Precautions Against Overheating of the Radiator

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19826, 31 December 1938, Page 11

Precautions Against Overheating of the Radiator

THE heat which has been experienced '• lately should- serve as a warning to those people who propose undertaking long summer runs in cars ; which already have seen a year or | two's service. Of these, a number are I going to suffer from overheating ; troubles unless pains are taken to put cooling systems into order. ■ Those owners who live in districts 'in which only, "hard" water is obtainable will suffer the most, because the ;irori and lime in such water choke \\B cooling systems more than any other agency. ! The cooling system comprises narrow water jackets around the cylinders and radiator, composed of an upper and lower tank, joined together by narrow tubes, around which air can circulate. The cylinder water jackets are connected with the radiator at top and bottom, and in all but the lightest cars there is a centrifugal pump to help keep the water circulating through cylinder jackets and radiator. There also is a fan to increase the velocity of air past the radiator tubes.

There are various troubles which can affect this cooling system, but in the cold conditions of winter they may remain dormant and unsuspected, awaiting a blistering hot day in hilly country to become evident. Methods of Flushing The most common cooling system trouble is the formation of deposits of lime and scaly rust on the inner walls of cylinder block and radiator. These naturally restrict the size of the water passages, and also increase the thickness of the walls separating the cooling water from the inner working parts which generate heat. Thus, the heat cannot be efficiently dissipated and the cooling water boils.

There are various ways of getting rid- of these deposits, but about the most efficient is a special system of pressure flushing. The owner can, however, flush the cooling system himself in a reasonably satisfactory way. There are on the market special compounds which arc mixed with water and put into the cooling system. The engine is then operated for 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour, so that it becomes thoroughly warm. The impregnated cooling water as it circulates will loosen most of the deposits, which ■ will come out when the system is drained. The process must be followed by a lavish flushing with clean water to get rid of all traces of the special compound. Another idea is to mix up a fairly weak solution of warm water and ordinary washing soda, and, with this, follow the process just described. Perished Hoses. There are several other.things which can go wrong with the coohng system, but they usually take several years to develop. After a long period of service, the inner surfaces of the radiator hose connections will rot away, so that the rubber in long flakes falls into the water pipes and stops the free circulation of the water. When flushing fails to prevent overheating, examine these connections. If in the condition described, replace with new hoses, using whitelead or shellac between hoses and pipes to secure watertight joints. Another part of the system, which requires comparatively frequent attention is the water pump. About the driving spindle is placed a gland to prevent water from leaking over the shaft. This gland incorporates a packing material, and it is wear on this which causes the ing the gland nut which encircles the shaft will effect a cure for some time, but after it has received this attention on a number of occasions the packing will have become too worn for further compressing, and a new one will have to be installed. This is best left to the service station, as different materials are used on different cars.

A number of latest models have a design of pump which cannot leak, and never needs adjustment, but in most cases the pump- is the type described. It is worth looking at frequently to make sure there is not a •'weep" of water from the point where the spindle enters the body of the pump. If after all this attention the engine still overheats, and at the same time displays a mysterious loss of power, examine the spark adjustment. If it has slipped back so that the spark is too far retarded; that will explain both troubles.