Why is my Car Overheating?

It has been a very hot summer so far. Many people are complaining that their car is overheating in these extreme temperatures. When your engine overheats, it can damage the radiator and the engine. It is not a minor thing. So, what might cause a car to overheat? There are a lot of reasons.

First, check the level of coolant in the radiator and overflow bottle. Add a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze to water if it is low. Next, check underneath your car. If there is fluid there, coolant could be leaking from either the radiator or the hoses. You can check the hoses to see if there are cracks or wet spots. If so, replace them. If the coolant is leaking from the radiator, it will need to be replaced.

Next, check the thermostat. If it is stuck in the closed position it will not let the coolant flow into your engine. A good way to check it is to feel the upper part of the radiator hose when the car is warm. It should be warm also. If the hose is not warm, the thermostat is not open and needs to be replaced.

Next, check the radiator cap. It will need to be replaced if it is cracked or if the seal gasket is cracked or gone. If you do not find any problems with the radiator cap, take a look at the water pump. Check the belt to the water pump to make sure it is tight and there are no cracks. The water pump circulates the coolant through the engine. If your water pump is bad, your car will overheat within a few minutes after it is started.

Now take a look at the cooling fan. There are two types of fans, electric and mechanical. If you have a front wheel drive car, it probably has an electrical fan.  This fan will start automatically when your car is warm or when the air conditioning is turned on. The best way to check it is to start your car and turn on the air conditioner. If the fan does not start, it is bad and needs to be replaced.

Cars that have a mechanical fan also have a belt driven fan blade and clutch. The clutch makes the fan run faster when the engine is warm. If there is a problem with it, you will not be able to turn the fan blade easily when the car is off and the engine is cold.

A clogged radiator will also cause your car to overheat. The best way to check it is to have a mechanic pressure check it. If you do not want to spend the money to do that, you can check to see if there is a big difference between the temperature of the upper hose on the radiator and the temperature of the lower hose. If there is, your radiator is clogged and needs to be flushed. When checking this, be careful of the fan blades. You can also use an infrared thermometer to check the radiator for cold spots. Again, if your radiator has cold spots it is probably clogged.

When it Does Not Make Sense to Fix Your Car

During these hard economic times, we are all trying to stretch a dollar. One way we are doing that is by keeping our car longer. That of course means we now have to make repairs to a car that we may have simply replaced a few years ago. That puts many of us into the uncharted waters of car repair. So, when does repairing the car fall into the category of throwing good money after bad? The answer depends on a lot of things and is different for everyone.

Obviously, one major contributor to that decision is the cost of the repairs. If the cost of those repairs is more that the car is worth, is does not make much sense to fix it. If you do not know the value of your car, you can find out from the Kelly Blue Book. The Kelly Blue Book only goes back twenty years. If your car is older than that, you can find out its value from The NADA Guides classic car section.

If the costs of repairs are less than the value of the vehicle and you are fairly handy, you may be able to save the labor costs by doing the repairs yourself. If you cannot do the repairs yourself, there are many things to consider when deciding what to do with the car. If your car has high mileage, is very old, has been giving you a lot of trouble or is generally in poor condition, it simply may not be in your best interest to repair it. Ultimately, the decision will come down to you level of comfort with your car.

If you do decide to replace your car, you then have to figure out what to do with it. You can trade it in. However, most car buying guides suggest that you are likely to get a better deal without a trade in. Also, the car dealer will probably not give you much for it because it needs repairs. For the same reason, it may be hard to sell it privately. Most car buyers do not want to purchase a car that needs repair, particularly if it does not run.

You can sell it to a junk yard. They might give you a couple of hundred dollars for it. They will then sell all the workable parts from it for a lot more money than you received, then crush it and sell the scrap metal.

You can decide to dismantle your car and sell the parts yourself. That will cost you a lot of time along with some money for advertising. Then you have to decide what to do if someone claims the part you sold them does not work. You also have the problem of disposing of the left over parts and the carcass of the car. And, many communities will not allow you to have a dismantled car on your property.

Another alternative is to simply donate your car to charity. If you donate car, you will get a tax deduction of the greater of $500 or the amount the charity sells your vehicle for.