Monday, June 27, 2011

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A HOT Car Isn't Always a Good Thing

It's one thing to have someone compliment you on your "hot" car, but it's a very different thing if your car is hot due to overheating.

This time of year, it's important to take extra precautions to prevent heat related automotive issues. Consider this...On a 90 degree day, the heat radiating from the road can be as much as 150 degrees. If you don't have the correct coolant mixture, your radiator could suffer. Also consider your fuel. In most parts of the country, Ethanol is mixed with gasoline. Ethanol is alcohol and has a much lower boiling temperature than gas. When temps reach to the upper ends of the spectrum, Ethanol can begin to boil casuing a problem similar to vapor lock. Fuel pumps can fail when this happens.

If possible try to avoid long trips when the tempeture climbs into the 90's and higher. If you must drive, try to stear clear of rush hour traffic. sitting idle with the engine running takes its toll on an engine that isn't in tip-top shape.




Keep a close watch on your gauges. If you see that your car is beginning to overheat, pull to the side of the road immediately, shut down the air conditioning and turn the car's heat all the way up. This will quickly remove much of the heat from the cooling system which in turn could prevent you from having to call for a tow.

One more tip...if your car DOES overheat, DO NOT attempt to remove the radiator cap. This will cause extremely hot water to be released under pressure. The end result could be disastrous.