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