Why Is My Car Overheating?

The service technicians at Frontier Ford want to stress the importance of scheduling a service appointment at our dealership in the Santa Clara area if you notice that your engine is overheating. While some issues can wait until you have time to make an appointment, an engine that's not properly regulating itself will lead to serious damage. Some of this damage isn't always easily fixed. When you come into our dealership, we'll take a look at the following potential issues.

A Cooling System That Is Too Hot

There are so many different components to your cooling system that you have to consider when your engine is overheating. While you have coolant that runs through this system to regulate temperature, there are parts like a radiator, thermostat, radiator cap, and water jacket that can malfunction.

Water Pump Damage

With water and coolant running through this part of your cooling system, water pumps can quickly become damaged over time through rust or erosion. You may have a hole or crack in your water pump that doesn't allow proper cooling to occur.

Radiator Component Damage

There are many different parts within your radiator that we will look at if you're telling us that your engine has been overheating. The most common issue that we find is damage to the interior fans that assist with heat exchange.

Thermostat Integrity

The thermostat under your automobile's hood is a lot like the thermostat that you have in your home. There is a specific temperature that your vehicle needs to remain at to prevent overheating. If your thermostat isn't functioning optimally, this temperature can't be achieved. It's common for the valve in your thermostat to get stuck open, preventing coolant from making its way through.

Damage to Hoses and Belts

There's not a whole lot you can do to prevent breakages to your hoses and belts. This is just something that wears down over time. We can be ready to repair these commonly replaced parts if your engine isn't maintaining its temperature properly.

Be sure to contact Frontier Ford if you notice that your temperature gauge shows a reading of too high of a temperature internally. We'll make an appointment for you as soon as we can, so we can diagnose what the problem is before permanent damage takes place.