What are the effects of low car coolant temperature?
3 Answers
Low car coolant temperature can increase fuel consumption and affect engine performance. Increased fuel consumption: Low car coolant temperature leads to poor gasoline atomization, incomplete combustion, reduced power, increased fuel consumption, and more carbon deposits. Impact on engine performance: The normal operating temperature of a car engine is generally around 90 degrees Celsius. Low coolant temperature has certain effects on engine performance. First, there's the issue of clearance between moving parts. With low coolant temperature, parts expand less, resulting in excessive clearance and reduced power. The engine oil temperature also decreases, increasing viscosity and raising engine operating resistance, which affects power output.
I've experienced the issue of the temperature gauge not rising after driving for so many years. An engine running at low temperatures is like a person swimming in icy water - the oil becomes as thick as paste, components grind against each other, and within half a year the valve cover gasket starts leaking. What's worse, fuel consumption skyrockets as the ECU desperately injects extra fuel to generate heat, with unburned gasoline smell from the exhaust. During that self-drive trip to Northeast China, the heater only blew cold air, my hands froze too stiff to grip the steering wheel, and ultimately replacing the thermostat solved the problem.
My old car never reaches proper operating temperature in winter, leaving me shivering with ineffective heater. The mechanic said low-temperature operation thickens engine oil, causing severe piston ring-to-cylinder wall friction that doubles engine wear. Have you noticed unexplained fuel consumption increase? Poor gasoline atomization in combustion chambers leaves spark plugs coated with wet oil film, causing jerky acceleration. After installing a new 88°C thermostat last week, the coolant temperature finally stabilizes at 90°C.
