Coolant Temperature Diagnosis! Why is my Car Overheating? 3 Reasons Why HERE!

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Here are some reasons listed for you to help diagnose your coolant temperature reading HOT and to help you to understand, “Why is my Car Overheating.” This Summer is going to be hot this year and your car will let you know by showing you your coolant temperature gage or light by illuminating it. Here are the top 3 reasons why your vehicle will suddenly read Hot!

1. Your car is low on antifreeze due to leaks or coolant evaporation

2. Your cooling fan is not turning on and cooling down your motor

3. Your car’s thermostat is stuck in the closed position not allowing the antifreeze to circulate

When your car is low on antifreeze it will not have the proper amount of coolant needed to cool down your hot motor. Make sure that your radiator and your coolant reserve bottle is full all summer long. The best fix for this is to have your auto mechanic perform a, “Coolant Pressure System Test.” He or she will pressurize your cooling system normally to about 20 pounds and inspect your cooling system for leaks. This test should run around $30-$50 and should only take about 20-30 minutes to perform for you. At the end of the test they will inform you where all of your leaks are located and how much it will cost to fix them.

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Your Cooling Fan’s job is to come on around 220 degrees and cool down your coolant and your hot engine to around 190 degrees then shut off automatically. There are a few things that could happen that will not allow this coolant fan to operate like it should. The items that could go bad are your coolant fan switch, a bad coolant fan electric motor, a bad relay or a fuse leading to the fan motor. To perform a proper test for this you or the auto mechanic will need to monitor the engines temperature and watching for the fan operation at the same time.

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Your Vehicle’s Thermostat is suppose to open and close according to the engines temperature. For instance, the thermostat will be and remain closed until your motor reaches the proper operating temperature. If your car or truck is overheating because of this your thermostat will remain closed all of the time causing your engine’s temperature to get Hot fast. The Thermostat is only a few dollars and should be replaced at least once per year.

I hope these 3 tips on coolant temperature diagnosis will help you to understand why is my car overheating. For more auto repair tips and advice please visit my Blog at, “Auto Repair Savings And my Special Links.” -The Autodude-

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Automotive Cooling System: Radiator Flush-What is a Radiator Flush?

In this article on cooling systems I will try to answer the question, “What is a Radiator Flush?”

Cooling Pressure Test Kit

Basically a radiator flush is what it sounds like, the flushing and cleaning of your radiator. At least once a year you should have your cooling system inspected for proper operation. The job of the radiator is to help cool down the automotive engine in extreme cold and hot weather. Should your radiator get dirty and plugged up you will notice a rise in your temperature gage. This is where a radiator flush might be suggested by your local auto repair technician.

Automotive Radiator

The cost of a radiator flush should run you around $20-$30 and should take about 30 minutes to perform. The automotive repair technician will wait a few minutes before removing your radiator cap and opening your radiator drain plug. Once this is completed most of your antifreeze just in the radiator will be drained out and possibly recycled. Some auto repair shops will run some water through the radiator for cleaning purposes before the new antifreeze is poured back in.

Car Engine Block

The contaminants that will be removed by the radiator flush is dirt, rust, and corrosion. If your cooling system is not flushed out on a regular basis the radiator could eventually plug up and cause your engine to overheat. The worst case scenario is you will blow a head gasket causing hundreds of dollars in auto repairs. So as you can see it’s a good idea to have your radiator flush on your cooling system at least once a year.

Back in the 90's I can remember the big problem with General Motor's orange life time antifreeze. It was suppose to last the life of the car then they said ok maybe it will last 100,000 miles instead. I can remember doing some warranty work at a Buick Dealership and found cars and trucks with only 30-40 thousand miles on them and the orange antifreeze was eating away the engine from the inside out! Gaskets were giving out earlier than what was expected, the entire cooling system was deterioating very quickly. General Motors finally warned the consumers to get rid of the orange antifreeze with a cooling system flush and fill including flushing out the radiator. You can find some of the information here.  

My 25 years experience found that an entire flush and fill on every make and model should be performed once a year with a thermostat and radiator cap. This type of maintenance on your automotive cooling system will prevent any cooling system problem for the life of the car.

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