What is Electrolysis? Radiator electrolysis is the result of electricity running through your cooling system. This causes an electrochemical charge across the aluminum resulting in swift corrosion and severe damage to your cooling system's components including pitting, discoloration, flaking, and pinholes. Electrolysis will usually occur if there is a defective or missing ground on one of the potential electrical sources often present after a front end collision.

How Do I Test for Electrolysis? You must test the voltage in your cooling system to see if it has been affected by electrolysis.

1. Connect the negative lead of a volt/ohm meter to the battery ground.
2. Insert the positive lead of the volt/ohm meter into the coolant inside the radiator without contacting the filler neck.
3. Should the result be greater than 0.10 V, there is an electrical current flowing through the system.
4. Continue to check the voltage levels between the engine and the coolant by touching the negative lead to each respectively.
5. Repeat the aforementioned steps with the positive lead touching the radiator instead of the coolant.

How Do I Prevent Electrolysis? Proper maintenance and careful monitoring of your cooling/electrical systems will most likely prevent electrolysis and radiator damage. Test your system occasionally to check for any discoloration or pinholes – especially around the tube-to-header joints and tubes near the center of the core by the electric fan mounts. Radiator leak sealer is not something that will solve this issue in your cooling system. It's likely that you will need new automobile parts and that's where Radiatorinfo.com comes in. Visit us online at www.Radiatorinfo.com for more information on electrolysis and failure radiator issues.