Mike’s Auto Service & Repair gets it. It’s beyond frustrating that your car overheats every time you drive it. Chances are, the problem lies within the cooling system. This being said, if you haven’t had your oil changed in a long time, or if your fuel pump motor is overheating, these two things can also overheat the engine. Let’s talk about some other reasons why your engine is running too hot.
Clogged Radiator Vents
The water pump circulates coolant released by the thermostat through the engine to cool everything down. The coolant circulates back into the radiator where it is cooled by the radiator fan and radiator vents. If dirt and debris are clogging the radiator vents, the coolant will not have its temperature reduced and flow through the engine again when it’s too hot.
Coolant Circulation Problems
Coolant circulation problems can be caused by a malfunctioning or dead water pump as well as clogs in the radiator system hoses. There may also be clogs in the heater core, which will block the coolant from being returned to the radiator after its circulation cycle.
Cooling System Leak
Your cooling system might also develop a leak through the radiator hoses, gaskets, seals, the water pump, or the radiator itself. In some cases, the leak is not noticeable. You won’t see coolant spots on your garage floor. If the leak is bad enough, however, you should see coolant on your garage floor underneath the front of your automobile toward the center.
Debris and Dirt Contamination
Even if there isn’t enough debris and dirt in the cooling system to clog it, these contaminants can still cause your engine to overheat. Your coolant should be clean and free of contamination. If it isn’t, or if it isn’t diluted with water properly, or if you have the wrong coolant in your automobile, this will contaminate the cooling system and overheat the engine.
Malfunctioning Fan or Thermostat
As we said above, the thermostat releases the coolant once it reads an engine temperature that is too hot. If the thermostat is malfunctioning, it might not open the flow of coolant into the engine. We also mentioned above that the radiator fan helps to cool off the coolant once it’s returned to the radiator. If it’s malfunctioning, hot coolant will circulate through the engine.
Radiator Problems
Finally, the radiator itself could be the culprit. If your engine is constantly overheating and the coolant on your garage floor looks orange, the radiator is rusted and you have corrosion in your engine coolant. When bad enough, this corrosion can clog the radiator and also eat through the bottom of it. This happens more frequently in classic automobiles.
Mike’s Auto Service & Repair in West Springfield, MA, will get to the bottom of your engine overheating problem. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
