How to Stop an Engine from Overheating

If it's possible to pull over:

Radiator Cap

1. Pull Over, Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
2. Open the Hood
3. DO NOT OPEN the radiator cap when it's still hot! The content is hot and under pressure. Releasing the cap can cause its content to burst out and burn your skin.
4. Check the coolant reservoir tank. Fill it if needed (If your car only has a radiator and no coolant reservoir, you must wait for it to cool before checking the level of coolant).
• If the car was simply low on coolant and you were able to refill it, it may be safe to drive on. Follow the instructions below for how to minimize the risk of overheating if you do so.
• If the car appears to be out of coolant entirely, do not drive it. You can quickly cause severe harm to your engine by doing so.
• If help is readily available, you may be better off calling for a tow truck than driving the car.
• If no help is available or conditions are otherwise unsafe you may need to drive on regardless of whether you were able to solve the problems. Read below for how to manage your car if this is the case.

If it's NOT possible to pull over:

1.  Turn the A/C OFF
2. Flip the climate controls to vent, turn the heater all the way up, and turn the fan all the way up. If the weather is hot, the inside of the car will heat up quite a lot. Point the vents out the windows as much as possible to help reduce the temperature.
3. Keep your attention on the temperature light on the Dashboard.
4. Those tips can help you minimize the heating if you can't pull over:
• Turn off your engine, but only if you are sitting in traffic or stopped at a light and not moving for more than a minute. Keep a lookout ahead for when the traffic will move and turn your engine on before that point.
• Keep it steady in stop and go traffic. It is better to move at a steady slow pace than to go fast, stop, go fast stop, etc. (Generally people will not cut you off in stop and go traffic since everyone is stuck in the same situation.)
• If your vehicle has a belt-driven radiator fan (usually rear wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles) and you are stuck in traffic, place the transmission in neutral or park, and smoothly increase the engine speed to 2000 RPMs. Hold the RPM there for a minute or so. This will increase the speed of the engine, and in turn, turn the water pump and radiator fan faster. This will draw more air through the radiator to dissipate the heat. If your car has electric fans (typically front-wheel-drive vehicles), this method will not work for you.
• Wait out rush hour traffic. Pull over if you think your car will break down in stop and go traffic. Turn off the engine and wait for the traffic to start moving normally. Once the traffic starts flowing again, it is better for you to drive faster than slower as more air will come in and cool your engine. 
  

 You can find the full article with explanatory images here:
 http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-an-Engine-from-Overheating

10 maintenance checks you’ve probably missed

Just about everyone knows how to check their oil regularly. Here are some less-common maintenance checks that might not be on your radar, but should be: 

1. Most people check occasionally their tire pressure, but forget about their spare. All pneumatic lose air pressure over time. After a few years of neglect, the high-pressure compact spare is typically under-inflated, sometimes dangerously so, if ever required.
   
2. Check all lights.  Don’t let a broken bulb lead to a collision.
   
3. Check battery “eye” if equipped.  Some batteries have an “eye” to visually indicate charge condition.  Any color besides green means trouble.  But note that green can also be a false positive where battery output only becomes insufficient under load due to bad cell.
4. Check coolant level and condition.  If discolored or foul smelling, a flush-and-fill may be due.  An inexpensive coolant tester (syringe) can verify freeze-up/boil over protection.
5. Visually check air-con “eye.”  Bubbles in the A/C sight-glass indicate low refrigerant, and oil streaks spell trouble.  Watch for refrigerant flow to avoid confusing a completely discharged A/C system for a full one.
6. Clean debris from fins of radiator, air-con condenser and power steering cooler, if equipped.  Obstructed airflow can lead to overheating of these systems.
7. Pull out tranny dipstick and sniff it.  Really.  Fluid should be clear, bright red, and have no burnt odor – which indicates overheating.  Check fluid level while engine is running (Of course, it’s also good to check oil, brake, power steering and washer fluid levels).
8. Visually inspect tires.  That is, look at them once in awhile.  Uneven tread wear, bald tires, or damage to sidewalls or tread require attention.  A nail in the tread can typically be mended if caught early (i.e. tire looks unusually low), but can lead to a high-speed blowout if ignored.
9. Check jack and spare.  Don’t find out at roadside that the jack is missing in your used car, or that you need special tools (e.g. for wheel locks).
10. Lift foot mats in an older car and inspect floor.  Salt water running off your shoes in wintertime can pool beneath mats and corrode metal.  Holes in the floorboard will allow potentially deadly exhaust fumes to enter vehicle.
    
    
    reference:http://www.wheels.ca/guides/10-maintenance-checks-youve-probably-never-done/