Car Overheated / Overheating / Overheats [MERGED]

[NTRCOOL]

OVERHEATING? The issues and their solutions have remained the same- either you don't have enough cool air reaching the rad, there's a cooling system obstruction which is preventing coolant from circulating, or your head gasket has failed and is allowing coolant to be consumed or pushed away from the engine.

Discuss all possible overheating problems and solutions here.


OK,
I just left my house to go over to my GF's,and happen to look down and see my needle right before the red mark. This just happened out of nowhere. I stop the car as quickly as i can, and pour in some coolant(Coolant a little low). Still same thing. Welp im in the middle of the road, and HAD to get it home. Im only 5 min from my house. I decided to try and make it(I really had no other choice). Welp I drive no faster than 20mph, and the temp needle is BARELY into the red the whole way.And occasionaly to the left of it. Am I ok?? Do ya think any damage was done?? And im thinking either thermostat, or water pump. For each of those, whats a round about $$ figure to get replaced?? Any info you have would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[LocknessMonster]

Do you have water mixed in with your oil? I would say that from spiking the temp gauge that you warped the head and may have blown the headgasket.

 

[mccurdy]

the oil seems to be a greenish yellow oil color. But that could just be the color from my valvoline full synthetic blend. I'm not sure.

Is there an easy way to check there is water/coolant in the oil? I heard that if coolant mixes with the oil, its a milkshake texture adn color. I notice none of that. Just a green yellow tint to the oil.

I wanna do a compression test but cant find the stupid MPI fuse so my injectors dont spray me.
The cars a 2G. Anyone know where the MPI is? (and no, its not next to the battery)

 

[dsmmatt28]

The injectors shouldnt spray you. You need to clean off the oil and then start the car rev the motor and hold it to like 4000 rpm see if you can see whare the oil is comming from like that. You might have to hold more than that.

 

[mccurdy]

the problem is it only does it under boost and i can't boost realistically while parked revving the engine.

its gotta be the dipstick, but what is causing it???
i can fix the dipstick and get a new OEM one that seals, but the pressure will still be there.

I did install a HUSKY home depot catch can with a filter on it, but its working. Why do i have all this crank pressure?!!

 

[ontario AWD]

You would have crank case pressure because your rings are shot.If you want your dipstick to stay in ,give it a little crush with good ol vice grips

 

[laynbdyon20s]

if you cant find the fuse unplug the fuel pump and crank it until it "runs" out of gas.

If it looks like a line from where the head meets the block, it's probably gonna be your head gasket.

What type of head gasket are you using?

How much boost and what type of turbo?

I blew my head gasket and I had no coolant in my oil, however I had oil in my coolant.

 

[viprez586]

the oil seems to be a greenish yellow oil color.

I don't know any oil company that makes a green oil.

Maybe yellow when new, but i'd say that green color in oil is definitely coolant.

 

[mccurdy]

heres an update guys.

I did a compression test and cylinders 3 and 4 were 40 psi below 1 and 2's compression.

Took it to the dealer to have a proper leak down test done. They called me today and said i had a compression leak at the oil plug, axel seal, and valve cover gasket.

If that was the only leak, then WHY are 2 cylinders low adn the other 2 fine? Doesn't make sense. I told them to fix those (it wasn't expensive and i dont wanna move the car) and to keep f'n looking for the real problem.

I think its the head gasket since its 2 adjacent cylinders, but could be both. Hard to say.

Also, when doing the compression test on the 4th cylinder, i hear a rapid clanking noise (only on the 4th cylinder). Sounded almost like it was hitting the bottom of the compression tester even though the tester was shorter in length than my spark plug. What the hell could this noise have been. It was consistant with my engine revolution while cranking it.

 

[viprez586]

Took it to the dealer to have a proper leak down test done. They called me today and said i had a compression leak at the oil plug, axel seal, and valve cover gasket.

