As drivers, we often take the smooth operation of our vehicles for granted, with the engine humming along as we navigate the roads. At the heart of this reliability is a critical component – the radiator. Radiators regulate the engine’s temperature and are indispensable to our vehicles’ health.

However, the inconvenience and potential damage caused by radiator leaks can quickly turn a smooth ride into a frustrating experience. In this article, we will explore the common causes of radiator leaks and delve into effective ways to stop them, ensuring that your vehicle’s radiator remains a reliable source.

What Causes A Radiator To Leak

Below are some common causes that you should look out for to maintain a healthy radiator.

1. Corrosion

The leading and most common cause of radiator leaks is corrosion and rust brought on by consistent exposure to heat and pressure. Consequently, cracks form in the radiator which results in holes developing and in turn, causes coolant to leak out.

The leading and most common cause of radiator leaks is corrosion and rust brought on by consistent exposure to heat and pressure. Consequently, cracks form in the radiator which results in holes developing and in turn, causes coolant to leak out.

2. A Faulty Radiator Gasket

The radiator gasket, which is located between the radiator and the coolant tank, prevents coolant from leaking out. So, when it wears out, coolant rapidly escapes from the tank which severely decreases the effective cooling properties of any remaining fluid. This vital part of the cooling system needs to be replaced by a professional immediately before severe overheating occurs.

3. Poor Service Practices

Poor service practices can harm the radiator. As an example, overfilling the radiator leads to leaks due to increased water pressure. Keep in mind the impact of service-related issues on radiator health.

A lubricant is generally a fluidic material with the primary function of reducing friction between surfaces in contact. Lubricant minimises energy loss generated from friction; at the same time it can also be very useful to clean, cool, and prevent metal parts from corrosion & rust and many such challenges a machine faces during its operation.

For Example: Engine oil is a specific type of lubricant that is developed for application in engines. A good quality engine oil is very essential for the appropriate working of an engine; this helps to operate engine efficiently, prevents from damages and helps in extending the life of the engine.

Composition of a Lubricant:

A lubricant is composed of two substances:

• Base Oils, and
• Additives

Base oils make-up most of the volume of a lubricant and can either be made of a mineral oil or of a synthetic oil. Mineral base oil can be obtained from a distilling process while refining crude oil, and Synthetic base oils are made by further refining of mineral base oil through laboratory treatments, and few synthetic base oils are manufactured. Base oil can be divided into four groups, usually depending on the purity level of that oil. The Group-I and Group-II are Mineral Base Oils, Group-III is known as Synthetic Base Oil, other base oils falls under Group-IV category.

Additives, which form anywhere between 10-30% of the lubricant’s composition, are required to enhance or add desirable properties to the base oil, such as reducing friction, improving viscosity index, managing deposits and sludge through detergents-dispersants additives etc.

Lubricants are formulated with specific additives & base oils depending upon the application and the benefits expected out of them.

Uses of Lubricants:

Lubricants are used for a variety of applications, for example:

• Engine oils are used for application inside engine. A good engine oil would results in a clean, rust-free engine, would improve fuel efficiency and performance, maximise your engine’s life and reduce vehicular emissions.
• Gear oils are used mainly in automobiles gearboxes: Manual, Automatic etc. Developed generally with high viscosity base oil and selective additives, it ensures superior protection of gear parts from high mechanical pressure.
• Hydraulic oil is used to transfer hydrostatic power in hydraulic machinery.

A good lubricant is a must for any machine, for a variety of reasons. Lubricating oil should be changed often for best results, as recommended by machine/vehicle manufacturer.

Whether you’re a commuter, tourer, weekend-rider or racer, the motor oil within the engine and gearbox of your motorcycle has perhaps the biggest influence on its performance and longevity. Spinning at up to 15,000 revs, the internal components of a four-stroke (four-cycle) motorcycle engine and transmission (gearbox) work incredibly hard and lubrication helps reduce wear. As well as improving protection, the right lubrication can also help maximise engine performance by minimising friction, reducing pumping pressures and avoiding harmful deposits.

