There are millions of people on the roads today and most of them understand the basic working of a car. The word “most” is the important part of that phrase. Most people know that a car is cooled by the
radiator fan or the
cooling fan but it may be shocking to know there are a good number of people out there that don’t. Knowing how a system works is the best way to avoid future issues with the car. It is also a great way to protect against failures that could have been prevented.
The cooling system in a car is very important to the operation of the car not just on hot days. The Cooling fan sits on the radiator at the front of the car and draws air across the unit to cool it down. The radiator works by spreading the coolant pumped from the engine across a large surface area where the heat can be dissipated. On a hot day the cooling ability of the radiator is compromised and the cooling fan is essential. When the cooling fan fails the amount of air traveling across the radiator is significantly decreased and the vehicle will overheat.
Internal combustion engines work by creating controlled explosions inside the cylinders which force the piston downward. Each of these explosions creates a lot of heat in the system and most of it travels out the exhaust of the vehicle. The metal in a motor will absorb heat and overheat unless the temperature is controlled in some way. Coolant is pumped into the motor through small passage ways in order to absorb the heat and cool the engine. This coolant is then pushed to the radiator where it is cooled and then pushed back into the motor. The process is very simple but can cause detrimental failure if stopped. When the cooling fluid cannot release the heat, it builds up to the point where the motor will no longer work. In some cases the heat can cause fires or internally damage the engine beyond repair.
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing but in this case it is not. The more you know about your car, the more you can save yourself from a huge headache in the future.
