If you observe your car’s temperature gauge sliding into the red, pull over as soon as you safely can and turn off the engine. If the engine temperature is just slightly higher, it may be sufficient to switch on your heater. Stop-and-go traffic is infamous for pushing your cooling system to its limits.
Continuing to drive when your engine overheats may have devastating mechanical effects, resulting in exorbitant repair expenditures if left unattended for an extended period of time.
You can check if you’re leaking antifreeze once you’ve safely stopped and turned off the automobile engine. Keep yourself and others away from the hot engine, as well as any steam or fluids that the vehicle may release.
These items can easily burn or injure you. If there is steam, the source may sometimes be seen, which can aid in determining the reason of the overheating.
A car might overheat for a variety of reasons
The most frequent is most likely a coolant leak in one of the radiator hoses that has allowed a substantial volume of coolant to escape, rendering the system inoperable. However, there are other possibilities, like a jammed thermostat, a broken water pump, or a plugged/leaking radiator, to mention a few. If you have a long-term overheating problem, it’s more than likely a simple leak.
If the leak isn’t too bad, you might be able to wait until the engine has cooled before opening the radiator cap and topping off the coolant and driving to an auto repair shop while keeping an eye on the temperature. In more serious situations, you may need to contact for roadside assistance and have the vehicle towed to a repair shop.
It’s never a nice feeling when something like this happens, and it nearly always happens at the worst possible time. The need of preventative maintenance of a vehicle’s cooling system is often underestimated, yet a failure can leave you stranded much like a flat tire. Keep an eye on the hoses’ condition and check your coolant level on a regular basis. Keeping an eye on your coolant system will help you avoid an overheating problem in the future.
