What Does Your Car Radiator Do

The principle behind the internal combustion engine ishas accumulated from the engine.
that a mix of fuel and air is ignited inside the cylindersThe bigger the radiator, the large amount of heat it
and by compressing and expanding this mix,can remove from the engine. Also the coolant must
extremely powerful forces are resulted, forces thatbe of high quality, because if there are any impurities
are converted to the car’s wheels, moving thein the engine’s radiator or the cooling system is
car forward.damaged, its cooling properties will go down. Inside
The bigger the compression is, the larger will be thethe cooling system, the coolant is sealed and it is
engine’s power output. And this is whatunder pressure and that is why, in these conditions,
everybody wants, more power from the engine,the coolant will boil at around 120 degrees Celsius.
more speed and better handling. If you choose toAt around 100 degrees Celsius the onboard computer
install a turbo charger, you will increase thewill turn the radiator fan on to further help to cool
engine’s power significantly.down the coolant. If you have paid attention to the
But all these methods of increasing the car’sphysics classes in high school, you might remember
power output have a series of downsides and anthat a radiator is a heat exchanger and its purpose is
incredible amount of heat is the most important one.to transfer the heat from one part of the system (in
Heat is the number one enemy of mechanicalour case the engine) to another part (the radiator
components and even if car engine’s is designedfins). The air moving at high speeds over the
to handle these incredible high temperatures, if theseradiator’s large contact area will cool this liquid
levels get out of control, the engine will definitelyvery quickly and electric and hydraulic pumps will
break.pump the coolant back in the engine.
Car engineers tried to find answers to removing thisFrom time to time you may need to work on the
heat from the engine and their outcome was theradiator or on other elements of the car’s
water-cooled radiator. The car’s cooling systemcooling system and you have to be very careful
is one of the car’s most important elements andwhen doing so. The radiator’s fan is very
keeping it in perfect condition is the key behind apowerful and dangerous and you should disconnect
reliable car. It is the radiator’s job to remove theits wires that come from the battery (the fan is
heat from the engine and it should work at maximumusually electric driven and commanded).
efficiency even in extreme conditions.If the radiator has been hit and it looses coolant, you
The car’s engine can quickly overheat if there iswill usually have to replace it to keep the
any problem with the car’s cooling system andengine’s integrity. There are fixes to minor
this peril is especially higher in very slow movingradiator leakages, but major problems can only be
traffic or during hot, summer days.solved by replacing the radiator.
The radiator is a large matrix of small pipes, andBy maintaining properly, the car’s cooling system
when the coolant passes through the cooling coresyou can be sure it will last longer and you will have
of the radiator, it cools down, eliminating the heat itfewer things to worry about when driving your car.