Your car engine is designed to run at a specific temperature, and when it exceeds this temperature, one thing is bound to happen – your car engine overheats. Although there are many reasons why your car may overheat, some common causes include a lack of coolant, a clogged radiator, or a faulty thermostat.
When your car overheats, it can cause significant damage to the engine and other components such as the transmission. It is vital to know the do’s and don’ts when your car overheats to prevent engine damage.
Signs of Engine Overheating.
The first step is to identify when your car is overheating. Common signs include:
• The temperature gauge needle is in the red zone.
• Steam is coming from under the hood.
• The check engine light comes on.
• Your car shuts off entirely.
It is crucial to take action if you see any of these signs.
How To Deal With A Hot Engine?
The Don’ts:
• Don’t open the hood right away. The steam coming from your car is hot and can cause severe burns.
• Don’t keep driving. Driving will only make the problem worse and can lead to engine damage.
• Don’t pour water on your already hot car engine. Water can damage your car engine.
• Don’t touch the car engine or engine components while they are hot.
• Don’t turn on the vehicle until the temperature gauge shows the arrow pointing in the normal or cool zone.
• Don’t ignore the problem.
The Dos:
• Do turn off the car as soon as you notice any of the abovementioned signs.
• Do turn off the air conditioner if you cannot get off the road immediately.
• Do coast on neutral until you can find a safe place to stop.
• Do let the car cool down for at least 30 minutes before opening the hood.
• Do check the coolant level and add more if needed. Make sure to use the recommended coolant for your engine.
• Do turn on the heater to help cool the engine down.
• Do give the engine time to cool down before trying anything.
• Do inspect your car engine to see if you can find the problem and do anything to fix it.
Further Steps…
You may want to check the engine’s temperature from the gauge meter on your dashboard before starting your car engine. If the arrow points to the normal zone, you’re good.
If the above steps haven’t helped the engine that it doesn’t turn on or weird noises are coming from the engine, you should call a tow truck and have it brought to the nearest service station.
Please keep in mind that car engines are very delicate. Please do not take any risks when it comes to engine overheating. Try to prevent it from happening by getting regular tune-ups. However, despite tune-ups, your car may still be overheating, which means a deeper problem.
In this situation, getting your vehicle to a qualified mechanic will determine what the problem is.
Lynn Layton Ford, serving Tanner, AL, can help you with the upkeep and maintenance of your vehicle. Our service center is equipped with experienced professionals and OEM Ford service parts to give the service and attention that your vehicle deserves.
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