Bristol, UK - What to do when your Car Overheats

Smoke coming out from under the car’s bonnet can be distressing for any driver. This is a common situation on a long trip or during summer when temperatures rise to the point that overwhelms your vehicle’s cooling system. Unfortunately, overheating can affect your car’s engine condition if left unaddressed.

As a driver, you should act fast to prevent possible damage to your vehicle’s engine. While several factors can cause your engine to overheat, you still need to know what to do before a mechanic can diagnose and rectify the issue. Your action or inaction goes a long way to influencing the state of your car afterwards.

So what should you do when the car engine overheats?

Why do car engines overheat?

Several things can cause a car's engine to overheat. However, the most common is a faulty cooling system that prevents heat from leaving the engine compartment. Typically, this will happen when there is a blockage or leak in the cooling system. Another cause of car engine overheating may be a dysfunctional water pump, clogged coolant, or broken radiator fan. These can happen to any cooling system due to wear and tear, which can break components such as gaskets and hoses. Also, when the coolant level drops below the manufacturer’s recommendation, the engine might overheat as the coolant is not effective.

What are the signs that your engine is overheating?

An overheating engine can display varying symptoms depending on the type of vehicle and situation. However, the common signs that all drivers should look out for include the following:

The temperature gauge on your car’s dashboard moves to the red zone or “H”

Steam, which some people confuse for smoke, starts coming out from under the hood

A strange smell comes from the hood that you can easily notice

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What should I do when my car overheats?

When driving if you notice any of the symptoms of car overheating, be sure to follow the steps below:

Turn up the heater in your vehicle

This may feel like you will compound the problem but turning on the heater forces warm air out of the engine and into the passenger section of the car, helping to reduce the load on the cooling system. Sometimes turning on the heater may be enough to cool the car, and this will be evident when the temperature gauge goes back to neutral or the check engine light disappears.

Pull over quickly

When you notice your car is overheating, the best thing is to find a safe spot on the side of the road and pull over. This a sure way of cooling the car as cutting off the engine stops it from working and heating further. Failure to stop when your car is overheating could seriously damage your engine and cost you a huge amount.

Open the windows and wait

Once on the side of the road, you all your windows down to let out as much of the heat as possible. It usually takes around 30 minutes or more for an overheated engine to cool, so sit tight in your car and wait for the clock to tick. Rushing to open the hood can expose you to serious injury as there is a chance of hot water or steam shooting out and spraying you so you will be safer inside the car.

Read our full article here which tells you everything you need to know and what to do when your car overheats.

Contact us today on 0117 963 8916 to book your car in for a maintenance check or repair in Bristol