Even the roughest of off-roading rides requires maintenance once in a while. Otherwise, you’ll end up pulled over to the side of the road, or in the middle of the forest trail (if you’re out having fun), with a vehicle that won’t start or move no matter how much you prod it. But sometimes, emergencies happen. The biggest emergency for any driver being having an overheating engine.
If you’ve never had an overheating vehicle, then you’re in luck. Since more and more drivers are dealing with this problem. Maybe it’s the heat, or maybe you’re pushing your vehicle too much too soon. But either way, the moment you have this problem, better be prepared for it.
Symptoms that your car is about to go into overheating mode include:
- rougher engine performance
- the temperature gauge on your dash indicates that your car is running at a hotter temperature
- trace amounts of white smoke are starting to escape from under your hood
When these symptoms appear, pull over!
Should your vehicle overheat while you’re on (or off) the road in the middle of nowhere, follow these simple instructions.
- Keep your cool. Instead of releasing your frustration by immediately opening your hood and diving straight for your radiator, take a few minutes to calm down. That would also save you from getting your hands burned by the intense heat radiating from your engine.
- Pop your hood. BUT don’t do anything just yet. Let your engine’s components cool down before you start touching anything under your hood. A 10-15 minute break should be good enough. If you think your engine’s components are still too hot to touch, use a rag or wait a few minutes more.
- Check your coolant levels. You can do this by locating your coolant reservoir, coolant overflow tank, or slosh tank. This unit is situated near your radiator. If you can’t find it, check your owner’s manual. (They usually have diagrams that tell you where to locate the various parts of your car.) If your coolant overflow tank is empty, then you know why your car overheated.
- Fill the tank up to the proper level with just water. On your next stop, make sure you buy another bottle of water just in case your vehicle overheats again.
- Recheck the water levels once in a while and add more water if necessary until your vehicle starts running normally. If your vehicle continues running at fever range, take your car to the nearest garage. It’s possible that your problem lies in loose radiator hoses, a broken thermostat, or a busted radiator.
- When the emergency is over, fill your tank with coolant-water mix.
Remember, when your vehicle gets too hot to handle, or if the temperature doesn’t go down even after you’ve finished all these steps, it might be best for you to contact a tow truck, or to have another vehicle bring your ride to the nearest garage.
