The work of the internal combustion engine (ICE) is accompanied by a constant release of heat in a huge volume. To avoid overheating of the engine, a special cooling system is used: its task is to maintain the operating temperature of the motor at 85-105 degrees. However, this part is complex, at any moment can give a failure, which is accompanied by the build-up of temperatures to the limit marks, and this causes breakdowns that require special repair.

What is the danger of overheating the engine?

Not always, if the engine overheated, the consequences will be irreparable. It depends on the level of heating:

  • A person monitors the temperature of the coolant system fluid, so if he notices that the gauge is already in the danger zone, he looks for the causes of overheating of the engine and the entire system. Daily overheating of the motor is harmful.
  • When steam is bursting out from under the hood, this is already an indication of a complex problem. If this happens, you need to stop the car urgently so that the antifreeze cools down, refill it, and then start the engine. At the end of the road, it is recommended to head to the service station to check the ICE, because it could be damaged.
  • If this happens, the engine overheats due to a malfunction of the cooling system. More often with the motor there are several disasters: the crankshaft breaks, pistons melt, overturn liners, cracks appear on the cylinder heads.

The car service will quickly find out the causes of engine overheating and eliminate them, so the engine will get back to normal operation. It needs to be done as early as possible so as not to cause negative consequences in the future.

Modern turbocharged engines turn out to be the most sensitive. Tuned engines are also at risk - says Kirill Yurovskiy.

Signs of engine overheating

It is possible to prevent overheating. It is necessary to monitor the temperature of the antifreeze. There are several other signs of overheating:

  • Shows the overheat gauge on the car's display or dashboard
  • You can see steam coming from under the hood
  • The boiling of the coolant causes vibrations
  • Engine power is dropping
  • Engine refuses to work

Frequent causes

To reliably determine the causes of engine overheating and ways to fix it, it is necessary to understand how this unit is arranged. The vehicle and the motor in it are mechanisms of increased responsibility, which need regular maintenance, and the task of the owner is not to wait for a complete stop in traffic. So, there are such causes of car engine overheating:

Insufficient coolant. Often the hood is opened exclusively in winter to add antifreeze, but it is necessary to monitor its level in any season. Air locks can appear in the cooling system if the fluid level is insufficient for a long time. Engines running in such conditions will be at risk all the time.

Poor quality antifreeze. Sometimes it's just the wrong quality fluid or heavily diluted. Another problem arises from drivers who top up with water. The environment formed gradually only harms the cooling system.

The radiator is heavily contaminated. Vehicles use more than one radiator. Usually the air conditioner radiator is located at the grill, and behind it the main one, which is used by the cooling system. They are difficult to access, so it is not always possible to assess the condition of the honeycomb by sight, and clean them normally. Often the engine overheats even when the air conditioner is on. Without disassembly, it is difficult to provide quality flushing of the radiator.

Breakdowns of the components of the cooling system. Each element has its own task. For example, the responsibility of the thermostat is to switch the movement of the coolant between the circuits: to warm up the motor quickly, it passes through the smaller circuit, and when the temperature reaches the working temperature - on the big one, that is, through the radiator. When the thermostat is stuck in its initial position, the medium quickly overheats, because it does not go to the radiator. Sometimes the cause is hidden in a broken pump, in a separate branch pipe. The temperature sensor can also break. The engine overheats at idle due to a broken fan.

How to prevent the car engine from overheating?

To avoid issues with the engine overheating, it is required to constantly monitor the technical condition of the units of the car, and be on time to visit the service station. Any changes in engine operation (difficulties with starting, knocks, unusual sounds, etc.) should alert the driver. It is required to monitor the fluid level in the tank, not allowing it to fall below the specified mark.

Overheated engine and does not start: what to do?

When such a situation occurs, it is important to know what to do? Overheating is not always determined by indirect signs, it is recommended to solve problems as they arise. The main task is not to let the engine break down.

At the initial signs of boiling, you need to stop immediately. Next, the media level should be checked. Caution is important when opening the hood, as there is a high probability of hot steam escaping.

It is forbidden to try to cool the engine on your own. When the engine overheats in the heat, pouring cold water on it is not the best solution, because it causes destruction of the cylinder head. As a result, it will be necessary to overhaul the engine, which is associated with large expenses. It is necessary to be patient. If you wait a little while, the unit will cool down by itself.

If steam has stopped flowing, and bubbling has stopped in the tank, you can assess the current situation. With no experience in auto repair, it will be difficult to understand the cause of overheating. It is recommended to assess the appearance of parts under the hood.

Often there are no external signs, so it is worth simply pouring antifreeze into the expansion tank, and then continue driving.

Why does the engine overheat when the air conditioner is on?

The first thing to assess is the condition of the air conditioner radiator. When driving, strong flows of oncoming air strongly affect it, and when the device is on at this time, the main load falls on it, which leads to heating. With protective grilles, debris and dirt accumulate, making it difficult to blow through the car's components. In the absence of quality blowing, the engine temperature rises.

If there is a question, why the engine overheats when the conditioner is switched on, the simplest decision of a problem consists in optimization of care of a condenser and a radiator. They should be flushed with cold water, and some hard-to-get contaminations should be removed with improvised means.

There should be a sufficient level of freon in the air conditioning system, as well as coolant in the cooling system. If there is damage to the radiator honeycomb, you need to replace it completely.

Useful advice for car owners

Above described how to understand that the engine has overheated, but you need to somehow get to the place of repair. Usually the trouble happens in the heat. There are recommendations that will help to get to the workshop. It is necessary to turn on the heater at maximum. This will take the heat away from the cooling system with the heater, but the risk to boil yourself increases. You should drive at minimum rpm to reduce the load on the engine.