When driving, you may notice the thermostat needle shoot way up high, indicating an overheated car. This situation may leave you clueless on what to do next. Well, the first thing to do is diagnose the car’s condition. You can figure out why it is overheating before looking for solutions.
Symptoms of an Overheating Car
Initially, it is crucial that you can identify whether the car has an overheating problem, or any other malfunction. The most obvious indication is obviously the temperature gauge. Other signs include steam rising from the engine, and a sweet smell of the coolant in the air.
Many times your car engine will overheat because it is leaking and when it vaporizes, the smell of the coolant becomes evident. Another indication of a coolant leak is if you have find coolant dripping on the ground beneath your car.
Below are some steps that you take in the instance of an overheating car.
Get Far Away
If you find steam or smoke flying away from the engine, then it is advisable that you turn off your engine and get away from the vehicle. After a couple of minutes, you can switch the car back on and turn on the blower engine because it drives heat away from the engine.
After the steam or smoke clears off and settles from the car engine, you can go ahead, lift the hood up carefully, and let all the remaining steam dissipate before you can start observing the engine more closely. It is also advisable to have hand or eye protection.
Check the Cooling System
Your car’s cooling system is responsible for the functioning of the car, and so, this is the first thing that you should be inspecting. Check whether the coolant levels are optimum and also if there is leak in the coolant tank or pipes. Be sure to never open the coolant cap if you feel that the coolant system is hot.
The coolant serves several different crucial functions of a car. If the coolant is hot, then it cools down the engine, alternatively, it also ensures that the engine does not cool down if the temperature is cold. It is not only the level of the coolant that you need to be aware about, but it is also the condition of the coolant.
Check the Radiator
Another component that is commonly responsible for the overheating of your car. Your radiator consists of multiple cooling fins that manage to cool down the areas in which the coolant flows. Sometimes, there is debris accumulating on the cooling fins that can lead to overheating.
Other times, the fan that draws air through the radiator cooling fins fails to work, which in turn leads to an overheating car. Hence, you have checking the radiator and the fans can also identify the problem.
Apart from the radiator and the cooling system, you can also find other malfunctions of the car’s engine, which can lead to overheating. Nevertheless, in most cases, these issues are the cause. The primary underlying cause is however, a lack of maintenance and service of the car’s engine. Therefore, keep your car in shape by taking it to frequent service checkups.
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