OT - Since it's summer time, don't fricken over heat your car

[General of Darkness]

This is more of a preventative thread. I know we have some single mom's on the board and a few girly men :) but I'd hate for you guys to get stuck on the side of the road when you don't have to. Plus dealing with this type of crap is a pain in the ass.

First off, I AM NOT A MECHANIC, but I do have common sense. And yesterday going to dog training I have to go north through Valencia CA which it probably 500 feet above sea level and during the summer time it's about 95 degrees at 10AM and immediately goes from 500 feet up a grade to about 3,000 feet in the course of 2 miles. Every damn time, there's people on the side of the road that have over heated their motor. If I see kids with them I ALWAYS stop and give them some water.

Here's a simple video that discusses WHY this happens. These items you can simply addressed by either doing it yourself, which is easy, or having a mechanic do it, even if you don't have to do.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqmNWSTqizw

I'll post a video of what I'm going to have to address because I noticed that yesterday my diesel was getting hotter than I wanted, and I suspected that with close to 120K miles it's probably my clutch fan.

[General of Darkness]

Here's something I noticed that I'm going to have fixed this week. My clutch fan is close to being done. That's why my temperatures are higher than normal.

FYI - Some preventative maintenance goes a MASSIVELY long way, not just in you safety, but in your pocketbook.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldGtdJB3fvM

[zap]

LOL Thanks General since I have GMC 2002, I will go out and check the fan clutch, it is my thrasher truck, over the grade 4 times a day, at least If I could get to the top I can coast down.;)

Really though, maintenance is a big deal, when you live out here in the middle of nowhere you better make damn sure you have a little common sense when it comes to vehicles.

[BabushkaLady]

Warning: If you keep posting threads like this; people might think you're a nice guy! ;D

[General of Darkness]

Warning: If you keep posting threads like this; people might think you're a nice guy! ;D

Lets not loose our heads.

[Horn]

You'd be surprised how much a modern passenger car engine is designed to run on a flat even surface.

Steep or long inclines simply aren't part of the design mix. Some of the older truck engines had more incline friendly engine designs.

[iOWNme]

(This is more general info)

The 3 things you need to cool your engine are: Airflow, Coolant flow, and Pressure.

If you start to overheat while sitting at a light, but then it goes down as you take off, then you likely have an airflow problem. This could be your fan clutch (Mechanical) or electric fan, or some debris blocking the path for air to be pulled through the radiator and condenser.

If you get hot while driving down the freeway, but it goes down if you get off the freeway and drive on the side streets, you likely have a water flow problem. At higher speeds, you know you are getting ample airflow (Unless there is debris of some kind). This usually means there is a water flow issue. It could be the water pump, plugged up hoses, or other water restriction.

And lastly you need pressure. If you have a leak in the system or if your radiator cap does not hold pressure the system will not operate effectively. This can lead to overheating, etc.

Another thing to mention is if you do overheat bad enough, most cars you are looking at head gaskets at minimum, if not replacing or fixing cylinder heads. If you cannot do this stuff yourself, you will probably try and sell the car before you pay to have either of these things done. :) Although these jobs are not difficult, they are for someone with no tools and even less experience. So this is a key issue here: Dont let your car overheat! Do you want to know how to do that? Do routine maintenance.


Ive worked on cars for 15+ years.....

[zap]

Mine is fine ! thanks general !

[milehi]

You'd be surprised how much a modern passenger car engine is designed to run on a flat even surface.

Steep or long inclines simply aren't part of the design mix. Some of the older truck engines had more incline friendly engine designs.

I don't know. My daily driver 4D sedan is very torquey with long legs and there's many twisty off cambered highways around here. It's totally comfortable at 6-7K rpm. It's little brother, a V8 Avant laughs at steep grades.

[Old Herb Lady]

[QUOTE=General of Darkness;559500]

First off, I AM NOT A MECHANIC, but I do have common sense. And yesterday going to dog training I have to go north through Valencia CA which it probably 500 feet above sea level and during the summer time it's about 95 degrees at 10AM and immediately goes from 500 feet up a grade to about 3,000 feet in the course of 2 miles. Every damn time, there's people on the side of the road that have over heated their motor.
If I see kids with them I ALWAYS stop and give them some water.


QUOTE]


OMG, that is so sweet and so empathetic. Thank You General.

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd443/tearose50/Smiley%20II/dog_smiley.gif http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e105/CommentCrazyGirl/Non-smiley%20Smileys/Dancing/hotdog.gif

[Mouse]

Kids these days

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