The main components of the vehicle cooling system are the radiator, water pump, and cooling hoses running between these parts and the engine. These parts move the heat away from the engine to the surrounding air.

The cooling system of a vehicle has two basic jobs. The first is to keep your engine from overheating. The second is to get the engine heated up quickly to the ideal temperature for combustion. Depending on your vehicle, the ideal temperature ranges from 180 to 250 degrees.

When your engine is at ideal temperature there are good things happening. First, the combustion chamber is hot enough to fully vaporize the fuel, for optimum combustion and lower emissions. Secondly, your engine oil thins out to lubricate most effectively, causing parts to move more freely and helping the engine waste less power moving its own components. Finally, metal parts wear less.

Most vehicles these days use liquid (coolant) to cool the engine. The water pump is what pushes the coolant through hoses and pipes in the engine. As the fluid flows through it absorbs heat as it goes, cooling the engine. The coolant empties into the radiator and the heat radiates from the fluid to the air.