What causes a car to overheat?

The car is a modern miracle that allows us to go where we want when we want. But while it provides many everyday benefits, it can also present a number of mechanical problems, including overheating.

The internal combustion engines found in today's cars, as well as older models, can be prone to various types of mechanical failure. One of the most common problems is overheating. An overheated engine can quickly become a costly pile of scrap metal. But what causes an engine to overheat? First, we need to understand the cooling circuit.

What are the components of the cooling system?

Your car's cooling system is made up of several mechanical parts with specific functions.

You'll find the hoses that circulate the coolant. The system also includes a radiator. As the name suggests, this part is responsible for lowering the temperature of the fluid. A water pump increases the flow of fluid, and a thermostat or calorostat regulates the temperature of both the fluid and the radiator.

The cooling circuit also includes a cap to control the pressure in the circuit and an expansion tank to contain the fluid. Motorized fans are also integrated into the circuit to blow air into the cooler.

Finally, the glycol-based heat transfer fluid circulates in the circuit. It protects the tubes from rust, lubricates the parts, and has a fairly high boiling point.

What is the role of the cooling circuit?

The basic principle of a circuit is that a fluid circulates through several parts of the system. This is the case with the cooling circuit. As mentioned above, the purpose of this system is to prevent the engine from overheating when it's under load. The cooling circuit is located near the hot spots in the cylinder head. Specifically, it cools the walls of the combustion chamber where the air-fuel mixture enters and is burned.

Why is my car overheating?

Faulty radiator

Any foreign object thrown up by the truck can cause a coolant leak if it enters the radiator. Your engine will overheat, pollute your oil, and leave you stranded on a lonely highway because of the cascade of fluids. They're all bad for your car's well-being.  

Damaged Cylinder Head Gasket

This part is located between the engine block and the cylinder head. Its job is to connect these two pieces of equipment while ensuring a watertight connection. If the head gasket loses its seal, coolant can leak. This reduces the amount of coolant available and can cause the engine to overheat.

Radiator Hose Failure

The plastic and rubber hoses that supply essential fluids to the engine can crack and break as your car ages. A small trickle of coolant can quickly turn into a flood. Hose clamps, small metal rings with some sort of mechanism for securing hoses, are also used to hold a car's hoses in place. They too will meet their demise at the mouth of death.

Wrong thermostat

Jammed open or closed, this little component controls the flow of coolant to and from the engine. Either way, you'll end up with a stuffy engine.

Blown Head Gasket

Because it usually results in thousands of dollars in repairs, "blown head gasket" is about as terrible a word as you can get when it comes to automotive terminology.

Radiator Fan Failure

Radiator fans help cool the antifreeze/coolant in all cars. Your car will overheat if this goes out, so you'll need to buy a new one.

Radiator blockage.

This device is designed to optimize water cooling by air. When the surface area that contracts the air is large, the water passing through the circuit is cooled quickly. As dirt accumulates in the radiator, part of it is covered, reducing the surface area in contact with the air. Cooling of the liquid is slowed or even stopped if the amount of dirt is large. The engine tends to overheat as the fluid boils.

Water pump malfunction.

This device is mounted on the engine to optimize coolant circulation. If it fails, cooled water cannot pass through the cooling circuit. It stagnates at a certain level in the system. The temperature of the fluid will eventually rise. Water pump wear can also be caused by improper adjustment of the belt that drives it.

What are the possible consequences of engine overheating?

High coolant temperatures can cause serious engine damage, especially if the cause of the malfunction is not addressed quickly. In general, engine overheating leads to premature wear of the engine and its components. When the engine reaches a high temperature, parts become excessively hot and the engine oil is no longer able to lubricate them properly. Frictional movement increases and equipment wears out faster. Over time, this can easily lead to complete engine failure.