The causes elevated engine water temperature during summer

In the summer, the engine's water temperature remains within a set operating temperature range, regardless of the outside temperature. In the summer, when the outside temperature is high, the engine heats up rapidly, leading to the engine entering the large cycle more quickly and the cooling fan starting more frequently.

In the winter time, when the outside temperature is low, the engine warms up slowly and the small cycle takes longer, the cooling fan will be activated even less frequently. Whether it's the large or small cycle, or how often the fan is turned on and how fast, it's all about controlling the engine temperature in a set range.

This brings us to the thermostat that comes with the vehicle itself. It is an automatic thermostat that controls the coolant flow path and automatically adjusts the amount of water entering the radiator according to the coolant temperature. And it can regulate the cooling system's ability to dissipate heat by changing the range of water circulation. This ensures that the engine works within the right temperature range.

Of course, the summer heat forces us to turn on the air conditioner in the vehicle. Turning on the air conditioner increases the engine load, leading to increased heat dissipation and higher water temperatures. But as long as the engine water temperature stays between 85°C and 95°C, that's normal.

If the water temperature is often higher than 95°C or boiling, it is time to check for faults. At this time we can check whether the thermostat is invalid, because when the thermostat after long-term use of failure or functional attenuation so that the valve opening smaller, resulting in slow water circulation or even interruptions, which leads to high engine water temperature .

To determine whether the thermostat can continue to be used, you can heat the thermostat in water and check the temperature at which the valve starts to open, the temperature at which it fully opens, and the lift of the valve from opening to fully opening.

Generally speaking, the temperature at which the valve starts to open is around 80°C, the temperature at full opening is usually around 90°C, and the lift at which the valve operates is usually 7 to 10 millimeters.

If the water temperature is too high due to a damaged thermostat, it can be removed in an emergency. However, a new thermostat must be installed afterward, and the vehicle must not be used for a long time without a thermostat.

The function of coolant is cooling, anti-freezing, anti-boiling and so on. If the engine water temperature rises during summer driving, we can check the liquid level of the coolant plastic jug. If the coolant is below the minimum scale, add coolant to the specified scale.

If the engine water temperature continues to rise after adding coolant, and the coolant level drops, you should check for coolant leaks and address the issue as soon as possible. Because the coolant is very likely to flow into the cylinder due to the leakage of the engine combustion chamber gasket, this has a very significant impact on the vehicle.

It is important to note that truckers should not just fill up the coolant without replacing it, because coolant can also expire. Coolant failure is not only useless, but will also corrode the internal parts of the cooling system. Therefore, when replacing the coolant we should pay attention to the expiration date of the coolant.

Attention should also be paid to the cleaning of the air intake grille. Large amounts of flotsam, leaves and dust falling from the road can clog the radiator surface. Coupled with more flying insects at night in summer, will also block the radiator surface, thus greatly reducing the cooling capacity of the water tank.

This problem is also easy to deal with, we just need to remove the air intake grille, and then use a water gun to clean it. Of course, when using the water gun, we should pay attention to adjusting the splash dispersion to reduce the pressure; spray water as perpendicular to the tank as possible to avoid high water pressure damage to the radiator fins.

In addition, we can also check the tension of the cooling fan belt. Too much slackness will cause insufficient speed of the fan and water pump, insufficient fan speed will result in lower cold air flow in the water tank, and will also lead to the coolant circulating speed being too slow. 

Vehicles are generally equipped with active air intake grille, truckers remember to open it in the summer driving, it has good ventilation and cooling effect.

In addition, we also need to pay attention to whether the water pipe of the water tank is blocked, clogging will lead to a decrease in the water pipe cross-section, reducing water circulation efficiency.