Many drivers think that engine overheating is a rare occurrence. However, this is not true. This can happen with any car. Yes, of course, modern cars are less likely to boil on the road. Nevertheless, this does not mean that your modern car will not boil. In most modern cars, the cooling system is very complex and contains several sensors that monitor the temperature of the coolant and its level. You need to check them in time. On the other hand, when you use a rented car, you do not need to worry about this problem. You hire a car and just travel, for example, down the USA. Wonder, how old to rent a car in Colorado should you be? It is quite easy to find it out.
Nevertheless, if you dismiss the idea of a rented car in your planned trip, let us take a closer look on a problem of a car overheating.
Why is the car overheating?
The most common cause of engine overheating is a coolant leak. For example, more often the leak of antifreeze is connected with depressurization of the cooling radiator, breakdown of the water pump or damage to the expansion tank. To reduce the risk of motor overheating, you need to change the radiator and pump in advance.
Other causes of overheating:
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Cooling fan belt break
Many car models that are currently operating on our roads have cooling fans that are controlled by a belt drive. Unlike an electric drive, a belt-driven fan can only fail if the belt breaks.
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Dirty radiator
If your car has gone more than 80 thousand km, then most likely the cooling radiator is very dirty, which can also cause overheating of the engine. In order to increase the life of the radiator, it is necessary to wash it from dirt more often.
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Thermostat malfunction
At high speed, the most likely cause of a car overheating may be a malfunction of the thermostat. If you drive at high speed, the load on the car engine increases in times, compared to when the car moves at low speed.
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Failed electric cooling fan
If your car has an electric cooling fan and it fails (there is no rotation when the engine is hot), this can also lead to overheating of the engine.
If the car has already overheated
You cannot continue driving with a “boiled” engine. Therefore, you need to stop and wait until it cools down, and only then try to understand what happened.
STEP 1. Check the fluid level. If the tank is empty, add to the desired level. Moreover, you will need to find the cause of the disappearance of the liquid. Most often, the weakened pipe clamp is the reason. The pulling of the clamps will take five minutes.
STEP 2. If the fluid level is proper, check its circulation. First of all, you need to touch carefully the radiator. If it is hot, it means that the liquid passes through it, but the cooling system performance is not enough to maintain the engine temperature at proper level. In any case, you must go to the auto repair shop. If the radiator is cold, go to the next step.
STEP 3. Having opened a cover of a broad tank, start the engine. Fluid movement can be seen with the naked eye. If there is no movement, then the water pump is not working. In case you see the movement, check the thermostat nozzles. If the one, which goes from the thermostat to the radiator, is cold, and the rest are hot – there is no doubt: the thermostat must be replaced. You need to go to the nearest service station.
About the fluid leak
In case you get out of the car and see a small leak of coolant that falls on the road surface, do not panic and run to turn off the ignition. In this case, it is best to let the engine idle for a while. If you saw that all the antifreeze was on the road (or there is a big leak of it), you will have to immediately turn off the engine. But if the leak is small or it doesn’t exist at all, then it is necessary to leave the engine running (in case of overheating) in order to avoid a sharp temperature drop that can seriously damage the power unit.
The fact is that during the leakage of the coolant there is a temperature surge, due to the fact that the removal of heat, generated by the motor, stops. Many drivers at this moment make a huge mistake, rushing to turn off the ignition as soon as possible. However, in the end, this leads to even more overheating of the motor. While idling, you can also press the gas pedal, adding a little speed to the engine. This will increase the speed of the water pump (if it is working) and increase the speed of circulation of the coolant flow (if not all antifreeze has leaked onto the road).
The summer heat is dangerous for not only people, but also for their cars. Automobile engines are forced to work under conditions of increased load. At the same time, the biggest responsibility falls on the cooling system, as it needs to cope with high temperature. However, sometimes it does not succeed to cope with it, and overheating occurs. This is not just boiling liquid and creating traffic congestion, but a serious breakdown that requires “treatment” by specialists. We hope our info will help you in solving this problem.
