Why modern motors overheat
Modern motors overheat much less often than before. This is due to a more advanced cooling system. But there are several nuances.
The main nuance is that modern engines have higher operating temperatures – this increases efficiency and reduces fuel consumption. If earlier the operating temperature of the engine was at the level of 85 ° C, now for the most modern engines the normal temperature is 115 ° C.
And if earlier overheating of the motor could be noticed and something quickly done about it, now the driver often has either very little time to react, or in general he receives an overheating alert only after the temperature has risen to a critical one and do something it’s already late.
On many modern cars there is no coolant temperature indicator at all, there are only control lamps (one, as a rule, indicates that the engine has not yet warmed up, and the other that the engine has overheated). Some machines have a digital temperature gauge with divisions. And one division can correspond to temperatures in the range of 85-105°C. This is a huge range of values. Moreover, even old-school dial indicators often do not show the real temperature. The arrow freezes at the middle mark and does not move a millimeter, although it is clear that the engine temperature changes within small limits and the arrow should fluctuate around the middle position.
Causes of overheating
The most common cause of engine overheating is the radiator. And the radiator of the air conditioner. It is clogged with fluff, dirt and midges. Air does not pass through it to cool the engine radiator, as a result, the engine overheats. Aggravates everything and layout. In modern cars, the radiators are very thin and very close to each other. Such overheating can only be prevented by regular flushing of radiators. And not with a Karcher under high pressure, but with the removal of the bumper and the radiators themselves.
Another reason for overheating is hot neighbors. The same air conditioner radiator if it is clogged. Or a catalyst, which in modern cars is located very close to the engine. It also increases the temperature of the automatic transmission engine if it does not have a separate cooling radiator. The turbine also contributes to the temperature under the hood.
In addition, the reason may be a very high load on the motor. For example, if you are towing something for a long time, the brakes are jammed, the wheels are flat, the clutch is slipping, or, for example, you are driving in the mountains, where the air is rarefied, and the engine has to drag the car up.
And, of course, it could be in the cooling system itself. For example, due to damaged wiring and relays, the electric fan may not work. The thermostat may be stuck and not open. The coolant pump may not work due to a broken drive belt or impeller corrosion.
Corrosion can undermine the radiator itself, there will be leaks and an insufficient amount of antifreeze in the system. Perhaps the system is air-filled or the cells are jammed somewhere in the radiator and it does not work with its entire area.
Problems can also be in the leakage of the cylinder block gasket. The cooling system itself may be leaky, due to insufficient pressure in the system, the boiling point of the liquid drops and the engine overheats.