What should I do first when my engine is overheating?

Answer 1

check the coolant level, then replace the thermostat.

Answer 2

when ur engine overheats while u r driving.... pull over and park ur car at the nearest availlable space. Sometimes u may hear a boiling sound too from the engine when the engine is hot.

1. Open the hood.
DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR WHEN ENGINE IS HOT... The water will be boiling and will come to ur face and hands and may damage them.
2. There is a side bottle like thing for adding coolant to radiator. use this. pour water(prefferebly distilled water) in it if coolant is not avilable with u.
3. Wait for atleast 30 min before doing this and restrt ur vehicle.
4. Later u can diagnose the reasons why the engine got overheated,,,

The main resons for this is...
1.Low Coolant level in Radiator(mostly)
U should add coolant or water to radiator every week and check its level... this is a must in car maintanence. The level decreases due to evaporation a bit. but if abnormally high amount of coolant has decreased... there may be a leak in ur radiator. Visit Service Centre for this...

2. Engine Oil

If Engine oil level is less or the oil is very old... this may happen. Go for an oil change or add some oil if level is less.

I assume u r asking the question from India... most vehicles in india don't have heater facility.(because india is a warm country comparitively). If heater is available... switch it on in full blast. the heater takes heat from engine. this will help in hasttening the cooling of the engine.
2.

Answer 3

More detail about this would have been great because symptom's is what get's a correct diagnosis.
1. If you are driving it when it over heat's turn on the heater full blast. The heater core will act as a secondary radiatior and help cool down the system. This will not get it to normal operating range though, it will only help.
2. If your vehicle over heats in a very short period of time (20-30 minutes) each time you drive it then it is most likely the thermostat.
3. If it over heats each time you drive it but takes longer to over heat (30+ minutes) then it most likely is that the electric fan is not working.
4. Most water pumps have a "weep hole" that allow water to escape slowly when the pump has gone out. If your vehicle over heat's every few days and you are repeatedly adding coolant to the system then it is most likely the water pump.
5. A pin hole in a hose will have the same effect as a water pump failure so check to see where you are losing water from if you are at all.
6. A pin hole in the radiator will do this too.
I have never seen a radiator plugged to the point of over heating.
Be extreamly careful with radiators as they build up pressure in them and removing the radiator cap can cause an eruption of boiling water/coolant which can cause very serious burn's!

Answer 4

DO NOT CHECK THE COOLANT LEVELS YET!!!!

If your car is overheating, then the anti-freeze is almost boiling. COmbine that with the pressure build-up in the system, and when you open the cap, you will be burned, and burned bad. DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP OF A HOT CAR....I'm sorry, but it's common sense.

Turn the heater on, and let it blast. If you can pull over, do that and put the engine in nuetral, and let it run. If you can afford the time and are safe, just turn her off and let it sit for awhile before you check coolant levels and start trouleshooting.

Answer 5

If you are driving along and the engine starts to overheat, turn on the heater full blast, this helps draw off excess heat. Next, pull over. If your car's cooling fan is belt driven - rev the engine. Yeah that's right, if the fan is belt driven rev the engine. This will make the fan turn faster and pull more cool air through the radiator - cooling the engine down (electric fans don't do this so don't bother)

Last - get to a mechanic and have the problem fixed. It's usually one of 3 things: Clogged radiator, bad thermostat, or bad water pump.

Answer 6

Pull over if possible and allow it to cool down before checking or adding coolant. Even if you see coolant in the resevior there is a small chance that the radiator is low or even empty. Lift the hood to let more heat out and alert other drivers that you are stuck and not moving. Sometimes a raised hood is noticed before emergency flashers. If you cannot pull over immediately then slow down, turn on your vehicles heater and blower to add cooling power and keep an eye on the gauge. Remember that heat kills engines so do everything you can to avoid this situation.

Answer 7

if the engine is overheating and you are driving turn on the heater that helps the temperature to go down then when you get home change the thermostat

Answer 8

Check coolant,and water mixture in coolant.All coolant Will have a low boiling point,50% mixture of water and coolant mixture.Check thermostat,Remove replace with new gasket.Flush out radiator with cleaner used for that purpose,check fan belt or that electric fan turns on.Keep your hands clear if electric motor fan it will turn on when it's hot with no notice.

Answer 9

turn off the car first
check the coolant level
then check the amount of water in the radiator, if u think check 4 any possible leaks.

Answer 10

hey man what is it a car or bike or truck or trailer or auto or smi truck or bus or suv or atv or muv or a chain saw because these all have engines what is it man !!!!!!!!