VEHICLE OVER HEATING? WHAT TO DO & WHAT NOT TO DO
1. Turn your heater on HIGH and open ALL of your windows
A car engine overheating needs to get cooled down as quickly as possible. If you are running your air conditioner, turn it off and turn up the heat as high as it will go. Yes, this seems rather counterintuitive, however, it works.
This is because your car’s heater doesn’t produce extra heat, but instead it pulls the heat that the engine naturally produces when it is running and pumps it to where you are sitting.
Turning on your heater pulls heat away from your engine, thus cooling it off instead of leaving the heat inside your hood to make your engine hotter. This action will give you time to safely pull over.
In addition, open up all of your windows, sunroof, and hatch if you have one to let more heat escape from your vehicle.
2. Pull over as soon as you can and turn off your engine
As soon as you notice there is a problem with your car engine overheating and as soon as it is safe to do so, pull over to the side of the road. If you keep driving when your engine is overheating, your motor is likely to face permanent damage.
If you are in a place where you can't pull over safely and come to a complete stop right away, you should slow down, but keep your vehicle moving to allow a constant airflow around your engine.
Once you have come to a complete stop, turn off your engine. Leaving your engine running will produce additional heat that could make the situation worse.
3. Get it checked out
Even if your car seems to be running okay after you have added coolant, don't be tempted to ignore it.
Something caused your car to overheat in the first place and chances are it will only get worse and become a more expensive fix if you leave it as is.
Get your vehicle inspected by a mechanic you can trust as soon as possible
Is Your Car Engine Overheating? WHAT NOT TO DO
1. Don't Keep driving
One of the worst things that you can do is to just keep driving. Yes, you might be able to reach your destination before your engine totally gives up, but by doing so, you could be causing significant and expensive damage that could have been prevented. PULL OVER SAFELY AND CALL A TOW TRUCK TO TRANSPORT YOUR VEHICLE TO YOUR REPAIR SHOP.
2. DONT Open up your hood right away
Wait for your car to cool down before opening the hood
Even if there is no visible smoke coming out of your engine, don't be tempted to open up your hood right away. You could get burned or badly injured by the steam and smoke built up inside that will release as soon as you open the hood.
Wait until you see that the temperature gauge for your engine has gone done before popping the hood.
Don't be tempted to check your coolant levels or add more before your engine has completely cooled down either.
This is because while you are driving, the coolant in your car is increasing in temperature and pressure. Therefore, it needs to be completely cooled down before it will be safe for you to add coolant to your engine.
3. Don't Ignore the problem
A car engine overheating means that there is a problem. Even if everything seems okay once you have added coolant, it's best to still get it checked out.
Don't ignore the problem. Get it checked out by a mechanic as soon as possible. There could be another issue that needs to be resolved and ignoring it could result in a larger repair issue than it needs to be.
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR CAR ENGINE IS OVERHEATING?
Steam or white smoke is a sign of your car engine overheating
There are a few ways that you can tell if you engine is overheating. These include:
The temperature gauge for your engine (located on your dashboard) will suddenly hit "H" or will be in the "red zone" depending on the type of gauge you have.
You'll see steam, which actually looks like white smoke, escaping from underneath your hood.
You'll notice a strange smell coming from your engine. If you are leaking engine oil it will have a burnt odour but if you are leaking coolant, it will smell sweet.
What Causes Car Engine Overheating?
There are several things that could cause your cooling system to fail and your car to overheat. These include:
Too little or no coolant
A clogged, leaking, or ruptured coolant hose
Worn out or frayed belts
A broken water pump
A cooling system leak
A cracked or leaky radiator
A broken radiator fan
Low engine oil level
Broken thermostat
A clogged or blocked engine heat exchanger
In conclusion, visit Freedom Rock Auto for all your inspections and repairs!
