Article: You do not, however, want to keep driving for long if you can help it. That said, sometimes you have no choice but to keep moving until you can get to help. If the car does not overheat again, you may have had a one-time overheating due to a variety of factors (AC on, hot day, stop and start traffic). Still, you need to keep your eyes on the temperature gauge whenever possible to avoid more issues. Most cars are calibrated to sense overheating before serious engine damage, giving you some time to fix the problem. This does not, however, mean you should ignore your gauges. Air conditioning uses engine power to cool off the car, and you don't need your engine under any more strain than it can handle. Open the windows to cool off instead. While this seems counter-intuitive, cars heaters warm up by sucking heat made by the engine and blasting it into the car. Thus, turning your fans and heat to the highest settings will pull hot air out of the engine and cool the car. It may, however, get a little uncomfortable. Turn the vents to point out the window to prevent things from getting too hot in the cab. Alternately, you can set the heat to the "defroster" setting to avoid it blowing directly on you. Get yourself up to 2000 rpms with the car in neutral. This helps the engine and the fan circulate air quicker, getting cool air and coolant to the engine and helping you remove some heat from the car. If you're in stop/start traffic, this could be a great way to keep the engine moving when the car can't. Though not recommended for long drives, water will help keep your engine cool in a pinch. Add warm water to your radiator, but only after the engine has cooled. Cool water can cause a crack in your engine block due to the extreme change in temperature. If you absolutely must drive with an overheating engine, keep your eye on the temperature gauge. Every time it gets hot, pull over, turn the car off, and wait for 10-20 minutes as it cools. This is not great for the engine, but it is better than trying to drive through it and causing a total meltdown. If your car keeps overheating, has a leak, or cannot start, you need to see a mechanic. Even if these tips help you "deal" with overheating when it occurs, there is likely a larger issue that needs to be fixed before a major meltdown.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Keep driving after the temperature gauge lowers back down. Turn off the AC. Crank your heat up to full blast. Put the car in neutral and rev the engine. Add water to the radiator if you are out of coolant. Drive for short stretches, turn the car off, and repeat if you need to keep moving. Know that you will likely need to go to the mechanic if your car chronically overheats.