The operation of any car requires constant care and attention. If any malfunctions are detected, urgent action is required. You can often see that antifreeze foams - this is due to the loss of coolant properties . There are other reasons for this phenomenon.
Briefly about the cooling system and antifreeze function
To approach the issue correctly, you need to understand what role the coolant plays in the car cooling system.
So, antifreeze is designed to effectively cool various ICE components. The composition of antifreeze polyhydric alcohols, various additive packages, water and dye. This set of components allows the liquid to not freeze at low temperatures. The fluid was specially created so that motorists could be calm in the cold in winter. Antifreeze moves through the system through a pump.
Due to the circulation, the operating temperature of the engine is maintained even in extreme conditions. Do not underestimate the role of coolant in the proper operation of a car. Antifreeze requires periodic replacement. It is very important.
Why does foam form in the expansion tank?
If antifreeze in the engine began to foam, then experienced motorists understand that instead of a quality product, they bought and poured counterfeit into the tank - most often these are not factory mixtures. The second reason is worn out, used cylinder head gaskets. Gum does not provide sufficient compression and is blown.
Poor antifreeze
It was considered above that antifreeze has a special composition that provides effective engine cooling. The liquid is designed to protect the components and parts of the internal combustion engine from temperature deformations. Due to its formula, the coolant does not freeze even in severe frost.
If the antifreeze in the tank foams, then first of all you need to make sure that the quality product is filled. The fluid must circulate through the cooling system and through all the important key components constantly and even during engine warm-up.
If you fill in a poor-quality product, the principles of fluid circulation will not change, but the air that is in the expansion tank will react with elements from the coolant composition. As a result, the fluid will begin to bubble. Coke and foam are formed.
It often happens that in the tank you can see a brown mass. This is a signal that the antifreeze is of poor quality, made not according to factory technology, but diluted in the garages by unfortunate businessmen.
In addition, if you want to save money, sometimes drivers mix two types of incompatible liquids. Antifreeze also foams due to the fact that the liquid is not the one recommended by the car manufacturer.
Gasket wear
Many do not pay much attention to cylinder head gaskets, thinking that this is an insignificant detail in a car that simply exists. But such an insignificant detail can add to the driver's problems. If the gasket fails, the driver grabs his head and rushes to the service station with great speed.
In fact, the gasket plays an important role. Let's see why the antifreeze foam in the expansion tank is foaming. What tasks does this gum solve? It prevents moisture from entering the block head into the block itself. When the gasket fails, the liquid and free air pass into the expansion tank.
If you add heat to this, remembering the laws of physics, we can conclude: foam will form. It does not appear immediately and in small quantities. If you do not solve the problem immediately, then subsequently the bubbles will grow, and then the coolant will turn into a foam mass. All this will be accompanied by smoke and temperature changes. The car will show normal temperatures.
Cylinder block problems
Often antifreeze foams due to the block itself. But with a little blood, the problems here cannot be solved. The solution is overhaul. At the same time, not only the head is repaired, but the entire unit. Damaged gasket provokes overheating of some nodes. And foam is an additional risk of cracking.
How to deal with foam?
In fact, there are several ways to fight, since there are only three key problems - poor quality antifreeze, worn gaskets, problems with the engine or cylinder head.
Coolant replacement
This will help if the antifreeze in the expansion tank foams and the liquid itself does not meet the declared characteristics.
First of all, they open the faucet of the stove - it is not difficult to find it. It is located in the passenger compartment. This is the tap that controls the temperature of the heater. The most “hot” position - the crane will be fully open.
Then unscrew the cap of the expansion tank or the filler part on the radiator. Next, you need to drain the liquid from the system - on many cars for this purpose a special faucet is provided at the bottom of the radiator. If there is none, then the channel is closed with a cork bolt. A container should be prepared for the coolant - do not drain it into the ground. The fluid is drained completely, not forgetting to remove the intake manifold hose - this will help protect against the formation of air jams.
After that, fill in a new coolant. The manifold hose is installed back and tighten the clamp. Liquid is poured into the tank or into the radiator to an average level. If necessary, the level is adjusted. With increasing temperature, the liquid tends to expand. Therefore, the level may increase.
Start the engine and warm it up to operating temperature. Only now you can check the fluid level in the tank. If necessary coolant is added. The process is over and the problem should no longer appear.
Replacing cylinder head gasket
The procedure for replacing the engine gasket is actually not complicated. Leaks form where the cylinder head is connected to the cylinder block. Why does antifreeze foam in the tank? The reason is overheating. In this situation, the structure is broken, as well as the tightness of the gasket. You can not hesitate to eliminate such a malfunction.
On different cars, the gasket changes almost the same. There are differences in the order of dismantling the fasteners. It is worth knowing the tightening torque of the bolts.
To prevent a possible violation of the structure of the fasteners and failure of the nodes and elements, the bolts are thoroughly cleaned. Before they are turned off, excess dirt is removed. If this is not done, then if there is a breakdown, there may be problems with loosening.
Bolts are unscrewed as evenly as possible. It is recommended to weaken them from the center. After the complete weakening of each bolt, remove the head and change the gasket. To correctly install the gasket, there are centering bolts on the block.
Coolant discharge from the reservoir
This is another problem that raises many questions for car owners. What contributes to this? There may be several reasons for this. However, the most important one is a worn-out cooling system. Pipes and hoses during operation of the engine experience strong pressure of hot antifreeze, therefore, during prolonged operation, the tank will push out the liquid, and not spread it through the system.
But the problem appears not only on used cars. The cause may be a faulty expansion tank. The fault is the poor quality of spare parts or marriage. If there are burrs on the neck of the tank, this indicates that the lid does not close tightly and coolant will splash out through the gap.
Another reason - substandard plastic tank. Low-quality material can not withstand pressure and tears at the seams. The coolant is poured onto the engine and the entire engine compartment.
Preventative measures
Now we know the reasons for foaming antifreeze. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to change the coolant in a timely manner - its lifespan is two years. You need to buy only quality products. Saving here is not profitable.
Cylinder head is increasingly difficult. It is impossible to predict the moment when the gasket begins to purge. It is also impossible to calculate the moment when the foam goes into the tank or into the radiator. But if antifreeze foams in the radiator, it’s worthwhile to quickly solve the problem.