that is?

I nicknamed that back in the early 80s, the never, never plan.

You're never going to own something long enough to put some money back in your pocket.

That's what this program is all about, and understanding the true value of a solid work order

put together properly to protect you as the consumer.

Otherwise, you become a consumer.

I'm hoping I can teach you the enough fundamentals.

We're not building monster trucks and cruisers and custom hot rods in the car connector workshop.

We're teaching you one-on-one the basic fundamentals of auto service and repairs

that will put money back in your pocket.

You like it?

You should, because I don't see too many fellers out there and fellettes doing it.

As I've said before, I'm not doing this because I need scads of cash.

We all need some of that folding stuff, if you know what I mean.

But we can all do something to help someone else.

That's what this channel and all the platforms we're involved in are all about.

Let's jump into number five, which is maintenance.

We're talking about cooling system.

The number one most neglected area for repairs and maintenance on any automobile

that's going down the highway this morning, period.

Most neglected.

Because many of you will not pay attention to anything going on in your vehicle cooling system

as long as the key or the fob and the button gets your vehicle started.

Oh, everything must be good.

Not true.

That is another lie from the pit of hell.

I want to repeat that.

That type of mindset will not get you to the 600K club.

Will not.

But I hop in my 07FJ and I look at the odometer.

Do I think, oh, well, it's just about timed out.

Nope.

I don't think that at all.

I just have to keep doing what I'm doing.

Standard operating procedures, SOPs.

Yeah, we're going to talk more about that early in 2026.

But for now, let's get through number five, which is cooling system maintenance.

Regular maintenance requires that the thermostat, here it is, ding, ding, ding,

be replaced each time the coolant is flushed or during a radiator replacement.

Install the proper temperature range thermostat for maximum engine performance and fuel efficiency.

Fuel efficiency.

Here's the problem.

Here's the biggest problem with today's automobiles.

Nothing's going to flag your thermostat and put on the money light, the service light,

and say, hey, yo, driver guy, I'm getting tired down here.

This is your thermostat speaking.

You suck.

I should have been replaced 50,000 kilometers ago.

Yeah, so the rule of thumb is if your cooling system is not working 100%,

you will never know it until something lets go.

And when it lets go, my friends, that's when you're going to pay the piper,

because it won't be just the thermostat.

It'll be the heater core is probably plugging up.

The radiator is probably two thirds plugged from the bottom up,

and that's how radiators plug up with the blooms.

The, what do they call it, calcium blooms, plugs these little tubes,

and that coolant has to rush through those tubes, pick up air flowing through your grill

to cool it off and get it back to the engine in lickety split time.

And so you can't look from the top down on a radiator and say, yeah, it looks good.

No, it doesn't.

Cut it, take it out, cut it lengthways horizontally with a sawzall,

and then you go, what the heck is that stuff?

Yeah, those are the blooms, the calcium blooms that plug off the tubes

where the coolant has to flow through, get cooled down by air flow,

and get back to the engine to get it cooled down.

So what's the job of the thermostat?

To maintain coolant operating temperature at 195 degrees Fahrenheit, period.

Not a question mark.

So if it's having a hard time maintaining 195 and the engine's running say at like 184,

you are wasting hundreds of dollars of fuel.

Hundreds.

How many hundreds?

Well, we can determine that with the 30-day fuel saving tip challenge.

Should be replacing the thermostat.

I agree with the engineers here that sent me this booklet.

That's what they do.

I've known the company for 44 years and bought their products.

I still buy their products today because I know I've come to know to be able to rely on them.

The only way you're going to know if you're a radiator, we talked about this already,

so I'm not doing a recap that you know that a flow is restricted by calcium blooms

as you would have to take it out, send it out, and get it flow tested

at a professional radiator restoration or rebuilding shop.

And there aren't too many left anymore.

There just aren't.

There used to be dozens.

You'd be lucky if you can even find one now.

So my point was this as I was making my morning coffee was,

you're going to go through all that labor to pull the radiator out, send it out to somebody

and then you're going to pay them to flow test it.

What for?

Why would you want to do that?

Just change the thing.

