Why Your Car Engine Overheats — Causes & Fixes
Why Your Car Engine Overheats Engines are built to handle heat, but when things get too hot, you’ve got a real problem. Overheating can wreck parts inside the engine fast—sometimes in just a few minutes. That kind of damage isn’t cheap, and in the worst case, you might lose the whole engine. Maybe you’re stuck in traffic, staring at the temperature needle inching up, or you spot steam billowing from under the hood. Either way, knowing what’s behind engine overheating helps you stop it before things get worse. Here, we’ll dig into the most common reasons engines overheat, how to fix them, and some easy maintenance tips to keep your car cool and running like it should. How the Cooling System Works Your car’s cooling system does a simple but crucial job—it keeps your engine from overheating. Here’s how it works: coolant flows through the engine, soaking up all that heat. Then, the hot liquid moves over to the radiator, where outside air cools it down. The thermostat decides when the c...