Overheating rarely starts as a surprise. It usually starts as a pattern you have been living with. The car runs a little hotter than it used to. The fan feels louder. The needle creeps in traffic. You tell yourself it is fine because it always comes back down.
That is the moment to listen.
Temperature problems are often airflow problems
At speed, airflow does a lot of the cooling work. In traffic, fans and the cooling system carry the load. If the car runs hotter when you are stopped, it often points to fan operation, airflow through the radiator, or coolant condition. If it runs hot even while moving, you start thinking about coolant circulation and heat rejection.
Warning lights are late, not early
Most dashboards warn you when the car is already unhappy. That is why creeping temperature behavior matters. Treat the early hints like a chance to fix a small problem while it is still small.
The biggest mistake is rushing the wrong action
If a car is overheating, the instinct is to open the hood and start touching things. Heat and pressure do not care about instinct. Let the system cool before you do anything near the radiator area. Overheating is fixable. Burns are optional.
Don't Grind My Gears 
Leave a comment