How Is It Ive Never Seen .....

[ThaiLife]

This may sound a bit of a silly question, but taking into consideration

How hot it can get in Thailand, and the number of traffic jams

And seeing vehicle’s parked for long periods with the engine running (air condition running)

How is it ive never seen a vehicle parked at the road side with its bonnet up and

Clouds of steam coming out, due to overheating…?

Are the vehicles here in Thailand in some way different in the cooling specification..?

Or have larger cooling fan’s …?

TL

[Berty]

Most cars are quite new and cooling sin't a problme with modern engines. However I've had a few cars go pop over the years here.

[gpt]

I believe that they are fitted with larger expansion tanks and fans. When I was in Dhahran in 1995, there were about 400 Jeep CJ5s parked in a compound at Half Moon Bay and had been there since Gulf War I. When I asked why they were there, I was told that the manufacturers shipped them over for use with the Allied forces and could not be used because they needed larger expansion tanks and fans. No-one wanted to pay for the modifications so there they stood and it would not surprise me if they are still there today.

[pal78]

Over the years I've seen quite a few cars parked at the side of the road exhibiting the symptoms of overheating in Thailand, mostly old ones, but some newer models too. I think as long as you maintain it properly, modern cars sold in Thailand are equipped to deal with the heat though.

[Loz]

Had been wondering about this myself. As for the comment about most cars being new. I must live in the poor region, Because here in Korat at LEAST 50% of road going (I did not say road worthy, did I...) ) traffic is over 10 years old. Some look cherished, right enough, others look mashed!

I have noticed a trend of putting Japanese engines in older cars though... might be related.

[pigtail]

Without a thermostat in the cooling system the chance of overheating is reduced greatly unless the water level is very low.

Thai mechanics removed it from older import cars. HHH

[Gary A]

A friend of mine has an old Mitsubishi turbo diesel that is fine on level ground but boils over every time he drives up to our mountain watering hole.

[nikster]

This may sound a bit of a silly question, but taking into consideration

How hot it can get in Thailand, and the number of traffic jams

And seeing vehicle’s parked for long periods with the engine running (air condition running)

How is it ive never seen a vehicle parked at the road side with its bonnet up and

Clouds of steam coming out, due to overheating…?

Are the vehicles here in Thailand in some way different in the cooling specification..?

Or have larger cooling fan’s …?

TL

Funny you should ask because I managed to overheat our olde Suzuki Vitara... it was _not_ pretty, the car had to be towed 3 hours across the mountains back to the dealer in Chiang Mai. Blew all the gasket covers for engine repairs exceeding THB 50K

I am not entirely sure how it happened, I think the water tank leaked from a previous repair and there was something about the thermostat not working when there's no water in the system. Kinda silly - when there is the absolute highest possibility it will overheat, the thermostat stops working. Uhhh... ?! Ok?!?!?

But other than outright damage to the car, I don't think they would ever overheat.

[Rinrada]

They have all got airconditioning.........

[Artisan]

Just some thoughts about those drivers who do put their bonnets up.

A strange but common misconception held by so many Thai drivers is that, after a long and fast run, the car engine should be allowed to cool down quickly; the bonnet (hood) is lifted to allow this to happen. This is the worst thing that you can do.

A car engine, once stopped, doesn’t get any hotter as the source of heat (the combustion of fuel and internal friction) has been taken away. A car engine is a complicated assembly of thousands of components made from many different materials e.g. various steels, various alloys of aluminium, various alloys of copper, various synthetic materials, each component having been tightened to differing degrees and each material having different coefficients of expansion and contraction. In other words, they will contract or expand to different extents and at different rates as the temperature changes.

Gaskets and joints suffer the most as these items usually separate different materials and they themselves will also have different expansion/contraction characteristics. If it was possible to keep the mechanicals of a car at operating (running) temperature all of the time, even when stopped with the engine switched off, then this would give greater fuel efficiency and longevity of the moving parts. It would also result in less oil and water leaks. This is because the gaskets and joints would not be susceptible to the expansion/contraction effects of the items that they separate.

