Top 9 Causes Of Automobile Overheating

First time drivers easily panics when there’s something if off with their car that’s why the problem gets fixed right away. However, overtime, drivers can become lazy that when it doesn’t seem like a big deal they just ignore. It’ll be fine for a while they will say. And because of these, many drivers end up dealing with a bigger damage on their car that would have been prevented if it was taken cared of earlier.

Like many things in life, 'you don't know what you got till it's gone'. So before your car overheats and end up in the car repair shop for a while and becomes too late to realize how much your life is so much easier with having your own ride, pay more attention when it’s already sending you SOS signals! Save yourself from the headache, bigger costs, and road risk. When you notice any of these bad symptoms in your car, get it fixed immediately. 

1. Fan Clutch

It’s easier to cool the engine when you’re driving because the air flows easily the radiator. So when it’s idle, your car has to rely on a fan to draw air through the radiator. This can be a problem if your car has a mechanically driven fan that can get worn out which fails to rotate at sufficient speed in order to draw enough air and cool the engine.

2. Sensor

Some cars have electrically powered fan that gets activated with the help of a temperature sensor to draw air to the radiator and cool the engine. So when the temperature reaches the sensor’s limit, the fan will be activated. However, like most sensors that can be defective over time, the fan may not work when your car is idle which can lead to overheated engine.

3. Fan Shroud

The fan shroud helps focus the air coming from the fan to the radiator in order to cool it much better. Now if this is damaged or the fan doesn’t have this, then the air just blows all over the place which lessens the air that the radiator gets. This then makes the engine overheat because there’s less air working to dissipate the heat.

4. Obstructed Radiator

When dirt, bugs, or road grime gets stuck and accumulate in your radiator, it becomes harder for the air to flow through it. As a result, it’s harder to cool the engine especially when the vehicle is stopped and the radiator have to rely on just the fan to keep it cool which is why it overheats when idle.

5. Internal Clogging

If clogs outside the radiator is enough for your car to overheat, how much more when the obstruction is inside? Usually, this happen on the internal cooling tubes of the radiator where reduces the flow of the coolant. Combine that with your car in idle where only the fan trying to cool the engine and you could almost expect it to overheat every time. If you don’t want this to happen, send your vehicle to car repair right away.

6. Leaks In The Cooling System

Your car’s cooling system is what’s keeping it from overheating. So when the cooling system’s running condition becomes less ideal due to leaks then your car run the risk of overheating. This is why it’s always advised to fix even the smallest leak as soon as possible in order to avoid overheating and possibly an expensive car repair.

7. Bad Thermostat

Your thermostat is a key valve in the cooling system that ensures the coolant is able to pass through to the radiator when necessary. When the thermostat gets stuck in the closed position, coolant can no longer pass through and becomes overheated in the engine. 

8. Loose Or Broken Belts

If a belt is loose or broken, specifically the water pump belt, it cannot help maintain the correct volume of coolant flow and can lead to overheating.

9. Bad Water Pump

Your vehicle’s water pump helps propel engine coolant throughout the cooling system. So if the water pumps stops working properly due to things like erosion, leaks, or anything else, your car loses enough pressure operate the water pump properly which then can cause overheating.

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