really bad over heating problem

[JiveMasterT]

Well last night was really bad. I got about 26 miles from home and as soon as i got off the highway i smelt coolant and noticed my temp gauge climbing slowly. got to a parking lot, shut it down. coolant was leaking out of somewhere in my car but i couldnt tell from where. i checked the resevoir, it was low, so i topped it off, let it cool down, topped off the radiator, started it up. it would get pretty hot... like near 210 on my temp gauge and then i just shut it down. it was now about 1:30 am and i had to get home and i couldnt find any tow truck companies that would tow it home ("all of our flatbeds are out on jobs") and i couldnt get a ride, so i had to drive it. i drove it the 26 miles home, stopping at a mall parking lot to rip off the front plate and i noticed that when it sat, it cooled down, but when i drove it, it got really hot really fast. i tried to coast it down hills as much as possible and by the time i got home the needle was past 250 on my gauge, and the coolant was boiling.

i think it is a problem with the thermostat and that is causing coolant to come out of the overflow bottle, so im going to replace the thermostat today. one weird thing though is that about 3 miles from my house the heater started blowing cool air. can anyone give me any ideas to help diagnose the two problems here?

1. car overheating like a mofo.
2. heater no longer blowing hot air.

also, if i had a hole in the radiator, would the car overheat like that even if it was full of coolant?

 

[skelly]

The heater requires hot water to provide the core with a source of heat. When you lose your water to the ground, that heat source goes away. Once the blower draws enough cold air through the core, it'll cool it off and provide no more heat. It's probably just your thermostat. Just replace it as normal and drain & refill your coolant with the desired mixture and you should be off to the races.

- SK

 

[JiveMasterT]

The heater requires hot water to provide the core with a source of heat. When you lose your water to the ground, that heat source goes away. Once the blower draws enough cold air through the core, it'll cool it off and provide no more heat. It's probably just your thermostat. Just replace it as normal and drain & refill your coolant with the desired mixture and you should be off to the races.

- SK

ah, ok, that makes sense. i hope no damage was done to the motor during this little incident. i guess we will find out today when i replace the thermostat. there wasnt any coolant in the oil and there was no oil in the coolant.

 

[97ClipseDSM]

ah, ok, that makes sense. i hope no damage was done to the motor during this little incident. i guess we will find out today when i replace the thermostat. there wasnt any coolant in the oil and there was no oil in the coolant.

sounds like a thermostat. Mine did the same thing last year, i simply removed the thermostat and my car never overheated again.

 

[JiveMasterT]

sounds like a thermostat. Mine did the same thing last year, i simply removed the thermostat and my car never overheated again.

you just flat out removed the thermostat?!

 

[wolf20043]

sounds like a thermostat. Mine did the same thing last year, i simply removed the thermostat and my car never overheated again.

From what I heard and experienced,It is not good to simply remove it (at least with My 1g)
Mike

 

[JiveMasterT]

From what I heard and experienced,It is not good to simply remove it (at least with My 1g)
Mike

, i didnt think so... seems like it would have a tough time getting up to operating temp.

 

[wolf20043]

Try with the new T-stat and we can go from there.I also know that on 1g's the radiator cap can cause all kinds of overheating problems.
Mike

 

[Littlebeeper]

had same problem on my 1G. i had a bad coolant cap, and replaced thermostat since i was there. still overheated. my heater would stop working as well. ended up that my radiator was almost 100% clogged. now it takes forever to go to the halfway mark

 

[DSM1gTalon]

im having more or less the same issue. my only problem is getting to the parts store. i dont wanna over heat getting there. like he said, no coolant in oil, no oil in coolant, just coolant pouring out of my overflow. ill also try the tstat and cap tomorrow morning since my ride bailed.

looks like im calling out of work tomorrow.

 

[wolf20043]

"You Know You are a DSM'er when"
........I know this one was in there somewhere........."You call in to work to work on Your DSM"
Mike

 

[JiveMasterT]

i put in the thermostat and it seemed to idle at about 185-190, which is about right seeing as how it is pretty hot out. im gonna eat some dinner and take it for a test drive.