Your car, truck, utility vehicle, or van should never overheat. If the temperature gauge has been rising too high lately, it’s best to bring your vehicle into SpringMasters Auto Repair for a cooling system check. We will not only inspect your cooling system, but we will also check the other possible reasons for your engine overheating, including dirty motor oil and a fuel pump that’s too hot.
Coolant Trouble
The above aside, one of the most common reasons why cars overheat is problems with the engine coolant. The coolant could be the wrong type of coolant for the engine, it could be mixed with water improperly, or it could be old and dirty. You may also not have enough coolant in the system if you have a coolant leak.
Debris trouble
Dirt and debris can gunk up your cooling system and cause your engine to overheat. This is why a radiator flush and fill is recommended rather than just a fluid change. The radiator in particular can get corroded if it is older, but we’ll talk more about that later. Flushing out the cooling system regularly keeps it clean and your engine cool.
Fan Trouble
Your cooling system has a radiator fan that helps reduce the coolant’s temperature in the radiator. This fan blows over the radiator, but if it is malfunctioning, your radiator will struggle to cool off the hot engine coolant. When your car gets too hot, you should hear the fan turn on. If you hear nothing, the fan could be the problem.
Hose Trouble
The most common place where coolant leaks is from the radiator hoses. This being said, it can also leak from the seals and gaskets. This is why a cooling system inspection helps prevent your vehicle from ever overheating. Inspecting the hoses, seals, and gaskets gives auto technicians a chance to replace these parts before they spring a leak.
Radiator Trouble
As we said above, over time, the bottom of the radiator will corrode and begin to rust. The rust can eat through the radiator’s metal and cause a coolant leak. In this case, your normally green or red coolant will look orange because it is filled with rust. The only way to fix this problem is to replace the radiator.
Thermostat Trouble
Your thermostat is in charge of releasing coolant into the engine once the engine needs it. If the thermostat is malfunctioning, it may flood the engine with coolant or not release any coolant at all. The latter will naturally cause your engine to overheat, and it won’t be able to cool down because it doesn’t have any coolant.
Vent Trouble
The radiator also uses vents to cool the engine coolant stored in it. Over time, these vents can get clogged with dirt and debris and be unable to direct flowing air over the radiator. Cleaning the vents will resolve the problem, but it’s also important to flush the cooling system in case dirt and debris are in the radiator, as well.
Water Pump Trouble
Finally, your water pump circulates the coolant through the engine and it can go bad at about 100,000 miles. SpringMasters Auto Repair has the best auto service shop in Chicago, IL. We also have the best auto shop in Stickney, IL, so give us a call today to schedule an appointment for a cooling system inspection. We’ll find out why your car is overheating and fix the problem.
