Summer heat and endless city traffic jams are the silent poison that slowly drains the life out of your car. While you nervously look at the clock in another “plug“, a real thermal drama is unfolding under the hood. Industry experts warn that crawling at low speed under the scorching sun is the moment of the most monstrous load on the engine. The reason is prosaic, but often fatal: the lack of oncoming air flow, which during normal movement “washes“ excess heat from the radiators.
In this trap, all systems work at their limit – the air conditioner struggles with the hot cabin, the fans spin until they faint, and the unit generates enormous energy without a drop of natural cooling. If the cooling circuit has even the slightest weakness, overheating is a matter of minutes. The first symptoms that every driver should be on the lookout for are unstable idle speed, sudden sluggishness when starting off, or the suspiciously noisy and incessant operation of the fan. If you see that the thermometer needle is approaching the red zone - it's time for “intensive therapy“.
First aid in such a situation sounds paradoxical, but it is extremely effective
Immediately turn off the air conditioning and, no matter how unpleasant it is in the heat, turn the heater to maximum. This trick acts as an additional external radiator, which mechanically draws some of the heat away from the heart of the car. However, if the degrees continue to creep up, there is no room for heroism - pull over immediately and turn off the engine. And a big “Caution!“: never open the expansion tank cap while the system is boiling, because under pressure, the hot liquid can cause severe burns in a split second.
To prevent a summer trip from turning into an expensive and unpleasant memory from the service station, prevention is the law. Before the heatwave, it is critical to inspect the radiator for accumulated dust, insects and fluff that act like a blanket. Checking the thermostat and the antifreeze level is also not to be underestimated. Thus, a little care in time saves a lot of headaches and empty wallets later. Remember that clean radiator fins and working temperature sensors are your best insurance against heat stroke on the asphalt.