Auto Cooling Systems: Parts Identification
Your car’s cooling system parts are what determine whether your cooling system will work. If any part is faulty, your cooling system will be faulty and not work to its full capacity. There are two types of cooling systems: liquid cooling systems and air cooling systems. Most cars on the road today have a liquid cooling system that works to keep your engine from overheating. It helps the engine heat quickly for maximum performance and then stay at a constant temperature.
Plumbing
Plumbing is an essential part of a liquid cooling system . A centrifugal pump sends the fluid through the engine block. Once there the liquid goes around the cylinders and returns through the cylinder head. After leaving the engine, the liquid comes to the thermostat.
Thermostat
The thermostat regulates the amount of liquid that is allowed through the radiator. It has sensors that measure how warm the liquid is. If it is cool enough, the thermostat stays closed and sends the liquid back through the engine. As the liquid warms, the thermostat begins to open, allowing the liquid into the radiator.
Radiator
The radiator helps the liquid cool. Excess heat is drawn out of the liquid as it moves through the radiator’s chambers, the heat dissipates along the walls of the chambers. A fan will force cooling from outside the radiator to the inside. Some radiators have a turbulator. This component disturbs the liquid so that more of it will cool down. Without a turbulator, only the liquid that touches the sides of the radiator will cool. Once the liquid has moved through the radiator, it leaves and goes back into the engine block. There are sensors that register the liquids heat as it leaves the radiator to go back through the engine.
Engine
The engine is the car’s combustion chamber. It can reach 4500 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is not cooled, it can seize and the parts will weld together. The engine is designed so that the liquid can move throughout the chamber to cool these essential parts.
Pressure Cap
The pressure cap is a small but important component in your car’s cooling system. It increases the liquids boiling point by increasing pressure. When the pressure is too high, the liquid to hot, the release valve is opened. The excess coolant is released and escapes into the overflow tank. When it cools, it is sucked back into the system, ready to be used again. As the liquid heats and cools, some of it will evaporate. It is important that you have extra water on hand in case your car overheats.
The cooling system is constantly working, going through several activities at once. Each part must perform to its fullest or the car engine will overheat, and may be destroyed. It is easier to fix parts of the cooling system than to buy a new engine.
