One of the by products of internal combustion engines (ICE) is heat. That was mentioned in a post added recently “What is Internal Combustion“. I was going to speak more on some of the other goings on in an ICE, however after reading the article again adding more technical babble would only be confusing to most readers, except for a few qualified, sharp mechanics.
Heat can be your engines worst enemy. When an engine is running it is producing heat which comes from the internal combustion that occurs when the piston squeezes the fuel at the top of the stroke and it explodes, pushing the piston down. Most engines run pretty darn hot because they: number one produce less emissions and number two, a hot engine runs more efficiently. When I say hot I mean from 190 degrees to 210 degrees F… Any hotter than that is tempting fate, unless you drive a Nascar or Top fuel funny car. The cooling systems and fan clutches health is the first thing to consider. This is how we control and stabilize engine temperatures. It is a very delicate balance to keep your engine in the correct temperature ‘zone’, which would include running to cold. That is a big problem for people who live in colder climates and don’t drive their cars very much in the winter, thus never really getting the engine hot enough.
Keeping an occasional eye on the temperature gauge or idiot light is a good idea. When an engine overheats many bad things can happen. It generally breaks down the engine oil so it won’t lubricate any more. Synthetic oils take heat much better than conventional oils, but synthetic oils have limits too. Gaskets and seals melt, electrical components get damaged including wires, computers and many more of the various control systems that vary from car to car can be destroyed. You can see where cooling system maintenance is a good thing to make important, so it does not become an emergency.
I was speaking with Brian at GotEngines.com. Brian is the big wheel there. He is also very easy to talk with. He was talking about all of the choices one has in terms of engine replacement, and one thing is consistent. The engines they sell are all tested before you get it for many things, obviously being able to run at the correct temperature is one thing that is tested. He said also they recommend the engine shop doing the exchange should update the cooling system, so it performs well.
Too cold is not so good either. When an engine fails to obtain proper operating temperatures some undesirable things can happen. If you live in a cold climate it is important to take your car for a 30-40 mile ride every month so the oil heats up. Why? Condensation naturally occurs in engine oil if it is not heated up enough to burn it out of the oil. Have you ever seen the white gunky, milky stuff on an engine oil fill cap. That is condensation. That means the vehicle is not heating up enough to burn the condensation out of the oil, exhaust system and various other places water gets trapped.
Truckers take this action and some in the know car owners do too: Put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to help heat up the vehicle when temperatures get to low. I want to mention that synthetic oils have greater flow-ability in very cold weather, much better than conventional oils. Keep that in mind. Be careful not to cover to much of the radiator, you don’t want an overheating situation either.
FYI, an engine that does not get warm enough will not produce enough heat in the winter to melt ice off the windshield or warm the car up enough to be comfy. Balance is the issue. That is where water cooled engines outperform air cooled engines. Air cooled engines have no stability system (Radiator) to keep temperatures on an even keel, As In a radiator, a radiator gives the system the stability to run in the correct heat range all the time.
I know this not a very often talked about issue, Brian and myself think it is important enough to put this article on the GotEngines.com Blog. It is a must know tip that has multiple benefits for you and your engine supplier and shop.
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