When your car begins to overheat, it is a real serious situation. The best thing to do
is to not panic. These are some tips to help if you ever find yourself in that situation:
1. Turn on the heater. Sounds crazy but, turning on the heater draws heat away from the engine. It's working if the warning light goes off or the temperature gauge turns back to normal. And if your A/C is on, turn it off, it does the adverse effect.
2. Pull over to a safe location and turn off the engine. If your car is still overheating after you turned on the heater, then it's time to pull over and turn off your engine. If you have roadside assistance, this is the time you should call them. Keep your car engine off until they arrive. If you don't have roadside assistance, your car still needs to cool down. This can take from 15-30 minutes so be patient. Do not open the hood if it is still hot. Doing so will release steam and hot water that can be sprayed onto you and cause serious burns.
3. Add antifreeze. Once your car hood has cooled down, you can open it. Put on gloves and also make sure your radiator cap has cooled before you open it. If the temperature gauge comes back to normal or the red warning light goes out, drive to the nearest repair station & have it checked out right away.
4. If the coolant tank is full, the problem may be electrical or mechanical in nature, in
which case a tow to the nearest repair shop is definitely in order.
Here are the things you will need to keep in your car just in case such a thing happens:
Small basic tool kit
1 gallon of coolant or antifreeze
1 gallon of water (not cold)
2 quarts of car oil
Towel
Heavy duty gloves
Also, a preventative measure would be to make sure your car gets its regular maintenance on its cooling system by a certified mechanic. If your temperature gauge starts to climb toward “H” or the dashboard warning light flashes go get it checked out ASAP
If you, or someone you know have been involved in an auto accident, call Your Accident Your Money at (888) 766-6398
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