If Your Engine Overheats - Honda 2002 Civic Sedan Owner's Manual

Jump Starting, If Your Engine Overheats
6. Start your car. If the starter motor
still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make
sure they have good metal-to-
metal contact.
7. Once your car is running, discon-
nect the negative cable from your
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable from
your car, then the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the car until all are disconnected.
Otherwise, you may cause an
electrical short.
276
Taking Care of the Unexpected

If Your Engine Overheats

The pointer of your car's tempera-
ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range under most conditions. It may
go higher if you are driving up a long
steep hill on a very hot day. If it
climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.
Your car can overheat for several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming from under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.