How to Cool an Overheating Engine

Posted on July 23, 2016 in Auto Repair, Tips From The Pros

Engine Overheating

How to cool an overheating engine? With the hot weather this summer has brought us, your vehicle is at risk of overheating. Most of us have our A/C on full blast which could trigger our engine to overheat. Even if you maintain your vehicle well, this can still occur. So it is important to know what to do in order to remain safe if your vehicle overheats. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="272"]

Keep you and your vehicle safe by following the steps below! No one wants to be overheated in the heat of the summer[/caption]

Overheating engine? Steps to follow:

Turn OFF your A/CIf you see your temperature gauge on your vehicle increasing, turn the A/C off and open your windows. Your vehicle's air conditioner's compressor runs off the engine. The extra work load caused by the A/C being on could be what’s causing it to run hotter. If you notice that the air conditioner continually raises the engine’s temperature, you should have your vehicle looked at as there may be more mechanical issues that need to be repaired. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="185"] If you see this rising and getting closer to the red, be sure to follow the steps below to ensure you and your vehicle remain safe.[/caption]
Turn ON the Heater & BlowersWill this may not be comfortable, it will help your vehicle’s engine and decrease its temperature. After you have turned your vehicle's A/C off, turn on the heat along with its blowers. The heater draws heat from the engine in order to operate. This in turn will help transfer heat away from the engine.
Stuck in traffic? Often the engine’s temperature may climb when you're stuck in traffic. If you find yourself caught in a traffic jam with a hot engine, it is best to keep your car in neutral and rev the engine a little. This will make the water pump and radiator fan speed up, which will aid in cooling the engine. Also it it best to avoid riding the brakes. Brake drag can actually increases the load on your vehicle's engine. As traffic slowly moves forward keep a larger gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you so you do not have to ride the brakes. This will help to keep the brakes and engine from building extra heat.

IMPORTANT INFO:

If the steps above do not help cool your engine down, you may have a larger problem. If you notice the engine temperature climbs out of control, it is important that you immediately pull your vehicle over to the side of the road and open the hood to let the heat out of the engine bay. Under no circumstances should you try to work on the engine or open the radiator. The water and coolant mix in the radiator is pressurized when it’s hot. If you were to open the cap it could cause hot coolant to spray out causing major burns.

Other information:

Even if the temperature outside is not hot and you are not stuck in traffic, your engine can still overheat. Your vehicle's engine can overheat for a number of different reasons. It is always best that even if the engine cools down, you bring your car to the experts here at V&F to ensure the overheating is not caused by a more serious problem.