Six Reasons Why Your Vehicle Has An Overheating Engine

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Did the dashboard light come on for your engine because it is overheating? If so, you're likely wondering why the ending is overheating and what you can do to prevent it from happening in the future. Here are a few common reasons why it happens.

Low Coolant

A common reason for engine overheating is because of low coolant. As the name implies, coolant helps the engine stay cool, and is necessary for your car to run properly. Try adding more coolant until it has reached the proper level for your vehicle and see if that engine light goes away and the temperature returns to normal.

Coolant Leak

Coolant can also be low due to a leak in the system somewhere. One place where coolant tends to escape the system is through the radiator. If this is the case, not enough coolant is flowing through the radiator and reaching the engine, which can cause overheating to occur. 

Radiator Problems

Even if you have the proper amount of coolant in the system, your engine still requires a working radiator to maintain a safe temperature. If the radiator is starting to fail for some reason, the first sign is likely to be an overheating engine. A radiator also has a fan that needs to be working properly to help cool the radiator. If the fan is busted, the engine is going to run hotter than normal.

Low Oil

Oil is used to lubricate all of the cylinders in the engine. Without oil, there is going to be a lot more friction on the moving parts of the engine. This can cause the engine to get hot as you drive it over longer distances since it's not capable of getting cool as the engine is working. Meanwhile, shutting off the car and giving it a break can help temperatures temporarily return to normal.

Bad Thermostat

Sometimes the engine is working just fine, but the engine appears to be overheating due to a bad thermostat. Replacing the thermostat with a new part should hopefully fix the problem and give you accurate temperature readings. 

Bad Water Pump

The water pump plays an important role in moving the coolant to the places where it needs to go. If you've checked all of the previous problems and everything seems to be okay, then consider looking into the water pump as the potential culprit.

Reach out to your auto repair shop if you can't get to the bottom of why your engine is overheating. 

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14 July 2021

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