What is the first thing you check if car is overheating, it has plenty of water in it
Maybe start with these 3 things: First verify that your radiator fans work. Since the car is already overheating, the fan or fans should come on as the temperature rises. The fans are supposed to come on after a certain temperature is reached, like when idling in traffic on a hot day. That temperature is higher than normal operating temperature by several degrees, so you need to verify the fan circuit is working, that the fan motor is good, maybe test the fan motors with jumper wires if not sure.
Second, You maybe should perform a simple pressure test of the cooling system. It is a sealed system under low pressure that helps to keep the engine from overheating. If it doesn't hold pressure, it might be leaking out somewhere, and that is definitely a problem that contributes to overheating. A shop could do a pressure test in about 15 minutes if the engine is already warmed up, so it should not be an expensive test.
Third, along with the pressure test, you also should do what is called a "block test" of the coolant system. This helps determine if a blown head gasket might be causing overheating-a common
cause of overheating. This test checks for exhaust gases in the coolant by turning a test dye a different color if exhaust gas is present in the coolant. This test is also pretty simple to perform, but a special tester is required which any shop should have. It should also not be expensive to have done-it only takes about 15 or 20 minutes.
If the fans work as they should and the coolant system holds good pressure and no exhaust gases are found, then you have to keep looking-maybe a water pump that doesn't circulate the coolant good from having badly worn impellers, or maybe there is some blockage in the radiator preventing circulation. A worst case scenario would be a cylinder head that has a flaw, like a broken or cracked assembly. Many possibilities. Also, if coolant is old, a good idea to replace it with new coolant, and a new thermostat, and possibly a new radiator pressure cap. If old coolant is dirty or sludgy looking, the system should be flushed. Good luck, I gave you a lot more than one thing to check, but overheating is so serious, you really need to find the problem before damage occurs.
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