Top Reasons Behind Engine Overheating Issues in Your Toyota

Toyota is hailed as one of the most reliable vehicle manufacturers in the world. This doesn’t exempt them from developing different mechanical problems. A common issue in Toyota models is overheating engines.

With the engine being the powerhouse of a car, overheating can have serious consequences on the other car parts, which will in turn affect your overall driving experience. So why then, you would ask, does the engine in your Toyota overheat?

How Your Engine Can Overheat

An overheating engine can be scary, especially if it gets so hot that there’s smoke coming out from under the hood while you are driving. If you are driving and this happens, your best course of action is to turn on your hazards and immediately pull over and turn the car off. Failure to do so could cause further damage to the car parts and pose a safety hazard to you.

The moving parts in your engine give off tremendous energy. Part of this energy is what burns in the engine, propelling your car forward. The remaining energy, on the other hand, is converted into heat. While some of this heat is expelled from your car through the exhaust, a portion of the heat remains in the engine compartment, raising the temperature in your engine.

Your Toyota is, however, fitted with a cooling system that is responsible for cooling the engine in your car as it runs. This system is made up of pipes containing coolant. This refrigerant is often in liquid form, and it works by absorbing the heat off the moving parts of the engine.

Reasons for Overheating in your Toyota Engine

There are a number of factors that can be attributed to your overheating engine in a Toyota. Top on this list is a malfunction in the coolant system. When the coolant liquid runs out or low, it will not be able to take as much heat from the engine as it should at optimum. This will result in more heat being retained in the engine compartment as opposed to being expelled.

In relation to low coolant levels, your engine could also be overheating due to leaking in the coolant system. Over time, the pipes that carry the coolant liquid through the engine can become worn out and develop leaks. If you have noticed a sweet smelling liquid that comes in either a green, blue, or orange color under your car after parking somewhere for a while, then your car might be leaking coolant. This will result in the low coolant levels that we’ve discussed above.

Because the coolant system takes heat from the engine and takes it to the radiator where the liquid refrigerant is cooled by the radiator fans, an overheating engine can be as a result of a faulty radiator. When the fans in the radiator break down then the radiator’s ability to remove the heat from the coolant is lowered, causing the temperature in the engine bay to rise.

Another potential reason for an overheating engine is a broken down water pump. The water pump helps in cooling the engine by pumping the coolant liquid which is usually one part coolant and one part water through the engine. The water pump often breaks down due to the presence of dirt and dust particles that find their way into it while driving. These impurities can build up in the coolant pipes preventing the movement of coolant fluid through the engine, thus failing to take away the heat.

A faulty thermostat is another reason why your engine could be overheating. The thermostat is also responsible for regulating the temperature in the engine. This it does by allowing coolant to flow through the pipes in the engine taking away the heat.

What to do when your Toyota Engine Overheats

When your Toyota’s engine overheats, your best bet is putting on your hazards and pulling over safely to let the car cool off. This is best because when the temperatures get too high, sometimes it can ignite in the engine, causing a fire. Leaving your engine overheating for long periods can also damage your engine beyond repair, causing you to pay for an expensive rebuild.

At Euro Plus Automotive, we have experience in servicing Toyotas in Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County, CA. Visit us today and we’ll help you take care of your engine. Call us for an appointment or stop in. We look forward to meeting you.