Among the more common household disasters is flooding of the laundry area due to a split hose on a washing machine. It can happen while the family is asleep or away from home, resulting in horrendous damage.

Also vulnerable to a similar disaster is your car. A bulging radiator hose, carrying hot water (coolant) under pressure, can rupture. The damage to the engine and transmission can add up to thousands of dollars. Cooling system neglect is cited as a principal reason for mechanical failure of a vehicle. Discovering a leaking radiator, hose connection, a sticking thermostat or other cooling system component that’s on "borrowed time" can save the life of one’s engine.

There’s more than repair money to be saved by proper maintenance of a vehicle’s cooling system, says the Car Care Council. A faulty thermostat, for example, which can cause an engine to run too cold, can cut fuel economy by 10% - 20%. And, of course, there’s the possible cost and inconvenience of a breakdown on the road.

To underscore the importance of proper care of the cooling system, the Council offers this multiple-choice quiz: See how much you know about this vital engine system.

1. For maximum freeze protection antifreeze mixture should be:

1. half anti-freeze and half water; (b) pure antifreeze; (c) 70% anti-freeze, 30% water.

2. In the cooling system the thermostat:

1. controls engine temperature; (b) works the air conditioner; (c) modulates the diodes.

3. A radiator cap is designed to:

1. keep water from sloshing out of the radiator;
2. keep the cooling system operating at a specified pressure;
3. last indefinitely.

4. A broken drive belt can cause:

1. overheating; (b) loss of power steering; (c) dead battery.

5. Cooling systems on many cars today:

1. have no water pump; (b) never need to be flushed; (c) are equipped with an electric fan on the radiator.

1. (C) is correct, although a 50/50 solution is adequate for most climates, protecting to -34^o F. Never use pure antifreeze.
2. (A) is correct. As stated above, a faulty thermostat, causing an engine to run too hot or too cold, can damage the engine.
3. (B) is correct. And when replacing the cap, be sure to install the right one for your vehicle. Pressure recommendations vary.
4. Because all three functions are dependent upon the drive belt (or belts) all three answers are correct.
5. (C) is correct.