If your vehicle's cooling system is not working properly, heat can damage engine. If you notice that your car is starting to overheat, following steps can help you avoid heat damage to your car until cooling system is repaired.
When parking is available
1. Stop. As soon as you notice that thermometer reads into “H” (for “hot”) range, stop immediately, turn off ignition and allow engine to cool. In hot weather, pay special attention to thermometer.
· If you see steam coming out from under hood, stop car immediately. Perhaps you could also keep an eye on thermometer in first place to prevent a more serious steam overflow.
2 Open hood to speed up heat loss. Do not allow steam to accumulate in hood. Locate cover latch under hood and open it. Some vehicles have safety locks next to radiator cap. If steam escapes from the radiator cap, there is a risk of burns when opened.
3 Do not open radiator cap (cap on radiator) when engine is hot. This may result in release of a mixture of steam and cooling air, which may result in serious burns.
4 Check coolant expansion tank and top up if necessary. Newer vehicles have a coolant reservoir attached to top of radiator where coolant level can be checked. Many have markings indicating proper coolant level, below which engine is at risk of overheating. Make sure coolant level is below specified level.
· Add coolant (or water if there is no coolant) to reservoir until it reaches full mark. For most vehicles, coolant can be topped up even when it is very hot. Check your owner's manual to be sure, or wait for car to cool down before turning it on.
If your car only has a radiator and no coolant reservoir, you will need to wait for car to cool down before checking the coolant level.
5 Check cooling system for leaks. If your radiator and cylinder head are good, or if you opened coolant reservoir and found it full, you can check cooling system. If you know your car well, check radiator, cylinder core plug, or cylinder head next to cylinder head gasket for leaks.
· If you don't know your car, consider taking it to nearest garage and having a mechanic stress test cooling system. Stress testing a cooling system is relatively simple, so it's probably free.
6. Decide whether to keep moving or ask for help. If car is simply low on coolant and you can add it, you can continue driving. In this case, follow recommendations below to minimize risk of overheating.
· If coolant is completely used up, do not continue driving. If you continue driving, serious engine damage can occur very quickly.
If help is available, it's best to call a tow truck. If you can't get help, or if stop is dangerous, keep moving regardless of whether you can fix problem. If so, see guide below.
When parking is not possible
1 Turn off air conditioner. If your car has air conditioning, turn it off. The air conditioner creates an additional load on engine.
2 Use heaters to remove heat from engine. It can be noisy, but it works. Turn heater on to maximum and turn fan on to maximum. If temperature is very high, then temperature inside car will rise quickly, at this time deflectors to windows will help to cool as much as possible.
Why does this work? The car heater uses engine heat to heat air in car. Turning heater on to maximum can take a lot of heat from engine and speed up its cooling
3 Keep an eye on thermometer or indicator light. If necessary, stop and turn off engine. Be careful, if car overheats, it will destroy the engine.
4 Turn off engine (in some cases) and turn on ignition as soon as engine stops. When engine is off, radiator fan and blower continue to cool coolant. Only do this when you're stuck in traffic or traffic lights and can't move for even a minute. Notice when vehicle in front starts to move and turn on engine before this happens.
5 remains stable. It is better to move forward at a constant low speed than to stop and move with large fluctuations in speed. Rapid acceleration followed by deceleration can overload motor and cause it to overheat.
Generally speaking, when you're stuck in traffic, no one will add to it because everyone is stuck. Either way, you're definitely more worried about the engine overheating than about it choking.
6. Try this method to get more air through radiator. If your vehicle has a belt driven cooling fan (usually used in RWD and 4WD vehicles), set transmission to medium range or stop stuck in traffic and slowly rev engine up to 2000 RPM. Keep this speed for about 1 minute. This increases engine speed, which in turn makes water pump and radiator fans run faster, drawing more air through radiator to dissipate heat. But if your car is equipped with an electronic fan (mostly found in front-wheel drive models), above method will not work
7. Wait for traffic to end before you leave. Stop if you think your stop-and-go car is going to break down. Turn off engine and wait for traffic to return to normal before continuing. Once traffic returns to normal, you're better off going faster, which will allow more air to flow in to cool engine.
Tips
· If coolant is leaking, it will need to be topped up frequently. Find a parking lot with a possible source of water and people who won't mind you using it. Many service stations will do.
· If possible, add a mixture of water and antifreeze to car's cooling system in correct ratio. Use water only in an emergency, and after problem with cooling system has been resolved and coolant is completely drained, add a mixture of water and antifreeze in appropriate ratio.
· In some extreme cases, when you turn key to "off" position, engine continues to run. This is because engine is too hot to run without a spark. In this case, apply handbrake, then shift into gear. This stops engine.
· Repair your car as soon as possible. While above steps work in an emergency, they are not good in long run.
· As a rule, coolant filler cap is thrown away after 8 years of operation, and there is not much point in repairing it, so if your car has been in operation for more than 8 years, it is better to replace cap before trouble occurs. With low coolant levels, car's lid will most likely not hold pressure (most require 15 or 16 pounds) with engine off.
· If your vehicle is overheating due to heavy loads (such as driving long distances on a steep hill or dragging a heavy load), it is best to stop, open hood and wait until engine cools down. down. If it is a belt driven fan, shift transmission to middle position (or stop) and spin engine up slightly (2500 to 3000 rpm). This allows cooling system to cool engine better, without load, more efficiently than when engine is off (which dissipates heat more slowly). However, if coolant has run out, then you must immediately turn off engine and open hood so that heat is gone.
· If water pump belt is missing or water pump is defective, even driving in cold weather can cause engine to overheat as coolant boils inside engine, creating steam that further overheats engine.
· If you don't have a water pump or fan belt, you may need to use stockings instead. Wrap stocking around pulley as many times as you can and tie it together. The device is not durableo good enough to drive a few miles to a repair shop or gas station. Do not start engine too fast and reduce load on this makeshift unit. This can also be used on an alternator motor, but more power, faster stockings wear out.
· If you are stuck in a traffic jam, you can open hood. Attach it tightly to fuse and open a small slot for better ventilation (in hot weather, you will see cops and taxi drivers in big cities doing this). Be aware that at high speeds or over bumps, safety lock may slip, causing hood to snap into place on windshield.
· If your car has an electric cooling fan, you can also use fan when you turn off engine. If vehicle overheats, turn it off (stop engine), then start it again without starting engine. On some vehicles, electronic fan may run continuously even when engine is off.
Warning
· When filling an overheated car with water, do not use cold water. When cold water comes into contact with a very hot engine, it can cause severe thermal stress and damage engine. Remember to heat water to ambient temperature first.
· To avoid serious burns, do not remove radiator cap from an overheated engine. Let it cool down first.