This may sound like a stupid question, as I'm prone to ask sometimes. But...I drive a '96 Cherokee with the inline 4.0 non-interference engine and it doesn't like driving in the heat so much. Since I'm a car down right now I'm driving it a LOT more than I used to. After a lot of driving in this hot weather it starts slower, but still starts and runs ok.

So to help it out I've been raising the hood and putting 2 box fans right on top of the engine to help it cool. I hadn't thought about it but my Mom asked if cooling it down too quickly could be bad for the engine. And since I don't know I thought I'd ask here.

Any harm in using my method to cool an engine down much more quickly than normal?

 

I dont think its so much your engine but a component starting to fail or a heat shield missing. Heat has a effect on the starter and most have a heat shield to help with that. Battery could be starting to get week and being effected by the heat, Alt could be going bad and not charging to its full capacity. Could even been the cooling system not up to the task any more causing things to run hotter than normal when is the last time you flushed the cooling system and replaced the coolant?

 

is the engine over heating?

 

While your question pertains to an automobile, the laws of thermodynamics in question apply to cars, ATVs, SxSs; any engine.

The answer can be found here:

https://atvconnection.com/articles/a...my-hot-engine/