Driver Pain Points: When Your Vehicle Overheats

There’s nothing more annoying than a vehicle that doesn’t operate as expected. One issue that many of us have experienced is overheating. Whether you’ve watched that temperature gauge creep into the red or have had the sudden shock of smoke pouring from under the hood, there’s nothing to make your day hit rock bottom than this unhappy scenario.

The following looks at why a vehicle overheats, what to do when it does, and the steps to take to dramatically reduce the chances of it happening in the first place.

Vehicle Overheating: The whys and wherefores…

Why does an engine overheat?
What to do if you experience vehicle overheating

Why does an engine overheat

Vehicle engines overheat if there’s a failure in the level and circulation of the coolant and lubrication that it needs to function correctly. While overheating is more common in hotter weather, it can happen at any time of the year. The reasons that a car overheats are usually down to one of the following:

There is inadequate water and/or coolant in the radiator system
There’s a leak within the radiator system
The oil level is too low

What to do if your experience vehicle overheating

The most important thing to do if you notice that your temperature gauge is creeping towards or into the red is to stop as soon as it’s safe to do so. Failing to do this can result in catastrophic engine damage.

If you’re unable to stop straight away, you should immediately do the following:

Turn off the air conditioning
Open the windows and crank up the heating to full blast. While this might be pretty uncomfortable, especially in mid-summer, it helps to redirect the heat from the engine into the cabin of the car.
Should you be in stationary traffic, rev the engine slightly while in Park or Neutral. This will help boost the function of the engine fan and water circulation.

If you can stop, open the hood of the car to allow the outside ambient temperature to aid cooling. However, under no circumstances should you open the radiator cap, as the water inside will be boiling and under pressure. Opening the cap will allow this boiling water to spurt out and can cause severe scalding to the skin.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Preventing Vehicle Overheating

It’s all about the maintenance

It’s all about the maintenance

Preventing engine overheating is all down to good car maintenance. While the ultimate cause of the issue is down to inadequate cooling, there are many reasons this can happen. Of course, checking the oil and water levels of your vehicle every week should be a regular part of your routine. But it’s only through a professional maintenance regime that any potential overheating risks can be found and rectified before a problem happens.

Examples of some of these are:

A blocked or clogged radiator that reduces the ability of the liquid coolant to circulate.

The failure of a radiator hose

Malfunction of the timing system in conjunction with spark plug misfire

A degraded seal on the radiator cap

Quality servicing will pick up and repair such issues before they become a problem, meaning you benefit from trouble-free motoring—just the way it should be.

Don’t Suffer From Vehicle Overheating—Let Autobahn of Boca Take Care of Regular Servicing

Partnering with a trusted garage is the key to preventing unwanted issues, such as vehicle overheating. At Autobahn of Boca you’re guaranteed the ultimate maintenance expertise from our marque-trained mechanics, enduring that your vehicle runs as expected. Should the worst happen (and with a well-maintained vehicle this is extremely rare) you can rest assured that our team will discover exactly why the event occurred and put it right just as soon as is humanly possible.

Don’t leave your car or van’s health to chance. Visit https://www.autobahnofboca.com today and get in touch to discover why we’re fast becoming the savvy vehicle owner’s service provider of choice for Boca Raton and surrounding Florida residents.