What happens if the car is overheating? What do I do and how much does it cost to repair? (I'm new to cars)

Answer 1

How to Cool Down an Overheated Car



If your car overheats and damages the engine, you have no one to blame but yourself. Keep your eyes on the temperature gauge and never let the needle move into the red. Pull over before it gets too hot.

Steps:
1. Turn off the engine.

2. Wait. If the engine is steaming, don't open the hood.

3. Pull the hood release lever under the dashboard to open the hood when the car has cooled completely.

4. Walk around the front of the car, reach under the hood, find the latch and squeeze it. As you squeeze the latch, pull up and open the hood.

5. Check the coolant reservoir tank first. It's a plastic jug that has a small hose running to the radiator. The reservoir can be filled when the engine is hot (except on German and Swedish cars, the plastic reservoir is also under pressure, so don't open when the engine is hot).

6. Open the radiator cap with a rag. Remember: open it only after the engine has completely cooled. If you're not sure, don't open the cap. If you open the cap while it's still warm, you may burn yourself with steam or hot coolant. Open the cap slowly, as if you were opening a bottle of soda that has been shaken up.

7. Examine the radiator. Look inside and see if there's coolant left. If needed, fill to the top of the radiator.

8. Put the radiator cap back on.

9. Check to see that the upper or lower radiator hose, or any of the heater hoses, hasn't burst.

10. Restart the engine.

11. Watch the temperature gauge obsessively. Don't let the needle go into the red. Turn off the engine if the gauge approaches the red zone.

12. Understand that you can continue driving a high-temperature vehicle if you're far from a phone or a service station and the car does not need coolant (or does not respond to these instructions). However, drive only as long as you stop and turn off the engine whenever the gauge gets close to the red, and let the engine cool down until you drive again. This may take a long time, but it probably beats walking.

Tips:
Overheating can be caused by factors other than low coolant level (thermostat stuck closed, blocked radiator, malfunctioning fan or failed water pump). If the coolant level isn't low, it's time to visit a mechanic.

It's OK to add just plain water or antifreeze in an overheating, emergency situation. When routinely adding or changing coolant, always use a 50-50 mixture of water and antifreeze.

Answer 2

Check the radiator reservoir. It will be a plastic jug-like thing with a thin rubber hose running between it and the radiator. There should be a couple lines on the jug. If the fluid is below the bottom line, then a lack of antifreeze is the most likely cause (anti-freeze is kind of a misnomer, since it helps keep your engine cool, as well). You'll have to add a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water to the radiator while it's cool, but while the engine's running. If you check the reservoir once in a while, you can add the mix to the reservoir (if your car's overheating, your coolant level is probably too low to risk doing that this time).

If the coolant level is fine, you need to check your oil. You should have a 'dip stick' running into your engine's oil pan. It will have a loop or handle that makes it obvious it's something you pull out to check. If you pull it out and it's red, then you've pulled the wrong one out (you pulled the dip stick for the tranny fluid out). If you pull it out and it's golden colored, that's a real good sign. Clean it off, reinsert it, then pull it back out again. Oil should be above the 'Low' line, but below the 'Full' line. If it's below the 'Low' line, add a quart of oil (there should be a cap on the valve cover to add oil). If you pull it out and there's nothing on it, then you've found the reason your car's overheating - (your engine is probably making a clattering sound, as well). Add at least one quart, check the level again, and repeat until the oil's above the 'Low' line. Don't add more oil once it's much above the 'Low' line. Overfilling it isn't good, either. If you check your oil and it's black and crusty, it's time for an oil change. That's a very easy job. Get someone to show you how, since on most cars, it's so easy that's it's silly to have it done by a mechanic.

If both the oil and coolant levels are good, you probably have a bad thermostat. That's a repair job, but an easy one. It's cheap to fix, but so simple that at least one of your friends should be able to show you how to do it yourself.

