My Car is overheating.?

Question

My car is overheating and for some reason my fan wont come on. Needless to say I dont know anything about cars ! What do i do?

Answer 1

I think it might be a couple things based on what you've said but it's true that more information about your vehicle will be needed to properly assess what's wrong - for one thing it may have something to do with a temperature sensor in your car. Once your car goes above a certain temperature this sensor turns on the fan automatically in order to cool down the engine compartment and radiator, so if your sensor is broken, then the fan won't know if it's hot or not.

Another thing you might want to check is the level of coolant in your car. Before you start your car in the morning, pop the hood open and check the level of the coolant in the container. This container should be a clear container so you can see the level of the coolant (usually greenish in color.) It should be slightly below a hashmark, marked on the container. The reason why it should be slightly below the hashmark is because as your car is running, the coolant heats up and expands as it takes the heat away from your car. Also check for leaking of coolant underneath your car. If there's a leak, take your car in for service to have it pressure tested.

For the interim, until you take your car to a mechanic, you might want to blow the hot air out of your car by turning on the heat in your car - I know it sounds ridiculous being summer and all but it will help your car cool down for the time being.. plus it forces you to take it in to have it serviced as I'm sure you would hate to have hot air blown in your face all day in the summer.

Aside: Make sure that if you have a passenger, ask that person to move their feet away from the heating fan underneath the glove compartment or they might burn their feet.. just saying this because I had a car like yours and I drove it once and my friend fell asleep.. woke up and his feet were all red.

If it's got nothing to do with coolant levels, leaks, or sensing / thermostat issues - I'm at a loss as to why it overheats. I dunno, another thing that just occured to me is that it might have to do with something in your radiator and it's blocked somewhere along the line with rust or whatnot which is preventing the flow of coolant.. or *maybe* it thinks you're hot and it's getting all excited. Either way, take it to a mechanic.. but don't let yourself get ripped off - be warned.

Answer 2

Good answer Lugnuts! this person must start by letting the car cool off Please get a ride to the auto parts store. Purchasing coolant at a auto parts store finding a friend with a working car both good lessons. Patience and spending money. After you get back from the store finding out there are four different types of coolant some that don't mix very well. Take the cap off of the coolant tank and remove the radiator cap fill the radiator. That is under the radiator cap with coolant purchased before half and half coolant and water use a measuring cup from the kitchen if you have to. Now turn to that tank it usually is semi transparent (see Thru) or has a dip stick so fill that to the full line to 50/50 water and coolant. If the engine cooling system took a lot more than gallon of the 50/50 mixture your car was dangerously low on coolant. So now start the engine with the heater on all the way. put the cap and coolant tank cap on and wait and watch. If the cooling fan turns on before the temp meter on the dash climbs to H your done. YEA! or if that thing heats too much and the fan doesn't start BOO! next turn on the A/C and turn the temp knob to blue see if the A/C running turns on the cooling fan. Yes the fan motor is working on high speed not on low speed. Next step professional help or run with the A/C on until you can get it in.

Answer 3

There are many reasons why a cars' engine can overheat. If you don't know much about cars, I recommend taking it to your mechanic for diagnosis. With the small amount of info you have given, it sounds like your vehicle may be low on coolant. If so, the cooling system can develop air pockets that can cause overheating and the fan not to come on. If the cooling system is low, you'll need to find where the coolant is going ( leak or possible head gasket). If the cooling system is full, a clogged radiator or heater core or even a defective thermostat can cause overheating, but the fan should come on. If the vehicle only overheats when you're at very slow speeds, like stop and go traffic or a fast food restaurant drive-through, you may just have a blown radiator fan fuse, bad relay, or a defective fan motor that's not coming on, and not cooling the coolant. I would need a lot more info to venture a guess (when does the problem occur, type of vehicle, engine size, year of vehicle for starters). But most important, DON'T DRIVE the vehicle. If you overheat it very much, you can cause a lot of internal engine damage!

You're e-maill addy is invalid, I can't contact you!

Answer 4

If the fan does not operate, that is the surely the reason that your car overheats. There could be a few reasons for a fan not to operate. If it is an electric fan, then it could be the temperature sending unit, a wire, the fan motor, or a relay. If it is a mechanical fan, it may be due to a faulty fan-clutch. I suspect that yours is electric since you phrased it that your fan 'wont come on', which meant to me that you are used tohearing it when it did run. I recommend that you get a certified technician to diagnose the cause. You can call the dealer or a competant local shop, if there is one in your area, and ask them how much time they require to diagnose the cooling fan and what their diagnostic hourly-rate is. You will be better off spending money on a proper diagnosis than on a guess at what is wrong. I have been a technician and a service consultant and I will not hazard a guess at what is wrong here because I cannot get enough information without seeing your vehicle.

Answer 5

I assume your talking about an electric fan so check the fuse. Also Check the coolant in the radiator. There are other things you can do but that would be the first things to check and you don't have to know anything about cars to do those things.

Answer 6

Go to a mechanic. Your car is overheating because your fan isn't running, possibly

Answer 7

If its a car that has an electric fan in behind the Radiator, the fan motor is probably shot. Its cheap to change yourself if you know how about $30. Expect a garage to charge you about $125-150.

Answer 8

Check the fuses for the Fan.
Replace the Thermostat.

Answer 9

DON'T TAKE IT TO A SHOP! You should only take your car into the shop as a last resort. It sounds like the fan belt has broken or come off (easily replaced) or it may be a simple matter of adding some coolant fluid. good luck.

Answer 10

It is overheating BECAUSE the fan won't come on. You need to see an auto electrician. It is probably a relay fault, which is easily and cheaply diagnosed and fixed.