Why do engines overheat?
There are many reasons for engine overheating, the main reason for an engine to overheat is
- The cooling system or the radiator runs out of coolant or water. The cooling system loses coolant from the radiator due to leaks from worn out rubber hoses, corroded metal pipes, water pump, or the radiator itself.
- The second reason can be if the radiator gets chocked internally that does not circulate coolant or water inside the radiator or the cooling system.
- And the third reason the engine can overheat is due to failure of cooling fans, mostly the fans are electrical and there can be a circuit problem or the motor itself.
Overheating of an engine is a serious issue that if ignored can cause damage to the engine’s head gasket thus requiring to repair the complete engine that sometimes can cost the price of the full car. While driving it is important to monitor the temperature gauge of your car and if any signs of abnormality are noticed then immediate attention has to be given to stop driving and park the car in a safe place until the problem is clarified, attended or advised by a professional. The main symptom that will be noticed is that the air conditioning of your car will stop working because it is a failsafe function which is deployed by the manufacturers to avoid immediate engine damage. It is also advised not to open the radiator cap for at least the next 45 minutes to check the coolant level since the cooling system is under intense pressure of steam that can cause severe burns or personal injury to the face, eyes and hands.
Filling the empty radiator with cold water can also cause engine damage, it is advisable not to use water cooler water when an engine has overheated since metals expand when heated and contracts when cooled immediately causing the engine’s head, engine block or the radiator to crack. It is therefore advisable to fill an empty radiator with normal water while the engine is running since it circulates the water in the cooling system and flushes out the steam thus, not allowing pockets of steam or vacuum left inside the cooling system. This pockets of steam reduces the efficiency of the cooling system which continues the engine to overheat. If your car has stopped or is parked in some place where it is difficult to get immediate help it is advised to quickly arrange for a tow truck since attending to these kinds of issues can take several hours until you have your car running back again.
It may be noticed that the engine of your car starts to overheat although the coolant level is alright, this can be caused if the radiator is clogged due to dirty coolant that does not circulate the coolant in the radiator and the cooling system, this type of a problem can be rectified by replacing the radiator with a new one and a manufacturer specified coolant. Every major service that usually is done at an interval of 40,000 kilometers or 6 months recommends a change of coolant since contaminated coolant is the main cause of blocked or chocked radiators.
Why is it important to use a specified coolant?
Presently there is a different variety of coolant that are available in the market, there is those that are cheap and expensive, the real function of the coolant is to absorb the engine’s heat, the specified coolant also contains elements that prevents rust formation inside the radiator and the engine, and is the reason for clogged radiator. Low quality coolant is cheap because they do not perform the same function that it is supposed to do.
Engine overheating can be fixed or avoided by inspecting the coolant level inside the radiator before starting your car at the commencing of driving. If the owner does periodic maintenance on time the leakages from the cooling system can be spotted because leaks usually does not start immediately but they start in a small amount before it becomes a major breakdown. An experienced technician doing a periodic maintenance is trained to check for these kinds of leaks which can avoid a major overheating condition or a break down during a long journey of an intensive summer season.