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STRAIGHT WATER? NO WAY!
Running straight water would give us the ability to cool the engine, but
in a short amount of time, the natural corrosiveness of the water would
wreak havoc on the insides of our cooling systems. The bearings in the
water pump need constant lubrication, and water is a poor lubricant. For
that reason, we need to have some type of oil-based lubricant for our
water pump. Electrolysis is also a normal condition that develops in a
typical cooling system. By creating a negative electrical charge on the
interior surfaces of the cooling system, and a positive electrical charge
in the fluid itself, electrolysis causes the metal and mineral content
of the water and coolant’s additive package to drop out of suspension
and create scale and corrosion on the inside of the whole system. This
scale and corrosion is called ‘plating out’. If left unchecked,
this scale and corrosion can cause cooling system failure in a relatively
short amount of time. To combat this corrosive activity, many different
additives are used to keep the electrolysis under control, as well as
to keep any contamination and corrosive particles in suspension and away
from the interior of the system.
THOSE PESKY THERMOSTATS
Another extremely important component of your classic hot-rod’s
cooling system is the thermostat. In just about all applications, the
thermostat is a temperature controlled device that blocks the full flow
of the coolant through the entire cooling system until a pre-determined
temperature has been reached. There are a lot of misconceptions out there
as to how important a thermostat really is. To help alleviate a hot-running
engine, some think that removing the thermostat and allowing full-time,
unrestricted flow of coolant that the engine will run cooler. If your
engine is running hot and overheating, assuming that the rest of the cooling
system is in good working order and has the capacity to keep your high-dollar,
big-horse motor cool, then removing the thermostat is NEVER the correct
thing to do.
A car with no thermostat will
usually take a much longer time to warm up than is normal.
Until an engine reaches operating temperature, it is running very inefficiently.
A consistently too-cool engine uses more fuel, produces an extremely large
amount of contaminants, leading to sludge formation in your engine, and
promotes accelerated wear and tear. In some circumstances, an engine being
operated with the thermostat removed may NEVER reach full operating temperature,
dramatically shortening the engine’s life.
WHY IS IT OVERHEATING?
If your engine is consistently running hot, or overheating, then you need
to look at the rest of the system and determine where the weak spot is.
First, is the radiator in good shape? Are there any obvious leaks or green
corrosion evidence on the outside of the radiator’s fins or external
tanks? Is there a large amount of fins missing or bent over? The fins
on the radiator’s cross-tubes are very small and fragile and can
be bent over blocking the air flow quite easily. If you have a lot of
bent fins, there are special radiator-fin ‘combs’ that are
available to help you straighten them out. Just be careful, as they are
very fragile. In fact, they can also be broken off from stone collisions,
or fall off from rust and corrosion. If the outside of the radiator looks
acceptable, make sure that you are getting full and consistent flow on
the inside of the radiator.
With the engine fully warmed
up and at operating temperature, carefully place the palm of your hand
on the front side of the radiator and feel for hot and cold spots. A consistent
temperature across the entire surface of the radiator indicates that there
is probably good flow inside. However, if you fell an obvious cool spot
while the rest is warm, there is a good possibility that your radiator
may be partially plugged up, severely reducing its ability to function
correctly. A plugged radiator can be ‘boiled-out’ at some
radiator shops, but a new radiator is usually your best bet.
DON’T FORGET THAT RADIATOR
CAP!
a poorly functioning radiator cap is one of the most often overlooked
items on a typical vehicle.
A radiator cap is designed to let your cooling system increase its operating
pressure and hold it at its designed limit, yet bleed off any excess pressure
so that the cooling system does become damaged by over-pressurization.
A weak cap can cause your system
to loose pressure at a much lower than normal level, severely reducing
the cooling ability, and also causing you to lose coolant through evaporation.
You should replace your radiator cap every 2 years, or whenever you are
performing a radiator flush.
Continued
on page 3...
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