Who has never been left lying with the smoking engine? Well just in case you are one of the lucky few who has not had this unpleasant experience, we are going to give you a few tips on what to do if the engine overheats.

The main thing, of course, is that you look at the engine temperature gauge from time to time, although practically all vehicles will warn you lightly or even acoustically that something is wrong with the degrees that the engine compartment should have. . Of course, if you smell singe or start to see smoke, the first thing you should do? … keep reading.

What to do if the engine overheats

1 – For the car

If you see a red light in the cockpit next to the temperature clock, or even that: if you have time to see that the needle rises unusually and comes dangerously close or installs in the red zone, stop the car as soon as you can and, of course, in a safe way and leaving it where it cannot hinder the rest of the drivers.

If it is on the shoulder of the road or some compromised place, remember to signpost it properly with the emergency triangle. It is preferable that you travel a few more meters before stopping, but that you do it in a safe area.

2 – Stop the engine only if you see a large coolant leak

First of all, when stopping, do not turn off the engine and look underneath to see if it is leaking coolant. Keep the car idling, because if you turn it off, you will do the same with the water pump and the fan, which are in charge of moving the refrigerant circuit.

3 – Open the hood and turn on the heat

Open the hood very carefully so that it cools down as soon as possible and turn on the interior heating, which will help to evacuate the heat as soon as possible.

Yes, even if it is summer. If the fan works, but if you see that the temperature of the motor does not decrease or you notice that hot air does not come out of the ducts, then yes, immediately turn off the motor.

4 – Look at the loss of the coolant and its level

If you have looked under the engine and lose coolant, depending on how the loss is, you can try to get to the nearest workshop or not. You should value it …, personally, if it is more than a trickle, I would not risk it.

Then go up to see the liquid level in the expander vessel. If you have very little or no, you already have a great clue as to why your car’s engine has overheated and one of the most common causes of it.

5 – Fill with water

Fill with water. If you have distilled better. If not, whatever … we are in an emergency! But be careful, do not open the expander cup or the radiator cap until it has cooled down, or the pressure of the circuit can scorch your hands or face.

6 – Evaluate calling the crane

If you don’t see water under the car or if you see a major leak, seriously value calling a crane. And it is that although you fill with water, continuing travel can be very risky and produce much more damage to the engine than has already occurred.

7 – Other causes of overheating

You can check the exterior grille of the vehicle and the interior grille of the radiator, in case it had filled with leaves, or you had run over a bird or something that prevented its proper cooling.

There may also have been a failure in the thermostat and causing that overheating or that the radiator fan does not turn and does not cool due to some reason, but these last faults are very difficult to detect and our recommendation is that: call a crane.

The causes of overheating can be many, and some, spoil the entire mechanics, but that is another topic that they will have to assess in the workshop.