The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-12
CAUSES AND CURES
OF OVERHEATING
Poor Cooling Is Symptom Of
Something Wrong in
Motor.
BY III. A. TARANToUs,
Member s. A. b.

thereof, and the man who wants to or
perforce must care for his own vehicle
must be letter perfect In these standard
Ills and must konw how TO cure them
One OF the common troubles that we
have named standard ills" Is overhead
Ing the engine. AS 1t happens, oyerheat-
Ing is symptom rather than basic
trouble. That Is to say. 1t is caused by
certain definite failures In the mechan-
Ism and the owner who learns Just what
these basic troubles are and is able by
process of elimination TO trace back to
the real cause can master the trouble
without difficulty
AS have pointed out before. heat is
form of power. II 1t were not for the
necessity Of maintaining film Of oil
between the various moving parts of the
automobile engine in order to keep the
friction present within reasonable
bounds there would be no reason why
the power plant should not run very
much hotter than ii does. But owing
20 the need FOR preventing the breaking
down of the OIL film by excessive heat
We have 10 have q cooling system
around the cylinders filled with water
If the heat. I'm spite OF this precauticn,
does get beyond certain safe maxi
mum the oil is burned UP, the intense
friction OF metal parts moving against
metal increases the heat to point
where the parts seize and the power
plant Is ruined.
While overheating is not a condition
confined to the summer season, never
theless II Is more prevalent during tho
hot weather, just when we use ears most
continuously. Now II happens that over
heating is bad for the engine, and re-
peated doses of ii may even ruin the
most important parts of 1t. Take no.
tice, therefore, that this Is another case
where the ounce of prevention is worth
the pound of cure.
Almost any driver of car realizes
that II he runs his vehicle for eonsld-
cradle distance on a retarded spark
overheating will ensue. The water will
boil and steam will issue from the radi-
ntor overflow. l doubt, though, whether
very many of my readers have ever
stopped to consider why it Is that run
ming with a late spark causes the condi-
ton of excessive heat. With a retarded
spark the explosion occurs when the
piston is descending. This means that
more of the cylinder wall is exposed to
the heat of the combustion and conse-
ouently moro heat is passed through the
walls into the cooling water, which gets
hotter and hotter. When the spark is
advanced comparatively little Of the cyl
1nder wall area is exposed to the flame
of combustion and less heat is sent
through the walls into the cooling water.
Most Of us have noticed that II they
have to drive up a considerable grade
on a retarded spark to prevent knock
ing In the engine. by the time the car
gets to the top of the hin the engine is
hot and the cooling water is actually
boiling.
When an engine has this characteris-
tic OF knocking when the spark is adj
vanced even little it will be well to in
vestigate and see If the fundamental
cause of the knocking cannot be discov-
cred. II this fundamental cause can be
found and cured 1t will be possible to
advance the spark enough to prevent ex-
cessive heating on grades or in similar
circumstances Here, then, is the frs.
cause of overheating.
Now 1t need scarcely be said that If
anything happens In the cooling system
to stop or impede the flow of the water
the fluid will quickly become overheated
and boil. The only thing that Keeps the
water in condition to perform any cool
ing function anyway is its constantly
circulating. Perhaps the first thing 10
do when overheating develops is TO take
n look into the filler neck of the ra-
diator. If the water seems to be flow
ing all right then we must look further
If the cooling system is of the thermo-
syphon type any obstruction must be
looked for In the radiator or in the en-
CINE side OF the water system. Open the
drain cock and see how the water flows
out. II the water does not flow out of
the radiator IL means probably that
there is an accumulation of foreign mat
ter In the lower tank or in the construct
ed passages OF the radiator itself. In
this case tho best thing to do is to pass
the job along to a radiator repair sta
ton. Sometimes as much as four
pounds of muck have been taken out of
radiator--sufficient reason for inter
rupted water circulation. On occasion
air Under pressure blown into the sys-
tom may move the obstruction and per-
nit the water TO circulate again.
In this connection / would point out
the Importance of having the cooling
system gone over thoroughly at the be-
ginning of the touring season. Also, it
will pay the average ear owner to be a
little more particular about the sort of
water he pours into the cooling system
1t takes only a small amount of dirt
poured into the cooling system on sue
cessive filings to make an accumula-
ton of Nth that will cause serious OBJ
struction. Even when the obstruction is
not enough to cause stoppage OF the
water circulation 1t may seriously impede
1t, which makes the engine run hotter
than il should to be at its best.
In the case of tie pump cooling sys-
tenn there will obviously not be salts
factory circulation unless the pump is
WORKING. III anything goes wrong with
the pump overheating will be the i'm
mediate effect. In cars having this type
of water circulation the pump is the
obvious first inspection TO make.
The growing popularity OF thermo-
static control introduces another possi-
BILE cause of overheating. IL for any
reason the thermostat fails to act when
the water gets hot, so that the pas
sages remain closed and the water is
prevented from circulating, overheating
viii quickly result The function of
the thermostat, II must be remembered,
Is not TO help cool the water after II
gets hot but to heat 1t when it Is
cold.
Perhaps the commonest cause OF over
heating Is the presence Of carbon de-
rosits in the cylinders Of the engine.
IN fact, oveiheating Is one important
indication that carbon deposits have
bsen formed In the cylinders and on
the piston heads. AS "A matter OF fact
overreatfng due TO carbon Is generally
accompanied by knocking, backhriRg
and a sort OF general debility without
waiting for the Intended spark. Nat
urally an en- CINE that has very heavy
carbon deposits requires frequent re-
pleniEhment OF it's water. IL makes no
difference how the spark lever Is moved,
the incandescent carbon particles In the
cylinders cause ignition regardless OF
RI he o,lt IN