Am I in danger of my car overheating in the Colorado Mountains?

Question

I'm from the Midwest and just drove to California via Denver and Las Vegas. In a couple days we will be driving back the way we came. It appeared that from Denver to Utah everything was downhill. Then there was the crazy ups and downs of Utah canyons. I am sitting here scared to death to drive back due to the fact that the majority of the drive is uphill and hot. We are in a 2005 Pontiac Sunfire with 45000 miles on it. Am I in any danger of having an overheated car while driving up the mountains to Denver? And, is there anything we should do to prepare the car for the ride back? We did change the oil before the trip, but someone suggested changing it again before we go back.

Answer 1

Getting your oil changed is a good idea, though it won't help with the temp.  Get your coolant checked and as others have said watch it carefully.  You should be good to go!!!

Answer 2

you should be fine. i've done it before in an old beater wagon, and if that could make it you should be able to. just keep an eye on your temp and if it starts to get to hot just turn off the a/c or stop and give it a break for a while.

Answer 3

Having the A/C on helps cool your engine because the heat exchange that cools the air takes heat away from the engine. That why you will get hot air through your vents if your A/C goes out. In an emergency, you could turn your heater on to cool your engine because the heater core also acts like a radiator. That's not a COOL idea, though. Your engine may not overheat but you will roast.

I'm answering this a day late so you're probably already home. But the next time you go through mountains, I have one tip no one mentioned here. Use the gears on your auto transmission. I used the gears through the Colorado mountains only because I was worried about overheating, just like you. While I stayed mostly in high, I had no problem with overheating and I got almost the same mpg as I did out of the mountains!

Answer 4

you'll be fine as long as  it has a coolant pump.(all cars do)

Answer 5

Try visiting a repair shop in Colorado. http://www.autorepairshoplocator.com/Col... They can help you with your questions. Try calling multiple repair centers and compare what they say.