Why Your Vehicle's Engine Is Overheating

Does your vehicle have a problem where it is overheating, and you're wondering why it is happening? It will help to know some common reasons why this can happen to your vehicle and what you can do about it.

Coolant Leak 

A very common reason for engine overheating is a coolant leak, and thankfully, it's an easy problem for you to diagnose. You'll likely see a puddle of coolant underneath your vehicle, which is typically a green liquid when the coolant is clean. You can also manually check the coolant levels in your vehicle. If they are low, add more coolant to your vehicle and see what happens. If coolant levels continue to drop, then you know you have a leak. 

Water Pump Failure

The job of the water pump is to circulate the coolant through your engine. If you have a water pump that fails, then your engine is going to overheat because the coolant cannot do its job. A water pump is a relatively cheap part that should be affordable to repair if this is the problem that is causing engine overheating. Since the symptom to diagnose a failing water pump is engine overheating, it is best to take your car to a mechanic to investigate this problem. 

Hose Blockage

Your coolant system may also have a blocked hose that is preventing the coolant from circulating through the engine. This will eventually cause the engine to overheat because the coolant can't get to the places where it needs to go. You can take a look at the hose on your own and look at the condition. You may easily see a blockage or a crimp in the hose that needs to be fixed. 

Incorrect Coolant Mix

Did you recently put coolant into your vehicle and notice that the engine is overheating? This could be due to putting the incorrect mix of coolant into the vehicle, and the coolant is not able to do its job. In this situation, you'll need to have the coolant drained from the system so that it can be completely replaced with the right mixture. 

Broken Thermostat

The thermostat helps regulate the temperature of the engine and helps run the coolant through it. If the thermostat is broken, an incorrect temperature reading may be causing the engine to overheat because it's not getting the coolant it needs. Try replacing the thermostat to see if this fixed the problem. 

Contact a company like a Ford service center to learn more.