In hot weather, should we open the hood slightly when driving to avoid overheating the car?

11:34, June 13, 2023

Many drivers tell each other the little trick of opening the hood slightly to let the car engine get more air and avoid overheating. So, is this method right or wrong?

During the current hot season, cars working continuously for many hours on the road are very susceptible to overheating, leading to reduced capacity, engine damage, and even increased risk of fire and explosion.

Recently, many readers have also sent questions related to how to prevent cars from overheating in hot weather, including a "tip" that many people have passed on to each other: open the hood slightly to ventilate the engine compartment, get more air, thereby limiting the car from overheating while on the road.

So, is this the solution to help limit car overheating, especially in hot weather like today?

Many people open the hood slightly while driving on the road in the hope of helping the engine cool down.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Nguyen Gia Duong - Lecturer at the Driving Training Center, University of Transport Technology said that opening the car's hood is not strange and is used quite often by many people, especially those who are learning to drive.

"When the practice car is used for hours, mainly in low gear, high engine speed will make the engine compartment very hot. If this is maintained regularly, it will damage other parts under the hood such as plastic, rubber, battery,...

Therefore, teachers often do not close the hood completely but also insert water bottles on both sides, leaving a small space of about 2-3 cm to help air circulate more easily, reducing the heat in the engine compartment," this driving instructor shared.

However, Mr. Duong also emphasized that the above method should only be used in the driving practice yard at very low speeds, and is not suitable for long distance driving, and can even be dangerous when driving at high speeds.

Leaving the hood slightly open is not suitable when driving on highways or at high speeds.

Agreeing with the above opinion, auto engineer Duong Trung Kien - Director of Kien Phong Auto Service Center ( Hanoi ) also said that opening the hood can release the temperature of the engine compartment when the car is stationary or moving at very low speed, but when going fast, it is not necessary.

"Cars are products that are carefully researched for their performance, in which the engine is mainly cooled by liquid (coolant). Wind and air are designed to enter the engine compartment through the grille to serve the fan system and air conditioning condenser. Opening a small space on the hood does not help cool the car," engineer Kien analyzed.

This expert also said that opening the hood slightly while the car is moving is quite dangerous because if driving at high speed, the wind can cause the hood to pop up, hitting the windshield, causing damage to the car and making it unsafe for those inside.

In fact, there are many cases where the car is moving without the hood being closed tightly and it pops up and hits the windshield. The car owner then has to spend tens of millions to fix it. Not to mention, not closing the hood tightly will cause a rather annoying "clacking" noise.

Therefore, engineer Duong Trung Kien believes that in all cases of driving on the road, the engine compartment lid must be properly closed.

Experts also give some advice to avoid overheating the car when traveling on the road, especially in the summer with high temperatures as follows:

- Regularly clean the engine compartment; remove trash, leaves and objects blocking the air intake on the grille;

- Carefully check items such as coolant and engine oil before each long trip;

- Do not let the vehicle operate under hot sun for more than 3 consecutive hours. You can divide the journey into smaller sections so that the vehicle can "rest" for about 15-20 minutes before continuing;

- Regularly monitor the engine temperature gauge. If you detect signs of overheating, immediately find a suitable place to park. After parking, turn off the engine and wait for it to cool.

- If the engine compartment is too hot and there is smoke and steam coming out, you should open the hood to speed up the heat dissipation process. Only check the internal components when the engine has completely cooled down to ensure safety;

- When the engine is hot, do not open the cover or check the radiator to avoid burns. During the inspection, pay attention to observe the damaged cooling system, determine the location of the coolant leak if any;

- If there is a lack or lack of coolant, it should be temporarily fixed by adding more coolant or clean water and taking the vehicle to the garage as soon as possible.

According to Vietnamnet

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