Overheating (Engines)

Probably it has either run out of coolant or the cooling fan is broken.

Some large engine cars in really hot weather need a larger radiator fitted so it doesnt overheat....like driving a v8 around town in the summer in Spain for instance.

The cooling system is under pressure and opening the cap can spray you (and other things) with very hot coolant.

It usually means the electric fan is not working, but I would also check the coolant level.

Note that not all cars have electric fans, and the above recommendation to check the coolant should be followed, but there could be other reasons, such as a blockage in the cooling system or damage to a system component. There could also be insufficient airflow through the radiator due to debris blocking it or bent radiator fins. If you find debris on your radiator, use compressed air to clean it, NOT water or anything else which can bend the radiator fins.

inspect the auxilliary radiator fan.

As long as you keep water in it you are fine, but if the leak gets worse and you don't realize it, you could overheat you engine and destroy it. Keep a close eye on the gauge.

Yes, it sure can. Also a blown head gasket can cause overheating. If you are loosing coolant with no apparent leak, suspect either. White smoke, and a sweet smell from the exhaust are sure signs of a problem. Stop driving the car until you have it repaired or you will severely damage the engine.

stop an engine

Check the loose nut behind the steering wheel! Big issue with some Land Rover owners :)

Turning on the heater allows the hot water and coolant to enter the heater core.The heater core is really just another radiator designed to extract the heat in the coolant and pass it on into the air surrounding it,in this situation the driving compartment,thus dropping the temperature of the coolant,thus cooling the over heating engine.

Stuck thermostat, low of coolant, defective water pump, cooling fan not working, radiator exterior clogged with debris, and lastly a blown head gasket or cracked head.

mostlikley your blocked is cracked from excessive overheating I had the overheating problem on a 1986 Honda Civic SI and a mechanic tell me to buy a new radiator cap before we do anything else since it had the original radiator cap. I replace it and it has never overheated again. You probably have a faulty water pump.....With the age of the car, i think its high time to replace it and the timing belt as well...... Ditto on the last two answers. I'd try having the system pressure tested. This is an inexpensive service at most shops. A new cap is cheap insurance. If the water pump is going bad, it may begin to leak and/or make noise. If you're close to needing a timing belt change, go ahead and replace the pump. Try the pressure test and new cap first...MUCH cheaper.

Low coolant, Thermostat, But mostly with these machines operating a lot with dirt and sand. They need to be blown out regularly because of the areas they work in and the pressure the fan puts through the radiator to keep it cool. Air hardly ever get stuck in the radiator fins , But all those little particles of dirt and sand tins to build up through the cores that dissipates the heat. And there is generally another cooler that covers half of the radiator space about an inch and a half in front of the radiator. And if one OR both of the hoses from that oil cooler is not tighten down properly it could leak just enough that you may not see it until you have to tear them apart for cleaning and see that you have and inch and a half greasy dirt cake between them both and the other half of the radiator may be clogged up with dirt. which takes a few hrs alone to clean completely after you can get to them. with air hose then pressure wash.

Your motor oil going bad would cause that. That is in the crankcase, not the transmission.

Best case scenarios: 1) The overheating could have caused your spark plugs or a spark plug to go out. Replace blown out spark plug(s). 2) The overheating could haves caused a sensor to go out or a wire that could have been a little too close to the engine. Replace wire(s) or sensor(s).

Worse case scenario: Your heads have cracked in your engine. That is what usually happens when the engine overheats that much. The engine gets such a high temperature, that the heads (which are made out of aluminum) start to crack a d let water into your engine. You will see thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Replace the heads, or buy a new engine. Depending on the mileage of the car, you should consider doing one or the other. If your car has anywhere between 0-100,000 miles, you can easily replace the heads. If your vehicle is more than 100,000 miles, you might want to get a new engine as the new heads will probably be too much for the old engine.

12 degrees BTDC sounds about right, and is probably not the cause of an overheating problem. Could be the cooling system has weak components such as a partially clogged radiator or worn water pump. Could be the cooling system is too small for the application, or the fan shroud is inadequate. Also could be an unusually lean condition in the carburetor.

the head may need to be skimmed or a new head to be fitted

Possible misalignment of items on the belt path, causing wear to the sides of the belt, which would cause it to break. If the water pump was installed using excessive tourqe on one side, this could cause the pump to drag, and cause wear to the belt and overheating.

check fuse for cooling fan, or possibly temperature sensor at inlet.

if the engine is smoking and overheating the head gasket is blown or you popped a freeze plug

Did you make sure that you are putting the themostat in correctly? If you put it in backwardthis can sometimes cause this problem.

Vapor Lock

i have a 2001 celica and that happened to mine. there was an air block in the heating pipes and i took it to Toyota and they flushed it out and all is well now. yours mite a different problem but its worth checking it out. jamie

could be bad piston rings,are your spark plugs oily,is your carb.tuned right,your intake manifold could be leaking

If your car has cooling fans, make sure they are working correctly. Make sure the radiator isn't leaking and not restricted either on the inside or in front on the outside. Caution: Always disconnect the negative battery cable before putting you hands into a vehicles engine compartment. Caution: When the engine is hot be very careful not to touch hot engine parts. If your not sure what your doing get help from a pro. First when the engine is cold check the radiator and make sure it is topped off with coolant. Reply: This could be caused from a number of reasons and it is helpful to give more information about the car like make model and year. Let me explain there are at least two ways of cooling the radiator. Some cars have an electric fan that is controlled by a thermostatic switch normally located near the bottom of the rad when the car gets to a certain temp the fan will come on and cool the radiator and when cool shut off. Other cars have a fan driven by a belt from the engine in the center of this fan there is a thermostatically controlled clutch which detects the air being drawn thru the rad when the air is to hot the clutch will cause the fan to turn more drawing more cool air thru the rad. When the air coming thru the rad is cool enough the clutch will allow the fan to slip or free wheel. If either type of thermostatically controlled switch goes bad the car will overheat at idle. The car cools down while driving because the cool air is forced thru the rad. Please do not confuse this thermostatic switch with the heater/engines thermostat. I personally would check or take the car to someone qualified to check for a bad electrically controlled thermostatic type of switch on cars with electric cooling fans. On cars that are driven by a belt I would check the fan belt for slippage and the fan clutch it self when engine is cold for oil leakage or when rocked for excessive bearing play and spin the fan by hand to make sure it turns freely then start the engine and allow it to run until the heater is putting out hot air next turn the engine off and spin the fan again the fan should be harder to turn as if there is a drag on it if not I would replace the fan clutch. Electrically operated fans: Parts to check fuses, electric fan motor or thermostatic switch, or an electrical problem. Fan Belt Driven fans: bad broken or slipping belts, thermostatically controlled fan clutch, and cracked or broken fan blades. Check both type systems for a blockage in the radiator core such as bugs dirt leaves. Last but not least if the core if self is clogged internally you might need to flush the system and or have the system pressure checked including the cap. PS Many people on accident put the heater/engine thermostat in backwards this will cause many problems This thermostat is like a one way valve and must be installed in the correct direction.

have your radiator cleaned and replace your thermostate, clogged radiators and sticky thermostats can cause your engine to overheat under load.