whats it mean when ur car is over heating?

Question

my car is overheating an it did it before an it was a hose that needed replaced so could it be the same thing?

Answer 1

In addition to a clogged radiator, stuck thermostat, bad thermostat housing gasket, leaking/loose radiator hose, low coolant, or bad water pump, check your radiator cap. First to make sure it is on tight. Second, to ensure the gasket on it isn't cracked or broken. I've seen this occur on several vehicles. It's a quick check. Just make sure you give your engine a chance to cool down a bit before attempting to take the cap off.
Also, run the car & give it a chance to warm up. Start looking underneath the front end area & see if any coolant is leaking onto the ground. If so, you may be able to track the trail back.

Answer 2

It means that
1) Your coolant needs to be either topped up or replaced
2) One of your coolant hoses has indeed come loose
3) Your radiator and/or hose(s) are leaking
4) The wrong kind of coolant has been put in your system
5) Your thermostat has become stuck in the "closed" position, or
6) You're running your car in conditions the coolant can't handle.

The car's cooling system operates by using the thermostat to circulate the coolant from the engine block, into the radiator (where it is cooled), and back into the block to ensure the it doesn't get too hot. The thermostat "closes" the coolant passage to the radiator to help warm the car up, and then opens it when it senses the coolant is getting too warm.

When a car overheats, it means the coolant in your system cannot adequately cool the engine, and the engine gets too hot to run. This can sometimes result in a catastrophic failure of all the moving parts--and a seized engine.

There can be many problems that result in a car overheating. For instance, you could be driving your car hard in very hot weather. You could never have the coolant topped up and flushed on a regular basis--in which case the chemical components in it break down and won't work any longer.

Hoses breaking, leaking or coming loose is another common problem, but it could also be an issue with your engine's thermostat getting "stuck" in the closed position--meaning it shuts the coolant into the block and won't let it go through the radiator.

I would go get your car checked out by a reputable shop with ASE-certified mechanics immediately. This is not a problem you can leave--it will only get worse, and it could cost you your engine.

Answer 3

Everyone has given good answers but not asked any questions. Which hose was it and what kind of car is it? Some cars have a "sealed" cooling system with no radiator cap. This will make it a little harder to check if your pump is good. If you have no cap try squeezing the hose going into the top of your radiator while the car is running, you should be able to feel a surge when you release the hose. I hate to say this but have had it happen, if all hoses, pump, thermostat, and radiator check out good you may have a blocked passage in the block or head. If this happens to be the case you will need to have it serviced very soon to avoid cracking or warping the block or head. You may also have a blown head gasket. Check for leakage around the head(s), or in the cylinders by removing the spark plugs and looking into the cylinders if possible.

Answer 4

Several possibilities: you could be low on fluid, due to a leaking hose (not that likely, since you have already replaced it once), or a leak in your radiator; your thermostat could be broke (cheap and simple); your fan for your radiator could be broke; a broken water pump; or, your temperature control sensor could be broke (also a cheap fix). I would recommend taking it to an accredited garage, and having them diagnose the problem.

Some things you can check yourself: Take the radiator cap off when the engine is cool. Make sure your fluid level is near the top. Have someone start your engine while you (or someone) are looking into the radiator. You are looking to see that the anti-freeze starts flowing through jets in the radiator. If the level is fine, and the jets are working, you just eliminated a couple possibilities (you don't have a leak, and the water pump is working). Watch to see if your fan kicks on to cool off the radiator. Make sure someone is monitering the temperature gauge on your dash, as you never want the car to overheat. If the fan never kicks on, then it could be the fan, or the temperature control sensor. One other tip, if you run the car with the heater on, it should lower the temperature immediately (tough to do with it being so hot these days).

Answer 5

It could be a number of things. Internal combustion creates a lot of heat that the cooling system needs to shed. An engine does need a certain amount of heat to operate efficiently and the cooling system is designed to keep it in balance. To little heat and the car will get bad fuel mileage and it will accelerate engine wear. Too much heat will warp engine parts and can cause moving parts to "weld" together. A cooling system needs to have pressurized (raising the boiling point) coolant flowing unrestricted through the system into a radiator that will transfer heat to the outside air. Look for anything leaking or restricting coolant or airflow, (non-working radiator fan, bad belts, bad water pump, stuck thermostat, low coolant level, bad radiator cap, clogged radiator, collapsing hoses, etc.). Good luck

Answer 6

Could be a number of things. Not enough info to make a clear call. When does it happen? How long after you are driving it? What kind of vehicle is it? First thing though is too check to make sure the antifreeze is ok. If you put straight water in it, then the boiling point will be lower and could cause overheating in this heat.

Answer 7

Your radiator system lost fluid and got too hot. Here is what can go wrong.

Broken hose (there are several)
Bad Water pump
Bad radiator
Stuck thermostat

If you just got this fixed, go back to the same mechanic and explain that it broke before, and you want everything fixed right this time. You have the list now, tell them to check and double check everything and this time... do a pressure test. While it might not be their fault the first time, they better test it well, 'cause this is your last!

It costs too much to get your car towed, it cost too much to take time off from work. Tell them that they must get it right.

If you bought the car from them, speak only to the car salesman, like this might be your last car from them.... like they care?

Answer 8

if there's no smoke, it's most likely the thermostat needs to be replaced ($10 part) or you're out of radiator coolant. if there's smoke then you have a busted radiator hose. also, if your oil is low you can overheat becuase of too much friction in the motor. check your fluids if they are ok check the hose , if none of these look bad buy a thermostat.

Answer 9

When an engine overheats, the first thing you do is check the coolant, if low check for an engine water leak.
If its full of coolant, it will all depend on how it overheats,
idle, driving slow, fast. Most people, if there is no water leak, change the thermostat first.

Answer 10

Could be but also check water pump. Radiator could also be a problem. Is there enough coolent in it? If an old car it may need flushing.