What to do when car overheating

easonliu · #1 10-14-2011, 12:07 AM

It's some of my experience to share...

Car overheating is caused by a lack of coolant or lack of coolant flow. It'll damage the engine if don't fix it.

You should turn off the engine first.
When the car has cooled completely, open the hood.[That is really important. Or you may be scalded.]

Check the coolant reservoir tank first. The reservoir can be filled when the engine is hot

Open the radiator cap with a rag. Examine the radiator. Look inside and see if there's coolant left. If needed, fill to the top of the radiator.

Check if the upper or lower radiator hose, or any of the heater hoses, hasn't burst.

Restart the engine.
Watch the temperature gauge obsessively. Don't let the needle go into the red. Turn off the engine if the gauge approaches the red zone.

Besides, it's OK to add just plain water or antifreeze in an overheating, emergency situation. When routinely adding or changing coolant, always use a 50-50 mixture of water and antifreeze.

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JCL · #2 10-14-2011, 12:58 AM

Overheating can also be caused by the engine working too hard (such as pulling too big a load) in too high an ambient temperature, ie producing more waste heat than the cooling system can get rid of. In that case, turning the engine off is the wrong thing to do, as you put the engine into a hot soak, and the block temperature will climb once you cut the coolant flow. The right thing to do in that case is to remove the load and let the engine cool.

Given that this is a BMW site, readers should be aware of the need to bleed the cooling system. Often you can't just fill it with coolant or water, you have to take the air locks out.

When routinely changing or adding coolant, always use an approved coolant type for your particular vehicle. There are different types of coolant, and you need one compatible with the components in your cooling system.

Yii · #3 10-14-2011, 01:04 AM

I recently had to top off my coolant with w.e the BMW coolant was. But JCL you mentioned bleeding the coolant system. i am the 2nd owner of the X and i am not sure thats been done at all. When should i do this again? i got it at 50k and i am at 70k right now. Getting ready to change the pulleys and belt since there squeaking once in a while. i got 3 bottles of the premixed BMW coolant in my basement lol.

JCL · #4 10-14-2011, 05:39 PM

You should do it when you fill or top off the coolant. Once the air is out, it doesn't need to be done on a regular schedule.

easonliu · #5 10-14-2011, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

Overheating can also be caused by the engine working too hard (such as pulling too big a load) in too high an ambient temperature, ie producing more waste heat than the cooling system can get rid of. In that case, turning the engine off is the wrong thing to do, as you put the engine into a hot soak, and the block temperature will climb once you cut the coolant flow. The right thing to do in that case is to remove the load and let the engine cool.

Given that this is a BMW site, readers should be aware of the need to bleed the cooling system. Often you can't just fill it with coolant or water, you have to take the air locks out.

When routinely changing or adding coolant, always use an approved coolant type for your particular vehicle. There are different types of coolant, and you need one compatible with the components in your cooling system.

Thank you for these info.
And I think this is an emergency measure for adding water before you can get it fixed.

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