Boiling a car is an unpleasant event that can happen to every owner of a vehicle. The reasons may be various aspects - a malfunction of the car, carelessness of the driver and so on. Before you understand what served as an activator of boiling the engine, you need to take measures to cool it. After all, the consequences of overheating are deplorable, up to the complete replacement of the engine. And this is a very expensive pleasure.
If a car boils, what should I do? There is a whole algorithm that must be followed under such circumstances.
Signs
Every self-respecting car enthusiast should know what happens to the engine during boiling. Understanding and knowing all these processes, the driver will be able to avoid such trouble in the future.
Of course, you must always monitor the temperature of the engine. Almost all modern cars display this indicator. On the dashboard should be the engine temperature of 85-90 degrees. These limits are considered quite normal for the work of the "heart" of the car. A temperature of 5-10 degrees more is already considered high. As soon as it rises to this level, the coolant boils. A sign of this process is the steam that comes from under the hood of the vehicle. If ignored, you will provide your vehicle with deformation of parts. And the car will eventually stall.
Causes
To find out why your car is constantly boiling, you can call the service. But at present, not all such organizations are credible. Therefore, each owner of the vehicle must have basic knowledge about his “iron horse”.
Reasons for boiling the engine:
- malfunctioning cooling system;
- “Dirty” engine operation;
- low-quality coolant;
- human factor.
Effects
Boiling a car in itself is not such a terrible problem. Everyone is afraid of him because of the consequences. The high temperature of the running engine destroys the quality of the elastic parts (piston rings, valve stem seals). As a result, the consumption of consumables increases. Namely, oils. The consequence of this is the unstable operation of the mechanism. And, as a result, an expensive repair or a complete replacement of the "heart" of the car.
What if the car boils on the road?
Moving around the city, each of the drivers more than once got into traffic jams. The event is extremely unpleasant for both the car enthusiast and the vehicle itself. Often in traffic jams cars boil. If you notice that the engine temperature has exceeded ninety degrees, then it's time to take measures to cool it.
What to do if a car boils? It should be pulled to the side of the road and allowed to cool. In winter, it will take about ten minutes, in the summer it will take about half an hour for the same process. However, the driver does not always have the opportunity to stop on the side of the road in a dense stream of cars. Therefore, it is worth resorting to a small trick: turn on the stove. Her work will take part of the heat from the engine. Thus, you will have a little more time until the moment the car boils. The disadvantage will undoubtedly be excessive heat in the vehicle interior.
Everything is much more complicated if the car boils. Here we need a few other actions.
What to do if the car boils on the go?
- The first step is to pull over. If steam does not pour out from under the hood, but simply the engine temperature has reached the upper limit, then you should not turn off the car.
- Turn on the stove. Leave the car at idle.
- Wait until the engine temperature drops.
Why can not I turn off the engine? It's all about antifreeze. As soon as the engine stops functioning, the coolant stops moving through the system. Stopping, almost boiling antifreeze will damage the parts. Namely: it will lead to their deformation or create steam plugs, which subsequently become an obstacle to the normal operation of the cooling system.
Everything becomes much more serious if steam starts to pour out from under the hood. Here you will have to completely stop, turn off the engine, as its further operation can lead to jamming. The next step is to open the lid. This must be done with extreme caution, due to possible burns.
The steam leaving the cooling system has a high temperature, so serious wounds can be obtained. Next, you need to remove the plug from the radiator. Sometimes steam knocks it out on its own. And some cars are equipped with relief valves. In this case, you do not need to remove anything. It is worth noting that the cork is also very hot. If you have a radiator with restart valves, you just need to wait until the antifreeze has cooled. In time it will take from ten minutes to an hour. Now you know what the car "boiled" means and what to do.
VAZ 2114, 2110, 2115 and a couple of dozens of domestic cars are equipped with a small-capacity cooling radiator. Therefore, it is worth noting that during a long trip, the owners of these machines often face the problem of boiling the engine. At the same time, the limit of the operating temperature of the engine is 108 degrees. But still, you should not test the car and find out its maximum.
How to proceed further?
It is not enough to know what to do if a car boils. You need to have a concept of how to prepare the car for the resumption of movement.
The mistake of many drivers is the dilution of antifreeze. Namely, they add it to the boiling coolant, but it is cold. This causes damage to the cylinder block. In the end, he can simply burst. Cast iron products are particularly prone to this. Therefore, antifreeze is added only after the engine has cooled to at least seventy degrees.
When adding, be sure to squeeze the hose connecting the motor and radiator. In this case, air bubbles will come out of the latter. Add the required amount of antifreeze, and then check the oil level. After boiling the engine, it increases. Take a close look at the dipstick. If you see whitened grease on it, it means that the gasket under the cylinder head has burned out. You cannot go on your own. You need to call a tow truck and take the car to a car service.
Sometimes boiling is associated with a broken thermostat. That is, the coolant runs only inside the engine. You can find out the breakdown by a cold radiator. In this situation, you can ride on your own, but at the same time turn on the stove and often stop.
How to avoid boiling in the future?
Despite the fact that many drivers know the algorithm for actions when the engine overheats, each of them still wants to avoid such extremes. From boiling the engine will save constant control over the temperature on the dashboard. At the same time, it is worthwhile to carefully select the coolant. Do not try to save on antifreeze. Most often, cheap coolant is of poor quality, which can result in costly engine repairs.