Car Parts: A Look at Your Heating & Cooling Systems

An Introduction: Car Parts & Your Heating and Cooling Needs

Most of the job of cooling your car is done by a mixture of water and propylene glycol. Your engine runs at very high temperatures, and to keep it from overheating, water is constantly circulated through it and back to the radiator so its heat can be dissipated into the air. Then the cooled water is returned to the engine to cool it once again. Although some modern cars are air-cooled, the majority of them use the water and propylene glycol combination.

Keeping Your Car in Top Condition: Using Appropriate Car Parts

Although the radiator in the front of the car is responsible for dispersing much of the car’s heat, some of this water goes through the heater core instead. A small radiator itself, the heater core is actually under your dashboard. This device is made from pipes that guide the water through fins designed to disperse heat more quickly. This water, after passing through long coils of pipe, returns to the water pump once cooled. The heat reaches the car’s cab by fans that push air through the fins of the heater core. This warm air is then pushed into the passenger area through vents. This means that the same system that cools your car is responsible for heating your passenger area.

Without this cooling, your fuel would overheat, metal parts would wear much faster, the oil would thin and be less effective, and your emissions would rise. Although the heater core, radiator, and water pump are all essential mechanisms for heating and cooling your car, there are other smaller parts that are responsible for system support, like the thermostat, fans, valves, and others.

Many people having trouble with this system will see the temperature gauge rise more than normal, and the car may overheat. While you can replace parts yourself, it’s most important to find out which part is causing the problems. For instance, the thermostat may be wearing out. If so, you would not want to replace the water pump. While this sounds quite logical, remember that the one main symptom of many problems with the heating and cooling system is a temperature anomaly. It may take a specialist to tell what part is actually responsible for your problems.

Some Final Tips and Thoughts

Because the cooling system is so important, you should also make sure you have enough coolant in the reservoir. Many problems can be averted just by keeping those fluid levels at their optimum.