Why does the car running hot but not overheating? If the temperature warning lights on the dashboard go up in a car it means that coolant temp is high and so as the engine. Engine temperature goes high especially when the weather is hot.
Car troubleshooting
The usual cause of gauge that reads high is the lack of engine coolant. So the first to check is if there is enough coolant.Now, open the hood of your car and remove the radiator cap. Make sure that the engine is cold when removing the radiator cap to avoid getting burnt when the steam pops out the radiator. After removing the radiator cap, look down into the radiator fill hole to check the coolant level. The coolant should be enough to cover the radiator fins to tell that the radiator has enough coolant if not then the coolant is low. Another way of checking the coolant level is by looking at the coolant recovery tank. Check your vehicle owner’s manual on how to check the coolant level on the recovery tank.
Reasons why car running hot but not overheating
Lack of Coolant
The engine must have the right amount of coolant to cool it so that the engine works more efficiently. If the coolant level is low it is not sufficient to cool the engine and it causes the temperature gauge to go up.Clogged Radiator
If the radiator is clogged it can cause the engine temperature gauge to reads high because the coolant is not cold by the air that hits the radiator fin, especially when driving fast. The radiator is the one that cools the coolant, if the radiator is clogged then it will not work well to cool the coolant.What to do?
Lack of coolant
Make a 50/50 mixture of water and anti-freeze. Pour enough amount of the fluid mixture into the radiator. Remember that the coolant level must cover the fins inside the radiator. Also, check the radiator for any leak because why is the coolant level inside the radiator gets low. Crawl beneath your car and look for any puddle of coolant, if there is none then it might be an internal leak that causing coolant to become low. Bring the car to the repair shop and have it check to make sure.
Clogged radiator
First is to clean the radiator for any debris located on the face of the radiator, clean the debris with hot water and a soft brush, then backflushed the entire cooling system. Backflushing is done by running water thought the cooling system in the opposite direction of normal coolant flow. This procedure will remove rush and particle build-up inside the cooling system and restore the efficiency of the system.