Engine Hot AC Off But Not Overheating | Causes Troubleshooting

The engine is an integral part of the vehicle and demands regular maintenance. By any chance, it gets overheated; the result may be a breakdown. You may receive a notification saying Engine Hot AC Off. What it means and how to fix it is the article’s essence. 

Engine and AC go hand in hand. By any chance, if one malfunctions, it quickly imposes problems on the other. However, your car engine may overheat due to faulty wiring, an improperly functioning cooling system, blown-up gaskets, and a lack of engine coolant.

The overheated engine may harm the car and lead to the engine’s death. Moreover, if avoided, the chances of an explosion increase. What to do to maintain the engine in good health? Read this article to know the answer.

Engine Hot AC Off – What it Means

The engine’s cooling system comprises radiators, fans, coolants, or hoses. All the components play a vital role in keeping the engine temperature regular and preventing overheating. The engine requires fuel to generate enough energy to accelerate the car. Besides this, excess heat is also the outcome of the engine turning on.

At this point, the coolants come to the rescue and circulate the engine to make it cool. If there is any engine cooling system error, the engine senses the high temperature and automatically turns off the AC to avoid overheating.

Car Running Hot But Not Overheating

Engine getting hot but the car does not overheat are two different things. Although the terms are considered identical, some symptoms make them different. Overheating directly leads to the emission of smoke from the engine and deforms other parts, such as head gaskets, pistons, or cylinders.

Whereas, when the car’s engine gets hot, you can do some quick hacks to prevent them from reaching the next step of seizing. The car running hot is due to clogged radiators, a damaged water pump, a low coolant level, leaking coolant into the engine oil, or a faulty thermostat accompanied by an overworked engine.

Engine Hot AC Off But Not Overheating: Causes

There are numerous times you face the issue of the engine overheating. Don’t you? The need is to understand the root causes and solve them one by one to not face the concerning problem, especially on summer drives.

Low Coolant

Car coolants can make or break the condition of the engine. If checked from time to time, overheating does not occur. The low coolant level is the prominent cause of heat accumulation in the engine. In addition, if a leak occurs or is blocked by rust, the cooling system will not be able to stop the hot motor’s engine. 

You can inspect the recommended levels and, if needed refill it. Ensure the coolants are in the ratio of 50 percent coolant (per need of the vehicle) and 50 percent water.

Malfunctioning Temperature Sensor

Vehicles have been installed with temperature sensors to guide you about the health of an engine. The temp gauge makes it a lot easier by delivering a notification from the sensors about overheating. Any malfunction in the temperature sensors will leave you empty-handed and not provide an accurate reading.

Blown up Head Gasket

Another promising reason for an overheated engine is the blown-up head gasket. It is the one that acts as a barricade between hot gases and the engine coolant and is hidden from the eyes at the time of assembly.

You can only diagnose head gaskets with the consultation of an expert. Anyhow, you can assume some of the symptoms to guess the condition of the gasket.

• Engine overheating
• The integrity of the cooling system is slow
• Leaking coolant
• Bubbles appear on the radiator of the vehicle
• Discharge of milk-like oil
• White exhaust smoke

AC Compressor

The primary function of this part of the cooling system is ensuring refrigerant regulation. Failure of the AC compressor does not allow the air conditioner to release cold air inside and may result in temperature fluctuation. The engine hot AC off sensor is the alarm to switch off the AC system to cool down the engine.

Cooling Fan or Radiator Fan Issues

Radiators are the central control unit of a car’s cooling system in preventing the engine from overheating. The electric cooling fan is highly assigned to discharge heat into the environment. Improperly functioned fans are the common reason for hot engines.

Is it Safe to Drive When the Engine is Overheating?

If you have already received an Engine Hot AC Off notification; what would be your next step? Do you continue the journey or halt it? The recommended solution to tackle the situation is to stop immediately and pull over.

Engine Hot AC Off can you still drive? Driving with a hot engine costs you several damage to the engine and the car’s components. Anyhow you are on board and realize that the engine is hot but not overheating. You must take some necessary precautions to avoid more significant troubles. 

• Turn up the Heat
• Turn off the AC
• Turn off the engine
• Disclose the car hood
• Check engine coolant level
• Professional help

How to Reset Engine Hot AC Off?

Engine hot AC off is the warning by the vehicle to keep the temperature in the recommended ranges. If the alarming engine light appears with the message, it means the engine is overheating and requires it to cool down by any means. 

Shut off the engine as soon as it returns to the regular thermostat. To reset it, turn on the engine to ensure the light is not blinking. You can now safely drive the car.

How Do You Fix an Overheating Engine?

Either you receive an Engine Hot AC Off pop-up message or not. The need is to take care of the vehicle so that it does not encounter several reasons that force it to overheat. A few preventive measures await for you to glance at. 

Regular Maintenance

Your vehicle is a long-time investment and demands regular maintenance.  It means consulting a mechanic only sometimes. In keeping the engine in good health, you ought to do your tasks and leave the rest to experts.

• Tightly close the radiator cap.
• Changing the engine oils and other lubricants
• Check for leakages
• Replace wirings per need
• The cooling system must be well-maintained
• Remove excess dirt and debris

Temperature Gauge

The temperature gauge has first-hand knowledge about the engine’s fluctuating temperature. Ensure the readings are correct, which depends on the proper working of temperature sensors.

Exposure to Sunlight

Ensure the vehicle, especially the engine part, is not exposed to extreme sunlight. Overheating is not an internal process; it can be due to the harsh sun traces. 

Extra Coolant

Coolants play a vital role in keeping the temperature down and ensuring the proper working of the engine. Coolant is the one that links with cooling fans, water pumps, and radiators and circulates to absorb excess heat. Remember not to forget to keep the extra coolant with you during traveling.

Final Thoughts 

Every driver knows the condition of an engine while taking the vehicle out for a long summer trip. An Engine Hot AC Off indication may let him dive into the pool of worry. Engine overheating is a simple yet unavoidable question to face. What causes this phenomenon and how to fix it is what you need to learn from this article.