Manufacturers recommendation

The frequency with which you should change the motor oil in your particular motorcycle is defined by the manufacturer. You can choose to change your engine oil more frequently – but you should never leave it longer than the manufacturer recommends. The manufacturer of your motorcycle will also specify the grade (viscosity) of the engine oil which should be used.  But, what does their recommendation actually mean?…

Viscosity and SAE grades

All engine, motor and transmission oils are described by a grade, such as 10W-40.  Motor oil grades are a scale developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to describe the oil’s viscosity. In basic terms, viscosity is the thickness of the oil – and its resistance to flow. The higher the viscosity, the more viscous (thicker) the fluid. The lower the viscosity, the easier the oil flows. 

The viscosity is what keeps the internal surfaces of your engine from coming into contact with each other. The motor oil creates a thin slippery protective film between moving parts. Temperature has a significant impact on engine oil’s viscosity. Just like honey or syrup, the warmer oil becomes, the less viscous (thinner) it becomes.

Let’s look again at our SAE grade example – 10W-40
•    10W refers the viscosity when the oil is cold (W is for winter)
•    40 refers to the viscosity when the oil is hot (at normal engine operating temperature)

The higher the number, the greater the viscosity (thickness). So, 10W-50 will be thicker than 10W-30 at higher operating temperatures. Thinner low-viscosity engine oils typically give better protection at cooler temperatures, whilst thicker high-viscosity engine oils are better at maintaining lubrication at higher temperatures.  Both for performance and protection, it’s very important to choose the right grade for your specific motorcycle.  

If the viscosity is too low, motor oil can fail to cling effectively to the fast-moving parts within your engine, leading to friction, higher temperatures and increased wear. Too high and motor oil may not reach the upper cylinder walls of the pistons, resulting in similarly increased wear.  Best advice is always to use the motorcycle manufacturer’s recommended grade (viscosity) for the best performance and protection.

It might be reasonable to think that a lighter viscosity will decrease resistance from the motor oil and thus make it easier for an engine to create power. However, this comes with the risk of increasing wear. Instead, choosing a high-performance engine oil – of the motorcycle manufacturers’ recommended grade – will typically reduce friction, allowing the engine to produce peak power whilst maintaining protection. 

Synthetic versus mineral oil

For some common grades of motorcycle engine oil, there is a choice of products available including mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic oils. Mineral motor oils are refined from natural crude oil. Synthetic motor oils are man-made fluids manufactured from uniform oil molecules (also initially refined from crude oil). Semi-synthetic motor oils are typically a blend of both mineral and synthetic base oils.

The viscosity of synthetic oil generally remains more consistent than mineral oil across a broader range of temperatures. This means they are often the preferred choice for both colder conditions and high heat applications (such as motorcycles used for racing). Multigrade mineral motor oils often include viscosity index improvers which are added to boost performance. However, their effectiveness can reduce over time. 

Synthetic motor oils often contain fewer index improvers, so better engine protection and performance can come from the oil being more consistent over time. However, synthetic oils typically cost more to produce than mineral oils. Modern mineral engine oils are so well refined that they offer excellent performance. However, most premium motorcycle engine oils are semi- or fully-synthetic for the very best protection and performance.

Can you put car oil in motorcycles?

It is not recommended that you use car engine lubricants in motorcycles.  Cars use separate engine and transmission (gearbox) oil. In a motorcycle, the engine, clutch and transmission (gearbox) typically share a sump and are lubricated by the same oil. Car oils generally include special friction modifiers which help increase economy and decrease wear. In the wet sump of a motorcycle, these modifiers can affect clutch performance and are not recommended.

I am having the following issues with rendering custom permalinks using WordPress, the Advanced Custom Fields post object field and Timber. I have posts and a custom post type photo galleries that are related and are connected by a link setup using the post object field attached to the story post.

I am having the following issues with rendering custom permalinks using WordPress, the Advanced Custom Fields post object field and Timber. I have posts and a custom post type photo galleries that are related and are connected by a link setup using the post object field attached to the story post.

According to research firm Gartner, 75% of B2B sales organizations will augment their traditional sales methods with guided selling solutions by 2025 to better connect with customers and drive conversion.

But what exactly is guided selling, and how does it benefit your business? More importantly, how can you deploy this practice at scale to help reach more customers and increase overall sales?

Free Download: Sales Plan Template

In this guided selling starter kit, we’ll cover the basics, including how this process works and how it can benefit your business. We’ll also dive into a few guided selling examples, cover some software tools that can help, and finish off with guided selling best practices to get this most from this approach.

Ready? Let’s go.