Car Overheating After Oil Change [Solved]

This issue ‘Car Overheating After Oil Change’ is very rare. An oil change actually lubricates and cools the engine. In specific words, oil changing has no relationship with overheating an engine. 

It might happen if the service guy or you forget to close the radiator cap while changing oil, which causes the coolant to leak. And guess what, your engine gets overheated if all the coolants drain out. 

Below, we will discuss the potential reasons behind an overheating engine after an oil change. Apart from this, we will also break down: 

• Should I change oil after overheating?
• Will the oil change stop the car from overheating?
• What causes your car engine to overheat?   

So, let’s get started right here. 

Why Is My Car Overheating After Oil Change?

Car overheating after adding oil! It’s a very rare and uncommon issue. An oil change will help to cool and lubricate the engine. So, we don’t think oil change has any relation to overheating your car engine.  

The only way we can imagine a potential correlation with overheating is if you or the dealership left the radiator cap off while changing the oil. Another culprit may be the service guy who changed your oil may accidentally break the coolant line or hose to the heater core. It causes the coolant to drain out and end up overheating your engine. 

We recommend you start with inspecting the radiator cap to see if it’s in an on or off position. Next, ensure the coolant line is intact and remains attached to the coolant tank. If everything is ok, something is going wrong with your car. Don’t drive your car in this case. Otherwise, it will damage your car severely. Finally, call a professional mechanic to address & solve the issue. 

Should I Change Oil After Overheating?

It depends on multiple factors whether you should change the oil or not after overheating. If there is a blown-out head gasket, coolant leaks out, or the engine is shot, changing oil will not bring you any luck. 

What you need to do is- just replace the head gasket or seal it. Then, inspect the coolant system and fix if there is an issue with the system. Finally, you should repair or replace the engine if it gets damaged, which will leave a dent in your wallet. 

Once you fix those issues, you can make an oil change. An oil change will help to withstand a fair amount of heat. Plus, it protects your engine by lubricating every moving part of the vehicle engine. 

Will Oil Change Stop Car From Overheating?

Yes, an oil change helps stop cars from overheating. The oil is specially designed to shield your vehicle from overheating. It lubricates every moving engine part, reduces metal-to-metal frictions, and produces less heat. Indeed, the main goal of oil is to lubricate and cool the engine. 

So, making an oil change in the right interval doesn’t only dissipate heat but also protects the engine from potential damage. Now, you may ask- how often should I change the engine oil? 

Well, you can change the oil every 3K mile. Some cars recommend replacing the engine oil every 7K miles. The best bait is to check the manual and maintain the oil change interval.  Alternatively, you should replace the engine oil right off the bat if you observe the following signs: 

• Poor mileage
• Overheating engine
• Grinding noise 
• Burnt oil smell 
• Dirty oil
• The warning light comes on 

What Causes Your Car Engine To Overheat?

Several reasons cause your vehicle’s engine to overheat, including: 

A Faulty Thermostat:

It sits between the radiator and the engine. It controls the coolant flow. The coolant can’t flow through the engine blocks until the engine reaches its operating temperature. Once the engine gains its operating temp, the thermostat allows the coolant to course around the engine. 

The coolant helps the engine to reach its optimum running temperature and prevents the engine from overheating. If the thermostat gets broken, the coolant doesn’t do its job and causes the engine to overheat. 

Cracked or Damaged Coolant Hoses:

Over time, coolant lines or hoses get degraded or cracked as they are under a fair amount of heat cycles. And when coolant hoses get damaged, coolant will leak out and cause the car engine to overheat. 

Radiator Fan Gets Broken:

A radiator fan will allow the air to flow through the heat exchanger to keep the engine cool. If it gets damaged or the fan blade gets broken, the fan fails to pull sufficient airflow and causes the engine to overheat. Similarly, a broken fan belt also creates the same problem. 

Defective Head Gasket:

A damaged head gasket is the main culprit that causes the coolant to leak. And you already know leaking coolant means a low amount of heat transfers from the engine to the coolant. Over time, it leads to engine overheating issues. 

Generally, the head gasket is sandwiched between the engine block and the cylinder head. It thermally expands to keep the oil routing apart from the engine block and cylinder head.  

Depending on where the head gasket leaks, coolant may go into the oil system and create a sludge buildup. 

Conclusion

Engine oils help to lubricate & cool every moving engine part. So, changing oil will never cause the engine to overheat. What causes the engine to overheat is the coolant leak. If your car engine gets overheated after an oil change, we recommend you check the coolant system. Above, we broke down what causes the engine to overheat. So, address those areas and check for a coolant leak. We hope you will find the culprit.