All Innoson motors come with a 1 year engine, axles and gear warranty or 10000km warranty.
The worst feeling a driver can have when driving on the road to an important engagement is when he suddenly looks on the dashboard and it is indicating that the engine of the car is very hot (overheating). And when this happens especially if it is on the highway, you have no other option but to pull over to the nearest parking lot away from the path of traffic. Pull down the windows and turn the heater on and switch the fan to the highest level. This will help bring down the temperature of the car.
Overheating is an engine’s enemy. The damage caused by overheating can be catastrophic and require a complete overhaul or replacement if the condition is not caught in time.
What Is Overheating?
An engine is meant to operate at a certain temperature. That temperature, even though it is too hot to touch by hand, is significantly cooler than it would be without a cooling system. Overheating occurs when the temperature of the engine rises to a point where mechanical damage can occur. Usually, a sustained temperature of over 240 degrees is enough to cause concern
Signs Of Vehicle Overheating
- Steam coming from the engine area,
- A temperature gauge spiking to the red zone,
- Engine hot warning lights often shaped like a thermometer
Causes Of Engine Overheating
Overheating can occur as a result of leaka
ge in the cooling system which may come from the engine, radiator, hoses, water pump, manifold gasket, or heater core. Anything that lessens an engine’s ability to absorb, transfer, and dissipates heat has the capability of overheating an engine.
Unfortunately for drivers, there are a lot of potential causes, but some are more common and than others.
Many of them are easily fixable by a reputable mechanic and generally involve replacing relatively inexpensive parts.
- Low Coolant or Antifreeze
A low coolant level is probably one of the most common causes of overheating. Also known as antifreeze, coolant is necessary to keep the car engine functioning within normal temperatures. The problem has a simple solution: refill the coolant and avoid neglecting the levels in the future.
Checking antifreeze levels can be dangerous if a driver doesn’t know what he or she is doing. Whenever in doubt, the driver should seek the help of a certified mechanic or someone who is more familiar with cars to help solve the problem.
2. Faulty Thermostat
Moving from the most common cause to the most frustrating, a faulty thermostat can easily overheat an engine. Basically, a bad thermostat can say to the engine, “The temperature is just right. There’s no need for additional cooling,” when the temperature is actually too hot. Giving false readings prevents the car’s release of antifreeze. After being driven for a while, the car gradually becomes hotter and hotter, eventually billowing smoke or stalling out.
The solution is replacing the thermostat, and the car should no longer overheat, as long as that was the only problem.
3. Low Motor Oil Levels
A car with a low oil level may overheat because oil carries heat away from the engine. Running low on oil is harmful in other ways too; for example, oil acts as a lubricant, and no oil can lead to excessive wear on some parts because they’re not adequately lubricated.
4. Trapped Air in the System
Trapped air the cooling system can cause the engine to overheat. Air can get into the cooling system whenever any part is opened for repair, servicing or replacement. When parts such as the radiator, thermostat, water pump, and hoses are worked on, there is a likelihood of air being trapped in the system. This air forms a bubble which prevents the normal and continuous flow of coolant in the system. Since air does not dissipate heat as can a liquid, the cooling system performs poorly.
This problem can be taken care of by making sure to bleed the cooling system any time any of the aforementioned parts was opened for servicing or repairs.
5. Air Flow Issues
Failure of the radiator fan and the condenser can cause your car to overheat. Most times dirt or some debris can block the condenser or fan and thereby prevent the circulation of air. The fan switch or fuse can also get blown.
To make sure the overheating is not caused by any of these, check that the radiator fan is working. Make sure you don’t have any dirt wedged in-between the condenser and or radiator fan. If the fan is not working, check that the fan switch is properly plugged in. Look into the fuse box and locate the fan fuse. Check if the fuse is burnt and have it replaced with a fuse of the same rating, bad electric fan, or a bad radiator fan switch.
6. Radiator Cap
The radiator cap performs two basic functions. First, it keeps the pressure on the system measured in atmospheres. The radiator cap has a rating. You will see the rating at the top of the cap. Some are rated 0.9 and others are rated 1.1 measured in atmospheres. When changing your radiator cap, make sure the new one is the same rating with the old.
The second function of the radiator cap is that it regulates the coolant level. When you turn the cap, you will notice a rubber valve. This valve opens and allows the coolant to flow from the top of the radiator to the overflow tank when the cooling system is hot. When the cooling system is cold, the valve opens and allows the coolant to travel from the overflow tank back to the radiator.
Overheating occurs when this valve is damaged. Radiator caps with damaged valves may allow coolant to flow to the overflow tank but will block the return path making the coolant not to return back to the radiator and thus causes overheating.
To check that the radiator valve is working, check the coolant level of the overflow tank after a long commute and check it again after the engine must have cooled for some hours. An important safety tip -DO NOT TOUCH OR TAKE THE RADIATOR CAP OFF WHEN THE CAR IS OVERHEATING
The IVM Advantage On Overheating
Most of the vehicles found in the Nigerian market were not built to fit the Nigerian environment/ weather. Cars are manufactured to fit the weather where it is driven.
Having carefully observed that Car overheating is not as common in the western communities as such as we have in Africa, specifically in Nigeria where the weather is hot, IVM added some extra important features that will reduce the chances of their vehicles from overheating. These features includes
- Thermostat
A thermostat is part of the cooling system that regulates the temperature of the coolant in the engine. The IVM thermostat which sits between the engine and the radiator has a metal valve that has a temperature sensor built in. It can either be open or closed. When the thermostat is closed, it keeps the coolant in the engine. When the engine gets to a predetermined temperature, the thermostat opens allowing coolant to circulate. With this, the circulation of coolant prevents the engine from overheating.
2. Double/ Triple Fan
Another unique feature that makes IVM vehicles to avoid overheating is its double/triple fans. In responding to the Nigerian hot environment, IVM built in additional fans to the AC condenser together with the one of the radiator. The AC condenser has two fans while the radiator has a big fan making it three set of fans. This unique feature is one of the reason while IVM vehicles esp. its buses and SUV hardly overheat
Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing having the advantage of its local production constantly receives feedback from its customers and vehicle users in other to improve on its production quality and introducing features and technology that will fit into our environment. This is the IVM ADVANTAGE
At InnosonMotors we offer quality after sales service for every car you purchase with a 3-year warranty advantage.
To Purchase Innoson IVM cars and make further enquiries
Visit www.innosonvehicles.com or contact us via sales@innosonvehicles.com or call- 08137075745, 08030889955.
Also we’ve partnered with Sterling bank to enable Nigerians own a car with ease. Through our IVM auto finance scheme, Nigerians can now own a car, drive home and pay as you go!
All our existing and future range of automobile brands are available through this auto finance scheme and we are not relenting in our efforts to partner with many more Nigerian banks.
So what are you waiting for?
1) Choose your preferred vehicle.
2) Walk into any Sterling Bank nationwide to open an account for auto finance processing.
3) Contact us for the proforma invoice of your preferred vehicle after Sterling Bank account opening confirmation.
4) Pay the required 25% down payment and wait for your vehicle to be delivered to you wherever you are in Nigeria.
Call our IVM Auto Finance Hotlines Now:
08033562978, 08175812222 – Sterling Bank
08137075745, 08030889955 – Innoson Motors
Innoson……The Pride of African Roads