Sounds like they didn't do a cylinder leak down test at all. CLT tests verify where your loosing compression. Examples:
Intake valve leaking, can be heard at the TB.
Exhaust valve leaking, can be heard at the tail pipe.
Cracked water jacket in the cylinder or blown head gasket, you'll find bubbles in the coolant.
Also with a blown headgasket you will be able to hear it in the adjacent cylinder sometimes.
Worn rings, you will hear when you open oil cap or dipstick.

True when you pressurize the system you could potentially find leaks, but what you want to know is the percentage of loss in each cylinder, and where the loss is indicated.

Ask them to do a cylinder leak down test because it is what you orignially wanted in the first place but there was a lack of communication somewhere in the mix. But don't expect them to give you it for free...if they DO, thats a damn good dealership IMHO.

 

[mccurdy]

oh i explicitly asked for that exact test, so when i talk to them today, im gonna tell em to stop ####y footin around and tell me step by step WTF they're doing to my car.

Thanks for the info viprez

 

[Artago]

I have a overheating issue as well. I hope it's not the HG. I also have really high idle but only sometimes. It will start fine idling around 800-1000 then it warms up and the idle shoots to 2200 rpm and just sits there. That when the car starts overheating. The heat just climbs up and up regardless of whether I'm in traffic or driving on the highway (although it rises faster when the car is idling in traffic at 2200 rpm). What should I do?

 

[97gstjosh]

So about a week ago I was driving And my check engine light came on. It was good old DSMLink telling me my car was overheating

It was about 3/4 the way up the gauge. So I pulled over at a gas station and let me car cool a little. I let my fan run to see if that would help. So I went to leave and my temp needle kept climbing. By the time I got to my friends the needle was pegged and had some smoke coming out from under the hood and overflow bottle spraying like crazy. The next morning I replaced my thermostat with an autozone failsafe one ( heard thats not the best choice) but its supposed to work even if it malfunctions so I thought ok insurance. Flushed out as much coolant that would come out. Filled back up with 50/50 and some water wetter and it seemed fine.

Now about a week later tonite I was driving home and noticed it sits on the little wavy line or a little above. I give up.
It flucuates though. On decel after speeding up it drops a little and upon accel it goes up a little. Fualty thermostat already?

I dont know when the water pump was last replace. I bought the car with 84k and it now has 104k on it. Could that be the problem or has the thermostat already gone bad. All mods are in my profile. I have a Mishimoto radiator a 12" electric fan and a 14" electric fan with the 12" pushing. The 14" is hooked up to a switch and the 12" comes on normally and I checked it is working

So any help would be greatly appreciated

Also I cannot see coolant leaking fro mthe head as I thought maybe my headgasket blew. I dont believe that is my problem bec coolant would leak all the time and its full and my radiator overflow bottle is also full. I thought originally my radiator had a leak so I used leak stop. I thought I got it all out but I didnt could that be causing my problem? I know I need to flush it again to get it out. Whats the proper way for draining it all? Also how about a low temp thermostat like Gates Racing 170 deg one?

 

[Artago]

I got the same problem. Except I only have one 12" Mishimoto fan and the rad. I was overheating within 20 minutes of driving. I removed my thermostat (temporarily) and the AC cooler in front of the Rad and it helped a lot but the car still runs high temps at idle. I'm going to be getting some more fans to help with the air flow and I'm also going to be heat wrapping everything I can and building a cold air induction pipe where in stock SMIC was.

I'm know this doesn't pertain to you but it may give you some ideas to get started. If you have none functioning AC then remove the AC cooler and get more fans and heat wrap. Worst case scenario you can remove the thermostat as a temporary stop gap so you can address the problem. Good luck.

Tom

 

[97gstjosh]

Thanks but I dont have any A/C components in my car at all
That was the first thing I did when I bought the car.
Im planning on heatwrapping everything soon Im upgrading to a
56 trim

As far as removing the thermostat I hear the car will run in open loop. I dont
know if thats true just what ive heard from local DSMers.

I dont really think that its going to help if something is wrong
which is the case. I dont want to band-aid I just want to fix the problem.
Thank you for your suggestions though much appreciated

This setup ran fine for 7 months and is just now giving me problems IDK what
the deal is at all.

