A To Z Troubleshooting Tips for Overheating Car Engine


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Hello many of us have experienced the problem of overheating now or then , and most of us get panic even I have faced the overheating issue in my car.

Hi my name is afrose and welcome to THE AUTOMOTIVE INDIA in this thread I will telling you about the things you could do when your car is overheating .

There are many reasons why a car overheats one of the most common reasons is that , there is not enough coolant in radiator BE CAREFULL WHILE OPENING THE RADIATOR the coolant may spill on you and may cause severe burn injuries

The second one is that the radiator fan is not running because of either failure of thermostat or accumulation of air pockets. The temperature sensor is used for front wheel drive cars and thermostat fan clutch for rear wheel drives are used , the former is used most widely because it won’t put load on the engine.

In the worst case you have a leaking head gasket

There are many things you could do to cool down the engine please follow the sequence

1) First pull over to the side and park your car and turn of the engine

2) Sitting inside the observe the bonnet for any white fumes if yes then don’t open the bonnet until the fumes stop this is steam so be carefull . if there are no fumes get down from your car and hear carefully for hissing sound if yes then don’t open until sound stops

3)After opening the bonnet observe carefully if the coolant in reservoir is boiling , even though if its not boiling the coolant inside the radiator is still hot to cause injury to you so wait atleast for 10-15 minutes or until when you can touch the radiator cap with your hand

4) Don’t open cap now , turn the key to ignition but don’t crank the engine and let it be like that you should be very care full because the fan may start to run now so keep your hands,watch,clothes and kids away from the bonnet

5) Now if the fan runs it is conclusion that the radiator is left with some air pockets and that the temperature sensor is working fine . Now let the fan stop automatically (don’t remove the key) and carefully hold the cap with an old rag or cloth piece and turn in anti-clockwise direction very very slowly allow the excess pressure to escape and then fill the air cavity by pouring with coolant from reservoir simply lift the reservoir box above the level of radiator fill till neck and close the cap of radiator ( turn it clockwise)

The reason the fan started after some time is because there might be leak in hoses or radiator itself and is caused by the dirt accumulation in it the solution is replacing the hoses and replacing radiator for maximum safety in some cases you should also replace the thermostat valve which would not be opening completely

6)If the fan doesn’t run then either the fan or the thermostat temperature sensor might be the reason if that’s the scenario then observe the radiator for temperature sensor which is located on the radiator some times at bottom(for maruti 800 and some cars) and other cases at the top(for Honda cars) now locate where the wires of the sensor is going there should be a switch pull the switch by pressing the clip on switch to open and keep the sensor wires to a side and short the terminals on other side this wire goes to the fan SO BE CAREFULL BECAUSE THE FAN MIGHT START TO RUN if the fan doesn’t run then it’s the fan that’s the problem if you could not find it take your car to local mechanic
The solution for this is replacing the fan if the fan runs then the temperature sensor has failed and should be replaced

7) There are many of them who shorted the fan and still running their car , there will be no performance issues but the engine takes some time to reach the operating temperature

8) If every thing is working fine even then the engine is overheating then the head gasket is the major culprit here. Replace the head gasket and you are done . Even minor cracks in head gasket can lead to overheating issues. While replacing the head gasket also replace the old sensors like thermostat valve and thermostat sensor so that there wont be any more issues and you will be confident since they are new spares
I will also post some pictures on how to short the fan after some time
THANK YOU FOR READING this post feel free to ask your doubts
 

350Z

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Hi my name is afrose and welcome to THE AUTOMOTIVE INDIA in this thread I will telling you about the things you could do when your car is overheating
Fantastic write up. Kudos for compiling a step-by-step guide, afrose. I would also like to mention that a driver must always keep a check on the temperature gauge as well as instrument cluster lamps, especially on the long drives. Some often tend to overlook that which later could result into a serious mishap.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Fantastic write up. Kudos for compiling a step-by-step guide, afrose. I would also like to mention that a driver must always keep a check on the temperature gauge as well as instrument cluster lamps, especially on the long drives. Some often tend to overlook that which later could result into a serious mishap.

Drive Safe,
350Z
thankyou very much 350z please correct me if i was wrong or if missed some points .
 
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Hello,
Very nicely written step-by-step guide. I too have suffered an overheating problem a few months ago. That too in a busy market. I was a new to the engine components that time (had just bought a second hand maruti 800). The car was extremely hot and was stalling. Somehow started the car and pulled to a side. I was so panicked to see the steam and water coming out of the reservoir.
Opened the bonnet and waited the engine to cool. Switched on the ignition and the fan was not working. Somehow calmed myself. Then removed the left headlamp and found out the radiator connections. Removed the thermostat and shorted the socket pins. The fan started working. Somehow removed(broke) the socket and joined the wires. Had nothing for insulation so used a polythene. Was unable to put back the lights properly. So drove back home with a single light.

