How to Prevent the Car Engine from Overheating

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

If your car's cooling system isn't working properly, prolonged engine overheating could cause irreparable damage. If you notice that your car starts to overheat, follow the directions below to get to a repair shop where a mechanic can fix the problem.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: What To Do If The Car Can Be Stopped

Step 1. Pull over

If you can safely do this as soon as the engine water temperature gauge indicates overheating, pull the machine over and shut it down to allow the engine to cool.

Stop immediately if you see steam coming out of the hood of the car. However, by observing the coolant temperature gauge often, you should be able to avoid overheating that could cause steam to escape

Step 2. Let the engine breathe as soon as you can

Open the hood of your car, so that the heat dissipates faster.

Step 3. Do not unscrew the radiator cap when the engine is still hot

The pressure inside will be very high and by opening the cap you will release a jet of steam and high temperature liquid that could cause you very serious burns.

Step 4. Check the expansion tank of the cooling circuit and, if necessary, add distilled water or special liquid for radiators

Almost all modern cars have a plastic container connected to the cooling circuit and the radiator that will allow you to visually check the level of the coolant and to top up if necessary. Most likely the minimum and maximum levels will be indicated above which it is necessary to add or remove liquid from the expansion tank.

• Add liquid (distilled water or radiator liquid) to bring it to the maximum allowed level. In almost all cars, it is possible to top up the liquid in the radiator expansion tank while the engine is still warm. In any case, read your car's user and maintenance manual to find out more.

  

• If your car is not equipped with a cooling circuit expansion tank, you will have to wait until the radiator is completely cold before opening the cap.

  

Step 5. Check for any leaks in the engine cooling circuit

If the radiator or engine head is compromised, or if the coolant level in the expansion tank is too low, you may have a leak in the cooling system. If you are experienced in car maintenance, check the radiator, engine block connection pipes, and cylinder head gasket for any signs of a leak.

• If you don't know where to put your hands except on the steering wheel, consider taking the car to a mechanic who can perform a thorough engine check. Ask them to check the pressure tightness of the cooling system as well. This check is relatively simple and many workshops do it for free.

  

Step 6. Find out if it is still possible and safe to drive the car or if you should call for help

If the problem was simply too low a coolant level and if you are able to top up, then you can safely get back into gear. Read the instructions below to minimize the risk of overheating.

• If your car does not seem to have enough liquid in the radiator, do not restart; you could cause serious engine damage.

  

• If help is available, you may want to call a tow truck to retrieve your car and drive you home.

  

• If you are unable to call for help or if you are in an area where it is not safe to stop, you may want to continue driving, even if the car is not in the best condition. Read the instructions below to understand how to handle such a situation.

  

Method 2 of 2: What to do if the car cannot be stopped

Step 1. Turn off the air conditioning

If you have the air conditioning on, turn it off. The air conditioning system of a car increases the workload of the engine and at this time there is no need to overload it.

Step 2. Use the heating system to cool the engine

Set the temperature of the heating system to the maximum value and run the fan at maximum speed. If you are in the hot season, the interior temperature could rise a lot; open the windows and point the vents in that direction to try to disperse the excess heat.

• Why does this work? Normally the car's heating system uses the heat from the engine. Running it at full power will draw a large amount of heat from the engine.

  

Step 3. Monitor the radiator fluid temperature gauge or overheat warning light

If necessary, stop and let the engine cool to avoid causing serious damage.

Step 4. Turn off the engine whenever you are stopped in traffic or when you are waiting for the green light

Start the engine again only when you see that the traffic is restarting.

Step 5. Match the pace of traffic as much as possible

It is best to proceed at a slow but steady pace. Continuing to accelerate and then having to stop suddenly would only increase the workload of the engine, aggravating its overheating.

• Normally, when they are in a queue in traffic, people do not pass each other, as they are aware that they are all stuck in the same situation. Either way, you'll be much more concerned about not overheating the engine than about getting overtaken by someone.

  

Step 6. Try this trick to increase the air supply to the radiator

If your vehicle has the cooling fan driven by a belt directly connected to the engine (this is normally the case for four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive vehicles), put the gearbox in neutral and keep the engine at 2000 rpm. per minute; in this way the radiator fan and the water pump will turn the liquid in the cooling circuit very quickly, dispersing the heat from the engine more effectively. If your car's radiator fan is driven by an electric motor, this procedure will not work.

Step 7. Wait for traffic to subside

If you think your car could be seriously damaged by queuing up in traffic, pull over and stop. Turn off the engine and wait for traffic to return to normal. At this point you can get back on the road at a normal speed because more air will enter the engine compartment, cooling it more effectively.

Advice

• If you are driving slowly through traffic, you can open the engine hood. However, it will remain closed, blocked by the safety hook, but raised by a few centimeters allowing the motor to have greater ventilation. In big cities you will often see cops or taxi drivers using this trick during the hottest days.
• To top up the coolant level of your car's radiator, use only specific products, mixed with antifreeze. Use plain water only in emergencies and, once the problem has been solved, replace the water with the special liquid.
• If your engine has overheated due to excessive effort (driving long distances, steep climbs or towing a very heavy trailer), it is best to pull over in a safe area, engage neutral and run the engine at 2500-3000. rpm. In this way the cooling circuit will work more effectively, in cooling the engine, and you will not just wait for it to cool down passively over time. If, on the other hand, the problem is a low level of the coolant, this technique will not work; the engine must be stopped immediately and the hood opened to better dissipate the excess heat.
• Get your car to a mechanic ASAP. Following the instructions above may help in an emergency, but it is not helpful in resolving the problem permanently.
• Periodically check the tightness of the radiator caps and the expansion tank of the cooling circuit of your car. Running out of coolant can cause very serious and very costly damage. After a few years it may be necessary to replace the caps which are no longer able to keep the cooling circuit under pressure or which have leaks even with the engine off.
• If your car is equipped with an electric radiator fan, you should be able to turn it on even with the engine off. Pull over to a safe area, turn off the engine and turn the key to turn on the instrument panel without starting the engine; you should hear that the cooling fan has started but the engine has remained off.
• In extreme cases the engine will not stop even when the ignition key is turned to the off position. This happens because it is so hot that it ignites combustion even without sparking the spark plugs. In this case, to turn it off, apply the parking brake and shift into gear to stall it.
• If the cooling system is leaking, you will need to keep refilling it periodically. Stop in places where fresh water can be easily found. Gas stations always have water available that you can use for this purpose.

Warnings

• Do not remove the radiator cap when the engine is hot to avoid serious burns. Wait until it has cooled down.
• If you need to top up your car's cooling system if it overheats, never add cold water. It would cause enormous thermal stress to the hot metal in your engine and could cause the cylinder head or engine block to break. Let it cool to room temperature before proceeding.