Had to drive 2 miles on overheating engine

[MrsWench]

I know this is such a newb question but without legit gauges I haven't really any idea. When the engine temp light comes on and it starts beeping, is that a 'we're starting to overheat' alarm or a 'you're screwed' alarm?

Came on with beeping on way to work, I immediately switched ac over to heat and drove to nearest gas station - which was 2 miles away. I wonder how much potential damage that did. Luckily it was first thing in the morning so it was only like 77F out at the time. I've already been having issues with the car, is there anything I need to look out for that could have possible been exacerbated by driving it overheated?

Thanks in advance!

2012 Hatchback LT 1.8L 135k miles

 

[Gobinator98]

I’ve never had any issues with my 2012 overheating but I can tell you that short of a trip won’t do any major damage as long as you didn’t push the engine. Check your coolant level. Is it low? Check the thermostat, water pump, radiator hoses(including the ones going towards the heater core(back of engine). Check the radiator for holes, check the fan and see if it runs or if any blades are broken.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MrsWench]

Thank you for the reply.
I should have put it in the post, I did buy a bottle of coolant that morning and it took quite a bit of it to bring back up to level. I had noticed a few days prior that the AC wasn't pushing out cold like it normally does and driving in 100F weather that was a brutal realization. Now it seems to be cold again but I've lost power on the flow. I don't know how that's related.
Sadly I am very limited in my knowledge on this stuff but I do plan on checking the hoses to see if there are any holes or broken seals anywhere.

 

[Gobinator98]

If you have anyone close to you that has a scanner, they should be able to check out the issue for you. Especially if they can read the live data. If you need any other help, just feel free to reply here and someone or myself will try to help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TurtleOverlord]

If it was still putting out heat, thats a good sign you still had some coolant running.

Lost power on flow. Is that flow of coolant circulating in the tank?
When you add coolant it is a good idea to flush out any air bubbles by letting the car warm up with the reservoir cap off.

Have you replaced the timing belt btw?

 

[Z71]

Typically, these cars will overheat when the electric fan quits and one dirves in hot weather at slow speed with A/C on. One quick clue that the engine is running hotter than usual is that the A/C will quit working (the A/C compressor clutch will not function)when the engine coolant temperature goes up to certain level.

These cars only have one cooling fan and I had mine blow fuses several times and then i replaced it with a new one because evidently there was some kind of a short int he fan motor. I have not had any more problem with the cooling fan since.

It would be nice if these cars had a coolant temperature gauge.

As for damage, not likely at all if it was overheating only for a short time. If you did not see any steam coming out of the engine, it really was not overheating much at all. When the hot coolant light comes on and beeping starts, you are still not in the real danger zone as far as overheating goes, but you must heed the warning which you did. Remember that there is also oil in the engine that help to keep the engine cool. Loss of oil will destroy an engine very quickly though so that would be a lot more dangerous situation.

 

[MrsWench]

I meant lost power on flow of the ac blowing, its not blowing as hard even though its cold again.

Yes, I let the car warm up with the cap off before capping it, it gives me a better idea of level and I look for any dripping during that time as well.

Timing belt inspected last year, not replaced. Hasn't been yet. I did have the coolant system flushed last year.

No steam was coming off of it as I remember, so it sounds like it's okay. And likely I would have already seen some issues from damage caused by now if it had done so. Agree, a temp gauge would be nice. I remember it being the only negative thing I said when I bought the car - where are all my gauges? :blankface:

I was able to get the codes read, obviously there was one for the engine temperature, and one for the fuel/rail system pressure. That one is most likely connected to issues I have been having for a while but the dealer cannot pinpoint. However up until now they have just been getting knock/ping codes so this one may help steer it in the right direction. I looked it up and it describes all the symptoms I have been having but it doesn't seem like I can do any of the repairs myself. So I will be setting another appointment on that one.

Thank you everyone for your responses, I greatly appreciate it!!

 

[MushKing]

I had the same problem with my engine overheating and would have to pull over to turn the car off until it went away it ended up being an electrical problem with the radiator fan

Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk

 

[MrsWench]

Thank you! Will definitely keep an eye on that as well, someone else had said they had radiator and fuse issues as well.