Bulletproof cooling system
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The coolant also has to get rid of the heat it soaks up while passing through the block and head(s). So the radiator must be capable of doing its job, which requires the help of an efficient cooling fan at slow speeds. Finally, the thermostat must be doing its job to keep the engine’s average temperature within the normal range. If the thermostat fails to open, it will effectively block the flow of coolant and the engine will overheat. | The coolant also has to get rid of the heat it soaks up while passing through the block and head(s). So the radiator must be capable of doing its job, which requires the help of an efficient cooling fan at slow speeds. Finally, the thermostat must be doing its job to keep the engine’s average temperature within the normal range. If the thermostat fails to open, it will effectively block the flow of coolant and the engine will overheat. | ||
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| + | An important thing to remember when dealing with engine cooling systems: The actual temperature of the coolant is not the most important number, but we use it as an indicator of its performance. The cooling system's job is to transport heat from the engine to the atmosphere. It picks up X amount of heat in the engine (raising its temperature) and deposits Y amount of heat into the atmosphere. If X (the amount picked up) equals Y (the amount given up) then the average temperature stays the same. An example of that is when you're driving and the temperature gauge stays at the same place. If the temperature of the coolant is rising, that indicates its getting more heat than it can dissipate. We usually use the term "overheating" to describe an cooling system that is getting more heat than it can effectively dissipate. The result is rising temperatures to the point of boiling coolant. Boiling coolant means that the surfaces of the water jacket now have a significant percentage of their area covered with steam, not coolant. Steam can't absorb heat as well as coolant and this sets up an exponential problem; more heat, more steam, less contact with coolant, which leads to much higher heat and more boiling. But, back to the X = Y demonstration: As long as X and Y are in balance, the actual temperature of the coolant has little to do with how much heat it is effectively transporting. The effectiveness of a cooling system is with how well its components transport and shed heat, not the actual temperature of the water. | ||
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| + | It has become commonly assumed, therefore, that cooler is better in the quest to prevent overheating. That is not entirely true. Cooler temps give you more of a buffer; that is to say, it will take more time to reach boiling. But, as shown above, a properly operating and adequate cooling system can operate at almost any temperature under its boiling point. However, if a cooling system is getting more heat than it can dissipate, it will eventually overheat regardless of where the thermostat opens. It is for this reason that using a cooler thermostat doesn't effectively help overheating issues. The temperature of the coolant is a function of heat-in minus heat-out. Overheating occurs when the heat-in is greater than the heat-out. | ||
==Bulletproof cooling system tips== | ==Bulletproof cooling system tips== | ||
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