How Can I Stop My Car Overheating?

This time of year, cars tend to overheat.  During the cooler months of the year, your vehicle may have a few problems with the cooling system but still run at the proper operating temperature due to the cold air that is flowing through the radiator.  During the summer months when the outside temperatures are approaching 100 degrees small problems with your cooling system will be exposed and you’ll end up with your car overheating.

To make sure you don’t have your car overheating, you’ll need a few things:

• Operating cooling fans
• A working water pump and thermostat
• A clean system
• The correct type and amount of coolant

Operating Cooling Fans

One of the most important parts of your cooling systems are the cooling fans.  This could be either a pair of electric fans, a single electric fan, a belt driven fan or a combination of a belt driven fan and an electric fan.  No matter what the configuration, these fans are crucial to your car staying cool. If your car overheating happens mostly at lower speeds then you probably have a defective cooling fan.  If you have electric fans in your car, you can test and repair them using the procedure in our article about diagnosing electrical problems.  If your cooling fan is belt driven then you can check the engine’s belt, the fan blades and the fan clutch for proper operation.

Water Pump and Thermostat

While these are both simple components, a bad water pump or thermostat can cause your car overheating problems.  To make sure your water pump is working properly you can check the temperatures through your radiator and heater core.  If the temperature varies too greatly from the inlet to the outlet of the heater core or radiator it can indicate poor flow from your water pump.  The thermostat is the valve that controls the temperature in your engine and if it is stuck shut or open the engine will not run at its proper temperature.  Many newer cars will turn on the check engine light if the temperatures in your cooling system are too cold or too hot.

A Clean System

Over time, gunk and scale can build up in your system drastically reducing the efficiency of the system which can possibly cause overheating.  This gunk and scale usually build up due to infrequent cooling changes. If you are overdue for a coolant change, make sure you flush your cooling system to remove any scale and wear products from your system.

Correct Type and Amount of Coolant

To find out what type of coolant works best in your vehicle, you can check your vehicle’s owner’s manual.  You may also check your local auto parts store for a universal type coolant that will work for your vehicle and may save you some money.  Your owner’s manual may also tell you the approximate amount of coolant your vehicle holds, but the most important thing is to make sure your radiator is completely full, the system doesn’t have any air in it and your overflow bottle is filled with coolant up to the “full” mark.

If your cooling system has these 4 things and is still running hot, then you can also add BlueDevil Engine Cool to your coolant to help it perform even better.  BlueDevil Engine Cool can reduce coolant temperatures up to 25 degrees and also helps lubricate your system and keeps corrosion down.

You can find BlueDevil Engine Cool at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• Bennett Auto Supply
• CarQuest Auto Parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Fast Track
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
• S&E Quick Lube Distributor
• DYK Automotive
• Fisher Auto Parts stores
• Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
• Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
• Salvo Auto Parts
• Advantage Auto Stores
• Genuine Auto Parts stores
• Bond Auto Parts stores
• Tidewater Fleet Supply
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
• Any Part Auto Parts
• Consumer Auto Parts

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car_overheating.jpg – By Allanswart – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link