You're sitting in traffic. You're sitting in
traffic. You're still sitting in traffic. All of a sudden you hear the sound of
a hiss in front of you, and there are no handsome Italian men to be found. The
steam seeping from under your hood tells the rest of the story - you have a
radiator leak. You need a radiator repair.
Pull over!
Many thousands of dollars are wasted on major engine repairs only because the
driver "tried to make it" someplace while their car was overheating. When coolant is escaping from your radiator, your car's ability to
stay cool goes with it. If your engine's insides get too hot, they start
to distort, melt and break, leading to very costly repairs. Radiator repair is
far less expensive than inner engine stuff.
VERY IMPORTANT: Wait at least 15
minutes for your car to cool before attempting to make a roadside radiator or
hose repair! Hot coolant will burn you!
Once things have cooled off, open the coolant filler cap
and pour in as much pepper as you can find, up to a full shaker's worth. Start
the car and let it warm up, allowing the pepper to circulate. With a little
luck, the little pepper pieces will find the pinhole and clog it right up,
giving you a chance to get to the shop for a real fix.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that the pepper fix is
permanent. Not only is it unlikely to last long, you need to get all of that
pepper out of your car's cooling system.