How To Prevent Your Car From Overheating

June 27, 2022

It would help if you acted vigilantly when driving to prevent your car from overheating and avoid getting stranded on the side of the road. Overheating is a problem most commonly associated with summer. However, your vehicle can overheat at all times of the year.

Overheating Car

You may be surprised to learn that most overheating occurs in winter! It may prompt you to wonder how cars overheat — and more importantly, how can you stop your car from overheating?

Flush the Radiator Periodically

Your vehicle’s radiator is responsible for cooling your car by monitoring and regulating its temperature. Unsurprisingly, many overheating instances can be traced back to a problem with the radiator. One way to prevent overheating is by flushing out the radiator by draining, cleaning, and refilling the coolant lines. According to experts, you should repeat the process every 30,000 miles or every two years. Likewise, it can help remove the gunk and debris that may compromise your radiator’s performance.

Keep an Eye on Coolant Levels

In addition to flushing out your coolant lines, you should also keep an eye on their levels. When your coolant gets too low, it can quickly cause your car to overheat. It’s also why cars most often overheat in the winter. When a coolant line becomes frozen, it can cause a leak, leading to lower levels. Then, your engine may overheat, even if it’s cold outside!

Turn Off the Air Conditioner

It may seem counterintuitive, but when you’re trying to prevent overheating, it may help to turn off your car’s air conditioner. The energy required to power the AC can overload your engine. Then, it can exacerbate an overheating problem. It becomes an issue if you have a long drive and have been running your AC continuously throughout the trip. If the temperature gauge keeps creeping up, try rolling down the windows and turning the AC off for a while to see if it helps the engine cool down.

Pay Attention to Temperature Gauge

The temperature gauge is essential for any car’s survival. People should always pay attention to it. Often, people do not pay enough attention to their engine’s temperature once it’s too late. It is a well-known cause of engine overheating, and it can cause damage to other parts of your car, too.

You want to keep your car safe and minimize the possibility of an auto insurance claim. Subsequently, you should always pay attention to your temperature gauge. 

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