Help! My car overheats!

At the Spring Jefferson Car show, a very frustrated guy comes up to me ‘My car won’t stop overheating – I’ve done everything – blue devil flushed the system, replaced thermostat and replaced the cap. what is going on?!

Engine cooling systems transfer heat to the air, allow the engine to heat up as quickly as possible (since the car’s engine will run its best at a fairly high temperature) and then keep the engine at a constant temperature. An overheated engine can cause internal damage to the bearings, engine materials and lubricants.

The most common reason for an overheated engine is little or no coolant. If the engine is low on coolant (check the radiator and overflow tank level) then you need to perform a pressure test on the cooling system to determine where the leak is coming from so that you can fix it. Make sure the water pump belt is on.

It could also be the engine control temperature sensor. If only one radiator hose is cold, then the thermostat is stuck closed, if both are hot and under pressure, the thermostat is stuck open.

If it still overheats, check the electric cooling fan, by applying power to it. If the fan is ok, check the fuse and relay.