The engine is the heart of the entire car, and its condition affects driving comfort, performance and the way the vehicle operates. If you have noticed smoke coming out from under the hood and have the impression that something serious is happening with your car, it is a sign that you may have a problem with a boiling-over engine. From this text you will learn more about the causes and consequences of this type of failure.
Boiled-over car - why does it happen?
Car engines are subjected to heavy loads, which in turn can lead to overheating and costly failures. Cooling the unit is a major challenge due to the need to maintain a constant temperature within the range of 80oC to 110oC. Overheating therefore occurs when the engine temperature rises significantly during a long journey.
Boiled-over engine - switch it off immediately
The first and safe way to respond to an overheated engine is to set the heating to the highest possible temperature and set the blower force to the maximum speed - the heater will then act as an additional radiator. If this does not help, you should stop the car and switch off the engine.
Before you set off again, wait from a dozen to several dozen minutes for the temperature to drop. Also remember to stay calm and not get too frightened by the smoke from under the hood. This is precisely the sign that you are dealing with the car overheating and that you should react. After restarting the vehicle, top up the radiator fluid, because you will certainly notice that some of it has been lost. Never add fluid while the engine is still hot, because you may suffer a serious burn or cause the cylinder head to crack. Also call your mechanic and make an appointment.
Boiled-over engine - symptoms
Apart from the smoke from under the hood mentioned above, you may encounter a situation in which only cold or warm air comes out of the vents with no possibility of adjustment. Overheating causes the air conditioning to stop working, and a distinct smell of coolant can be sensed in the driver’s cabin.
Boiled-over engine - consequences
It is difficult to clearly determine what the consequences of engine overheating will be in a specific situation. The most commonly encountered problems are: damage to the engine block, a cracked cylinder head, engine seizure, a cracked water radiator or fluid supply hoses, or a cracked expansion tank. Much depends on the driver’s reaction time. If you quickly take some steps, the consequences may be almost invisible, but if you ignore the problem, you should expect a serious failure, or even an overhaul of the entire unit.
Nevertheless, a very frequently occurring problem after engine overheating is a failure of the head gasket. The repair can be very complicated, and therefore costly (depending on the car model). Fortunately, a gasket failure can be easily spotted, because the colour of the coolant in the tank is much thicker than usual. In addition, the pressure in the cooling system rises, fluid is expelled from the tank, and thick white smoke with a sweetish smell escapes from the exhaust pipe.
Other faults that may occur when the engine is boiled over are:
- a cracked cylinder head,
- pump damage,
- a broken timing belt,
- seizure of the crank-piston assembly.
Boiled-over engine - do not delay your reaction
A boiled-over car can happen to anyone, but after reading the text above you should remember that the most important thing is your reaction. If you care about avoiding costly repairs and an overhaul of the entire engine, do not pretend that the problem does not exist and react as quickly as possible.
