What is a Car Radiator?

A radiator is a heat exchanger that helps to cool internal combustion engines (ICE) in automobiles. More importantly, you may find this crucial component in motorcycles, locomotive engines, and piston-engine aircraft. Currently, most modern automobiles are fitted with aluminum radiators.

When an ICE is operating, it emits a lot of heat, especially during the power stroke. To mitigate the problem of the engine overheating, a coolant is pumped by your car through the engine block, receives the heat, and carries it away.

The superheated coolant moves through your radiator, which blows air across the cooling fluid. A heat exchange operation occurs, and the heat from the coolant is transferred to the air outside of the car.

The radiator itself is designed in such a way that it has metal fins, which allow the transfer of heat to the air outside to occur fast. Notably, depending on the cooling needs of the equipment in question, radiators come in different sizes, designs, and shapes, though their functionalities always remain the same.

• Core - It is arguably the largest part of the radiator. It integrates small metal fins embedded on a large metal block. The core facilitates the coolant to transfer heat to the air around the radiator.
   
• Pressure Cap - In the cooling operation, the coolant system always works under high pressure. And the pressure cap is the component that builds up the pressure through the use of a spring and can reach up to 20 PSI. always remember never to remove the pressure cap when the coolant is hot as it can cause serious burns.
   
• Transmission Cooler - Heat removed from the transmission system by the coolant is not cooled by the same part of the radiator as that from the engine. The transmission cooler is the part where the coolant-carrying heat from the transmission system is dissipated.
   
• Outlet and Inlet Tanks - These tanks facilitate the movement of the coolant from the hot parts of the engine to the radiator.

As you can see, a radiator is a very important component in your car. That's why you need to keep it in good condition. If you need radiator repair, we invite you to bring your vehicle to our auto repair shop today!