It’s almost summer and while that may mean road trips and beach visits for many people, it means another thing to your car: overheating. The possibility of overheating grows dramatically in the summer, especially on hotter days. And even if your car is in great shape, overheating is still a possibility. Fortunately, you can take steps to ensure that your car stays cool and driveable - and that if anything does happen, you’re ready for it. Try these five tips for overheating in the summer:
“At the first sign of overheating, shut off your air conditioner and open your windows: Doing so decreases the load on the engine and helps it cool off.
If you continue to overheat, turn on the heater and blower: Doing so transfers the heat from the engine to the passenger compartment of the vehicle. (This does wonders for your overheated engine but very little for you!)
If you’re stopped in traffic and the temperature gauge is rising, shift into Neutral or Park and rev the engine a little: Doing so makes the water pump and the fan speed up, which draws more liquid and air through the radiator. The increased air and liquid circulation helps cool things off.
Try not to ride your brakes: In stop-and-go traffic, crawl along slowly, on little more than an idle, rather than moving up and then braking repeatedly. Brake drag increases the load on the engine and makes it heat up. If traffic is crawling, move up only when the gap between you and the vehicle in front of you gets too large.
If you think that your vehicle is about to boil over, drive to the right-hand side of the road, open the hood, and sit there until things cool off. Remember, don’t open the radiator cap under these circumstances, and if your engine has boiled over, don’t add water until the engine is quite cool again.”
Read the original article here: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-to-do-if-your-car-overheats.html
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