Car Overheating Problems

There are some precautions that one needs to take to avoid car overheating problems. It can cause serious damage to the engine and cost you a fortune in repairs. The temperature indicator is a good sign for letting the driver know that the car's overheating and can stall any time.

There may be a lot of issues with the cooling system that can lead to the overheating of the car, which causes the engine to become hotter than normal. There are some steps that can be followed to avoid, check, and rectify engine overheating problems.

Heat is needed to run internal combustion engines. The car engine becomes more efficient if it is supplied with heat, but with an exception. If the engine starts to overheat, it will start to lose power. The cooling system absorbs heat, if it stops doing so, the engine starts to overheat and poses a threat to the car's safety.

This can be due to an inadequate amount of coolant level, internal or external leakage in the cooling system, poor heat conductivity in the engine, a defunct thermostat that doesn't open, insufficient flow of air through the radiator, or a defective radiator cap.

The heated engine should be in contact with the coolant or antifreeze. If this contact is lost, the temperature in the engine starts to soar and the engine overheats.

The cooling system plays a very important role in the engine. A majority of overheating problems are caused by leaks in the cooling system. Many people habitually check for a leak, as a leak can be obvious. Sometimes, when you raise the hood of the car, you can see the coolant leaking.

The color of the coolant depends on the make of your car and the type of antifreeze that is present in the cooling system. It is green in most cases, but can also be orange or yellow. When the engine overheats, one should never try to open the radiator or coolant cap when it is hot, as steam may rush out, which can cause scalding.

The best option is to let the engine cool down by itself or you can also add some water or antifreeze in the coolant container. If one removes the pressurized radiator cap, hot coolant may spray out.

There are many places the antifreeze can leak from; like the water pump, radiator, heater or radiator hoses, intake and head gaskets, and heater core. If the leak is not evident, the system can be examined by a cooling system pressure tester.

If you look at the radiator cap rubber seal, it can give you an idea of the wear and tear, or you can also use a test kit adapter to check the radiator cap. However, the diagnoses of a defective head gasket can be difficult. Exhaust fumes may be present in the cooling system, which can be checked by performing a carbon test.

There can also be small leaks in a single cylinder or between two cylinders, which can be checked by a cylinder leak-down tester. To know if there is a leak in the head gasket between two cylinders, a compression test needs to be done.

The thermostat keeps the engine's temperature at a controlled level. If it doesn't open, it efficaciously blocks the coolant flow, which will cause the engine to overheat. If the coolant becomes hot and starts boiling, it can cause old hoses and radiators to explode.

Proper maintenance of all parts of your car will never give it a chance to overheat. Even if you get rough indications of car overheating problems, you need to take it to the garage and get the problem diagnosed and rectified.