If your car, truck, or utility vehicle is overheating all the time, have the automobile towed to our shop. The reason why we recommend towing instead of driving the automobile is that an overheating engine can cause serious damage. For example, if the engine is running too hot, you may end up cracking the head gasket, the exhaust manifold, or the engine block. Here are reasons why an automobile engine runs too hot.

Clogged Cooling System

If you check your owner's manual, you should see a cooling system service every 30,000 miles. This gives us a chance to drain the old engine coolant and flush out the system. This prevents the system from getting clogged. If you do have a clog in the cooling system, the coolant may be unable to circulate through the engine and this is why the automobile is overheating.

Leaking Cooling System

Another problem that can occur in the cooling system is a leak. There are numerous cooling system parts out of which the cooling can leak. These parts include the radiator, the thermostat, the water pump, and the radiator hoses. Anytime there's a leak in the cooling system level of the coolant in the engine is reduced. This, too, can make the engine overheat.

Faulty Water Pump

Aside from springing the leak, the water pump can also go bad. This generally happens after approximately 100,000 miles of use. The water pump takes the coolant and pushes it throughout the engine so it can do its job. If the water pump is malfunctioning, you may not have any coolant circulation in the engine. This will make your car's engine overheat all the time.

Malfunctioning Thermostat

The lifespan of the thermostat is about the same as the water pump. Without the thermostat, the coolant would never be released into the engine. Unfortunately, the thermostat can go bad and misread the engine's temperature. When this happens, it may not release the coolant when the engine needs it. Replacing the thermostat can resolve this problem.

Radiator Damage/Problems

Finally, the radiator can get damaged or experience other problems that will cause the engine to overheat. For example, an older radiator will corrode on the bottom and rust out. This will cause the coolant to hemorrhage out of the bottom of the radiator. The radiator's air inlets can also get clogged by dirt, or the radiator fan can malfunction and fail to work.

Give us a call today if your automobile is overheating every time that you drive it. We will find the problem and fix it.