Why Is My Car Overheating?

There's nothing worse than loading up your vehicle, only to realize that there's a malfunction going to keep you where you're at. An overheating engine is just one issue you can have, but it's a serious issue that warrants you parking your vehicle until the problem is addressed. There are several reasons why engines overheat, and our technicians will look at a few different parts to diagnose the issue.

Is Your Cooling System Leaking?

An issue with your cooling system is probably one of the most common causes of an overheating engine. There are so many working parts to this system; there's a lot that can go wrong. Just the tiniest leak can wreak havoc on the temperature of your engine. If you ignore the problem, you could be faced with expensive repairs.

Water Pump Issues

We can typically tell that your water pump isn't functioning properly by looking at the amount of pressure used to push your coolant through the cooling system. As your vehicle ages, you can expect erosion to occur with regular wear and tear. This can lead to holes that result in your engine overheating. Luckily, this is a pretty affordable repair if you catch it early on enough.

Radiator Malfunction

There are fans within your engine that work along with your radiator to maintain a proper temperature within your engine. If your engine's operating temperature gets too high, this results in an overheating engine that can become damaged. The fans or the radiator itself can break over time, resulting in the coolant no longer running at the right temperature.

Failure of Your Thermostat

The thermostat in your engine is a valve that will control the amount of coolant that goes into the radiator. A normally functioning thermostat allows coolant through at a level that will keep your engine cool. It's common for a thermostat to get stuck closed, which prevents coolant from passing through.

Belts and Hoses Damaged or Broken

Belts and hoses frequently come loose due to regular wear and tear, an accident, or malfunction. We'll check for cracks or damage to these areas of your vehicle when you come in for routine service, but we can also make repairs to these items if your engine is overheating, which turns out to be the cause.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with our service center in Scottsdale to have your engine checked out, contact us today. We encourage you to address an overheating engine to prevent irreversible damage from taking place as soon as you can.