Remember what happens when you overheat the engine:
The coolant turns to steam. The steam takes up a LOT more space than the water
does. In an earlier post I'd said like 6x I did a little search and apparently
it's more like 1500x!!!
That much extra pressure has to go somewhere, blowing the headgasket is a
really common result.
I don't think the head cracks from pressure though, I think the head cracks
from the temperature differential through its mass. The hottest part of the
head, the combustion chamber, wants to enlarge from the heat of combustion.
Thats normally held in check by the coolant which wicks that heat away. Once
the coolant is steam the heat concentrates and now the lowest part of the head
wants to expand. Unfortunately its connected to the rest of the head which is
heating up more slowly and doesn't want to expand or doesn't want to expand as
quickly. Thats when you get cracks.
Overheating is NEVER good.
-Curt
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:43:09 -0700
From: "Zoltan Finks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Getting taken by mechanic currently
To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Zoikes, I didn't think that running the needle up to about the red
mark for a moment or two would put me in that much danger!
Good thought though, on the money.
I really didn't let it dwell at top temp for more than like a minute or
so.
Brian
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