An overheating engine can be caused by many factors but is mostly concerned with the engine’s cooling system that begins with the radiator, the hoses, water pump, the drive belts and the blowers or fans that cools the radiator. There are also varying methods to deal with such problems and here are some tips that you can add to your bag of tricks when your car does suffer from and overheat.
First, if you are driving and the temperature gauge begins to rise out of the normal, turn off the air conditioning to lower the strain on the engine and see if that remedies the problem. Get to a gas station to have it checked for it might be a sure sign of a deeper problem with respect to the engine’s cooling system. Driving on a blistering hot day in traffic with the air conditioner should not cause any concern for newer cars which still have new components but for older cars, that might be too much for the old-clunker to handle.
If that does not lower the temperature of the engine, drive to the nearest gas station for assistance. With some luck, they might have a mechanic on duty that can easily get you back on the road. If you just happen to have a back-up supply of water in the trunk, drive to the side of the road so you can safely diagnose the problem but “DO NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE” if you intend to add water to the radiator. Any radiator fluid or water dripping from the hoses, engine or from any part of the cooling system can be a sure sign of a hose break or a leak in the many rubber plugs that covers unused hose ports on the engine.
Overheating is one of the most common problem car drivers encounter along a trip. This is a regular thing you can see on hi-ways, main roads or narrow streets. Overheating significantly reduces engine performance and might seriously damage inner system of your engine. This why engines are designed to automatically halt when it reaches its temperature limit. Let me share you some ideas based on my own experience with my Toyota Corolla XL 4.
Causes of Overheating:
- No or not enough water: Water is the primal factor of controlling the thermal heatness of the engine. No water will surely make your engine to overheat.
Solution: make sure you put enough water on you radiator before running your car.
- Improper water circulation: Sometimes, eventhough you are sure that you have enough water on your radiator, your car still overheats. It might probably be that the water is cannot circulate properly, which results to improper cooling process. There are several reasons for this which you can discover by yourself.
- To verify if the water circulates properly, start your engine without the radiator cap. If water circulation is good, you should notice that the water pops smoothly over the top but still retains the amount. Another way to check, detach one of the ends of your radiator hose from your radiator and see if water flows continously over.
- If water doesn’t circulates well, check the thermostat if it’s open. It should be open, meaning clean, and the water can pass through it.
- If thermostat is clean and still the water doesn’t circulate properly, then you have to check the water pump. That’s probably where the problem is. A little leak on the pump will cause improper flow of water through the radiator system.
- If you are sure that the problem is not about water circulation, another thing you can consider is check the engine oil. Very low amount of oil can cause greater friction of the mechanical system of your engine. If it’s not time to change oil yet, you can add over some amount of oil until advisable amount is reached.
While we can’t be always sure about our engine, especially if it’s not new, we should be prepared when it happens. Bringing extra gallon of water in your trunk will surely help.
I realized this afternoon that my car’s batteries were already weak. I’ve been expecting this for quite some time because I’ve been noticing a degradation in headlamp strength when I operate other electronics (like the power windows). Good thing my driveway is sloping (and I park in reverse), so I didn’t have to push the car to get it started.
If you have a manual transmission auto, and you suddenly find yourself in the same situation, fear not. You can almost always push-start your car if you can’t get your ignition to work. Here’s a step by step tutorial from eHow.
- Make sure that the problem is either the battery or the starter: If the engine cranks (“rrr-rrr-rrr”) when you turn the key, then the problem isn’t the starter or the battery.
- Plan to have at least one person sitting in the driver’s seat and one person pushing. Mid-size and large cars require two or three people to push, depending on the strength of the people and whether or not the car is parked on an incline.
- Turn off all accessories (radio, wipers, lamps).
- Turn the key to the “on” position.
- Depress the clutch pedal with your foot.
- Put the transmission in first or second gear.
- Release the hand brake and the foot brake.
- Note that the people pushing need to get the car rolling as fast as they can. This works best down a hill or an incline.
- Release the clutch pedal while giving the engine a little gas with the gas pedal once the car is moving about as fast as you can run. The engine should start.
Read the rest of this entry »
