Have you ever experienced a car problem before? Perhaps if you have been driving for years, you’ve probably encountered one or two whether your call is old or new. Car repairs are part of the car owner’s life and so if you want to save up on car repairs, then perhaps you would like to consider fixing your car on your own. The best way you to save nowadays is to do every possible fix or repair, or even a home project on your own. Fixing your own car is one example to save. We all know how broad the topic on car repair gets so we’ll just discuss the common questions and answers on car repairs. Below you’ll find some of the frequent car problems and the possible fixes you can do on your own.
Q: What if my car is overheating, what has caused it?
A: To be able to do a car repair on an overheating engine, you’ll need to know what caused it. If you know where it all started, you’ll have an idea on what to repair or replace. At the same time, knowing what has caused it will enable you to prevent it from happening in the future. Here are a few steps to take to address this and repair the car radiator.
- Check your coolant or antifreeze in your car’s radiator. First you’ll need to cool down your engine before getting a hold of any parts.
- Open the radiator cap.
- Look at the inside of your radiator and see if the fluid is at the proper level. Ideally, about 1 ½ to 2 gallons of water and coolant mixture should be visible.
- If it’s not at the proper level, make sure to add fluid. If you added more than a pint, there’s a possibility of a leak.
- Check the engine compartment or the ground on obvious fluid leaks.
- If there is, then you’ll need to have it tested and repaired by a car mechanic for leaks.
- If there are no leaks and the fluid level is correct, then you should determine when the overheating takes place.
Q: My engine overheats only when it is idle or at a stop, what is causing it?
A: The possible cause of overheating engine at idle or stop is the electric cooling fan motor. The purpose of this fan motor is to cool or improve the airflow during low speeds or while your engine is at a stop. So if this isn’t working, then your engine is most likely to overheat when at a stop or when idle. To know if this is the cause, follow these simple steps.
- Locate your electric cooling fan motor beside the radiator. It should either be behind or in front of it.
- Check if it is working. The best way to do this is to first turn on your air conditioner.
- Now check if the electric cooling fan motor is working. It should turn on when your air conditioning is on.
- Make sure you are looking at the right cooling fan. It should be the one closest to the middle of your car’s radiator. Don’t mistake it for another fan which is the air conditioner condenser fan. The latter is to boost efficiency of your air conditioning unit.
- If it’s not working, then it should be replaced. If you don’t have an electric cooling fan, then locate a belt driven fan blade as an alternative. If it’s not working too, then you know what to replace.