Keeping It Cool: Why a Well-Maintained Radiator is Crucial to Efficient Vehicle Performance

Unless your car runs on solar power, its engine will always accumulate heat whenever you turn it on. Most vehicles today run on combustion engines that burn fuel. This means that the engine becomes hotter the longer you keep it on, to the point that it could blow up if it weren't for your car's cooling systems.

One such cooling system is the radiator, which keeps your car's engine operating at optimum temperatures while you drive. In particular, the radiator transfers the heat stored in the engine's coolant to the engine's fins so that the heat gets blown away as excess air. Consequently, your car's radiator will typically need a fresh reserve of low-temperature coolant (usually a mixture of water and antifreeze) close at hand at all times.

Provided your car is new, you can expect the radiator to keep running for at least an entire year before it needs to be repaired or replaced. However, the consequences of rolling out with a poorly-conditioned radiator should not be taken lightly. Aside from the fact that your engine can potentially blow up due to excess heat, a faulty radiator can irreparably ruin the engine by way of a coolant leak coolant or the inefficient removal of dirt and grime from the engine's cylinders.

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Dissecting the Car's Radiator System

In physics, you learned that any movement results to friction. This principle, of course, applies to your car's engine. The engine has several moving parts and the friction from these parts makes it necessary to pump motor oil into your car's engine to provide much-needed lubrication. Without motor oil, the moving parts that rub against each other will eventually cause them to deteriorate much faster than the normal rate. As you also learned in physics, motion with friction also generates heat, and excess heat cannot be compensated for by motor oil.

To combat excessive heating in your car's engine, it is necessary to have a quality radiator system. This important vehicle component consists of a radiator, radiator top hose and bottom hose, water pump, thermostat, electric cooling fan, and thermo-time switch. Your radiator system gets to work as soon as you put the proper amount of antifreeze and coolant into it, while the water pump distributes the coolant into the system.

Like most car components, your radiator system needs tender loving care too for it to function at an optimum level at all times and to keep you going while on the road. To make sure of this, check your radiator system regularly and always maintain an appropriate level of coolant mixture. If any parts of your radiator system is failing or is close to failing, have it checked and repaired immediately to prevent the problem worsening.

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