7 Parts of the Cooling System (And How They Work)
Explosions occur regularly in internal combustion engines. How does the engine create this power to make your vehicle go faster?
With a four-cylinder engine and a speed of 80 km/h, an estimated 4,000 explosions occur within the engine every minute. This includes igniting the air-fuel mixture through the spark plugs to generate the power needed to move the wheels underneath your vehicle. Such high temperatures can permanently damage the engine within minutes. The only thing that can prevent this is your car’s cooling system.
The cooling system reduces the temperature inside the engine and prevents damage. In return, it keeps the engine cool enough to keep it running smoothly. Don’t confuse the cooling system with the air conditioning as they are actually two different systems in your car.
If you had to decide which is more important, it would be the cooling system. Without a functioning cooling system, your engine will break down quickly. Car Cooling System Components
A car’s cooling system is made up of several different parts. Below is a list of the components in a car’s cooling system:
1) Electric Cooling Fan
This component helps circulate cool air through the engine. All front-wheel drive vehicles with transversely mounted engines must have an electric cooling fan.
2) Fan Clutch
As air flows through the radiator, the fan clutch senses the temperature. Based on the temperature reading, the fan clutch draws the required amount of air into the radiator.
3) Thermostat
The cooling system uses a thermostat to regulate the normal operating temperature of the internal combustion engine. This can cause the engine to warm up quickly. It’s relatively common for car thermostats to fail.
4) Hoses
Most cooling system components are connected by a series of hoses. This allows the coolant to circulate. Even if the radiator hoses are in good condition, they can collapse under certain circumstances, causing overheating.
5) Heater Core
When you turn on your vehicle’s heater, the heater core produces what feels like warmer air. It does this by absorbing heat extracted from the coolant and blowing it into the cabin.
6) Water Pump
After the coolant enters the radiator and cools, the water pump pumps it back through the engine block, heater core, and cylinder heads.
7) Cooler
As the coolant circulates through the hot engine block, it heats up. As the coolant enters the radiator, it is cooled and returns to the engine block to cool the engine again.
Conclusion
Each of these components is important to keep the cooling system functioning. If just one of them is damaged, the entire engine cooling process is affected.