what do you do if your car is over heating?

Question

if the thermistate is half way is that normal? what if its a 1/4 way down from the red? does that mean its starting to over heat? my brother always told me if your car is over heating to turn the heater on full blast it worked in his truck. but does that rule apply to all cars? what should you do? and if your car has that problem could that be a radiator problem or could it be a number of possibillity's
(i know i cant spell very well sorry)

Answer 1

Your brother is right as it circulates coolant through the heater core and a fan is blowing to disperse the heat. Yea, this is an old trick used but mostly in the summer month's. Today's cars will run in the 200-212 degree mark. Take it to a garage and have the radiator and cooling system flushed and refilled with the correct mix of antifreeze and water and possibly a new thermostat too. total cost should not exceed $$100 - $150

Answer 2

If your heat gauge is accurate, then damage will only be caused if the needle moves into the red. At that point the metal inside the engine starts to warp. As far as it getting hotter and hotter, you might want to find the cause of this. It could eventually get into the red zone, and could cost thousands in engine repair.
When judging if you have a potential over heating problem, you have to take into account what kind of outside stress is being put on the car at that time. If it's very hot outside, it's normal for the heat inside the engine to rise. Also, if the car is pulling anything, that will cause the same.
As far as internal problems, there are several possible culprits. Radiator leak, low coolant level, thermostat stuck shut, heater core leak, cracked heads, etc..
Whenever the needle gets in the red ( or the overheat light comes on ), you should stop the car as soon as possible. You will probably have a couple of minutes after it goes into the red before the damage occurs. Call a tow truck if necessary, trying to drive it will be much more expensive if it destroys the engine.
Turning the heater on, will draw some heat out of the engine. Whether it works enough to drive down the heat significantly, depends on what the problem actually is, and the type of vehicle.

Answer 3

First: That's not a thermostat, that's a thermometer. A thermostat controls temperature, a thermometer tells you the temperature.

Second: 1/4 way down fro the red should still be within normal operating range.

Third: Yes, running the heat will lower the temperature of the engine.

Fourth: There are a lot of things that can cause an engine to run hot. Improper ratio of antifreeze to water, low coolant level, blocked off radiator, radiator fan not working, bad thermostat, or some kind of obstruction on the radiator or A/C condenser.

Answer 4

Well, if you're having overheating problems, then the right thing to do is to go over the entire cooling system, and make sure everything is working properly. If you skimp, you're going to do some damage to the engine block or the intake manifold. And, you can also damage the thermostat.

First thing, check the condition of your radiator. Make sure there are no leaks. Then take off the pressure cap and look inside. If you have brown colored liquid in there, chances are your radiator is filled with scale, and it needs to be flushed out. There is a drain valve on the bottom of the radiator, remove it, and drain the radiator. Flush it out with a commerical radiator flush product, and with a hose. Make sure all the scale is gone. Then close the drain valve. Add 50% coolant to 50% water. No exceptions!

Check your radiator hoses. IF they are limp or cracked, replace them.

If your thermostat is sticking, then it needs to be replaced. I've heard of all these "home remedies", but the right thing to do is replace it. All you're doing is putting off the inevitable, the thing is going to go out on you, and usually out in the middle of nowhere, so replace it and spare yourself that problem.

Another thing, after filling your radiator back up, start your car. See if there is proper circulation going on. If the water pump is not pulling coolant from the radiator properly, then you have a bad water pump.

Don't take chances with your cooling system. If your car overheats badly, you can do alot of damage. Get the entire system checked out, and be on the safe side.

Best wishes!

Answer 5

If your car has a cooling fan on the radiator, it's normal for the temp gauge to go to 3/4..at which time the fan kicks in and cools the engine down...to half way mark, which is normal. If the gauge stays at 3/4 then you do have a problem. The heater trick helps....but only if coolant level is full..and that's an emergency save at best.

Answer 6

If the needle goes 3/4 up and stays there, it's ok. If there is a problem, it will go up and keep going. The first thing to do is let it cool off and see it there is enough water. And yes, that old trick with the heater works.

Answer 7

Your thermostate should run anywhere, (depending on vehicle), from half to less. If its running on the warm side first check your antifreeze, and fill if empty. Of course check for leaks, but if proceeds to run hot I would try replacing the thermostat. Worse problems could be a blown head gasket, but you will, in most cases see white exhaust smoke or antifreeze in the oil. But I have also seen vehicles that had a small head gasket leak that didnt have either of those signs. Start with the antifreeze then thermostate, then go from their.

Answer 8

You are correct to say that it could be a lot of possibilities. The best thing to do is to pull over when it happens and make sure to call a mechanic. No guessing could help you at any time. Car problems are inherent with owning a car... all it takes is just regular maintenance to avoid such problems. Goodluck and i hope you wont have any problems on the road.

Answer 9

if your cars tempature goes above 220 it is probley the thermostat a thermostat is like a small valve that opens and closes and some times they get stuck and they wont let cool antifreeze into the motor your car will smoke if it is bad from the hood and sound like it is boiling when you shut it off dont use water in the cooling system alone use antifreeze 50/50 mix so you know the mix is right

Answer 10

As most people have said, it's the A/C. The heat is very easy to make because the engine becomes very hot within a few minutes of starting the car. In fact most engines have an elaborate series of fans, radiators, and fluid filled pipes to keep the engine from overheating. So simply taking some of that heat that already exists and blowing it into the cabin is no big deal at all. The air conditioning is another story though. The A/C takes a significant amount of electric to run what is basically a small refrigeration unit. In turn more energy is taken to replace the electric that has been used, and that in turn leads to a lower fuel consumption. But at the end of the day the difference is hardly significant. Some people like to open windows, thinking they are saving on gas. But the reality is that by opening the windows they are significantly increasing the drag of the car, that costs gas. If you never switched on the fan, the A/C, the radio, or operated any electronic gadget in the car except the absolute essentials, you would save on gas. Would that saving be significant? Probably not. Would it be worth the sacrifice in comfort? Almost certainly not.