The expert explained the reason for overheating of Chinese engines
Quick Look
- The founder of the tuning center, Stanislav Melnikov, explained that overheating of Chinese engines is not caused by a defect, but by the need to comply with environmental standards.
- High operating temperatures lead to wear and tear of parts and leaks in the cooling system.
- The solution is to recalibrate the ECU.
AI-generated summary
The founder of the Speed Laboratory tuning center, Stanislav Melnikov, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta what is the reason for the overheating of some Chinese engines. He noted that on dealers' websites you can find lists of probable factors that increase the risk of such a problem. Only the main one, as a rule, is not mentioned.
Modern engines - not only Chinese ones - are forced to operate at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Celsius. This is dictated by strict environmental standards and requirements for efficiency at idle and at low loads, the expert explains. “This is not a defect, but a forced compromise with “Euroecology.” The higher the temperature in the cylinders, the less harmful products leave the confines of these same cylinders,” says Melnikov.
When the car starts moving, the temperature drops, but it is impossible to quickly reduce it to the optimal running temperature of 85–90 degrees. A sudden start causes a short-term additional jump in heating. This leads to the risk of overheating, detonation, piston damage and destruction of cylinder liner coatings on all-aluminum blocks. Due to a drop in oil pressure, scuffing occurs, the temperature of the pistons and rings rises sharply under load, and the fluid itself can become coked.
The situation is aggravated by the materials of the peripheral elements of the cooling system, consisting of rubber and plastic. “Such materials can withstand up to 50 thousand kilometers at temperatures of 100 degrees and above on “European” vehicles and half as much on “Chinese” vehicles. Then the rubber and plastic begin to crumble, delaminate, lose their tightness and leak, and with such malfunctions in the cooling system, “putting down” the engine is a matter of minutes,” notes the specialist.
Recalibrating the electronic engine control unit (ECU) in two ways can solve the problem. The first is changing the target temperature in all modes: at idle the value is set below 94 degrees Celsius, and under load - 88–90 degrees.
The second direction is adjusting the fuel supply. In the factory settings of many modern engines, including Chinese ones, the air-fuel mixture at maximum boost remains stoichiometric (the fuel burns completely, without excess oxygen or lack of it). Working with a rich mixture is much safer in terms of preventing detonation. According to Melnikov, the “protective enrichment” needs to be adjusted to a value of 0.82 on the lambda scale (excess air coefficient) throughout the entire range of maximum boost.