One thing to check before replacing the thermostat is the water pump (it's less likely than a bad thermostat, hence listing it after the thermostat). Leave the air conditioner off on a couple of trips and check for fluid under the car after the engine cools. If the water pump is shot, you'll be leaking water somewhere under your car as the engine cools (it can be tricky - I missed this on one car I had because the water dripped slowly and followed the frame nearly all the way to the back of the car before dripping onto the ground). You should be able to trace the water back to the water pump. You have to do this when the air conditioner hasn't been used, since the air conditioner will normally drip water due to condensation. The difficulty in replacing the water pump varies from car to car. It's usually not very difficult, but if you're new to cars, you definitely need someone with experience to fix it.

Answer 3

Try checking your water AND oil levels. Ensure you've changed the oil in the specified timeframe. Check your water for little black droplets(oil in the water, could be a cracked head). Change the thermostat--they're so cheap it's not funny. Since you say you're new to cars, If none of this helps, take the car in. The other things that could be the problem are things that someone with at least a little mechanical knowlege should diagnose. It only costs $60 to have them look at your car to find the problem. There could be a few things that can't be diagnosed without watching the engine run, like a stiff A/C compressor, or a bad ground, cracked head or head gasket, broken pump, etc....

Answer 4

definitely sounds like a radiator problem. I'd get it repaired or checked out as soon as possible. If you are low on coolant, add some and see how it does. Keep driving to a minimum until you get it checked out because if it overheats and you keep driving, there is a possibility that you might blow a head gasket in the engine. Repairs for that are several hundred of dollars and it could possibly lead you to having to get a new engine. Repairs for a new radiator vary between make/year/model of your car. I've seen repairs go anywhere between $65 to $200+. Of course it also depends on the place you take it.

Answer 5

My car did just that last weekend, my first intinct was to put my fans onto hot, this takes the heat out of the engine and into your car, trouble was it was 90 degrees outside, so I got very hot, but it bought the indicator down.

It then did it again, and Id only been stuck in traffic for 5 mins so I rang the RAC, he checked it over and discovered it was the fan switch that was faulty but because my switch was behind the bumper it meant removing the bumper. So instead he rigged up a wire so the fan stays on permantly until it goes in the garage tomorrow.
He said I did the right thing, but to check that the head gasket isnt damaged, this results if you continually drive the car when its overheating!!

Nice RAC man, I now know about fans!!

Answer 6

Sound like a problem with the cooling system. First thing is to check if you have the proper coolant level, refer to your owners manual to see how to check this.

Next, check if you have a leak, look under the car for green or orange substance, if you do have a puddle of this weird coloured stuff under your car, top off the level and get it to a mechanic.

If there is no leak and the level of coolant is full, then you have a more severe mechanical problem, such as a failed water pump or possibly something else with the radiator in which you would need to get it to the mechanic. Hope that helps

Answer 7

if the temp gauge is going into the red you must stop,if you do not eventually the engine will seize up,even if you stop damage may have already occured,[various costs],when the engine is cold check that the coolant is up to the full mark your hand book will explain how to check and top up,if the coolant is o.k.there maybe various other reasons for overheating,bottom line is your must not drive the car if the engine is overheating.

Answer 8

1. Check coolant level. (Big white plastic tank) should have a full line

If coolant is ok, there is a good chance your radiator is plugged up.

A few temporay solutions are to clean the radiator gently with a hose. Also, if it gets real hot, you can turn the heat on in the car to let some of the heat out (temporary fix to keep you form getting stranded). I had to do this when it was 90 outside and raining so my winodows were up.

You will probably need to get the radiator professionally cleaned out.

Answer 9

depends on the make of car. 1st check water levels, smell for any signs of petrol in water tank. 2nd ly check oil cap for creamy residue. both are signs of gasket falilure. as with dip stick. the price of this can varie drastically on make and model and damage caused from overheating etc ( warping etc) on the othet side over heating can be caused via faulty thermostate, this can be a lot cheaper to remedy but i advise get fixed before causing any permanant damage. if you cannot afford too at the moment keep car topped up with good quality coolant and only drive small distances. never top up a WARM car with cold water! hope this has helped

Answer 10

If it happens while you are driving turn the heater on. As for repairs it would boil down to a heating and cooling issue. Keep your eye on the thermostat and try to find a mechanic that moonlights so you can save some money.