engine overheating
 

Ok so here's what happened.

I'm drivin' and all of the sudden I notice that the temperature gauge starts to rise!

Now you guys know that usually it's stays at about half, but it went all the way up to H!

So here I am panickin' and just thinkin' that I should get home as fast as possible.
Now a few days before I had filled up the coolant bottle because it was close to the empty line. (I only filled it until it reached the "FULL" line, I didn't full it more than that.)

So anyway while on my way home, I keep noticing that it's goin' down but then it's goin' back up and it's just fluctuatin' but it doesn't come down to where it should be.

So finally when I got home, I popped the hood and I'm hearin' this bubblin' sound.
I then carefully opened the radiator lid with some napkins and it started to leak.
I closed it back immediately and the coolant bottle started to fill up past the "FULL" mark.

Did this ever happed to you guys?

That's the reason why I sold my Eclipse.
Apparently I cracked my radiator, so I replaced w/a fluidyne...but it was never the same. I took it to Mitsu and they fucked it up worst. It might be a head problem possibly?

OMG are you saying you removed the radiator cap after driving home? You're lucky you didn't get hot coolant all over yourself.
It probably leaked when you opened it because you took the cap off, depressurizing the system, and the pressure escaping caused some liquid to escape as well.

Happened to me, I replaced the thremostat.
It was trippy. I just looked down to find that the needle was well above the H. I nearly shat my pants, I had to turn on the heating in the middle of summer so the car could survive the ride home.

I was expecting the coolant to spray out so I opened it very carefully.
When I realized that the coolant stared to leak out I closed it back.
I also used some napkins to open the radiator cap, so I didn't burn myself.



So you guys are sayin' that something's wrong with my radiator?

it could be several things. The first thing I'd check is the condition of the coolant. Verify that it hasn't mixed with the engine oil. If it has it would be all milky and nasty. If It hasn't verify the proper coolant level WHILE COLD. If it is good simply replacing the t-stat may be your fix. The key is to check out your options BEFORE buying parts. The only reason I said to buy a thermostat without testing it is because they are super cheap and if you go through the trouble of pulling it out you might as well replace it.

Also, lastly I'd check to verify your engine fans are coming on.

When you check the coolant level in the overflow tank, the engine is supposed to be hot. Sound like you filled it on a cold engine, so when the engine did get hot the level shot past full.

In addition to checking the oil and replacing the t-stat, check your belts as well. When my belt broke at 45k miles, engine temps skyrocketed.

If you fill the overflow while it's hot it'll be under full when it cools off. Hot water expands which is why radiators spray and have so much pressure when they are running. When they cool off the level drops.

That's why most stock coolant overflow tanks have "Check level when hot" written on them.

hmm, well I may be mistaken but I do know that hot water expands and when it cools will read less volume. Either way...as long as your overflow bottle is inbetween the full and lwo marks you're fine.

i drove the car today, hadn't changed anything or checked anything and i didn't get the same problem.
it ran just fine and i did a good bit of distance without overheating problems.

before i pulled out of the garage i checked the coolant level though and it was on low so i just filled it up to the full mark.

Ahh, so Matty and I just wasted time reading/replying. Next time you car gets up to normal operating range, the coolant reservior will overflow. Once you cool down, you'll be back at low again.

It sounds like the t-stat was stuck shut but was able to break free. I'd still consider spending the $5 and 15 minutes replacing the t-stat, before it happens again and damages the head.

sorry if i wasted your time guys, but i'll have it looked at just in case.

I was just kidding around. Sorry if I came off as an ass.

Just keep in mind that when you fill it back up, the reason it gets low again is because it has been overfilled and the excess comes out of the fill cap.

I didn't fill it right up to the brim of the conatiner, just up to the "FULL" mark.

If it is still a a problem...

Install a lever-vent radiator cap. Do a couple of a hard accel pulls. Pull over and lift the lever see if the overflow bottle starts bubbling (not boilng) like mad.

This can be a cracked head/gasket. You don't always get the milk in the radiator or the steam out the exhaust pipe...

I think I may have a much more serious overheating problem.

I'm new to these forums and may have posted my thread in the wrong place.

If you have a min please have a quick read here and let me know what you think!

Thanks!

i haven't changed the thermostat yet and i noticed that the engine only overheats when i'm idle. the other day it overheated and coolant was leakin' out.

my grandfather told me that i should take off the thermostat but don't put back one in because thermostats also heats up the engine.
he also told me to check with my mechanic first though.

what do you guys think about running the engine without a stat?

No....thats a temporary fix to get you to the parts store to buy a new one...if the thermostat is bad, replace it, they are like $5

They're more like $65 here, that's about $10 in the US. I'll have to check my mechanic and hear what he says.

I'm tempted to wait until I hear what your mechanic has to say, but I don't frequent the site often enough, so I'll speak up now. :)

Running without a stat is just a temporary fix. You're grandfather is right, it does heat up the engine. When it is closed, the engine gets up to the proper operating temperature faster. Without it, longer warm-up and decreased fuel economy.

But wait, there's more. . . the thermostat also acts as a restrictor, slowing down the flow of the coolant. If you remove it completely, you should replace it with a restrictor plate. Otherwise, the fluid flows too fast, not having enough time to cool off in the radiator before going back into the motor and the coolant doesn't have enough time to soak in heat from the engine either. . . essentially worsening the overheating problem.

bingo !

Or if it's cold outside the engine oil won't get hot enough. You could turn a bearing or sieze a piston, especially if you're driving it hard.

Duh... I just realized you're in Trinidad and it's never cold. Oh well, still true advice, gets kinda chilly here.

I can understand what you guys are sayin' and even other ppl have told me that thermostats are really for cold countries and since Trinidad is a warm climate, we don't really need it, but my mechanic did some tests to see what was wrong. I even noticed that the radiator fan wasn't workin' before I carried it to the mechanic so that' what was causing the overheating. The stat is fine. Apparently it's the sensor that was bad because he unplugged the sensor and ran electricity direclty to the fan and it's workin' just fine now. Only thing is, the fan's always on when the engine's running. He said that's not a problem.

Um, I'm sorry GNO, but I either forgot what my mechanic said about running the car without a stat or I just didn't ask him, cause my mind's blank on that 1. But I'll ask him again if I didn't and let you guys know.

Thermostats are NOT just for cold climates, and if your mechanic tells you you don't need one, he is full of crap.:nod:

After my last post, I read one of the earlier posts and noticed that you mentioned it occurred at idle. I immediately thought "fans", but wasn't in the mood to double post. I'm glad you've resolved the problem!

Problem still isn't quite sloved though, I have to get a 3 pin sensor to replace the non-functional one. But thanks.