The function of the car cooling system is to maintain the car within an appropriate temperature range under all operating conditions; It is often an area that is easily overlooked, without any noise, except for a thermometer, you will never truly know that it is doing one of the most important tasks in automotive machinery. The cooling system of a car can be divided into air cooling and water cooling. A system that uses air as the cooling medium is called an air cooling system, while a system that uses coolant as the cooling medium is called a water cooling system. Currently, water-cooled radiators are commonly used in vehicles. Usually, a water cooling system consists of a water pump, radiator, cooling fan, thermostat, compensation bucket, water jacket in the engine body and cylinder head, and other auxiliary devices.

auto radiator 

The radiator is responsible for cooling the circulating water, and its water pipes and fins are mostly made of aluminum. The aluminum water pipes are made of flat shapes, and the fins are corrugated, emphasizing heat dissipation performance. The installation direction is perpendicular to the direction of air flow, and the wind resistance should be minimized as much as possible, with high cooling efficiency.

The coolant flows inside the radiator core, while air passes outside the radiator core. The hot coolant cools down by dissipating heat from the air, while the cold air heats up by absorbing the heat dissipated by the coolant. Therefore, a radiator is a heat exchanger.

Generally, the radiator is located at the front of the vehicle. When the vehicle is driving, air will enter through the central air intake grille, so dirt such as dust, flying insects, and leaves carried in the air will be adsorbed on the air conditioning condenser and radiator of the water tank by the "air" ride. If we do not clean these foreign objects in a timely manner, once blocked, it will cause insufficient ventilation, affect heat dissipation efficiency, and in severe cases, there may be high water temperature or even "boiling" situations.

For the cleaning of radiators, if you have strong hands-on skills, you can consider cleaning yourself; If there is a lot of dirt and the situation is serious, it is not recommended to clean it yourself. You still need to go to a regular car wash shop for cleaning! Because the radiator is also a very important component, there are many considerations during the cleaning process.

Before cleaning, first organize the components around the radiator to avoid hindering cleaning or causing damage.

Step 1: Use an air gun to blow away foreign objects such as flying flocs and floating soil

If there are large debris such as branches and leaves on the surface of the radiator, it can be cleaned by hand first, and then cleaned with an air gun.

When using an air gun for cleaning, there are also certain requirements. If conditions permit, try to use an air gun to clean from the inside out of the cabin as much as possible, so that the cleaned dust and debris are directly blown out of the car without flying into the interior of the cabin.

In addition, it should be noted that due to its special structure, the radiator is often not very dirty on the surface even if not cleaned for a long time. Therefore, many people will be blinded by its surface, but in fact, its interior is already filled with dirty things. As long as we blow it with an air gun, these dirty things will come out in their original form.

Step 2: Water flushing (not recommended for self operation)

In fact, by the previous step, the entire cleaning process has been basically completed. Although many radiator cleaning mentions water gun cleaning, if you are cleaning yourself, it is not recommended to use a water gun for cleaning. Firstly, using an air gun for dry cleaning can basically achieve the cleaning effect. Secondly, due to the high pressure of the water gun itself and the fact that the heat sink is made of aluminum, it is easy to tilt it if not careful. Ultimately, the effect can be counterproductive and affect the heat dissipation effect.

So, it is best to go to a formal car wash room and have professional personnel clean it, because during cleaning, it is necessary to ensure that the water gun always enters the radiator vertically, and the angle should not be tilted, so as to prevent the angle of the heat sink from being skewed.