Wednesday, October 22, 2014

What Damage Can Happen From An Electric Train Engine Getting too hot

Husky, at least you've got your health.


Accede this: Whether matchless approximately 30 percent of the strength in your vehicle's petrol goes into forming horsepower (and it does), then the engine produces deeper than twice as even thermal power than it does motivation fury. That charitable of thermal power trapped in something as microscopic as an engine block is easily capable of sending it into a China Syndrome-spec meltdown.


Mild Overheating -- Top of the Temperature Gauge


Once the temperature gauge bodkin reaches the top of the gauge, the thermostat is expansive, the fans are on and the cooling process is working its hardest to shed engine heat. Short excursions to the top of the gauge won't bunged up anything, on the other hand sustained aerial temperatures Testament douse the engine with heat and can direction to a runaway thermal buildup once the cooling system loses domination. At this phase, you may sign a Blop in bent, as the intake charge heats up and the air loses density; practicable knock or ping under acceleration.


Overheating -- 20 to 40 Degrees Over


Depending on the engine replica and the extent of carbon buildup in the cylinders, your vehicle may set off to action engine knock (detonation). Provided you forge ahead to lope the engine under high-reaching temperatures and detonation, it's exclusive a concern of day before one or augmented of the pistons crack, the piston rings shatter or the Glimmer plug electrode straps melt. At this speck, the oil has thinned to the consistency of H2O, which mode close bearing, cylinder Muzzle and valvetrain wear. Depending on the contingency and type of engine, you may familiarity a blowout in the imbue pump or intake manifold gaskets.


Severe Overheating -- 40 to 80 Degrees Over


By like now, you've definitely noticed a Blop in potentiality, and the oil has thinned to the purpose that the engine sounds commensurate a coffee can complete of ball bearings. There's nearly undeniable damage to the bearings and wear surfaces inside the engine, extremely as the top piston rings. This is head-gasket-blowing house, mainly if your vehicle's engine has aluminum heads. Sustained at this level, the loss of oil viscosity will eat the bearings and cause the engine to grab, and the heat will cause the heads to warp and probably crack.


Total Meltdown -- 100 Degrees Plus


The engine block, crankshaft, rods, intake and exhaust manifolds, fuel and ignition system, valvesprings, timing chain and accessory drives might be salvageable, but that's about it. Everything else is either so scored by lack of lubrication, warped by heat or damaged at a molecular level that the engine will never be the same again. Even after machining, cylinder heads that have been run at this temperature for any amount of time are probably damaged beyond repair. Don't spray the engine with a hose, don't add coolant if you've lost all of it -- don't even spit on the thing. Metal heats as it expands, and cooling any one area very rapidly will cause the cooled area to contract and pull away from still-hot metal. The end result is a cracked block or cylinder heads.



There's a fair chance that once the bearings go, the crankshaft will seize up in the block, break the main caps or block webbing and drill itself into the Earth.

Managing the Aftermath

An oil additive with PTFE (Teflon) will form a protective barrier over bearing surfaces and cylinder walls, which can give you some margin of error where overheating is concerned. Never introduce cold water to a hot engine. Just shut the engine down and allow it to cool on its own, since the damage has already been done. You might want to consider giving the starter a bump every 30 seconds to reduce the possibility of engine seizure while the metal cools and contracts.