And anyway what happened to water ? It used to cool cars perfectly well. Obviously the coolant in the car is mostly water, (98% ?) - what happens if i just top it up with water ? Serious question folks.[/quote]
The water does not cool the engine, it is the air that runs through the radiator that does the cooling,, so what ever is in the system is for transfering heat from the engine to the radiator and cool back to the engine.
tygertung,
May 21, 6:16am
How can you be sure that it isn't the water which is for cooling the engine, and it isn't the radiator which is to cool the water?
muppet_slayer,
May 21, 6:20am
Yeh I think you will find that the water cools the engine and absorbs the heat from it and then the radiator takes the heat from the water so the water does do the cooling of the engine. Basically what tyger said.
car__parts,
May 21, 10:22pm
Try applying your theory to an oil cooler, is it the oil the cools the oil or is it the air running over the radiator.
Also why dont you try this, take the radiater out of yor car and just use the water for cooling on its own.
headcat,
May 21, 10:36pm
For all the dilution it would cause why not just add a couple of cups of water?
apollo11,
May 21, 10:38pm
It's do-able. If you want to run a constant loss system from the water tank you are towing.
apollo11,
May 21, 11:07pm
My engine is cooled by water, which is cooled by the radiator, which is cooled by air, which is cooled by electromagnetic radiation into the vacuum of space. Therefore my engine is cooled by the universe. Hopefully I don't get a Big Bang.
tygertung,
May 22, 12:05am
They do this in boats.
apollo11,
May 22, 1:28am
I guess we need to stop referring to engines as air cooled, oil cooled or water cooled. since they are all actually air cooled lol.
tygertung,
May 22, 1:43am
Yes, as I suppose the sea is cooled by the air.
With regard to the oil cooler, perhaps it is air cooled. Intercoolers can be water cooled or air cooled; there are two different types.
car__parts,
May 22, 3:22am
Yes I have cooled boats with water,, as there is a constant reusable supply,, I suppose the point I should have made was that water will cool something, but only cold water, and its only a momentary solution, and the water needs to be cooled again before it can be re used for this purpose.
nice_lady,
May 22, 3:33am
The water removes heat from the engine. The air removes heat from the water, (in the radiator).
apollo11,
May 22, 3:39am
Yes, your engine is water cooled. Your radiator is air cooled.
ronaldo8,
May 22, 4:36am
And hilariously that is the most rational take on the foregoing ridiculous bit of hair splitting silliness.
Well done that man, carry on.
apollo11,
May 22, 5:16am
Hey ronnie, how you be? Ya gotta squeeze some fun out of life when you can. A mate of mine was buried today, bowel cancer got him.
ronaldo8,
May 22, 7:16am
It is happening, Had a few pals retire to the pavilion over the last couple of years as well. Focuses the mind for sure. I'm good, been spending a lot of quality time in the workshop, even getting paid for some of it!
muppet_slayer,
May 22, 9:31am
No it's the same principle. The oil has absorbed the heat from the engine and the cooler removes the heat from the oil. The oil returns to the engine cool ready to absorb the heat build up again and so on, the engine runs cooler with cooled oil.
Try removing the water from the cooling system and see if the radiator will still cool the engine. No it won't therefore the water transfers the heat from the engine to the radiator fins.
tygertung,
Aug 5, 10:45pm
On aircraft gas turbine engines they usually have a "fuel cooled oil cooler".
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