Overdrive

  • Car Care
  • News
Home Test Page What to Do (and Not to Do) With an Overheating Car: 6 Tips

What to Do (and Not to Do) With an Overheating Car: 6 Tips

Overheating Car - High Temps

Summers were made for road trips. But everybody’s favorite time of year can also be fraught with hazards, especially when it comes to the heat. Hot summer days can sometimes leave you with an overheating car. When that happens, you could find yourself stuck by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to rescue you. Don’t let this happen. Follow the tips below if you notice your temperature gauge peaking out. They’ll keep you rolling until you can get where you’re going, as long as it seems safe to try any of them. Once you do, get your car into the shop ASAP.

First, What Can Cause an Overheating Car?

  • Loose or broken fan belt
  • Low coolant level
  • Coolant leak
  • Engine thermostat stuck in a single position
  • Defective or failing water pump

If You Get a Warning on Your Dash, or the Engine Temp Gauge Increases, Your Car is Starting to Overheat.

What NOT To Do:

  • Sounds like common sense, but do not touch any engine component to include the radiator cap, hoses, anything in the engine compartment. You’ll get burned. Simple enough, but folks still poke around.
  • Do not touch, try and remove or open the cap on your radiator until the car has sat for a few hours and cooled down.
  • Do not try and add any water to the radiator or hose it down (yes some have done this). Let the vehicle cool down on its own. If needed, add coolant to the radiator at the appropriate time, not water.

What TO Do:

  • Turn off the A/C if its turned on. Air conditioning runs off a compressor that places a load on your engine causing it to work harder. You need to lighten the load on the engine.
  • Crank up the heater to the highest temperature and roll down your windows. The heater will pull high temperatures away from the engine.
  • If you can, give your car a rest and open the hood to release some of the heat in the engine compartment.

To prevent you car from overheating, make sure that the coolant level in your radiator is where it should be. If it’s low, you’re asking for trouble. Before it gets too hot and before you head out on that long awaited road trip, make an appointment with a local auto service shop to bring your car in and have your coolant levels tested and topped off.

Don’t have a go-to mechanic? Openbay can help. Find the top car mechanics near you. Compare pricing and book service with the click of a button.


Join Openbay+

Save upwards of 25% on
car repair and maintenance services with Openbay+

May 15, 2013Openbay Staff
How To Properly Inflate Your TiresGot a Loud Exhaust? Find Out if it Can Be Repaired
You Might Also Like
 
Want to win $200? First #CarCareBoss Drawing is Today!
 
Most Common Repairs for Hybrid Cars
Openbay Staff
May 15, 2013 Maintenance Tips, Road Trip, Seasonal Coolant, hot, overheat, overheating, overheating car, radiator, repair
Openbay

Openbay, an award-winning online e-commerce marketplace for automotive repair and services and a provider of SaaS-based solutions for the automotive care industry, is transforming the experience for automotive repair and service for consumers and the way that automotive care businesses acquire and service customers.

Openbay
About

Openbay, an award-winning online marketplace for automotive repair and services and a provider of SaaS-based solutions for the automotive care industry, is transforming the experience for automotive repair and service for consumers and the way that automotive care businesses acquire and service customers.

Contact Openbay

To learn more about Openbay marketplace and subscription services, contact us today.

Address: 10 Canal Park, Cambridge, MA 02141

Phone: 617-398-8888

Email: [email protected]

openbay.com

Openbay Solutions
  • Openbay marketplace
  • Otis 
  • Business profile page 

Have an Openbay representative reach out to me

2023 © Openbay Overdrive