Few things are more frustrating than your automobile overheating constantly. Not only is this damaging to the engine, but you are left with turning up the heater until you think you are going to melt in an effort to reduce the engine’s temperature. An engine that runs too hot all the time has something going on with the cooling system most likely. Crossroads Automotive lists the common reasons for an overheating engine below.
Clogged Hoses
Your cooling system uses rubber hoses to transport the engine coolant throughout the engine. Over time, these hoses can get clogged with dirt and debris. They can also be clogged by sediment if your radiator has corrosion in the bottom of it that is causing it to rust.
Clogged Radiator Air Inlet
Coolant circulates through the engine to draw heat away from it. It is then returned to the radiator where it is cooled down by air inlets and fans. The radiator air inlets or vents can be clogged with dirt and road debris, and this will prevent the cool air from blowing over the hot engine coolant.
Clogged System
Your radiator system can also be clogged. It can get clogged in the radiator itself, in the hoses as discussed above, in the overflow, or even in the water pump. Any type of system clog prevents coolant from circulating through the engine to reduce the temperature.
Coolant Problems
Your coolant may be the source of your engine overheating. If you have the wrong type of coolant in your cooling system, if it hasn’t been diluted properly with water, or if you don’t have enough engine coolant, your vehicle will overheat. Dirty coolant will also cause the engine’s temperature to rise.
Dead Cooling Fan
As we said above, the coolant has its temperature reduced by cooling fans and air vents. The air vents may not be clogged but the cooling fans may be inoperable. If, as your engine’s temperature starts to rise, you don’t notice the sound of the fans coming on, this is likely causing the problem.
Dead Thermostat
The thermostat is responsible for releasing the engine coolant into the water pump so it can circulate it through the engine. If the thermostat is malfunctioning, it will either refuse to release the coolant or it will release too much of it and flood the system.
Dead Water Pump
If the water pump isn’t working properly, you don’t have any coolant circulating through the engine. This will cause your automobile to overheat very quickly, and turning up the heater to reduce the engine’s temperature will not solve the problem.
Radiator Trouble
As we discussed above, the radiator itself can get clogged or it can be rusted on the bottom. Once the rust eats through the bottom of the radiator, you will have orange coolant leaking all over your garage floor. This tends to happen in older automobiles.
System Leak
Finally, you may have a cooling system leak coming from any of the seals, gaskets, hoses, the water pump, the radiator, or the overflow container. It’s important to have the leaks fixed immediately or you’ll be unable to have the proper amount of coolant in the engine.
Crossroads Automotive is the best auto shop in Topeka, KS, so give us a call today to schedule an appointment for your automobile. We will find out why is overheating.