Why My Car Overheats? Here Are 3 Reasons Why It Happens

An overheating car can leave you stranded, frustrated and annoyed — not a great way to start or end your day. Maybe your car overheated once, or maybe you deal with this issue on a regular basis and you’re getting tired of spending time on the side of the road waiting for the radiator cap to be cool enough to touch.

Chances are, your overheating car is causing you problems due to one of the reasons below.

1. Broken Cooling System Part 

A vehicle’s cooling system is inherent to its operation — it cools down the engine and allows your car to run continuously. Without a cooling system, your engine would literally melt down and your car would go nowhere.

Many different aspects of your cooling system can malfunction or break, leaving you on the roadside with an overheating car.

First, you could have a coolant leak. If you find yourself constantly having to replenish the antifreeze, this could be the issue.

The cooling fan also could be broken. Typically, cooling fans are powered electrically, and the motor itself could break, or the switch that signals the fan to turn on could have stopped working.

You also could have a broken fan belt, so your cooling fan won’t turn.

2. Failing Thermostat

A vehicle’s thermostat isn’t like your home’s thermostat. Instead, a car thermostat functions like a valve. When the temperature gets too hot, the thermostat valve opens wider to let more coolant flow through to the engine. When the temperature is cold outside and the engine has to warm up, the valve shuts.

If you notice that you only have an overheating car when you begin to drive fast or for long distances, the thermostat could be broken or stuck in the wrong position. This means it is not letting enough coolant get to the hot engine in time to cool it down.

3. Clogged Radiator

The radiator is the heart and soul of your car’s cooling system, but it won’t work forever without proper maintenance. As the radiator works to lower the temperature of the coolant, engine dirt and debris can get stuck and clog the passages, making the radiator work harder and eventually shut down.

Make sure you get your radiator flushed, especially if your car has over 50,000 miles on it and you’ve never had the service done before.

If your car is overheating, call Stauffer’s Towing — we’ll respond instantly and take you and your car to any service station you want for repairs.