There are numerous reasons why cars overheat, many of which are related to the cooling system that keeps the engine at a proper temperature. If the coolant in your vehicle is too low or there’s an issue with the radiator clogging or a bad cooling fan, your car could be in for a world of trouble.
When your vehicle gets a little hot under the collar, make sure you take these precautions.
- As soon as you see the temperature indicator start to rise above a normal level, turn off your air conditioner if you have it on. Running the AC puts extra pressure on the engine, so this may immediately alleviate the problem.
- If the gauge doesn’t go back down or continues to rise, the next step is to turn on your heater for a few minutes and crank it up to full power. Turning the heater on actually helps move heat away from the engine, but you may want to roll your windows down to increase your comfort while doing this.
- If you’re at a stop when your car starts to overheat, put the car in park or neutral and gently rev the engine. Cars produce less heat when in these settings and the revving pulls air into the radiator enabling heat to reduce around the engine.
- If the gauge continues moving upward to dangerous levels, it’s imperative that you pull off the road before things really heat up and major damage is caused. If you see smoke or even a burst of fluid, that’s a bad sign. Once you are pulled over, DO NOT open the hood or tamper with parts until your vehicle has cooled down, which could take up to 30 minutes. At this point you may simply want to call for a tow truck; however, if you’re a little handy you can try out the next step.
- Once the car is cooled down, check the radiator fluid. If it’s low there is probably a leak; just take a look under the car. If there is seepage and the fluid level is low in the tank, fill it back up with a mix of coolant and water, which are always good to have on hand for any driver. If this is outside of your comfort level or you don’t have the proper materials, Delray Honda can assist you in getting the problem fixed.
Another note: If the coolant level appears to be fine and there’s no evidence of a leak, there may be another issue that needs to be looked at and we can assist with this, as well.
