... but when driving at highway speeds with the engine running at a higher speed all the time, then the radiator cannot cycle the fluid fast enough and causes the engine to overheat. My car has an automatic transmission. My car is overheating My car is overheating — What to check. Stopping and starting a car puts a lot of stress on the engine which causes overheating, especially in older cars. It’s rare with modern vehicles, but even a well-tuned automobile can overheat. So please check them all before you start your car next time - 1. Updated January 18, 2021. While this adds no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission when you click through and make a … 6 Most Common Reasons Your Car Overheats. Your car can overheat when it’s stopped at a red light or stop sign, when driving at slow speeds, or your car can overheat at highway speeds. If i am revving the engine from 1000 to 2000 and back, or accelerating the heater starts working. My car has 112000 miles. It looks normal, nothing broken or weird about it. Assuming everything is in working order, this typically is because you have an undersized radiator for your application. Why Would a Car Only Overheat at Idle? The car is heating only when i am accelerating. Why is my car overheating, it only overheats when the oil coolant sensor is on, as soon as I take it off the car runs perfect without any issues no smoke or anything( i take the negative charge off the battery allow the computer to reset and the car is brand new again). If the radiator is too small, your car will only overheat when driving fast and hard. Car heating problem may occur because of following conditions. Essentially, hot coolant is pumped through your radiator, where heat is exchanged with the air. Why does my Car only Overheat when I Accelerate Quickly or Drive Hard? Before you start driving, always choose a route that doesn’t have a lot of stops and traffic lights. After all, if your car is baking in the sun at 90 to 100 degrees and the engine hasn’t even been turned on, you’re working at a significant disadvantage. The A.C. compressor will then kick back on, and the cycle starts again. In order to understand why a car might overheat at idle, but be fine when you’re driving down the road, it might be helpful to understand how the cooling system works. My car is overheating, what could it be is a common question on car forums. If your vehicle overheats in traffic in normal weather, one of the following may be the culprit: […] Auto Talk. When driving, ensure that you drive at a slow and steady pace to avoid forcing the transmission system to overwork. Car overheating can be caused by many things. If the car is standing still on the parking lot, heater blows cold air. How can I drive my car after it overheats, with safety? I checked the water pump. With summer on its way, temperatures are rising – and the risk of your car overheating is on an upward trend as well. This post may contain affiliate shopping links. When driving, heating works-ish. It does this in the heat of the day when I am driving on the interstate @ 75 mph, and the A.C. is running. Faulty Warning Light. Lack of air to the engine due to dust in air filter. If your car has been overheating and then shuts off because of the overheating problem you would want to safely pull to the side of the road so that you can come to a stop to see what is going on. When the car temp gets up near the top of the gauge, the on board computer cuts off the A.C. compressor, and the car temp will cool down. The temperature gauge could be faulty if it signals a high temperature. Cars overheat most often in very hot weather. Although hot weather is the most common cause of overheating, many other factors can cause the same problem. 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