When Your Car Overheats

What to Do If Your Car Overheats 

While it’s important to know about general maintenance, you’re also going to want to ensure that you know what to do if your vehicle overheats. Since you’re dealing with an engine that’s extremely hot, you’ll want to ensure you give it the care that it needs so that you don’t damage it. When you need a mechanic near McGregor, Killeen, or Waco, you can always head to Stanley Ford McGregor.

Keeping Cool

When you’re trying to avoid overheating, it might help to know some of the causes. Generally, all these items will be addressed during general maintenance, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re having your vehicle inspected on a regular basis.

• A Bad Water Pump: Water is used to cool everything from engines to nuclear reactors, and for good reason, as it offers an amazing way to divert heat. When your water pump stops working, you’re going to lose out on all the benefits that normally come with it.
• A Lack of Fluid: Fluids like oil and coolant are especially important when it comes to keeping your engine from overheating. If you run out of either of these, your engine isn’t going to last very long on the road. 
• A Broken Fan: When you shut off your vehicle, your engine is still going to be hot. It’s the job of your electric cooling fan to bring it back down to normal temperatures, so when it’s broken, that heat will continue to linger. 

Possible Warning Signs

When you’re behind the wheel, you’ll want to always make sure that you’re attentive. This means that you’ll want to keep an eye out for the signs below.

• You May Notice Smoke: If you see smoke, you undoubtedly have a big issue on your hands. You’ll want to pull off to the side of the road when it’s safe. 
• You May Notice a Sweet Smell: Your model might be putting out a sweet smell that’s hard to identify. While this might smell similar to syrup, it’s actually leaking coolant. This can also be dangerous to breathe in if it overheats, so you’ll want to be careful.
• You’ll Want to Watch Your Gauges: Your gauges might show a stark rise in temperature. 
• You Might See Lights on the Dashboard: You may notice that your check engine light or your temperature light suddenly appears. 

Finding a Solution

You won’t be able to immediately cool off your vehicle, but you can take steps to help it weather the storm. 

• Pull Over Immediately: When it’s safe, you’ll want to pull to the side of the road. From there, you’ll want to shut your vehicle off so that it can cool down on its own.
• Contact a Professional: You’ll want to contact us at Stanley Ford McGregor using your phone. You may also want to call a friend or a loved one for assistance. 
• Leave Your Model Alone: Don’t mess with your model while it’s cooling down. Opening the hood can cause serious injury, as your model is far too hot to touch.
• Turn the Heat Up: You’ll want to crank the heat all the way up while turning the A/C off. This will help to draw away some of the heat from your engine.