As 350Z said, the driver must check the temperature gauge. I didn't do that, that time. If I had checked it earlier the car would have not stalled in the market.

Now I have connected the radiator via a switch, so that the radiator is off when starting the car. I switch on the radiator fan after 2 - 3 minutes of driving so that the engine attains a proper operating temperature. Now everything is working fine
 
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i totally agree with you , and when car stalls in traffic its one more challenge to the adventure and your quick thinking helped you alot if were in that situation as you were i would not have done even that . i feel lucky that my car didnt stall but my car has tested my patience check out my thread which ill be posting today .yes as 350z said one should keep an eye on the temperature gauge but should not forget to concentrate on road . have a nice day [glasses]
 
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Excellent start Afrose and very constructive way to start your innings at TAI - Kudos!

You have covered most of the points well, one thing i would like to add is in some of the modern cars (eg:- Civic) there are multiple fans for cooling (covering engine and AC) - When one of it conks off there is a good chance the engine will overheat especially with the ac being on -> one way to mitigate such cases till you get a permanent fix is stop using the ac or use it at a very low setting.

Offcourse always keep an eye on the temperature gauge and usually one of the symptom of overheating is engine losing power.
 
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@Iron Rock thanks bro and thanks for adding the modren cars ( i have little knowledge didnt know civic has two fans ) that have multiple fans . by the way i've read yesterday the thread you've posted about your civic you rally love your car right[;)]
 
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A query: Yesterday night I drove my car (M800) For about 10 kms on a road with very less traffic. I didn't cross 40 kmph at any point. The temperature needle of my car was raised up to 1/4 mark. The radiator fan was continuously on. When I returned back home the bonnet was feeling very hot. I opened it and touched the radiator and coolant reservoir. They were in a touchable temperature but the engine was HOT.
Is it fine for a M800. Is the temperature needle normal.
 
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For Maruti 800, the needle should remain near 1/4-1/3 mark. Just make sure it doesnt cross the 90 degree angle. Many cars have seperate fans for Condenser and radiator. Even the old zen had them.
1 more advice. Never add undiluted coolant. Always do it in the ratio provided by the manufacturer. Comonly 1:2. 1 part coolant, 2 parts water. For guys with seperate condenser fans, keep a check on this fan too. If it conks off during A/C working, the heat wont go, and this will vaporize ur a/c gas. The only way being replacement of gas. Make a long wire with the most common connectors in the car at one end and two alligator clamps on the other. Helps if u have to short start fan/lamps. I had made one.
 
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A query: Yesterday night I drove my car (M800) For about 10 kms on a road with very less traffic. I didn't cross 40 kmph at any point. The temperature needle of my car was raised up to 1/4 mark. The radiator fan was continuously on. When I returned back home the bonnet was feeling very hot. I opened it and touched the radiator and coolant reservoir. They were in a touchable temperature but the engine was HOT.
Is it fine for a M800. Is the temperature needle normal.
hello Shantanu.lko i agree with racerdabba . you need not worry as long as the temperature gauge is in the acceptable range as quoted in the owner's manual. ofcourse the engine will be hot may be you've touched the engine head where you pour engine oil[:)]. i dont find any issue if the temperature gauge is showing normal temperature , i think you have cold started your car and went for a short distance please correct me if im wrong and even my car shows the correct temperature after i drive 8-10 km. please tell as why you went to check the fan and temperature the members would be able to solve problem
 
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does good quality coolant help in this scenario say for example in same setup the engine heats up however the needle doesn't show same
however the orange light goes and comes back up
now when orange indicator light is there at that point car is almost dead pickup
which means engine is being effected by something
how do we know that engine is being effective by x or y factor

afrose thanks again for the nice write up which i read and was eager to see some pictures of parts mentioned
a lot of times I take them to mechanics after reading from this forum and it appears to me am speaking chinese to them when I speak
therefore it would be certainly helpful if you could get us some pictures and which can be beneficial for troubleshooting and replacing parts
 
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here are some pictures of the temperature sensor, thermostat valve of maruti 800 carb . also please tell about that box when i enquired the same he said there would be no use of that vapour filter
 

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hey thanks
I think the one you mentioned in the second last photo is for managing electric waves or something
the pipes do you have AC fitted in this car ?
 
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no ac not fitted, it says some gasoline vapour filter , mechanic says its of no use .if its of no use then why maruti installed it
 

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