There aren’t many things more anxiety-inducing than driving along and suddenly noticing your temperature gauge is creeping up, hotter and hotter. You might say to yourself:
“Oh no! Why is my vehicle overheating?”
“Do I have a radiator leak?”
“Do I need a radiator repair?”
“Should I try to make it to an auto repair shop, or pull over and have my vehicle towed?”
As experienced mechanics, we can tell you a vehicle overheating problem isn’t something to ignore, as you could seriously damage your engine. Here’s more advice on looking out for radiator issues, like a radiator leak, and reasons you may need a radiator repair.
Possible Reasons for Vehicle Overheating
If you’re driving along and notice your temperature gauge moving toward the red, your vehicle isn’t going to immediately explode or anything like that; however, driving with an overheating engine can cause serious damage to your vehicle. It’s best to pull over and deal with vehicle overheating right away rather than risking very expensive auto repairs later. If your vehicle is overheating, turn off the A/C, as running the air conditioning puts strain on your engine, and turn on the heater. This blows some excess heat from the engine into your vehicle. While it’s not ideal on a hot day, it does help cool the engine down. You can also put your vehicle in park and rev the engine. This makes the radiator fan and water pump work faster, which pulls more air and water through your vehicle’s radiator. Keep in mind, these are only temporary fixes until you get to an auto repair shop.
Issues with Your Radiator Warranting a Radiator Repair
Despite the smoke that an overheating vehicle emits, it won’t cause your vehicle to blow up or put you in any danger. Still, an overheating engine can do some serious damage to you and your wallet. As soon as you notice that your vehicle is overheating, pull over immediately. Continuing to drive can worsen whatever the issue may be and could cost you pricey auto repairs in the long run. Additionally, you’ll want to turn off the air conditioner when your vehicle overheats because it puts stress on your engine. Instead, put your heater on to release some of the extra heat from the engine to assist in cooling it down. In turn, your radiator fan and water pump will operate quicker, pushing more air and water through your ’s radiator.
We Can Fix All of Your Vehicle Overheating Problems
If you notice your vehicle is overheating, turn the heat on in your vehicle, as this will help move hot air away from your engine, and bring it to a mechanic right away. Procrastination is not an option when it comes to vehicle overheating—you could cause your engine system to fail, which can mean thousands of dollars in auto repairs. Tend to that radiator leak now, get the radiator repair you need, and thank yourself later.