One of the most frustrating problems that can appear on a Dodge Journey is to watch its temperature gauge increasing. The reality is, a gauge that rises above 90/100° is commonly an indicator that your Dodge Journey is heating up. If you are in this case, you made the good choice to click on this website link because we will help you to situate the origin and understand the induce. To make this happen, in the beginning, we will look at the reasons for engine overheating and the risks you run, and next, what solutions are available to you to get rid of this phenomenon.

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Why is my Dodge Journey overheating? What are the risks?

A Dodge Journey that heats up is a sign of a critical issue. You should not think that you will handle it in the future because, if you do, you risk irreversibly injuring the engine of your car. In fact, if your Dodge Journey heats up, and you keep driving, you basically risk the breakage of your car engine. An internal combustion engine works through combustion, which causes heat. This heat must be regulated because it can damage the engine parts. If you see white smoke starting to emerge out of your engine and you experience a loss of power, your Dodge Journey is heating up and you are injuring your engine, you must stop.

What are the causes of an heating up Dodge Journey ?

  • A leak in the cooling system

    If you frequently run out of coolant and refill your system on a regular basis, you might have a leak, so have your system checked out for leaks. It is also possible that it is your cylinder head gasket that is faulty, in that case you should find “mayonnaise” in the area of your engine oil cap.
  • A dead calorstat
    The goal of this part is to switch on the engine cooling only when the engine is at optimum temperature, if it is broken, the coolant will never reach the engine and your Dodge Journey will heat up. Check its state.
  • A blocked radiator
    Although this situation is rarer, if your radiator is very dirty, or clogged with impure substances, its cooling fins will no longer achieve their job and on hot days your Dodge Journey could overheat.
  • A fan that no longer functions
    Make sure to check the state and performance of your fan, furthermore to the air produced by the speed of your Dodge Journey, it has a decisive role in cooling your engine when it has to be the relay when you drive slower. In the instance of a breakdown and travelling at low speed, your car will unavoidably heat up.
  • A damaged water pump
    Finally, it is possible that your water pump is at the end of its life. In fact, its job is to rotate the coolant throughout the circuit, in case there is troubles this process stops and your Dodge Journey heats up. This could be as a result of a defective belt that has ruined your pump. If this is your case, go to your garage area.

How can I fix the issue of an heating up Dodge Journey?

Additionally to having checked out all the auto parts that may be causing your Dodge Journey to heat up, you will have to make the right decisions to limit the risks in case your vehicle gets hot and you have no other alternative than to go home, or to go to your auto mechanic.
Here are a few tips if your car is overheating:

  • Reduce your engine speed but not your speed:
    Reducing your engine speed will allow you to limit the heat released by the engine. On the other hand, try to stay in 5th gear at 70/80 km/h in order to have a large natural airflow to control the heating of your Dodge Journey.
  • Stop the engine of your Dodge Journey if you go over 100°:
    Don’t be in a hurry, in a case of overheating, it is better to take breaks and let the engine cool down rather than pushing it and risking breakage.
  • Turn on your heater:
    Turning on the heater will allow you to evacuate some of the heat from the engine block, it is an effective answer. And conversely, turn off your air conditioner which produces heat.

If you need more guides on the Dodge Journey, go to our Dodge Journey category.