And as I mentioned already, I think it was on series one

that an engineer from one of the major car manufacturers, I was able to have an hour

and a coffee with that person said, you want your specific vehicle to last longer?

Change the radiator every 100,000 K.

And I said, oh, well, how so?

And he explained it as I'm explaining it to you.

And so that I've adapted that and going, that just makes absolute sense.

Because as I said, you look through the top of the radiator and go, wow, it's really clean up here.

Everything looks good.

No, it ain't.

It's the problem is at the bottom working its way up.

So by the time you see, look through the holes at the top to look at the coolant tubes.

The radiators only using maybe a third of its surface to get that engine to stay running at 195 degrees Fahrenheit permanently.

No matter what's going on outside.

Summer, winter, fall, spring, whatever.

Ambient air temperature outside.

The thermostat is opening, closing, opening, closing, partly open, partly closed, partly open, partly closed, fully open, fully open.

To get that engine up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what we call normal operating temperature.

If your vehicle is running five degrees cooler because the thermostat is not totally closing, the coolant is getting free will to flow too fast.

Then you're wasting fuel because the computer says, oh, we've taken a look at the coolant temperature, not the temperature on the gauge.

There's a sensor and then there's a sending unit, a coolant temperature sending unit.

The sending units for the gauge and the dash, the coolant temperature sensor, I always think of the acronym.

So I had to break it down for it there.

Excuse me, coolant temperature sensor is the sensor that the computer is looking at by temperature.

It converts that into milliamps and it knows what temperature your engine is at.

So if it goes, oh, hey, we're running at 184.

The engine's not warmed up yet.

We need to, hey, injectors, we need more fuel, less air.

Open up, open your app, give us more fuel.

Let's get the fire burning here.

So now you're wasting a ton of fuel because the vehicle is overcooling.

It is born from the day it leaves the assembly line to run at normal engine operating temperature 195 degrees.

So how many of you actually really know what a thermostat looks like?

Well, we can help you with that on our YouTube channel.

When we were putting the engine together for the 1997 Jeep TJ Wrangler, which was sent to us after I found it in a wrecking yard.

And we've been not restoring it, we've been rescuing it.

Yeah, and on New Year's Day, I will share the story on that and give you the backstory that ties right in with what we've been talking about.

So that, listen up again.

Maintenance is number five.

That's its title.

Regular maintenance requires that the thermostat be replaced each time the coolant is flushed or during a radiator replacement.

Install the proper temperature range 195 degrees Fahrenheit, period, amen, for a maximum engine performance and fuel efficiency, period.

It's not a matter of, well, you know, we checked it, it seems to be okay.

We hear too much of that.

Way too much in the service space.

Guys don't want to do service anymore.

Dealers don't want you servicing your vehicle, they want you out of it so you can get a new one sooner than later.

So they haven't been pushing service for probably about 10, 12 years.

So that's why I'm saying you have to take control of not only your own health, but the health of your automobile.

Unless you have a really good working relationship with the shop repair shop where you're taking your vehicle, they'll talk you out of service.

Oh, no, we check, you know, the thermostat, we checked it with our thermal heat gun.

It's running at 195.

Everything's good.

It's called wear and tear.

If you could actually stand there and watch a thermostat being tested and see how many times that thing's opening and closing, partly open, partly closed.

Its job is to hold back the coolant when it's not hot enough.

And when it's getting too hot to open wide open to get the flow rushing through the radiator to get cooled down by air flow and get back to the engine to bring that engine temperature down because heat is the enemy.

As I said yesterday, in yesterday's series, that was part 10.

No, that was part two.

That's right. Part two, we're on part three. Part four is the wrap up.

Is that if your vehicles are running to almost boiling temperature.

So most vehicles today now have electric cooling fans.

And that's another area we haven't even touched on yet.

Those cooling fans, they are detrimental to your engine completely exploding on itself.

Because the coolant has to get to 200 between 212 and 225 before those cooling fans come on.

Water boils between that.

Did you know that?

If I ask you, at what temperature does water boil on the stove?

212, 225 Fahrenheit.

So those cooling fans had better come on.

The thermostat had better be working correctly for everything to work together, just like an orchestra and a conductor.

