5 Tips on Prevent Your Engine From Overheating

If you had a chance to read our previous post about what to do if your engine does overheat, you’re probably wondering what you can do to minimize the possibility of your engine overheating anytime soon. Luckily, there are a few basic maintenance tasks and precautions that you can do or have done in order to limit the chance of putting yourself in a bad situation with an overheated engine. Here’s 5 things that you can do to prevent your car’s engine from overheating :

1. Keep Some Spare Coolant Around Just In Case

One of the most common symptoms that causes an engine to overheat is that the coolant system is running low. Engine coolant is also know as antifreeze, and is mixed with water in the coolant system. You need to make sure that you’re using the proper mix of  of coolant and water for your vehicle. Keep some in your car in case your every running low, and generally if you’re running low, it probably means there is a leak somewhere in the system.

2. Make Sure Your Coolant is in Good Condition

Just like all of the fluids that contribute to the proper function of your vehicle, your coolant degrades over time.  If your coolant degrades too far, it can start to leave deposits throughout your vehicles coolant system, specifically in the engine and radiator which leads to issues with the system distributing coolant throughout the engine. Replacing your vehicle’s coolant at regular intervals will keep your mechanical systems in better conditions overall by reducing wear and corrosion over the life of the car. If you need to replace your coolant, Fisher Auto has equipment that we can use to fully clean out all of the hoses and components of your coolant system of these deposits using the old coolant and then drain the old coolant. We can then replace it with new coolant and additive measures in order to renew and preserve your coolant system and your vehicle overall.

3. Inspect your Vehicle’s Serpentine Belt

The serpentine belt is a component of your vehicle with huge responsibilities to drive many other components like the water pump. The water pump is a driving force for the coolant system. Therefore, if the serpentine belt isn’t functioning fully, neither is your water pump, and that means your coolant system isn’t working well. If this belt breaks, your engine can overheat almost immediately. If you aren’t sure of the condition of your serpentine belt, check it out yourself or have it inspected by a trusted certified technician for any signs of wear including cracks.
Typically. you just want to keep tabs on this belt’s condition and replace it when necessary, but you can expect one to last around 60,000 to 100,000 miles or 5 years before wear starts to show. Pay attention to if any fluids (oil or coolant) are leaked onto it, this would also cause it to need replacement as it wouldn’t be able to drive the components it needs to. Replacing it before it snaps if definitely a recommended preventative measure.

4. Check Your Radiator for Debris

Your radiator has to deal with a lot of abuse being at the front of your engine bay, leaves, bugs, dirt and anything else can get stuck in there. Debris jammed in the radiator can interfere with the airflow through which will impact the amount of airflow through your vehicle’s cooling system. It’s a simple procedure to clear out your radiator of debris or you can take it into your trusted service center for them to take car of it for you.

5. Check Out Your Radiator Cap

A large amount to drivers don’t realize the important responsibilities of the radiator cap on your vehicle. The radiator cap is responsible for maintaining pressure in the system in order to prevent overheating and the boiling over of fluids. Over the life of your vehicle, the spring attached to your cap, which keeps the cap tight, can weaken and wear out leading to less pressure in the system and less function. If the cap looses too much, the system will lose pressure which could easily result in an overheating engine. Never interact with your radiator cap while the engine is hot, have a certified technician inspect your radiator cap for you or make sure your engine is totally cool before any maintenance.
Follow these 5 handy tips so that you can have a summer with no engine issues due to overheating! Have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!