Sometimes, your vehicle’s engine can overheat, triggering the engine coolant over-temperature light. This may be because of a low coolant level, a damaged radiator, or other engine issues. Whatever the cause might be, you’ll need to take action immediately before things get worse. Possible engine destruction here!
Caution: Never open a hot cooling system. People have received very serious burns because they removed the radiator cap on a hot cooling system. Wait until the engine is cool before you remove the cap.
Signs That Your Engine Is Overheating
Before you can fix the issue, you first have to know how to spot an overheating engine. Keep an eye out for these common signs:
Temperature Gauge Reading Hot
Many vehicles will have a gauge warning light that directs your attention to the instrument cluster gauges, so if you see a triangle light or some other warning, always check all your gauges before you do anything else.
Illuminated Engine Temperature Warning Light
Also known as the engine coolant over-temperature (HOT) light, the engine temperature warning light turns on when the engine is overheating. Its design can vary depending on your vehicle’s year, make, and model, but it’s usually depicted as a thermometer floating in coolant.
Illuminated Check Engine Light
In some cases, an overheating engine can also trigger the check engine light on your dashboard. This doesn’t usually happen before the “Hot” light.
Sweet Odor
Avoid driving your car if you catch a whiff of an unusual, sweet smell from the engine bay or the air coming out of your A/C register or defrost, along with a steamy windshield, which would indicate a heater core leak. This is likely caused by coolant leakage, which can quickly lead to your car overheating.
Steam From the Engine Bay
When coolant leaks, it can evaporate from the heat, causing steam to come out from under the hood.
Vehicle Enters Limp Mode
Your car might activate limp mode, which significantly reduces engine power to protect your vehicle from further damage. Not every vehicle has this, however, so don’t expect it.
Never open a hot cooling system. People have received very serious burns because they removed the radiator cap on a hot cooling system. Wait until the engine is cool before you remove the cap.
– Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
What To Do When Your Engine Overheats
Dealing with an overheating engine can be scary, especially because so many things can go wrong. The good news is that you can stay safe and protect your vehicle by having a game plan ready. Here are tips on what to do when your car overheats:
Find a Safe Place, Stop, and Look for Leaks (if you know troubleshooting)
Get to a parking lot, find a safe place to stop, and shut off the engine. Don’t drive any farther than you need to, but don’t park on the bad side of town either. If you can, stop at a gas station. If you’re unfamiliar with troubleshooting your car, call for help.
If you see steam, don’t open the hood until the steam dissipates. Look to see if coolant is dripping on the ground under the engine.
After the engine has cooled for at least 10 minutes, open the hood and see if you can see the problem. Look for wet places where coolant has sprayed. If the leak was under the front of the vehicle in the radiator area, you may have a leak there. A hose can leak anywhere, and there are heater hoses that can leak as well as radiator hoses. Look at the coolant fill surge tank; sometimes they crack.
If coolant is dripping from behind the water pump pulley (if the water pump is visible), the water pump is bad.
The head gasket can cause overheating even with no visible leaks. The thermostat can cause overheating when there are no leaks at all. The water pump impeller can come loose from the shaft (rare, but it happens) and cause overheating when there’s no leak at all.
If you see that a heater hose is leaking and you can get to the spot where it’s leaking, you can temporarily wrap that spot tightly with duct tape (keep some in the trunk) and refill the cooling system enough to get home or to a shop.
If all of the coolant has leaked out, you’ve either got a huge leak or you’ve already destroyed the engine.
If you determine that the engine doesn’t have a leak and is only running a bit hot, you might try these next steps.
If the Engine Doesn’t Have a Leak but is Overheating
Turn off the A/C
Bear with the hot weather for a while, and turn off the air conditioner (A/C) if your engine is overheating. Doing so helps lessen engine strain, allowing it to cool down a little bit.
Turn on the Heater
Crank the heat to the highest setting. This might make your cabin a little stuffy, but doing so will redirect the heat from the engine to the cabin.
Call for Help
A visit to the nearest auto repair shop is exactly what your car needs now. However, driving there yourself might not be the best idea. If you can, call for roadside assistance or a friend who can tow your car there.
Restart the Engine
If calling for help is out of the question, then you can try driving there yourself. Restart your engine, and monitor the temperature gauge and warning lights as you drive. If the gauge or light indicates your engine is overheating again, you’ll have to pull over and wait for the engine to cool down again.
What Not To Do When Your Engine Overheats
An overheating engine is bad, but things can quickly get worse if you aren’t careful. Here are things to avoid doing when your car overheats:
Don’t Panic
No matter what happens, don’t panic. We know it can be scary, but panicking will only make things worse. Stay calm as you look for a safe place to pull over.
Don’t Open the Hood Immediately
The last thing you want is to suffer burns from accidentally touching your overheating engine, so wait for a few minutes before you pop the hood open. Once the temperature gauge points to the normal range again, you can get to work.
Don’t Ignore the Issue
Diagnosing and fixing an overheating engine can be a hassle, but it’s not something you can just ignore. An overheating engine can cause severe damage to your vehicle, which can be costly to repair.
How To Check Your Vehicle’s Coolant Level
A low coolant level is one of the most common causes of an overheating engine. Because of this, it’s important to check your vehicle’s coolant level every now and then. Here are tips on how to do so:
Wait for the Engine To Cool Down
Before anything else, make sure your vehicle’s engine is cool. Working on a hot engine is a recipe for disaster. You might accidentally touch hot engine parts or get scalded by boiling coolant.
Locate the Coolant Reservoir
On most vehicles, you can usually find the coolant reservoir over the radiator in the front end of the engine bay.
Check the Side of the Reservoir
After locating the reservoir, go ahead and check its side. You’ll notice markings that indicate whether your coolant level is low or full. Because coolant reservoirs are usually made of plastic, you can see how much coolant is left without having to unscrew the reservoir cap.
Add More Coolant if Necessary
If the coolant is below the “full” mark, then you’ll have to add more coolant. Make sure to use the correct type of coolant, which is usually indicated in your owner’s manual.
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