Avoid a hefty repair bill by taking these steps to stop your car from overheating

An overheating car has the potential to burn through your bank account.

As drivers motor their way through the last half of the summer, experts say they should be diligent about watching their vehicle’s engine temperature. If it gets too high too often, expensive trouble might be down the road.

“In the summer, it is already hot outside,” said Chris Pyle, an auto repair expert at advice site JustAnswer. “If you are in traffic … there is little airflow, hot asphalt, and hot exhaust from cars in front of you. The cooling system needs to work its best, or the car will overheat.”

All vehicles have a cooling system that uses outside air and a cooling fan to lower the temperature of vital fluids running through your car’s engine.

If one part of that system fails, drivers could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in repairs.

Scorching hot signs

Generally speaking, there are several reasons why a vehicle has a consistent overheating problem, Pyle told The Independent in an email, including:

Low coolant level: There isn’t enough coolant in the radiator to effectively cool down the engine
A sticking thermostat: The thermostat, which regulates the flow of coolant through the engine, can get stuck in an open or closed position, leading to overheating
Malfunctioning cooling fan: Most cars have a cooling fan that blows on the radiator to keep a car’s coolant temperature down. If that fan stops working, coolant temperatures rise and overheating becomes an issue
Head gasket failure: A car’s head gasket is responsible for keeping an engine’s oil and coolant separate, among other things. It can deteriorate over time and eventually fail, allowing water and oil to mix and sending the engine’s temperature soaring.

These issues can range in cost from $150 on the low end for a thermostat replacement to as much as $5,000 for a head gasket replacement, Pyle said.

If a driver sees that their car is overheating – instrument panels have an engine temperature gauge in them that typically has cold “C” and hot “H” ends – it’s important to take immediate action, Pyle said:

Open the windows and turn on the heat so the car can get rid of hot air contributing to the issue.
If you’re in traffic, shift to neutral so your engine doesn’t have to work as hard when you’re not moving.
When it’s safe, pull the vehicle over to the side of the road.
Open the hood and, after three minutes, check the temperature gauge.
If that doesn’t work, turn the car off and wait at least 30 minutes to turn it back on.

While it may be tempting to open the radiator cap to check the car’s coolant level, don’t, Pyle said. Pressure inside the radiator could send overheated fluid spraying out.

“DO NOT open the radiator cap,” he said. “Scalding hot coolant will burn your skin right off.”

If, after 30 minutes, the vehicle is still overheated, it may make sense to tow the car to a repair shop to find out what’s wrong.

Be sure to dig deeper than the first few advertised search results on Google to find a reputable mechanic, said Ryan Shaffer, managing director of auto insurance marketplace Insurancepanda.

“To locate a more credible repair facility, disregard the list of advertised repair shops and focus on those with ASE certification(s) and significant historical documentation showing high levels of satisfaction among past customers,” Shaffer said in an email to The Independent.

Staying cool in the summer

Preventative maintenance can go a long way in keeping a car engine happy during the year’s hottest months.

Thankfully, the tasks required to keep your car running as cool as possible are pretty simple, Pyle said:

Use soapy water to clean off the cooling fins on the vehicle’s radiator
Check coolant levels often
Look for signs of leaking from the radiator
Cooling system flush, fluid replacement and thermostat when the car hits 100,000 miles, which should cost anywhere from $369 to $529 at an auto mechanic.

“These are the best things an owner can do,” he said.

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