 

[GSEclipse06]

So i'm looking at a 1g awd for sale with an overheating problem. the guy says it over heats more in the winter than in the summer. i'm thinking thermostat but i'm not totally sure...what else could it be?

 

[Boost92awd]

Could be the thermostat, radiator, water pump, clogged cooling system, bad head gasket. There alot of things that can cause a car to over heat.

 

[gma0408]

Check for more info. When is it overheating? Do the fans come on? How does the oil look? Does the car look like it was taken care of?

It could be a blocked radiator, thermostat, fans, headgasket...etc.

I would at least do a compression check before buying as overheating puts a lot of stress on things.

 

[someguyonline]

in the winter it could be making more boost,,that could mean head gasket, either way just have a compression test like gma0408 said

 

[xreaction122]

i would check the pressure of the cooling system and the CTS

 

[DGajre777]

I've searched for a long time and didn't find anything useful.

Things replaced:
- Punishment Racing 2G radiator
- 2 x Procomp 12" curved blade 1350cfm cooling fans
- Radiator hoses
- All water hoses
- Heater hoses
- OEM thermostat
- OEM radiator cap
- New water temp senders, both ECU and gauge

I'm at 72k right now, had a complete timing belt change with water pump and harmonic balancer at 65k.

- Fans are wired to come on when the A/C comes on.
- I run a 70/30 water/radiator mix with water wetter.
- Flushed the entire system at Super Lube today after flushing system 3 times last week
- Ran with no thermostat and car doesn't over heat
- I have a big vent in the hood but still overheats

Overheats even when parked at idle and ONLY when the A/C is on. Since I don't have any overheating issues at highway speeds, I figure it is not a ducting issue. The car didn't have any overheating issues for a week and then it started yesterday evening. I don't know WTF is going on. Why would the car be happy and cool for a week and start overheating a week later.

It was 93 deg. here today and my alternator reads 13.0 volts at idle with the A/C on and at 40-60 MPH. Car doesn't overheat with the A/C on between 40-60MPH, it only overheats when I slow down below 10MPH or at a stop light at idle.

The second thing that I can think of is low freon level. And the third thing that I can think off is a leaking headgasket that resulted in low coolant level in a week, but then why would my car overheat 10 minutes after I got a coolant flush at Super Lube?

It is Friday and my brain is fried. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Artago]

Do you still have a functioning AC system?
What's your idle RPM?

The reason I ask is because I had high idle along with overheating. I fixed my idle, removed the AC condenser, removed the thermostat and that got my temps under control for the time being. I increased air flow through the rad by removing the AC condenser since I am only running one 12" slim fan. I plan to get 2 more and then I'll put in a 180 or lower thermostat. I also need to heat wrap the exhaust and the coolant line running being the turbo. I hear that wrapping that line helps reduce temps. I'm also running without an oil cooler so I'm sure that's contributing to the heat. I plan to pick up and oil cooler to help bleed some of the heat.

Ok that's all the input I can give you. I do have one question for you though. I want to fix my stock fan system so the fans kick on when the car starts heating up. Right now I have a manual override switch and I want to get rid of it. I checked the relays for the fans and they are all working. But the fans still don't come on. Do you know how I can trouble shoot this?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[whitehawk]

Sounds like your radiator is 1/2 way clogged up. That means you see it flowing an it stays cool when moving but without airflow going threw it. Theres not much cooling flow on the coolant. Thats a common thing with old radiators due to over heating of coolant. a radiator flush doesn't do anything but clean out rust. If you over heat it coolant gunks up like gum.

 

[DGajre777]

Do you still have a functioning AC system?
What's your idle RPM?

The reason I ask is because I had high idle along with overheating. I fixed my idle, removed the AC condenser, removed the thermostat and that got my temps under control for the time being. I increased air flow through the rad by removing the AC condenser since I am only running one 12" slim fan. I plan to get 2 more and then I'll put in a 180 or lower thermostat. I also need to heat wrap the exhaust and the coolant line running being the turbo. I hear that wrapping that line helps reduce temps. I'm also running without an oil cooler so I'm sure that's contributing to the heat. I plan to pick up and oil cooler to help bleed some of the heat.

