What to do When Your Car Engine Overheated?

Even though winter is just around the corner, drivers still need to be wary about overheated engines. Despite cold temperatures, vehicles will still overheat, and this might cause the engine to break down and require a trip to the mechanic which will prove to be quite expensive. Moreover, engines that run too hot can always completely break down and become irreparable.

NASCAR Crew Chief Talks about Overheated Engines

While most people associated engine overheating with fast driving, this is not always the case. Kenny Francis, who is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief said that the overheated engines are the thing that he dreads the most. This should give us some insight of just how serious this issue can be.

Moreover, Kenny Francis decided to give some advice to drivers all around the world by stating the following: “In a racecar, there is a radiator system that basically serves as a water cooler. Air passes through aluminum tubes and fans, and water is going through those tubes”. After giving us an idea of how racecar engines cool themselves, he added the following: “If the engine overheats, it would melt in a matter of minutes”.

How to Cool Off Overheated Engines

Now that we made it clear how much attention drivers need to start paying to how heated their engine is, let’s go over some tips on how to prevent it from happening in the first place.

• Let the engine cool off.

Even though this tip is quite obvious, it needs to be the first on our list because it’s the most effective way of stopping engines from overheating.

• Don’t remove the radiator cap.

Some drivers seem to believe that they need to take off the radiator cap to help the engine cool off. However, this doesn’t work and they might end up burning themselves instead. The radiator or water system will be under high pressure and taking the cap off will cause it to blow off.

• Fill up with Antifreeze.

This can’t be stressed enough, but drivers should know that antifreeze is their best friend, at least when it comes to cooling the engine. Therefore, combining the coolant liquid with antifreeze will make sure that the engine never overheats.