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ENGINE TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT

Driving your vehicle with a temperature warning light on will increase your car's risk of critical engine damage, whenever you see the temperature warning light on it means your vehicle is over heating and this is mostly caused by defective cooling system. An engine should not overheat if the cooling system is properly filled and is working normally except on abnormal driving conditions like towing a heavy vehicle or trailer during hot weather. This could overload the cooling system and reduce it's heat control capacity

More often than not a temperature warning light means trouble and if you continue to drive an engine that is over heating, serious damages could arise. The engine may start to knock and this could lead to ring, piston and head gasket damages. If the over heating continues it will create tremendous thermal stress in the head and block which can lead to cracking or warpage

WHAT TO DO IF ENGINE TEMPERATURE WARNING COMES ON :

Pull your vehicle over once it's safe to do so, then switch off your engine and allow things to cool down---  

WARNING--DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP AS IT CONTAINS HOT WATER UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. THIS COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY ON YOU. ALWAYS ALLOW THINGS TO COOL OFF

 After 40 minutes or more, things should have cooled down, now you can open the the radiator cap/reservoir and investigate the level of coolant

Place a rag over the cap first, and slowly turn the cap until it stops at the first detent. This should allow residual pressure to be released. Wait until all pressure has been released before removing the cap the rest of the way.

Add water or coolant to the radiator or coolant reservoir if you discover that it is low. The proper way to do this is by adding premixed coolant or a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water, this will help maintain a proper freezing, boilover and corrosion protection. But in most cases when this happens, it most likely will be an emergency situation and you won't have a jug of antifreeze handy. If that's the case, add water now, then drain out some of the coolant later and offset the extra water by adding the proper amount of antifreeze

CHECK FOR LEAKAGE OF COOLANT

Your engine may have overheated as a result of leakage of coolant. Inspect the radiator, engine and cooling system for leaks. Common leak points include radiator and heater hoses, hose connections, the water pump and radiator. Internal leaks (such as a crack in the head or engine) can't be seen and can only be diagnosed by pressure testing the cooling system
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