Ok that's all the input I can give you. I do have one question for you though. I want to fix my stock fan system so the fans kick on when the car starts heating up. Right now I have a manual override switch and I want to get rid of it. I checked the relays for the fans and they are all working. But the fans still don't come on. Do you know how I can trouble shoot this?

Thanks,

Tom

Yes, the A/C works prefectly. I can freeze in 10 minutes in 95 degree weather.

Do you want the both fans to come on when the radiator fan comes on? If yes, check VFAQ Site - Visual Frequently Answered Questions for a wiring diagram. You can also wire the fans so that both of them are on whenever your car is on.

Sounds like your radiator is 1/2 way clogged up. That means you see it flowing an it stays cool when moving but without airflow going threw it. Theres not much cooling flow on the coolant. Thats a common thing with old radiators due to over heating of coolant. a radiator flush doesn't do anything but clean out rust. If you over heat it coolant gunks up like gum.

I have a new punishment racing 2G radiator. I did a chemical flush 3 times last week and then had it flushed at superlube today.

 

[Artago]

Yes, the A/C works prefectly. I can freeze in 10 minutes in 95 degree weather.

Do you want the both fans to come on when the radiator fan comes on? If yes, check VFAQ Site - Visual Frequently Answered Questions for a wiring diagram. You can also wire the fans so that both of them are on whenever your car is on.

Actually my problem is that the Fan is not coming on automatically. I have a manual override switch hooked up to both fans. The fans are supposed to come on at around 200F... but they don't. I have to manually turn them on. What I want to do is fix the system that turns them on automatically. I've already checked the relays and they're good. I've also swapped ECUs and no change. My temp sensor is also giving me readings (according to pocketLogger) so it looks like the sensor is good too. Could it be the wiring? How should I go about finding the problem?

Thanks,

Tom

I have a new punishment racing 2G radiator. I did a chemical flush 3 times last week and then had it flushed at superlube today.

You said you've tried an OEM thermo. The OEM's are 192F???? You also mentioned that removing it stopped the car from overheating. Have you tried a lower temp thermo?

I removed my thermo and AC condenser to help with the air flow. Maybe you just need more air flow through the rad?!?!? Just thinking out loud.

My car started overheating pretty badly when I installed my FMIC. So I knew that it was air flow related. I removed the AC condenser and it helped (along with the other things I did).

What RPM does your car idle at? Mine was overheating in traffic due to 1800-2200 RPM idle.

Tom

 

[DGajre777]

You said you've tried an OEM thermo. The OEM's are 192F???? You also mentioned that removing it stopped the car from overheating. Have you tried a lower temp thermo?

I removed my thermo and AC condenser to help with the air flow. Maybe you just need more air flow through the rad?!?!? Just thinking out loud.

My car started overheating pretty badly when I installed my FMIC. So I knew that it was air flow related. I removed the AC condenser and it helped (along with the other things I did).

What RPM does your car idle at? Mine was overheating in traffic due to 1800-2200 RPM idle.

Tom

I don't want to drive without the thermostat or without the A/C. As for idle, it idles at 850 RPMs.

The OEM thermostats are 180F. I removed it and the car would take forever to heat up, let alone overheat. The overheating that happens now doesn't happen in a few minutes, it takes about 15-20 minutes of stop and go driving.

I don't understand how I could be low on freon, if my a/c runs good and strong.

Actually my problem is that the Fan is not coming on automatically. I have a manual override switch hooked up to both fans. The fans are supposed to come on at around 200F... but they don't. I have to manually turn them on. What I want to do is fix the system that turns them on automatically. I've already checked the relays and they're good. I've also swapped ECUs and no change. My temp sensor is also giving me readings (according to pocketLogger) so it looks like the sensor is good too. Could it be the wiring? How should I go about finding the problem?

Thanks,

Tom

There are two temp senders, one for the gauge (one wire) and one for the ECU (2 wires). Replace the one for the ECU.