Q: Car overheats, antifreeze leaks

asked by on June 23, 2016

The dash in my car showed the check engine light on the other day. The day after that, some antifreeze leaked out and the car got overheated. I figured that the cap was loose so I filled in some antifreeze in the car. However, the vehicle got overheated again when I drove it the following day. I've noticed that there is a leak under the car but I'm not sure where it is coming from exactly. While I drive the car, the heat is functioning well. However, it become cooler when the car is not in motion. What could be the problem?

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Hello. If the vehicle is leaking antifreeze, then that needs to be located and repaired first. Most of the time it comes from a crack in the radiator or the water pump, though it can also come from a number of other places. If the leak is not easily found, I usually do a pressure test on the cooling system to see where it is leaking. Once the leak is repaired, the Check Engine Light can be diagnosed. It may have come on from the overheating, or for a completely different reason. Using a scan tool to read the codes is the only way to know what codes are in the computer. If you want to have this fixed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to detect the cause of the overheating issue and determine what repairs are necessary.

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