An overheated engine can be an annoying and even dangerous occurrence. Make sure you know how to deal with an overheated engine this summer with this post that Hartmans Inc. in Wichita has for you.

Imagine this: you're cruising down the street on an extremely hot summer day, trying to get to work when, all of a sudden, you notice that your vehicle starts to shut down and smoke comes out of the hood. You're tired, you're hot and bothered, and you're annoyed. And somehow, you try to make it to the side of the road so as to not impede the traffic around you. If something like this has happened to you, you know how dangerous and obnoxious an overheated engine can be. If you want to learn what you can do to deal with an overheated engine during the scorching days of the summer months, continue reading the post below.

Call Hartmans Inc at (316) 686-1069 or visit AMSOIL's online shop to place an order on the highest-quality coolant and synthetic oil in Wichita.

How to Manage an Overheated Engine

Take Some Preventive Steps

It's a good idea to know how to avoid an overheated engine altogether (especially if your engine has been known to overheat in the past). The high temperatures of the summer days can influence how likely your engine is to overheat, so you need to take extra steps to keep it from doing so. Here's what you should do:

• Maintain your vehicle perfectly. Take it to a mechanic regularly and make sure that the engine's synthetic oil and the cooling system's coolant are in top shape.
• Use sunshades and park your vehicle in the shade whenever possible, so its temperature doesn't increase as dramatically.
• If your engine has overheated in the past, you should keep a bottle of coolant or water in your vehicle. This will help you deal with an overheated engine if it happens.

Notice and React Correctly to the First Signs

To effectively get out of this situation, you have to notice and react correctly to the first signs of an overheated engine. Here's what you should look out for and what you can do:

• Keep an eye on the temperature gauge, as it will tell you if the engine's temperature is rising. If it's indicating it's getting hotter, then you know it's time to start doing the things below.
• If your engine is beginning to overheat, one way to let some of the heat out and relieve some of the engine's stress is to turn the AC off and roll the windows down.
• If the step above doesn't help, you can turn the heater on blast. Again, this may help some of the heat from the engine to get a release.

Hopefully, these measures will help you control the situation and get to a safe place. However, if the temperature continues to rise, or if your engine becomes jumpy and noisy, follow the steps below.

Maintain a strong and healthy engine with the continued use of AMSOIL Signature Series 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil, the most effective synthetic oil in Wichita.

Move Away from Traffic Calmly

One of the worst things about an overheated engine is if you're stuck in traffic and can't find a safe place to stop and deal with the situation. In those cases, you have to do your best to remain calm and follow these steps:

• If traffic isn't moving much, put your vehicle in "Neutral" to let the engine rest.
• If you begin to move, do it slowly and at a steady pace as you try to make your way to the side of the road. Again, this will help the engine relax for a bit.

Deal With the Overheated Engine

Once you've gotten to a safe place to stop, you should deal with the overheated engine. To do that:

• Turn the vehicle off and let the engine rest and cool down for a bit. You can pop open the hood to ventilate it. Let the engine cool for half an hour before you move on to the next step.
• After the engine has had a chance to cool down, pour a bottle of coolant into the vehicle's reservoir. You can use your owner's manual for reference.
• Once you've gotten your vehicle to cool down and start up again, take it to a mechanic who can offer guidance on its maintenance, so this doesn't happen to you again.

A well-maintained engine is a lot less likely to overheat. Call Hartmans Inc at (316) 686-1069 or visit AMSOIL's online shop to place an order on the highest-quality products for your engine's maintenance, including the top-performing synthetic oil in Wichita.