When it starts creeping into the danger zone, look under the hood to see if your electric fan is running. Located on the dashboard, the device has a needle that should always be pointing toward the center. There is also a warning light on your car's dashboard that lights up when the car is overheating. For most cars, the normal operating engine temperature is in a range of 195 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit, though most dashboard temperature gauges don’t show an exact temperature. By Tom Lawthers on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 08:08 pm:. Usually a sustained temperature of over 240 degrees fahrenheit is enough to cause concern. Patrick, When you say it is overheating, have you taken the temperature of the upper and lower radiator to see what it is? The needle on your temperature gauge will move toward the "H" if the engine is starting to overheat. 1. i hate seeing 220. Typically, one end of the gauge is marked "C" for cold and the other end is marked "H" for hot. A 50/50 solution of antifreeze/water will boil at 225 degrees and increasing the amount of antifreeze to 70 per cent will increase the boiling temperature to 276 degrees. When the temperature of the engine goes above 200 degrees, boiling of the coolant solution can cause overheating. You see, the oil, especially in colder ambient temperatures, takes several times longer to come up to temperature. How to prevent your car from overheating. Overheating is when the temperature of the engine climbs to a point where mechanical damage can occur. You can test this by letting your car idle long enough for the engine to heat up. This light usually resembles a thermometer. If you have an overheating problem in traffic, keep an eye on your temperature gauge. If the temperature doesn't exceed that, it isn't considered overheating. Turn on the heat to cool the engine yah water boils at 212 degrees and you have a coolant/water mix under pressure which won't boil till well over the 212 degree mark. the temp is currently around 215*f; it climbs to 223*f, then i cools to about 210*f. there are no signs of overheating: no fans turn on, no steam, no warning lights inside. Park your car in the shade ... Keep your eye on the car temperature gauge. 8. When you start your car in the morning, most of us are wise enough to not romp on the car until the coolant gauge is up to operating temperature. On a real hot day, the fan may continue to run to cool the engine, but the temperature gauge should never go into the "red" over temperature range specified in your car owner's manual. Then the dash temperature gauge should gradually begin falling until the fan stops running. my dad has a 1994 cadillac seville. After a long drive in 90 plus degrees, my 26 Touring will read approximately 210-215 degrees at the top of the core, and 185-195 at the bottom. what temp does a car usually start overheating? This is certainly better than romping on it cold, but it's still not quite ideal. However, that is a bit warmer than I would like to see it. They found that vans took the longest time to heat up, and economy cars the shortest. If i was cruising and i saw 240 degrees on my temp gauge i would pull over and let my car cool down. If it's not, you'll need to figure out why. all the readings and gauges are electronic. is my car overheating? If it points toward hot, pull over, turn off the engine and let the car cool down. Most vehicles will run around 210 F. Please keep in mind, outside temperatures, driving conditions, and so on all play a role it how hot it gets.