Car cooling systems rely on a sealed network of hoses to pump antifreeze/coolant into an engine. These hoses are arranged in a sealed loop which allows a smooth & constant flow of antifreeze/coolant to make its way deep into the components which include the cylinder heads, head casket & engine block – while making the engine glide through with the optimal level of performance at the perfectly right temperature.
When air is allowed inside the sealed system, the bubbling and blockages can probably occur which lead to the engine overheating. There are many possible causes for air pockets within the cooling system and we will cover these as a part of our guideline on what this means when antifreeze/coolant bubbles appear in the system.
Why does a car’s coolant bubble?
The car with Ve commodore radiators has cooling systems which are pressurized and rely on a leak-free closed circuit of hoses in order to inject antifreeze/coolant around the engine. When air creeps into this sealed system, the air pockets can indeed form bubbles which will result in the formation of blockages giving birth to the problem of overheating.
The bubbling very strongly indicates a major rise in the air pressure in the cooling system in a car with a Ve commodore radiator. This is a sign that the flow of the liquid is blocked by a pocket of air. One of the most common causes is a blown head gasket in which the pressure within the cylinder is transferred to the cooling system. The air which escapes causes bubbling in the antifreeze/coolant reservoir and can be mistaken to be boiling.
Aside from a blown head gasket, there are many other causes for the air inside in the cooling system and this causes bubbling. At the same time, antifreeze/coolant flows into the cylinder head through the leak in the head gasket. This specifically means that the cooling system steadily fills with air as the liquid leaks into the cylinders, reducing the liquid pressure of the system that causes the fluid to climb up to the boiling point. With a leakage in the head gasket, the overheating can happen rapidly with white steam pouring from beneath the bonnet.
If this is a faulty pressure cap or crack in the engine block or Ve commodore radiator, the pressure of the coolant/antifreeze would be leaked and the fluid would be inching close to the boiling point and cause the engine to overheat beyond the permissible limit.
What is the boiling point of antifreeze/coolant?
The point at which the antifreeze/anti-coolant boils depends on the overall quality of the product itself, and the pressure maintained inside the cooling system. At normal operating pressure, the boiling point is usually 129 degrees Celsius and the freezing point is -37 degree Celsius.
However, in case the pressure inside the Ve commodore radiator is compromised by a leakage in the cooling system or in case there is a faulty component like a blown head gasket, the boiling point of the coolant would fall as the pressure within the system would drop considerably. That is the major reason when your car has a leakage fault and overheating can also occur and the antifreeze/coolant can boil in this particular system.
How does air get inside the Ve commodore system & How can i probably fix the same?
There are several reasons why air gets inside the Ve commodore radiator & these range from just minor issues to serious mechanical issues. There can be issues with the head gasket, cooling system pressure cap, air pockets in the Ve commodore radiator. The only way is to identify the issue and get the same sorted by a professional technician.
Conclusion
The Ve commodore radiator in your car is to be taken very good care of and should be checked and serviced at regular intervals for maintaining the same at the best working condition.