The 2024 Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays will start soon. Before starting the holiday, of course the driver is obliged to check the vehicle, especially the car, to avoid undesirable things such as overheating.
Overheating is one of the problems that might make a holiday uncomfortable. This overheating starts when traveling long distances, the car engine will work harder which causes the temperature to increase.
If you don’t want this to happen, of course the engine must be kept at a certain temperature so that its performance can remain optimal.
The function of the cooling system or radiator system is to maintain the engine temperature so that it remains at its working temperature and does not overheat.
Well, here are some tips to prevent overheating from occurring while traveling. Reporting from various sources, there are 3 steps to prevent overheating of a car engine.
1. Check the performance of the Radiator Fan
Before you start the journey, warm up the engine and wait a few moments until the radiator fan turns on. The radiator fan will turn on when the engine temperature sensor or ECT detects that the engine temperature is hot and needs to be cooled to maintain an ideal temperature.
If the radiator fan does not turn on, it will have an impact on the performance of the cooling system in the radiator. If this is allowed to continue, the engine can overheat. Avoid driving with the radiator fan not working and immediately take your vehicle to a repair shop for inspection.
2. Changing Engine Oil
Change the engine oil when the oil change time limit has reached. Oil is a fluid that functions to lubricate rotating and moving components in the engine or transmission to prevent wear.
Apart from that, oil also functions as an engine coolant. If the oil condition is not ideal, the lubrication and cooling processes in the engine will also decrease. To ensure that the oil is not ideal, check the oil dipstick. Make sure that the oil level is ideal and the oil color is still golden yellow. If the color of the oil changes to dark black, the lubrication and cooling process in the engine will not take place optimally.
3. Checking the Radiator Water (Coolant)
To prevent overheating, the coolant will circulate through the engine cooling system to absorb the heat produced by the engine and maintain the engine temperature at an appropriate operating level.
Before driving, always pay attention to your vehicle’s coolant level which is in the reserve tank next to the radiator. Make sure that the coolant level in your vehicle’s reserve tank is still at a normal level (between the minimum and maximum levels).