After you turn off your car’s engine, you can hear its fan running. It is trying to cool down because the engine might have issues. If you are dealing with these problems, we have the solution for you.
In this article, we are going to describe to you how long it can take your car’s engine to cool down so that you don’t have to deal with engine issues.
Factors That Determine How Long It Takes For A Vehicle To Cool Down
With each passing minute, your car’s engine suffers more wear and tear. When it comes to a car’s cooling capacity, a few things come into play:
- The temperature of your car’s engine when it’s running.
- The quality and quantity of the thermal insulation in the engine bay.
- The temperature of the environment where the engine overheats.
- The volume of engine coolant and the type of block and cylinder head material chosen.
What Can Cause A Car To Be Hot For A Long Time?
Here you will find some of the reasons why your car engine can remain hot longer than normal:
1. Ambient
If your car continually overheats in an environment where it is also hot, it will reduce the time you have to cool down. If, on the other hand, you can still drive your car, try to park it in the shade rather than in direct sunlight as much as possible.
2. Lack Of Engine Oil
The primary function of the oil in your engine is to minimize heat generation by lubricating the engine components. The engine will overheat if there is not enough oil in it.
3. A Malfunctioning Cooling Fan
The main purpose of the fan is to keep the engine cool. As a result, cooling efficiency will decrease if it is not working properly.
4. The Water Pump Is Not Working
A malfunctioning water pump can also be to blame for your car’s unusually high temperature. To keep the engine water jacket circulating, this component is essential.
5. A Broken Fan Belt
The motor belt can transfer motion to the fan to cool the motor. If it is damaged, no current can flow from the motor to the fan. Therefore, the fan will not be able to perform its cooling function.
6. A Blockage In The Radiator
To keep the engine cool, water circulates through the radiator fins via small water tubes. The efficiency of water circulation will decrease if there are blockages in the tubes.
The engine cooling system of a normal vehicle consists of four major components. They are:
- Water pump.
- Radiator.
- Heater core.
- Thermostat.
Also, several hoses connect them together. These hoses also circulate the coolant through the system, including the vehicle’s engine. If one of these components starts malfunctioning, the cooling system will not function correctly.
Your engine will heat up, and you won’t be able to use your car like you used to.
How Long Does It Take For A Car To Cool Down?
Heat loss is proportional to the temperature difference between the motor and the environment. Heat loss is negligible when the engine is cooled close to ambient air temperature.
Your car may take 30 minutes or more to cool down. If your car’s engine overheats, wait 30 minutes before using it. Be careful if the hood is steaming. Do not open the radiator cap after turning it off.
The coolant has heated up and can cause severe burns to your hands. An engine has cooled down when it is safe to operate. Again, this will depend on the ambient temperature and the heat output of the engine.
The cooling time varies between engines. Wait 1 to 2 hours for the vehicle to cool down before opening the radiator cap. Wait 3 to 5 hours before checking the coolant percentage.
Because the coolant has expanded, the gauge may indicate erroneous high values, confusing them with those that are still hot.
Ways For You To Cool Down Your Car Faster
It is not uncommon for your car to overheat in the summer heat.
It is something unusual in modern vehicles, which have a veritable army of modern measures to prevent any rise in temperature of the mechanics, but in older cars is something that can happen.
If you are on your way to your vacation spot and you see how the engine temperature needle keeps rising, follow these tips to lower the engine temperature:
1. Don’t Stop The Engine Suddenly
Most drivers, when they see the temperature gauge reaching the red zone, their first reaction is to stop the engine suddenly.
This is not the best solution because if it is allowed to cool down due to the temperature transfer to the atmosphere, the valves could seize and the cylinder head gasket could crack.
2. Turn Off The Air Conditioning And Open The Windows.
This will favor that the engine has less load to support and when reducing the activity, it can begin to cool down.
3. Perform A Heat Transfer
Turn on the heater and get out of the car. This will send some of the heat from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment and lower the engine temperature.
4. Use The Accelerator Pedal And Engine Brake Properly
If you are stopped and the temperature does not drop, put the engine in neutral and give a few small strokes of gas, this can help the water pump to work with some more forcefulness, as well as the fan itself.
If the engine is overheating in a traffic jam or in a traffic light area, try not to give big accelerations and avoid using the engine brake, the mechanics must have the least possible activity.
