Acura Radiator Alfa Romeo Radiator AMC Radiator Audi Radiator BMW Radiator Buick Radiator Cadillac Radiator Chevrolet Radiator Chevrolet Truck Radiator Chevrolet Van Radiator Chrysler Radiator Citroen Radiator Daewoo Radiator Daihatsu Radiator Datsun Radiator Delorean Radiator Dodge Radiator

Dodge Truck Radiator Dodge Van Radiator Eagle Radiator Fiat Radiator Ford Radiator Ford Truck Radiator Ford Van Radiator Geo Radiator GMC Radiator GMC Truck Radiator GMC Van Radiator Honda Radiator Hummer Radiator Hyundai Radiator Infiniti Radiator International Radiator Isuzu Radiator

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Radiator and Engine Cooling Process Defined:

Radiators are used for cooling internal combustion engines, chiefly in automobiles but also in piston-engined aircraft, railway locomotives, motorcycles, heavy duty equipment, stationary generating plants or any similar use of such an engine.

They operate by passing a liquid coolant through the engine block, where it is heated, then through the radiator itself where it loses this heat to the atmosphere. This coolant is usually water-based, but may also be oil. It is usual for the coolant flow to be pumped.

To cool down the engine, coolant heated from flowing through the engine is fed into the header of the radiator via the inlet and then cools down as it circulates through the tubes to the opposite header and cold coolant exits back into the engine via the outlet, and the cycle is repeated. As it circulates through the tubes, the coolant transfers its heat to the tubes which, in turn, transfer the heat to the fins that are lodged between each row of tubes. The fins then radiate the heat transferred by the tubes to the surrounding air, hence the term radiator.

Radiators are often paired with a fan that blows air through the radiator. Air is an important part of the heat transfer process because it takes the heat away from the radiator. Air heats up relatively quickly and that in order for the radiator to continue to transfer heat to the surrounding air effectively, the heated air must continuously be replaced by cool air so that the heat transfer process can continue. That’s why the radiator is located behind the grill at the front end of the car. As the car moves, air flows through the radiator and continuously "takes" away heat. However, when the car is not moving or when natural airflow is insufficient, a fan pointed directly at the core forces more air through it and more heat is transferred.

In automobiles with a liquid-cooled internal combustion engine a radiator is connected to channels running through the engine and cylinder head, through which a liquid (coolant) is pumped. This liquid may be water (in climates where water is unlikely to freeze), but is more commonly a mixture of water and antifreeze in proportions appropriate to the climate. Antifreeze itself is usually ethylene glycol or propylene glycol (with a small amount of corrosion inhibitor).

The radiator transfers the heat from the fluid inside to the air outside, thereby cooling the engine. Radiators are also often used to cool automatic transmissions, air conditioners, and sometimes to cool engine oil. Radiators are typically mounted in a position where they receive airflow from the forward movement of the vehicle, such as behind a front grill. Where engines are mid-or rear-mounted, it is common to mount the radiator behind a front grill to achieve sufficient airflow, even though this requires long coolant pipes. Alternatively, the radiator may draw air from the flow over the top of the vehicle or from a side-mounted grill. For long vehicles, such as buses, side airflow is most common for engine and transmission cooling and top airflow most common for air conditioner cooling.

Radiator construction:

Automobile radiators are constructed of a pair of header tanks, linked by a core with many narrow passageways, thus a high surface area relative to its volume. This core is usually made of stacked layers of metal sheet, pressed to form channels and soldered or brazed together. For many years radiators were made from brass or copper cores soldered to brass headers. Modern radiators save money and weight by using plastic headers and may use aluminum cores. This construction is less easily repaired than traditional materials.

An earlier construction method was the honeycomb radiator. Round tubes were swaged into hexagons at their ends, then stacked together and soldered. As they only touched at their ends, this formed what became in effect a solid water tank with many air tubes through it.

Vintage cars may also have used radiator cores made from coiled tube, a less-efficient but simpler construction.

All automobiles for many years have used centrifical water pumps to circulate their coolant, driven by geared drives or more commonly by a belt drive. This "fan belt" has a well-established reputation for being slightly unreliable, a failure being rapidly obvious as the engine overheats. Despite the name though, it's the coolant pump's failure that causes the overheating, not the fan. For more information please go to our Technical Articles.