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.