8 Common Reasons Why Your Engine is Overheating

by IndianAuto Team | 12/07/2018
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Engine overheating is one of the most dangerous “problems” to damage your car.

Overheating is one of the most dangerous problems which could cause serious damage to your car. There are many reasons causing your motor to be overheated; therefore, you need to know the most basic causes to protect your car. 

1. The dirty radiator airflow

You need to check and clean the radiator fan on a regular basis and make sure that there is not any obstruction blocking the grille or the area between the grille and radiator. It is usually blocked by trash, cottonwood tree fluff, plastic bags, etc. The reasons for removing such things are to make sure that the air can flow through the radiator and transfer the heat out of the antifreeze. Besides, lots of debris often settle in the hold between the condenser and the radiator, you need to get them washed and remember not to get too close to the fins of the radiator. 

The radiator airflow dirty

The radiator airflow is too dirty

2. Lack of the engine oil

As you may know, the oil helps to smooth the running of components and reduce the friction between the piston and cylinder. Running with old or little oil will quickly make your car overheat, leading to severe engine damage. Thus, please make sure that the engine oil is replaced periodically and sufficiently for the efficient operation of the motor. It should be noted that the oil needs to be replaced after 3,000 km of driving or 500 hours of operation. 

car oil
Running with old and little or even poor-quality oil will quickly make your car overheat

3. The stuck thermostat 

The thermostat set of engine’s cooling system helps to shorten the heating time by controlling the flow of water through the radiator and preventing the engine from overheating. When the thermostat is stuck, it will cause the radiator could not work properly, which slows down the process of cooling engine and causes the engine to overheat. This is also considered as one of the top causes of overheating so you should check your thermostat first if you find your engine abnormally hot.

 

 thermostat
When the thermostat is stuck, it will cause the radiator not to fully complete the function of the cooling engine

4. The broken electric cooling fan 

The function of a cooling fan is to keep your vehicle cool when you shut off the vehicle but the engine is still too hot. If your fan does not work you should check some components such as the fuse, sensors, etc. Remember to turn on your electric fan regularly and turn it on when your A/C is also on. 

 A/C in car

Remember to turn your electric fan at certain times and turn it on when you A/C is also on

5. The bad water pump

The water pump takes the job of pumping water from the radiator to engine compartment leaks. An ineffectively-working water pump could disturb the flow of water and cause the process of cooling to lose its effectiveness. Unfortunately, it defects in water pump because they are mostly invisible at first glance. They can only be detected by removing the pump and checking it. 

water pump

If you can not find the reason you are overheating, then you will need to start looking at the water

6. The dirty and damaged engine air filter

Damaged or too dirty engine filters can cause the engine to overheat due to lack of air in the combustion chamber. Therefore, it is recommended to check the engine air filter or replace the new air filter for the car to ensure that the engine works better.

Engine air filter

Engine air filter is dirty and damaged

7. Oil leaking into the cooling system

You need to get your vehicle fixed in the garage if you find oil in the radiator. There are two common types of oil which are transmission oil and engine oil. If the transmission oil cooler leaks, transmission oil could enter the cooling system. In terms of engine oil, it is caused by a cracked engine head or cylinder wall inside the radiator. Particularly, repairing these problems can be costly. When finding that your car has a transmission oil leak, don't continue driving your car, you have to bring it to a car automobile garage as soon as possible. 

>>> Watch more

How To Fix An Overheating Car Engine

8. Lack of cooling water

This is also a very common cause of engine overheating. You should check the cooling water regularly and ensure that the cooling system has enough water inside the radiator in order to cool the engine in the most efficient way.

cooling water checking

Checking the cooling water in order to make sure that your engine has enough water for cooling operation

Hope these tips provided by IndianAuto will provide you with a checklist to prevent your motor from overheating, saving you time and money on a motor replacement.

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