# What causes a car to overheat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 3, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033 "2019-10-03T21:30:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/1 "2019-10-03T21:30:07Z")
What does it mean if a car starts to slowly heat up while idle but cools down when I accelerate? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/2 "2019-10-03T21:31:23Z")
Check if the radiator cooling fan(s) are turning on. Tester ---
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/3 "2019-10-03T22:47:04Z")
Thank you for your reply! Is there anything else I should get checked? I’m just hoping it’s not pricey!! ---
**Author:** ![Jack-Dak87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jack-Dak87](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jack-Dak87)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/4 "2019-10-03T23:13:47Z")
What year, make and model are we dealing with? ---
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/5 "2019-10-03T23:29:07Z")
It’s a 2003 Honda Civic LX Sedan. ---
**Author:** ![vipergg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/50afbb/32.png) [@vipergg](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vipergg)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/6 "2019-10-04T00:26:21Z")
Most likely as previous poster said the electric cooling fans are never coming on . Could be as simple as a relay that controls those fans . Or it could be a water pump getting weak . ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/7 "2019-10-04T01:11:21Z")
What’s pricey to one person is no big deal to another. $500 is my personal pain threshold. ---
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/8 "2019-10-04T01:43:15Z")
I’ll have to get it checked out. Is it okay to drive or is this something that should be looked into right away? ---
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/9 "2019-10-04T01:44:05Z")
Right now $500 is a lot for me… ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/10 "2019-10-04T01:46:19Z")
> [@FrancesG](#): > > Is it okay to drive or is this something that should be looked into right away? If the coolant level is low the engine could be damaged if you continue to drive. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/11 "2019-10-04T01:51:11Z")
The first thing I would check (when the engine is cold) is to see if the radiator is full of coolant. If not, top it off with pre-mixed coolant which is compatible with your car. I would also inspect the radiator cap itself–is the rubber seating surface hard as a rock, or even worse cracked? The next thing I would check (also with the engine cold and not running) is to see if the cooling fan(s) turn easily by hand, or if the bearings seem tight or noisy. Most electric cooling fans have very little friction in the bearings, and if you give the fan blade a spin, it will turn freely. Next, I would check to make sure that there are no damaged wiring harnesses, loose electrical connections, etc–for example, the coolant temperature sensor(s) and cooling fan(s). ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 10:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/12 "2019-10-04T10:03:53Z")
Absolutely. If it overheats, that could lead to major engine work. ---
**Author:** ![FrancesG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FrancesG](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FrancesG)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/13 "2019-10-04T22:39:46Z")
Thanks so much for your reply and for all the information. I plan to get it looked at tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Drkrachel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/drkrachel/32/17826_2.png) [@Drkrachel](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Drkrachel)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-causes-a-car-to-overheat/150033/14 "2019-10-05T03:26:06Z")
Factory radiator? That is alot of years on the radiator and if it has not been maintained properly it could have corrosion buildup inside it. Overheating at idle I agree with the other posts make sure your fans are coming on when you hit the operation temp, if the do then it could be the radiator.