Do you know what to do if your car starts to overheat while you’re driving? A surprising number of car owners aren’t sure what to do. Follow these tips from Kevin’s Auto Repair Service if your car starts to overheat while you’re driving.
Safely Pull the Car Over
The worst thing to do when your car starts to overheat is to keep driving it. Find a safe spot where you can pull completely off the road. A parking lot with plenty of space around you is optimal, but if you have to stay off the side of the road try to move as far off the road as possible. Make sure that you turn your hazard lights on so that other drivers understand you’re having trouble.
Give the Car Space to Cool Down
You definitely don’t want to be poking around under the hood of your car when it’s steaming hot. But it’s a good idea to at least pop the hood to allow a little more air to flow underneath. When it is safe for you to do so, lift the hood completely. This can help the car to keep cooling down. Be careful not to touch anything under the hood just yet, because it’s possible everything under there is still way too hot.
Assess the Situation
After about fifteen minutes or so, the temperature should be starting to come way down. Look at some things under the hood, like the coolant reservoir. If that’s completely empty, you might have to look under the radiator cap. Be extremely careful if you have to do this, however, because the radiator is likely still extremely hot and there’s hot coolant inside. No coolant anywhere? You might have a leak of some sort or there could be something else going on. You might be able to top up the cooling system with water or if you’re at a gas station, some actual coolant.
Determine if the Car is Drivable
Once the car has cooled down a bit, it’s time to see if this is something you can drive away from or not. If you were able to add coolant or water, you may see the best results. Try starting the car and see what happens with the temperature. If the car starts heating up again way too fast, you may need a tow.
Need an emergency tow or help figuring out why your car is overheating? Call Kevin’s Auto Repair Service in Swoyersville, PA. We can find out what’s happening and get you back on the road again safely.