If the thermostat is stuck open, your car will probably run pretty cold. Once the target temperature is reached, the thermostat opens to allow coolant at ambient temperature to enter the engine, cooling it until the thermostat is cold enough to close. Running the engine below this temperature increases fuel consumption, emissions, and wear.Ī thermostat blocks off coolant from the radiator until the coolant in the engine reaches the target temperature.
4) Failed ThermostatĬombustion engines are most efficient when they are running at the operating temperature they were designed for.Īn engine’s normal operating temperature is still plenty hot enough to scald you – typically around 190 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit (85 to 99 degrees Celsius). Without a pump, coolant will only be able to circulate via the natural convection process, which is much too slow to remove excess heat before the engine overheats. The coolant in the radiator may be nice and cold, but the coolant surrounding the water jackets in the head and block will be extremely hot. If the water pump fails, coolant won’t be able to circulate through the engine properly. Liquid coolant is more likely to boil at a lower pressure. You may not know your car is running hot until damage is already done.Īdditionally, an air leak in the cooling system may reduce the pressure in the cooling system. If air is trapped in one spot away from the coolant temperature sensor, the temperature sensor may not pick up the hot spot. This happens because air cannot transfer heat as effectively as a liquid can. 2) Air in the Cooling SystemĪir in the cooling system may allow hot spots to form, where one part of the engine is much hotter than the portion measured by the temperature sensor. Since most heads are made out of aluminum, they may warp or crack when the engine gets hot enough.Īn engine may overheat from a number of reasons, most of which are due to a failed component in the cooling system. When an engine overheats, its components may be stressed far beyond the heat threshold it was designed to withstand.
The number one cause of a cracked cylinder head is overheating. This is a byproduct of their design that can be mitigated, but never eliminated entirely. Much of the energy in the combustion process is actually lost to thermal energy, instead of being converted into kinetic energy to power the vehicle. As the name implies, they are designed to contain small, controlled explosions. Internal combustion engines heat up very quickly. What Causes a Cracked Cylinder Head? 1) Overheating
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