The cooling system, if your engine is running too hot, your automatic transmission is getting exactly the same.

So you're not only damaging the engine, if it's an automatic transmission, it relies on the cooling system that's built in the radiator to cool its transmission oil.

So again, if the thermostat's not working right, it can over cool the transmission oil because it's open too long.

And, or if it slams closed and it's staying closed too long, it's heating up your transmission oil, which is already hot enough to make donuts.

And I'm not kidding.

It would sculled you.

Transmission oil to go on you just after coming off the road.

Yeah, it will cook your skin.

That's how hot the oil is.

So if your cooling system is neglected, whether it's running too hot or too cool, there's money flying out the window and you're shortening the lifespan of your engine and your automatic transmission all at the same time.

And that I would guarantee you as I opened the conversation this morning about how many, it was 57.

They gave us a ticket when we checked in at the U Pull It Center this past summer.

Skippy and I, my videographer, pulled in some parts actually for Skippy's van and we used it as a pilot for a series that we did.

She was blown away by how many were in there.

They gave us a ticker, a ticket, ticker tape, I called it, like a cash register tape that had 57 Dodge Caravans in there.

And I will tell you if I had an opportunity to dyag any one of those to determine why it was in there, I'll almost guarantee you as either transmission failure or cooling system problem that put it there, it killed the engine.

Yeah, because you can't run them there.

So if you're looking for a motor, it's your call.

You got to look at it and crank it over by hand, but you can't fire it up to determine whether the engine is going to be knocking or the engine is done, is done.

Okay, next.

So mark that down.

For maximum engine performance and fuel efficiency, the thermostat should be replaced anytime the cooling system is open.

And here's a general rule of thumb that I have used for myself all my life as a service tech.

Every two years, pull the thermostat out, put a factory thermostat right back in, just change it.

Because when will that thing slam shut and super overheat your engine right in the middle of July on your way to the cottage or your favorite vacationing spot?

Last but not least for today, excessive external wear is number six.

Radiator excessive external wear is mostly caused by aging or road debris.

Or debris, as one of my friends says, it's debris.

I go, no, it's debris.

Yeah, by aging, it's mostly radiator excessive external wear.

So that's outside of the radiator, not the inside.

So let's make sure that that's made perfectly clear that the external wear is mostly caused by aging and road debris, deteriorating or damaged cooling fins will reduce overall heat transfer.

Replacement is necessary with complete system testing.

What does that mean in English?

Okay, all you tailgaters out there, listen up, you know who you are.

You know, I always say, hey, this guy's in my or gals in my rearview mirror, close enough to swap paint with me.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, at least buy me a beverage before you get that close.

Thank you very much.

I don't know you that well.

If you're one of those tailgaters that gets up behind a 18 wheeler or a coach or any kind of truck box truck cargo truck, there's sandblasting your radiator for you.

That's right.

They're picking up all the dust and dirt and it's absolutely pummeling two things that are right out in front of the vehicle way out away from you.

That is your condenser for your air conditioning and your radiator.

And what is that doing?

It's destroying the cooling the cooling fins that allow air to flow freely through the radiator to get the coolant cooled down.

So when you're riding someone's butt on the highway, you know who you are.

There's lots of you out there doing that.

It's very dangerous, I might add and stupid.

You're wrecking your air conditioning condenser and your radiator.

They're designed exactly the same way to cool a chemical that's running through it.

Refrigerant for your air conditioning condenser and any freeze for your vehicles cooling system.

So back off.

That's what I'm going to tell you.

It isn't NASCAR and you're not drafting, okay?

And there's no white flag, you know, white flag, checker flag and you win.

No, you're losing because you're absolutely sandblasting and little tiny stones are getting embedded in the cooling fins on your radiator.

So then what does that do?

It causes reduced surface area to get that engine coolant cooled up.

Bugs, leaves, all that stuff is getting trapped into your radiator cooling fins and it's absolutely destroying the fins

because they're only lightly tucked pieces of aluminum like Reynolds wrap and they're very delicate.

It doesn't take much to dent them.

And, you know, anywhere, even on your home AC condenser, you know, you take a power washer to it.

