The potential causes of a car overheating at highway speeds are a stuck thermostat, a restricted radiator, or a kinked hose. The fix could be as simple as replacing a radiator hose or your car could require a new radiator altogether depending on which problem you have and how severe that problem is.

Common reasons for overheating engines

• Too little or no coolant. Driving without proper levels of coolant/antifreeze may cause a coolant system failure.
• Cooling system leaks.
• A broken water pump.
• Radiator issues.
• Oil too low.
• Thermostat failure.
• Issues with the belts and hoses.
• Heater core is plugged up.

Engine overheating can be caused by a number of things such as low coolant levels, a faulty thermostat, or a failing coolant fan switch. When this switch is not working properly, this can cause the fans to come on intermittently, all the time or sometimes not at all.

If you find that you’ve got a car running hot but not overheating there might be a few reasons: Clogged or damaged radiator. Low coolant level. Damaged water pump or thermostat.

There are several common symptoms associated with a bad or failing thermostat that will alert you that service is due.

• Temperature gauge reading very high and engine overheating.
• Temperature changing erratically.
• Coolant leaks around the thermostat housing or under the vehicle.

A Broken Radiator Fan If your car begins to overheat when idling, but the temperature gauge moves back down once you get going, it’s most likely due to a broken radiator fan. However, when your car is sitting still, the radiator fan should kick in, keeping the air moving over the radiator to help cool down the coolant.

Bad head gasket symptoms

• White smoke coming from the tailpipe.
• BUBBLING IN THE RADIATOR AND COOLANT RESERVOIR.
• unexplained coolant loss with no leaks.
• Milky white coloration in the oil.
• Engine overheating.

If you respond quickly, you will have the best chance of minimizing serious damage.

1. Hot Hood.
2. Temperature Gauge or Light.
3. Ticking Noise.
4. Coolant Leaking on the Ground.
5. Smells “Hot”
6. Steam Coming from the Hood.
7. Thumping Noises.
8. Reduced Engine Power.

Someone may hit up to 20 miles with an overheating car, and the engine would still be in good condition. In contrast, another may hit just 10 miles, and the car might shut off on its own. This is to prove that there is no length or mileage that an overheating engine would drive before a potential/fatal damage occurs.

A consistently hot-running engine needs to be taken seriously because it can cause a lot of damage, such as a cracked head gasket or warped cylinders. Your car’s head gasket seals coolant passages in the head. When it’s cracked, the antifreeze may go everywhere and wreak havoc on the engine.

If you let your car overheat and keep driving, the cylinder heads will eventually begin to warp. When this happens, it can lead to a blown head gasket, which would require a lengthy and expensive repair. It also conflicts with the combustion process as the heads do not perform as well when they are warped.

“Your personal safety is most important,” he says. “Waiting for at least 15 minutes allows the hood, engine and leaking coolant to cool.”

When cars overheat, a variety of major problems can arise – your radiator can explode and the engine could catch fire, among other potentially dangerous situations. “No engine can tolerate the loss of coolant for very long, so it usually overheats as soon as a leak develops,” states the auto experts.

You shouldn’t continue to drive if you see the temperature gauge has moved towards the “hot” side. If your engine overheats your car may not immediately explode or anything like that, but driving with an overheating engine can cause serious damage to your vehicle.

It typically takes a solid 30 minutes for an engine to cool down enough for it to be safe to handle. If you’d rather let a professional handle the problem, it’s time to call for a tow truck. Once the engine has cooled, check the coolant tank. It’s usually a translucent plastic tank near the radiator.

A: Do you want to do it right or just get by for the time being? Because if you purchase one of the quick-fixes, you’re out about $20-$50. To properly fix the radiator, which means replacing the unit, a new radiator can cost between $300-$1,200 depending on the car, location of the radiator, and labor.

How to prevent your car from overheating

1. Park your car in the shade.
2. Use car window shades.
3. Tint your windows.
4. Leave car windows open slightly.
5. Turn the floor air vents on.
6. Use the fresh air setting instead of recirculation on your A/C.
7. Keep your eye on the car temperature gauge.
8. Turn on the heat to cool the engine.

If there’s a leak, coolant will be lost. Coolant is used to remove heat from the engine by transferring heat through a series of coils. It’s best to avoid driving your car if you have a coolant leak because an overheating engine is an unsafe engine!

If there is a leak in your coolant system the level of coolant (water and antifreeze mixture) will be running low. If there is not enough liquid then you will begin to experience overheating.

Low Oil. Motor oil helps to control the temperature of your car’s engine by minimizing friction. So, if your car is low on oil, possibly due to an oil leak, it can lead to engine overheating. Lack of lubrication causes friction, which will generate excessive heat, and potentially cause the engine to fail.

Will an Oil Change Stop My Car from Overheating? Yes, an oil change can help prevent your car from overheating. However, an overdue oil change is not the only possible cause for an overheating engine.

When the oil becomes thin, old, or poorly textured, you might hear the issue every time you drive. When driving with bad oil quality, your engine may make a knocking sound while the vehicle is in motion. Oil issues can also cause other noises, like ticking, which we’ll discuss in the last section.

The presence of oil and its distribution is absolutely crucial to an engines continued operation. Engines can work without oil, but the effect is so damaging they are only capable of running for less than 30 minutes until failing – and in most cases, it’s a lot quicker than that.

What does a seized engine mean? A seized engine means the electronics in your vehicle may still work (i.e. the radio, A/C, etc.) but the engine itself will not turn over. Instead, you may hear a knocking or clunking sound.

The engine must maintain a certain amount of oil to run efficiently and prevent engine destruction. If your car is losing oil but no leak or smoke, the problem is usually related to an internal oil leak that you don’t notice or important faulty components in your engine.

When your engine oil is running low, it stops lubricating the engine components. When these parts are no longer well-oiled, they cause loud clunking, knocking, and grinding sounds. This can cause your rods to break, which will give off the knocking sound from underneath the hood of your vehicle.

Cars can generally go 5,000 to 7,500 miles before needing an oil change. Furthermore, if your vehicle uses synthetic oil, you can drive 10,000 or even 15,000 miles between oil changes.

If you just add oil to your car’s engine periodically, that’s far better than letting your car run out of oil, but you’re still going to create a lot of problems if that’s all you do. You have an oil filter that needs replacing. So, again, let’s say you keep adding oil to your engine – but you never replace it.

Low Engine Oil Warning Signs

• Oil Pressure Warning Light. The most straightforward way that your vehicle will let you know it’s low on oil is with the oil pressure warning light.
• Burning Oil Smell. Are you smelling burning oil inside of your cabin?
• Strange Noises.
• Weaker Performance.
• Overheating Engine.