BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 12, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Engines get so hot under normal driving conditions that there is an&hellip;{"id":10538,"date":"2018-07-16T12:46:58","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T19:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10538"},"modified":"2018-07-16T12:46:58","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T19:46:58","slug":"engine-overheating-heres-why-and-what-to-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/16\/engine-overheating-heres-why-and-what-to-do-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Engine Overheating? Here&#8217;s Why and What To Do About It"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY BLAIR LAMPE \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 12, 2018 \/<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Engines get so hot under normal driving conditions that there is an entire system dedicated to cooling them down. That\u2019s because an engine overheating will cause problems and even complete engine failure. Instead of shelling out thousands of dollars and enduring a ton of stress, here\u2019s a primer on some common causes of overheating \u2014 and how to keep up with your cooling system\u00a0<em>before<\/em>\u00a0disaster strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How Your Cooling System Works<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The cooling system is relatively simple: A<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/signs-bad-thermostat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thermostat<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">determines when the temperature is right to allow circulation. Once the car is warmed up, hot coolant flows from the engine through a<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/know-notes-inside-radiator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">radiator<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">in order to remove heat from the liquid (by way of air and fan) before getting pumped back through the engine to cool internal components and pick up more heat before heading back to the radiator.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What Causes an Engine to Overheat<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The most common causes of engine overheating are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Low or leaking coolant<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A bad thermostat that won\u2019t open to allow circulation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fan malfunctions that cause the fan to stop spinning or wobble<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Other common causes might include a broken or damaged water pump belt that prevents proper pressurization and\/or circulation, collapsed radiator hoses or a buildup of contaminants such as rust and road debris.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What You Can Do<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The most important thing you can do for your cooling system is keep an eye on it. There is a temperature gauge on the dash to aid you, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to pop the hood every now and then to make sure your coolant level is as it should be and to check on the<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/NBG25081359HD?cid=social_blog_102015_Overheating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fan belt condition<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. It\u2019s normal to top off your coolant every so often, but if you\u2019re having to do it regularly \u2014 or if you see a telltale puddle of coolant under your car \u2014 your system will need to be pressure-tested to locate any leaks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If your vehicle overheats while driving, pull over and shut off the vehicle to assess the situation. Pop the hood and allow the engine to cool for 45 minutes. Opening the system and adding cold fluid while the engine is still hot is dangerous for both you and the engine. If there\u2019s only a small leak, adding water will be good enough to get you to a NAPA Auto Parts store, but you\u2019ll need to replace it with proper coolant so there\u2019s no risk of damage in cold weather. If the level looks fine, carefully check the temperature of both top and bottom radiator hoses \u2014 if one is very hot and the other is not, this points to a thermostat that is stuck closed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you must drive, shut off the air conditioner, and turn on the heater. Granted, overheating is most common in the summer so this might be uncomfortable, but it will reduce the engine load and help allow heat to dissipate. If you\u2019re driving at low speeds on roads that aren\u2019t too bumpy, you can pop the hood without releasing the latch to allow a bit of extra air in that way. Ultimately, though, if you are out of coolant, no amount of tricks will save you. You will need to stop the vehicle, or risk severe engine damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Safety Precaution<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Never<\/em>\u00a0remove a radiator cap while the engine is still hot! The system is pressurized, and hot coolant will spray out and onto your face and arms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check out all the<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/c\/heating-cooling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">heating &amp; cooling parts<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<wbr \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">available on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1501704208277000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE1CzqXTSulfGf_5BVq4OUF1E9uiQ\">NAPA Online<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">or trust one of their 16,000\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1501704208277000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjqtnNyXw3AxZg12m3NaDxmWiRgg\">NAPA AutoCare locations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on engine overheating, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Photo Credit:<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dbraaten\/323401934\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Engine<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">by\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dbraaten\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Darryl Braaten<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/legalcode\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CC BY-SA 2.0<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><strong><i><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong><i>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">from NAPA, or here for more information on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":10542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[805],"tags":[6372,4152,6381,6380,4010,6046,6302,6382,3052,6374,6376,6375,6371,6379,2241,6378,6377,6373],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Engine-by-Darryl-Braaten.jpg?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-2JY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10538"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10538"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10543,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10538\/revisions\/10543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}