Your car engine is a work of art and ingenious design. Using hundreds of components, it gets you to your destination just by pushing a pedal to the floor. Unfortunately, its strong performance can’t last forever, and one day, you may be driving only to notice your temperature gauge shoot to “H” and steam or smoke billowing from under the hood. Even with proper maintenance, these problems aren’t always preventable. By knowing what causes them, you can have a better idea of how to amend the problem at the right price.
Cracked Radiator
A radiator is one of the most vital aspects under the hood of your car, and it’s the first place you should check if you notice your engine overheating. However, it’s important to understand the role that a radiator plays in keeping your engine at optimal temperatures.
Without getting into mechanical jargon, think of a radiator as a type of heat exchanger. It helps circulate a liquid coolant through the engine. This coolant then heats up and is only cooled by air that passes through the grille into the radiator. If the radiator fails or gets a crack, the coolant leaks and can’t cool the system properly.
To see if your radiator is the problem, you can usually do a visual inspection. When you pop the hood, the radiator is closest to the grille and easily identified by the radiator cap on the top. Typically, you can find a crack along the top, but if not you may need to check the radiator fluid.
Never open a radiator cap when the engine is hot or still running, as this can blow boiling hot liquid in your face. Instead, wait until the engine cools and top it off with coolant or antifreeze. If it’s consistently running out of coolant, fill the radiator and take your car in for service.
Water Pump
A water pump works hand-in-hand with your radiator, forcing the coolant through the engine. When it breaks, the coolant has no pressure to run through the system, and your engine will overheat within a few minutes of running. Unfortunately, this problem isn’t easy to diagnose, and while you can look underneath the car to see if it’s leaking coolant, it’s hard to differentiate between a faulty water pump and a leak in the radiator.
Coolant Problems
Even if your water pump and radiator reservoir are in tip-top condition, you can still have coolant problems that cause your engine to overheat. If you mix a coolant concentrate with the improper amount of water or you use the wrong coolant, you’ll definitely see some engine problems. If you can, buy pre-mixed coolant to avoid a wrong mix. If you’ve already poured the wrong mix, bring it in for a coolant flush.
An overheating engine is no laughing matter, causing you stress and time as long as it remains in disrepair. With FOX Acura of El Paso, you always have an expert mechanic that’s ready to tackle the problem at the source. If you notice any of these problems, schedule a service appointment with us as soon as possible.
temperature by wynpnt is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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