The most important things to know if your engine overheats

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According to the reliability and dependability data collected by experts like J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports, automakers have become good at building cars that are unlikely to break down and leave you stranded on the side of the road. In many cases, new-car problems are electronic in nature, and engine and driveline problems are reported much less commonly.

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Still, with the summer travel season seeing Canadians from coast to coast pushing their vehicles harder than ever during the hottest days of the year, engine overheating becomes a more serious possibility — and that’s especially true if you haven’t had your vehicle’s cooling system inspected, or given some recent TLC by a professional.

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The most important things to know if your engine overheats Back to video

Here are six important engine overheating facts that could save you thousands of dollars.

Know How to Tell

In a modern vehicle, an overheating engine will typically trigger a warning light or chime, possibly alongside an on-screen infographic, designed to draw the driver’s attention to the coolant temperature readout. Generally, normal engine coolant temperature hovers about halfway between the lowest and highest points on the coolant temperature gauge, if equipped. If the needle moves into the red zone, you’re at high risk of damage, and you need to take action immediately.

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What to Do Next

At the first warning of an engine overheat situation from your vehicle, you need to exit the roadway, park somewhere safe, and turn the engine off as quickly and safely as possible. Immediately locate the safest place to pull off and park, turn on your hazard lights for safety, and shut that engine down. 

If you’re not able to exit the roadway immediately, open the cranking the climate control temperature to hot and the fan speed to ‘MAX’ can help bleed off engine heat and slow the overheat situation, depending on its cause. Take an overheating engine seriously, since prolonged driving in an overheated state can very quickly result in fatal engine damage.

Once you’re safely off the road and parked, follow the instructions in your owner’s manual on what to do next, as these can vary by vehicle.

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Repeated Overheating

If your vehicle has been overheating occasionally for some time, it may be at elevated risk of catastrophic failure, and should be seen by a professional. Repeated overheating can be a sign of serious engine damage. Repeated use of an overheated engine can accelerate that damage rapidly. 

In extreme heat, core parts of the vehicle’s engine can crack, warp, and fail — resulting in instant death to your vehicle’s powerplant.

What Causes Overheating?

An engine can overheat for numerous reasons, including failure related of an electric or clutched fan system, leakage or low coolant levels, a faulty hose fitting or water-pump, a broken belt, sludge buildup, or a failure to properly maintain and service the cooling system as outlined in the owner’s manual.

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How Overheating Kills Your Engine

Fatal engine overheating is sometimes associated with head-gasket failure, both as a cause and outcome. A failed head gasket is expensive to fix, and may cause further collateral damage if it allows vital engine fluids to mix together.

Cylinder blocks and heads can crack when engines overheat as well, resulting in near-instant death. Overheating can also damage cooling system hardware and plumbing, sometimes resulting in a partial or total coolant loss and amplifying the overheated condition. 

Thankfully, your engine’s cooling system can usually be inspected and serviced quickly by a professional, adding confidence and peace of mind to summer travels.