What happens when your car engine gets hot?
As the temperature increases, the rubber seals, plastic valves, and bits of resin holding the whole engine together may begin to melt, releasing fumes that you would not normally smell otherwise. Most people describe this unusual odor as a ‘hot’ smell.
What’s the optimal heat range for an engine?
Every engine has an optimal heat range to run efficiently, in general 190°F to 210°F. On most carbureted engines, a common thermostat used is a 180°F. You can check the function of your thermostat a number of ways.
What happens when a spark happens too soon in an engine?
If the spark happens too soon, the engine fights against cylinder pressure which may cause a pinging problem. When the spark occurs too late it won’t completely burn compression gasses which creates more heat that the cooling system has to dissipate. The optimum ignition spark timing will vary with engine speed, load, and air/fuel mixtures.
Which is the correct ignition timing to avoid overheating?
The optimum ignition spark timing will vary with engine speed, load, and air/fuel mixtures. And the correct ignition timing involves more than just setting the initial timing; the amount and rate of the mechanical and vacuum advance curves are also very important to avoid overheating.
Why does a closed loop radiator need hot coolant?
Heated coolant also expands so a closed loop system will require coolant to be held in rather than boiled out. A closed loop system will also need an overflow tank which is reclaimed upon cooling of the system. A functioning radiator cap will maintain its rated pressure.
What happens to the coolant in an engine when it gets hot?
When under pressure, water and engine coolant boil at a higher temperature. As your coolant and water increase in temperature and approach the boiling point, the state of the liquid begins to change to a gas, seen as steam. A gas is much less efficient in cooling your engine than a liquid.
What makes an engine run hotter over a stock bore?
An engine that has been bored over the stock bore can run hotter because of the reduced wall thickness of the metal in the block. Less metal means less metal to dissipate the heat. Typically this is not a problem unless the bore has gone overboard in removing metal or the block has been bored too many times.
Every engine has an optimal heat range to run efficiently, in general 190°F to 210°F. On most carbureted engines, a common thermostat used is a 180°F. You can check the function of your thermostat a number of ways.