The Top 3 Most Likely Reasons Your Car Is Overheating

Seeing the temperature warning light illuminate on your dash can be incredibly stressful since there are so many options of what could cause it. When you have a car overheating, it’s imperative that you find the solution quickly before your vehicle takes on more damage. This list will help you identify some potential signs before you visit your BMW dealer for a repair.

1. Your Car Is Out of Oil

Making a car operate requires many moving parts to work together as a team, and all that movement creates friction. Metal grinding on metal generates heat and can contribute to the vehicle’s temperature raising too high. To combat this, oil is an expected component in your engine’s operation.

Oil is so critical to maintaining a proper temperature that it is responsible for up to 40 percent of your engine’s cooling capacity. When your car runs low on oil, the mechanical pieces generate an increasing amount of friction and, in turn, generate heat. Simply adding more of the lubricant to your system will prevent the components from wearing on each other and the increase in temperature.

2. Your Cooling System Is Low on Coolant

Your cooling system is directly responsible for managing the temperature of your engine, and when it is damaged your car can overheat even on short drives. When this system begins to malfunction, your engine can become so overheated that it literally melts itself. Issues like this one are part of why fixing an overheating error quickly is so critical.

If the issue is with your coolant system, sometimes the solution can be as simple as needing a refill of antifreeze. In other cases, the concentration of your coolant may be incorrect or, even worse, there may be leaks in the lines of your coolant system. Hoses and clamps can deteriorate with age, and the cooling system is no exception to this.

3. Your Radiator Is Damaged

The radiator is a major component of the cooling system where the water-coolant mixture is taken in and allowed to flow from top to bottom within a metal vent. As this happens, a fan blows air on the flowing water, further increasing the cooling effects.

One reason the radiator may fail is if the coolant is leaking from a hose or has become clogged with debris or solidified fluid. Alternatively, the radiator itself can be clogged in its venting holes with whatever assortment of leaves and rubble you may have driven through.

Keeping your vehicle from overheating is critical to maintaining your car’s overall health and preventing further damage. If your engine overheating light has flicked on, you’ll want to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. Visit Valley Auto World BMW to be certain the repairs made to your vehicle result in a properly functioning coolant system.

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