Slow engine heating in Winter?

Maybe there's something wrong with them!

As the weather gets colder and colder, most of the truckers in the north will encounter the problem of slow temperature rise of the cold starting water of the vehicle when driving. 

After all, the temperature in winter will become particularly low in the north. When the vehicle starts, the water temperature rises slowly, which will increase the consumption of fuel to some extent. In this period, we will talk about the heating problem of driving in winter.

● Slow engine heating may be a thermostat problem

 Because the weather temperature is low, the internal temperature of the engine and the temperature of the coolant itself is also low. If the running temperature of the engine is not high enough, then it is likely to burn insufficient, leading to the engine heating time becomes longer.

So what are the methods for keeping the engine warm? Let's start with the thermostat, the valve that controls the flow path of the coolant. It's an automatic temperature control device, arranged in the path between the engine and the radiator.

 Functionally, the thermostat can automatically adjust the amount of water entering the radiator according to the temperature of the coolant. By changing the circulation range of water, the cooling capacity of the cooling system can be adjusted, so as to ensure that the engine works in the appropriate temperature range.

If you think your truck is heating up too slowly when you start, you should consider whether there is something wrong with the thermostat. 

So how do you know if the thermostat is faulty? 

When the engine is running, observe whether there is cooling liquid flowing out of the inlet pipe of the upper water chamber of the water tank. If there is, the main valve of the thermostat can not be closed normally; On the contrary, when the temperature of the engine reaches the opening of the thermostat, there is no cooling liquid flowing out at the inlet pipe of the upper water chamber of the tank, which indicates that the main valve of the thermostat cannot be opened normally.

● Electronic control silicone fan clutch provides more accurate temperature control

As an important part of the engine cooling system, the electronically controlled silicone oil fan clutch can not only directly read the ECU signal of the engine control module, but also achieve more accurate control of the cooling fan speed by the electromagnetic valve inside the fan clutch according to the information provided by the temperature sensor in each part of the engine. This can reduce or increase the temperature in the engine, which can also effectively reduce fuel consumption, resulting in fewer exhaust emissions.

At present, most large displacement commercial vehicles, use electronic control silicone oil fan clutch, and even a few use electromagnetic fan. What are the problems with the clutch that affect engine temperature control?

The common faults are that the fan does not rotate or runs poorly, and only has one rotation speed. If the fan spiral bimetallic sheet temperature sensor is broken, resulting in the fan does not turn; The fatigue failure of the sheet metal temperature sensor leads to the failure of the fan to work in time and thus affects the performance of the engine. 

● Thermal shield + intake grille active and passive way to help heating up

In addition to the above mentioned thermostat and electronically controlled silicone fan clutch, experienced drivers have also developed a variety of external ways to keep warm, such as adding a warm cover to the front face mask of the vehicle, there are universal type, special customized type, simple homemade type, etc. With them, the engine can reach an ideal working temperature as soon as possible, ensuring that the engine will warm up quickly after cold start, saving fuel consumption and reducing engine parts wear caused by low temperature. Of course, thermal covers must be wrapped tightly, otherwise it will be useless.

In addition, with the progress of science and technology, more and more models no longer need to add thermal cover, because many heavy truck models are equipped with AGS function (active intake grille open and close system), the system can automatically control the opening angle of the front mask intake grille according to the current working condition of the vehicle and the temperature of the transmitter to help the engine heat up or heat down and accelerate the engine heating process. But because the system contains multiple sensors, if something goes wrong, you need to go to a professional service station for maintenance.