What To Do When Your Car Is Overheating?

When your car is overheating, it can be tempting to
panic. After all, this car could soon leave you on the
side of the road, right? If you take fast action, you
might be able to get to the nearest service station
before the car shuts down. Here’s what to do when
your car is overheating:
1. Shut down the air conditioner.
If you see the temperature gauge going up, try
turning the air conditioner off. Open up all the
windows. This will take the pressure off the engine
and give you a chance to get to help before the car
dies.
2. Turn on the heater.
This might seem like a terrible idea during the
summer, but the engine heat is what fuels the
heater…so by turning on the heat, you are allowing
the car to cool down just a little bit. If you must do
this during the summer, make sure to roll down your
windows!
3. Pull over as soon as you can
If you are in a city area, you might be able to find a
service station or gas station almost immediately. But
if you are traveling a long distance or out in the
middle of nowhere, you might have to pull over
before you get to a place where you can get help. If
you must pull over, don’t open the hood until the
engine stops steaming – this could take up to 30
minutes.
4 .Keep some coolant in the car
You should always have a small bottle of coolant in
the car for issues like this. If you don’t have coolant,
water will do. But again, be sure not to open up any
part of the engine until it is all cool to the touch. You
will have to be very patient! Once you can open up
the engine, check the coolant levels and pour the
coolant into the proper reservoir, if necessary.
5. If you are in traffic…Shift your car into neutral
or park, then rev the engine.
Do this gently! This moves some coolant through the
engine and helps to keep things cooled down. You
should also aim to “creep” rather than to stop and go
in traffic because you don’t want to use the brakes.
Using the brakes creates friction, which then creates
heat.
6. Call for a tow truck
At this point, if you can’t spot the problem and fix it
right there, you will have to call a tow truck to get
you to help. Fortunately, most radiator problems can
be fixed quickly, but you should be prepared for the
idea that your problem might take much more time
to repair.
Tips and Warnings for Dealing with an
Overheating Car
When dealing with car overheating, your safety
comes first. If your car is steaming or smoke is
coming out from under the hood, pull over
immediately and get out of your vehicle. This could
mean that a fire is brewing, and that is definitely a
situation you want to get away from as soon as
possible. If you do open the hood, try to do so only
when the car is cooled down.
* If you see flames or any evidence of fire, don’t
even try to open it – just call 767 or 112 and back
away.
* Never open the radiator cap while the radiator is
hot, as the release of pressure could lead to serious
steam and liquid burns. Even when the radiator is
cooled down, be careful when you open it. Use a
thick rag to protect your hand, and when you open
the radiator, be sure to open the lid so that it faces
away from you, just in case steam is released. Never
lean over the radiator to look into it.
* Do not add coolant or water to the radiator when
the radiator is hot. Doing so can actually crack the
engine block, thanks to the abrupt temperature
change – and that means a small repair just turned
into a serious, expensive problem.
* If your coolant is entirely gone from a serious leak,
don’t try to drive the vehicle.Call a tow truck instead.
Driving a car without coolant means that it will lock
up in just a few minutes, and that will absolutely ruin
your engine. Be safe rather than sorry and call a tow
truck to come help you.
Source

http://www.autoreportng.com/2017/03/tips-to-note-when-car-overheats.html