Despite what you might think, there are many things you can do to prevent your car from overheating while you are stuck in traffic.

Owning your own car comes with a range of benefits and conveniences, one of them being the ability to invite your friends and family into your vehicle for a road trip or even just to visit the beach for a day. However, this is also a common time when you will see motorists stuck on the side of the road with steam coming from their engine. If you love the idea of driving on a hot day but don’t enjoy an overheated engine, below is a great article from North American Wholesale with tips to help you both avoid an overheated engine, and deal with one.

Less Traffic

Nobody likes to get stuck in traffic on a good day, let alone when the sun is beating down and you have no way to reduce your engine temperature. The next time you are heading out for a drive on a hot day:

• Utilize a map website to help you identify where traffic is congested and where there are road works which will cause you to spend much of your travel time stopped. Even if finding an alternate route to avoid these stops means an additional 5 minutes of smooth driving, it will be worth it.
• If possible, look to complete your errands and schedule later in the evening when the sun has gone down and traffic has alleviated.

If you are in traffic and there isn’t anything you can do to pull over, you can consider shifting into neutral and revving your engine slightly. This will cause your radiator fan to spin, helping to give your engine a brief reprieve.

Monitor Your Gauge

Many motorists believe that their temperature gauge is a sign of what will happen, no matter what. The reality of this device, however, is that it only shows you what can happen, if you don’t heed its warning. If you notice your temperature gauge rising, instead of stressing about what you think is coming, prevent it! Look ahead to see if traffic will alleviate soon or if there are any places for you to safely pull over. If you can’t see any of these, consider pulling over now when you have a safe place and allow the traffic to lessen and your engine temperature to drop. A quick 15 minute stop can be all that’s needed to prevent an hour-long delay from an overheated engine, not to mention holding up an entire lane of traffic.

Fluids

Your fluids are your engine’s lifeblood and are responsible for helping your engine run efficiently, which means running at lower temperatures, preventing the chances of overheating. Keeping this in mind, take some time to check the level and condition of your engine’s fluids, even the ones you don’t think are important. If you can see that their levels are low or their condition is poor, instead of simply topping up, drain the container and replace it with fresh fluid. Click here to buy Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and keep your engine running efficiently with the help of a synthetic oil change in Corpus Christi. For help placing an order or to find out more about the benefits of a synthetic oil change, speak with a friendly expert at North American Wholesale today by calling (866) 580-1008 or check out the online store.

Resist the Urge

It can be almost second nature to flip the A/C switch every time that the temperature outside starts to climb, and while there is no denying its effectiveness, resisting the urge to use it can go a long way towards preventing your engine from overheating. Every time that you switch on your air conditioner, a separate motor is engaged which runs from the power of your engine. As you can imagine, an already-struggling engine isn’t helped by adding extra work for it to do, which can quickly lead to your engine overheating. Instead, lower your windows, including the rear ones, and allow the fresh air to make you and your passengers feel cooler while pushing out the stale and cold air through the rear windows.

Dealing with an Overheated Engine

If you are in the unlucky position where steam is pouring from your engine, it’s worth remembering that, apart from safely pulling over, there isn’t anything you can do except wait for your engine to cool down. However, there are some things which you should not do:

• Resist the urge of lifting the hood of your car and immediately attempting to remove the radiator cap. The radiator and its cap will be extremely hot, and so touching either of them can cause injury. Instead, wait for it to cool down, using visual cues to determine if it is safe to touch. Not only does the heat from the cap pose a risk, but the pressurized hot water inside can splash out.
• Once you have safely removed the cap you will notice that you have little to no water or coolant remaining. Instead of rushing to refill the radiator, wait until the radiator has further cooled down. Pouring cold water or coolant into a hot radiator can cause it to crack and require replacement.

A Synthetic Oil Change in Corpus Christi Can Help

In addition to the above tips, basic maintenance like a synthetic oil change can go a long way to preventing your engine overheating by improving efficiency and performance. To find out more about how a synthetic oil change can improve your engine performance during hot weather, speak with a friendly professional at North American Wholesale by calling (866) 580-1008.