| It's the middle of summer, your perspiration drips | | | | Common cooling system problems: |
| like a river and your car's interior is like the | | | | 1. Broken tubing. Hoses and tubing wear out and |
| furnaces of hell. Your car overheats, stalling in the | | | | leak coolant fluid. Once the coolant has left the |
| middle of the road. | | | | system it can no longer cool the engine and |
| You have a problem with your cooling system, | | | | therefore the engine will over heat. |
| mate. | | | | 2. Broken fan belt. The water pump is driven by |
| Your car's cooling system should remove the | | | | the engine through a fan belt. If this belt breaks |
| excess heat from your car's engines, keeping the | | | | the water pump can not turn and coolant will not |
| engine operating on the most efficient | | | | be pushed through the car engine. This will also |
| temperature settings, and allowing the engine to | | | | lead to the engine overheating. |
| reach its ideal operating temperature at the | | | | 3. Damaged radiator cap. The radiator cap is |
| shortest time possible. | | | | designed to hold a certain pressure in the coolant |
| In its ideal sense, the cooling system should keep | | | | system. Most caps hold 8 - 12 PSI. This pressure |
| the engine running at its most efficient | | | | raises the point in which the coolant will boil and |
| temperature even at the most punishing operating | | | | maintains a good, stable system. If your cap does |
| conditions thrown at it. | | | | not hold enough pressure, then the car engine |
| As fuel is burned, energy is released. If there is | | | | could overheat on hot days since the system |
| no cooling system, the heat from the fuel would | | | | never becomes pressurized. |
| melt the parts, and the pistons would expand so | | | | 4. Water pumps failure. Most commonly you will |
| much that they would not move inside the | | | | hear a horrible screeching noise and will be able to |
| cylinders. | | | | see engine coolant leaking from the front of the |
| The cooling system of a water-cooled engine | | | | pump or underneath the car. Often there are |
| consists of:the engine's water | | | | early signs of trouble with small spots of coolant |
| jacketthermostatwater pumpradiator and radiator | | | | under the car after being parked overnight and a |
| capcooling fan (electric or belt-driven)hosesheater | | | | strong coolant odor whilst you are driving. |
| coreexpansion (overflow) tank | | | | 5. Head gasket... Do you have large amounts of |
| Burning the fuel produces a large amount of heat; | | | | white smoke flowing out of your exhaust? Then |
| temperatures can reach up to 4,000 degrees | | | | you could have a problem with your head gasket. |
| Fahrenheit if the right fuel/air ratio is reached. The | | | | The head gasket seals the cylinder head to the |
| cooling system removes as much as 1/3 of the | | | | engine block and also seals the coolant passages. |
| heat generated by the fuel combustion. | | | | When this gasket fails coolant can enter the |
| You car's engines are cooled by liquid circulating | | | | cylinder and it will be turned to vapor as the |
| inside tubes lined inside the engine compartment. | | | | engine fires. Head gaskets most often fail after |
| Liquid cooled engines have passages for the liquid, | | | | the engine has overheated in the past. When |
| or coolant, through the cylinder block and head. | | | | very hot, the cylinder head can warp and prevent |
| The coolant has to have indirect contact with | | | | the engine head gasket from sealing properly. |
| such engine parts as the combustion chamber, | | | | Preventive Maintenance on Engine Cooling |
| the cylinder walls, and the valve seats and guides. | | | | Systems |
| Running through the passages in the engine heats | | | | 1. Check all belts and hoses regularly. (At oil |
| the coolant (it absorbs the heat from the engine | | | | change is a good time) |
| parts), and going through the radiator cools it. | | | | 2. Look out for coolant leaks underneath the car; |
| After getting "cool" again in the radiator, the | | | | they could be signs of trouble to come. |
| coolant comes back through the engine. This | | | | 3. Change your coolant every 2 - 3 years |
| business continues as long as the engine is running, | | | | depending on the manufacturer's |
| with the coolant absorbing and removing the | | | | recommendations. |
| engine's heat, and the radiator cooling the coolant. | | | | 4. Inspect your radiator cap for deterioration of |
| A cooling system pressure tester is used to | | | | the rubber seal. Replace if you think it is worn. $5 |
| check the pressure in the cooling system, which | | | | - $10 is cheap insurance. |
| allows the mechanic to determine if the system | | | | 5. Have your coolant system flushed every 5 |
| has any slow leaks. The leak can then be found | | | | years. It gets all the corrosion which has built up |
| and fixed before it causes a major problem. | | | | out of the system. |