Your car overheating can cause serious damage to the engine. Your engine operates at a high temperature for efficiency. The temperature, however, must be controlled to prevent damage to the engine components. As your Kia dealer in Bentonville, AR, we can repair any overheating problems. These are a few of the circumstances that can cause an engine to overheat.
Damaged Radiator Cap
The radiator cap fits on top of your radiator and controls
the pressure in the cooling system. Your cooling system operates at high
pressure and high speed to control your engine temperature. If the pressure in
the system gets too high, the cap opens to release pressure and then closes
again. To prevent leaks, the cap has two tight-fitting seals.
If the cap hasn’t been checked for a while, the seals can become worn or loose.
This allows coolant to leak out. Leaking coolant reduces the pressure in the
system and increases your engine temperature. We’ll examine the cap and seals,
and we can replace any of these parts if they’ve failed.
Cracks in the Radiator
The radiator manages coolant that can have a temperature of
over 300 F. For efficiency and to reduce the weight in the front of the car,
the radiator is made from aluminum and plastic. As time passes, heat and
pressure can take their toll on the radiator. Cracks can appear, particularly
in the plastic sections of the radiator.
Coolant is under high pressure, as we’ve seen, and even a small crack can allow
this coolant to escape. As coolant is lost, your engine temperature will start
to rise. You’ll see signs of a coolant leak by a puddle of blue, green, pink,
or yellow liquid under your car, and the engine temperature gauge will rise.
Our technicians will examine the radiator for damage. We can’t repair a cracked
radiator, but we can install a new one for you.
Worn Thermal Cooling Switch
Your radiator has a cooling fan attached at the back. This cooling fan is designed to switch on when the engine temperature rises, and your car isn’t moving. The fan blows cool air over the back of the radiator tubes filled with hot coolant and pushes the radiating heat out of your car. The fan is controlled by the thermal cooling switch.
If the thermal cooling switch fails, the radiator fan won’t switch on. This problem is only noticeable when your engine is idling, as you’ll see an increase in engine temperature. We can quickly and easily replace a damaged thermal switch, and the fan will work again.
If your engine temperature is climbing, call us right away at Crain Kia of Bentonville.
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Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.