Applying over-torque to a joint or gasket face is undesirable also as, once the joint or gasket is compressed beyond its elasticity, then expect that joint or gasket to leak eventually.

Keep those bonnets (hoods) closed!!!

[elkangorito]

Without a thermostat in the cooling system the chance of overheating is reduced greatly unless the water level is very low.

Removing the thermostat will reduce the life of the engine because it takes longer for the engine to heat up & the engine will not reach its "design" operating temperature. Consequently, the engine is "tighter" when it is colder & this therefore places more friction on the moving parts.

It is not uncommon for people in Australia to remove the thermostat only to find that when they do re-install it (after years of operating without a thermostat), the engine blows smoke & burns oil.

I am not entirely sure how it happened, I think the water tank leaked from a previous repair and there was something about the thermostat not working when there's no water in the system. Kinda silly - when there is the absolute highest possibility it will overheat, the thermostat stops working. Uhhh... ?! Ok?!?!?

Thermostats are placed in the cooling system water flow. They require the heat of the water to open or close. Consequently, if there is no water in the system, the thermostat will not operate. But if there is no water in the cooling system, having a thermostat will make no difference because the engine will overheat.

Just some thoughts about those drivers who do put their bonnets up.

A strange but common misconception held by so many Thai drivers is that, after a long and fast run, the car engine should be allowed to cool down quickly; the bonnet (hood) is lifted to allow this to happen. This is the worst thing that you can do.

A car engine, once stopped, doesn’t get any hotter as the source of heat (the combustion of fuel and internal friction) has been taken away. A car engine is a complicated assembly of thousands of components made from many different materials e.g. various steels, various alloys of aluminium, various alloys of copper, various synthetic materials, each component having been tightened to differing degrees and each material having different coefficients of expansion and contraction. In other words, they will contract or expand to different extents and at different rates as the temperature changes.

Gaskets and joints suffer the most as these items usually separate different materials and they themselves will also have different expansion/contraction characteristics. If it was possible to keep the mechanicals of a car at operating (running) temperature all of the time, even when stopped with the engine switched off, then this would give greater fuel efficiency and longevity of the moving parts. It would also result in less oil and water leaks. This is because the gaskets and joints would not be susceptible to the expansion/contraction effects of the items that they separate.

Applying over-torque to a joint or gasket face is undesirable also as, once the joint or gasket is compressed beyond its elasticity, then expect that joint or gasket to leak eventually.

Keep those bonnets (hoods) closed!!!

My sentiments exactly.

[stingray]

Usally we have larger radiators overhere. Every newer car have electric fans wich works allways constantly in the same speed. Mecanicial fans in older cars they turn slowly when dte engine ideling low in the traffic jams. So specially in Traffig jams you need a fast running fan, not a slow one. Only electric fans can turn fast. Usally the are controlled be electric sensors, for example some electric fans have 2 speed, if the water get hot, the electronic sensor give a signal and the electric fan turns (Via relay) faster than normal. On Highway when you driving faster you have wind entering to the radiator and cooling down, so the electric fans don''t need to work fast. Older cars have only a normal fan wich is connectet with the waterpump. To avoid the overheating problem you can fit extra electric fans from the frontside of the radiator. But they have to blow, so make sure you installl them the correct way.

[Tony Clifton]

Once we reached our destination in Krabi last year, the sister in law kept insisting I pop the hood open and let the car run for a while She seemed upset or maybe confused when I told her that if that was necessary, that would be done automatically. You could actually hear the fan that kept working for a few minutes after turning off the ignition.

A guy I used to work with refused to use his car's engine block heater in winter time (keeps engine oil from seizing in low temperatures). His argument was that his car would get used to it and he'd have to plug the car in constantly afterwards.

People have the weirdest concepts when it comes to machinery, almost treating it as they would for a living form of life.

I have to go swear at the water pump now.