You fold a whole pile of fins over and guess what?

You just destroyed your home air conditioning unit.

Now you got to get what we call a fin rake to rake those fins and get them standing back up

because, you know, the more of them that you have bent over the less the cooling system works

and that's the same with your air conditioning.

If the air conditioning fins are bent over reduces the cooling of the refrigerant to get you air conditioning.

So that system's running too hot and you're burning that out to at the same time.

So back off.

Get off of people's butts because you're wrecking your air conditioning and your cooling system.

You're blowing out your radiator, stuffing it full of crud and taking away the opportunity for your radiator

to properly cool the antifreeze and get it back to the engine and get the heat away before you start melting down your motor.

Oh, and at the same time, melting down your automatic transmission at the same time, dual duty.

I hope that you're kind of getting a better understanding as to why we have a lot of vehicles in the wrecking yard that are not smashed.

They're not.

They're in perfectly good condition.

Not all tore up.

Front ends ripped right off.

They've died.

And then the cost to fix all those things I've talked about in the last three series.

All those components will kill your engine.

Kill your vehicles transmission.

And it's done because when somebody looks at you and go, you know, the engine's gone.

Gonna be 16,000 bucks to replace it.

I'm out.

So the first thing I hear, people used to abandon cars all the time at my shop.

Just here's the keys, sign over the tag, do whatever you want with it.

I got to go get another one.

I'm not putting that money into an older car.

That's the first thing I hear.

So stick around for the wrap up New Year's Day, 2026.

Motor mouse morning drive.

You're going to get a complete wrap up with a nice bow on it to finish off with series, series number four.

Cooling system maintenance or catastrophic damage.

It's your choice.

It really is.

And if you pay heed, you will make it to the 600 K club without a problem, without a problem.

And that's money to change in your pocket.

So till next time, thanks for allowing me into your world and thanks for being a part of our car connection community.

Don't forget to visit our website anytime you can email me through there.

There's a website form comes directly to me.

Be a part of our YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, Stevensvilleontheweb.ca.

My pops lives in Stevensville for 40 some odd years.

And we got to know a lot of business owners there and there's some fabulous businesses, eateries and stuff to do in the heart of Stevensville.

So they put together for us.

And we're thankful, very truly thankful and grateful for it.

A business profile page just for car connection.

So we're part of the community.

And I really love that coming alongside mom and pop shops.

They're working hard to make a living and enjoy what they do.

You can also find our iHeart link there as well on our homepage and our Merck store.

Jump in there, purchase whatever you'd like, your size, your color, pay for it.

Put it in your shopping cart, pay for it safely online and gets delivered directly to your door through Freedom Expressions,

which is a company that Total Freedom Dairy Center in New York has created to help those that are going through addictions

to actually learn how to have a position of work and earning some money and learning how to get back into society.

So they put together our Merck store for us and we are so grateful for that.

So let's show them some gratitude and get to Merch.

Be a part of the MotorMouth crew and we'll see you in the next one in the next morning drive with MotorMouth at 8am Monday through Saturday morning.

So happy healthy motoring and a happy new year to all of you.

Remember, no drinking and driving designated driver.

Somebody's picking you up or you take an Uber, you take a bus, you take a taxi cab, but there's no excuse for drinking and driving.

Okay, make sure you got that set up.

Have a good time.

I know there'll be lots going on in Niagara Falls.

Along the Falls, I haven't even looked to see who's going to what bands are coming into town, but I've been there before standing there freezing to death,

ringing in the new year along the Niagara Gorge.

It's just amazing.

And if it's not raining, dress warm and enjoy it.

And we'll see you tomorrow morning at 8am or another MotorMouth morning drive.

Bye for now.

"Cooling System Maintenance That Prevents Catastrophic Engine Damage"

About this episode

Dodge Grand

transmission

wrecking yard

Toyota FJ Cruiser

600k club

cooling system

thermostat

heater core

radiator

calcium blooms

coolant

engine temperature

Jeep Wrangler

thermal heat gun

electric cooling fans

engine lifespan

Dodge Caravan

engine knocking

air conditioning condenser

cooling fins

sandblasting

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