Your vehicle is a very complicated machine, and it involves a lot of parts. Any of these sports could get damaged, causing significant problems to your vehicle, such as a car overheating.
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Many Cars problems might arise suddenly without previous warnings. While you will gain significant experience, the more you drive your vehicle, you need to familiarize yourself with important problems that could happen anytime, especially significant problems that could lead to catastrophic results.
This article focuses on one of the most critical car problems you need to keep an eye on and never ignore: car overheating. Car overheating could happen due to different causes, and this article highlights the main and most common causes.
Problems with the water pump
The first and most common problem that could lead to car overheating is a faulty water pump. The water pump is responsible for pumping the water throughout the cooling system.
Using specific force, the pump allows your coolant to run around the radiator and the engine at certain pressure and speed. This pump is not designed to last forever, and there will be a time where you must change this pump.
Water pump replacement costs depend heavily on labor costs because it doesn't cost more than $50.
No matter how much it will cost you to replace the water pump, it's very important to take care of the problem before your engine gets overheated and self-destructed. Compare how much time, effort, and money it will cost you to replace a water pump versus replacing the entire engine.
An issue with the thermostat
The thermostat is another important component of the cooling system. It works as a valve that allows the coolant to pass around the engine whenever the engine has a higher temperature than it is supposed to have.
Sometimes, a faulty thermostat might get stuck closed. As a result, the coolant will not be allowed to flow around the engine at the right time, and therefore, the engine will get overheated.
The good thing about a faulty thermostat is that you can replace it yourself because it's not very complicated and doesn't require considerable mechanical skills.
A faulty radiator
The radiator is responsible for bringing the coolant's temperature down within the cooling system after it got high from the engine.
Like any other vehicle components, the radiator can have its problems like getting blocked or cracked. In that case, many of the coolants might not flow properly, or you will be running your vehicle on a low coolant.
Either way, without good running, where do you? Your engine will overheat and get self-destructed.
While it doesn't take time to seal a cracked radiator, the biggest challenge would be to find and locate where these cracks are. That's why radiator repairs might be challenging and require a professional mechanic.
Low coolant levels
Your car is designed to have a certain level of coolant to reduce the engine's temperature. Without enough coolant, the cooling system will not be able to prevent engine overheating.
There are many reasons for your vehicle to lose its coolant, like having cracks or coolant evaporating, etc.
Whatever is the cause of the low coolant, it's very important to top it off and resolve any problem regarding coolant leaks.
Low coolant levels should not be ignored because it can result in catastrophic engine destruction immediately.
Even if you don't see any signs of cracks in your vehicle, it's recommended that you have your car inspected by a professional mechanic to confirm that there are no cracks and help you top off your vehicle's coolant.
Measuring your vehicle's coolant level doesn't take a lot of time and effort than it should be an important habit you have to maintain regularly.
You can refer to your vehicle's owner's manual to learn more about how much coolant your vehicles should have and how to measure properly.
A problem with a blown head gasket
Your vehicle's head gasket is a small part located on top of the engine block's cylinders. The head gasket is responsible for sealing the cylinders and preventing any hot gasses or mixtures to leave the cylinder outside the engine block. It also is responsible for preventing any liquids from making their way two inside the cylinders.
Both factors could result in the engine overheating whether the hot liquid's left the cylinders or other liquids got into the cylinders.
Unfortunately, replacing a head gasket is one of the most expensive repairs when it comes to fixing your car, and, in most scenarios, lots of customers end up scrapping their vehicles if it had blown head gasket problems.
Is it worth repairing car overheating problems?
Depending on the problem's actual culprit, you can't decide whether it's worth spending a penny on this card.
For example, if your problem is happening from a low coolant level, you can try and top this coolant and see if the problem is resolved.
On the other hand, if your vehicle's problem is happening from a blown head gasket, you need to sit down and perform a detailed evaluation of the situation before spending any money on car repairs.
Other things you need to consider are the amount of mileage on your car, whether there are any other significant problems with your car, and finally, whether repair costs are getting close to 70% or more from your vehicle's value.
Conclusion
Car overheating is one of the most serious problems you never want your vehicle to get into. Ignoring car overheating problems could result in catastrophic outcomes that usually has to do with a damaged engine.
Car overheating could happen from a faulty water pump, thermostat, radiator, coolant leaks, or a blown head gasket.
Whatever the cause of car overheating was, you must take care of it and have your vehicle inspected and repaired by a professional mechanic immediately.
In some situations, you might not be able to drive your car if the overheating is very severe. Instead, you must consult your professional mechanic and describe the problem before attempting to move your vehicle. You might end up towing this car to their repair shop.