The Top 3 Reasons Your Car Engine Is Overheating

A car’s engine generates large amounts of heat. The heat has to be controlled, or your engine could overheat and suffer critical damage. Your Kia’s cooling system requires regular service and maintenance to keep it running effectively. As your Kia dealer, we’d like to tell you some of the causes of car overheating and how we can help you.

Advice From Your Kia Dealer: 3 Reasons Your Car Engine Is Overheating

Coolant Leak

Coolant is a mix of water and antifreeze. This solution is vital for your engine, as it helps to control the heat. Coolant is pumped through your engine. This liquid absorbs the heat generated by combustion and the hundreds of moving parts. The coolant is pumped into the radiator and enters rows of thin metal tubes. Air flows through the radiator grille and blows over the tubes to cool the hot coolant.

A coolant leak can happen from wear or damage to parts of the cooling system, including the pipes, hoses, radiator, or radiator cap. As coolant leaks out, the pressure in the cooling system will drop, and the cooling process will slow down. This will cause your engine to overheat rapidly. Our expert technicians can trace the leak and repair it. Once the leak is fixed, we’ll refill the coolant.

Worn Radiator Cap

The radiator cap fits on top of the radiator. This cap helps to control the pressure in the cooling system and prevent leaks. The cooling system is highly pressurized, and the heat absorbed by the coolant can increase the pressure. When this happens, the radiator cap will open to release the pressure and then close again.

Two seals on the radiator cap provide an airtight fit and prevent coolant from leaking. Over time, these seals can shrink or wear out, and coolant can escape. This coolant will rapidly burn up in the engine’s heat but leaves thin white lines around the radiator cap. We’ll check the cap for signs of damage, and we’ll replace the seals to fix this problem.

Worn Hoses

Two reinforced rubber hoses attach the radiator to your cooling system. The hose at the top brings hot coolant into the radiator, and the bottom hose removes the coolant once it’s cooled. These hoses are attached to the radiator by strong clamps. The clamps prevent the hot and highly-pressurized coolant from escaping the cooling system.

We check your hoses as part of your Kia’s scheduled service. If the hoses haven’t been checked, they can eventually become less elastic. The stiffer rubber becomes more prone to cracks and leaks. We’ll examine the hoses and replace them if they’re damaged.

If your temperature gauge is rising, call us immediately at Crain Kia of Fayetteville.

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