3 Main components of a vehicle cooling system

Your car engine runs better at high temperatures. When the engine is cold, components wear easily, more pollutants are emitted, and the engine becomes less efficient. Therefore, another important task of the cooling system is  to warm up the engine faster  and then maintain a constant engine temperature.

The main function of the cooling system is to maintain the optimal operating temperature of the engine. If the cooling system, or any part of it, fails, the engine will overheat, which can cause many serious problems.

Have you ever imagined what would happen if your engine’s cooling system didn’t work properly? Overheating can cause head gaskets to explode and even cylinder blocks to crack if the problem is severe enough. And all this heat must be fought.

If heat is not removed from the engine, the pistons are literally welded to the inside of the cylinders. Then you just have to throw away the motor and buy a new one. Therefore, you need to take care of the engine cooling system and find out how it works.

Cooling System Components

1. Radiator

The radiator acts as a heat exchanger for the engine. It is usually made of aluminum. and has a plurality of small diameter tubes with ribs attached to them. In addition, it exchanges the heat of the hot water coming from the engine with the surrounding air. It also has a drain plug, an inlet, a sealed lid and an outlet.

2. Pipe

As the coolant cools after being in the radiator, the water pump  directs the fluid back to the cylinder block  , heater core, and cylinder head. In the end, the liquid again enters the radiator, where it is cooled again.

3. Thermostat

It is a thermostat, which acts as a valve for the coolant and only allows it to pass through the radiator when a certain temperature is exceeded. The thermostat contains paraffin, which expands at a certain temperature and opens at that temperature. The cooling system uses a thermostat to  regulate the normal operating temperature of the internal combustion engine. When the engine reaches standard operating temperature, the thermostat activates. Then the coolant can enter the radiator.

Other components

Freeze Plugs:  In fact, these are steel plugs designed to seal holes in the cylinder block and cylinder heads formed during the casting process. In frosty weather, they can jump if there is no frost protection.

Head gasket/timing cover:  Seals the main parts of the engine. Prevents mixing of oil, antifreeze and cylinder pressure.

Radiator Overflow Tank –  This is a plastic tank that is usually installed next to the radiator and has an inlet connected to the radiator and an overflow hole. This is the same tank that you fill with water before the trip.

Hoses:  A series of rubber hoses connect the radiator to the engine through which coolant flows. These hoses can also start to leak after a few years of use.

How the engine cooling system works

To explain how a cooling system works, you must first explain what it does. It’s very simple: the car’s cooling system cools the engine. But cooling this engine can seem like a daunting task, especially when you consider  how much heat a car engine produces. I think it. The engine of a small car traveling at 50 miles per hour on a highway produces approximately 4,000 explosions per minute.

Coupled with all the friction from moving parts, that’s a lot of heat that needs to be concentrated in one place. Without an efficient cooling system, the engine will overheat and stop running within minutes. A modern cooling system should  keep the car cool at an ambient temperature of 115 degrees  and also warm in winter weather.

What’s going on inside? 

The cooling system works by constantly passing coolant through channels in the cylinder block. Coolant, driven by a water pump, is forced through the cylinder block. As the solution passes through these channels, it absorbs heat from the engine.

After leaving the engine, this heated fluid enters the radiator, where it is cooled by the flow of air entering through the car’s radiator grille. The fluid cools as it passes through the radiator. , returning to the engine again to collect more heat from the engine and carry it away.

There is a thermostat between the radiator and the engine. temperature dependent  The thermostat regulates what happens to the liquid. If the fluid temperature drops below a certain level, the solution bypasses the radiator and instead heads back to the engine block. The coolant will continue to circulate until it reaches a certain temperature and opens the thermostat valve, allowing it to pass through the radiator again to cool down.

It seems that due to the very high engine temperature, the coolant can easily reach the boiling point. However, the system is under pressure to prevent this from happening. When the system is under pressure, it is much more difficult for the refrigerant to reach its boiling point. However, sometimes  pressure builds up and must be relieved before air can bleed from the hose or gasket. The radiator cap relieves excess pressure and fluid that builds up in the expansion tank. After cooling the liquid in the storage tank to an acceptable temperature, it is returned to the cooling system for recirculation.

Dolz, quality thermostats and water pumps for a good cooling system

Dolz is a European company that adheres to a set of standards of innovation, efficiency, reliability and sustainability in its sourcing solutions around the world that help its partners and customers move water pumps where they are needed. With more than 80 years of history, Industrias Dolz is  a world leader in water pumps with a wide range of products that include distribution kits and thermostats  for the production of spare parts. If you are interested in our products, please contact us and we will let you know.