Blinkyblinx9
5+ Year Contributor
- 89
- 21
- Jan 22, 2019
-
Clinton,
Iowa
So, I'm on my way to work today and I see smoke/steam coming from under the hood. It wasnt a lot but enough to make me look at my gauges. Surprise, its overheating.
I pop the hood and the passenger side of my 4g is wet, dripping down onto the cross member, and some vapor is coming off the exhaust. The turbo is bone dry so it doesn't seem to be spraying. The radiator is slightly warm to the touch but is not anywhere near as hot as it should be (it's not even remotely uncomfortable to hold my hand on it).
My first thought in this situation is a bad thermostat. However the fluid that is leaking is dark and seems somewhat viscous like oil but isnt very hot. I check the oil and the smell, color, and level all seem normal. The heater core is likely clogged and hasn't blown very hot in a while so running it was of much help. The temp seemed to quickly change with RPM going from the 8-9 o'clock position to about the 10-11 o'clock position on the dash within about 10 seconds and back.
The block seems to be wet as high as the turbo and the drivers side doesn't seem wet at all. It seems obvious to me that the thermostat is bad unless there is something I dont know about these cars but why is the fluid dark brown and not green and why does it seem so thick? Could it just be heat dislodging debris from within the cooling system causing it to become suspended and change the color? I have never done a proper flush but it has been half drained and refilled a few times in the past 2 years. Any ideas?
I pop the hood and the passenger side of my 4g is wet, dripping down onto the cross member, and some vapor is coming off the exhaust. The turbo is bone dry so it doesn't seem to be spraying. The radiator is slightly warm to the touch but is not anywhere near as hot as it should be (it's not even remotely uncomfortable to hold my hand on it).
My first thought in this situation is a bad thermostat. However the fluid that is leaking is dark and seems somewhat viscous like oil but isnt very hot. I check the oil and the smell, color, and level all seem normal. The heater core is likely clogged and hasn't blown very hot in a while so running it was of much help. The temp seemed to quickly change with RPM going from the 8-9 o'clock position to about the 10-11 o'clock position on the dash within about 10 seconds and back.
The block seems to be wet as high as the turbo and the drivers side doesn't seem wet at all. It seems obvious to me that the thermostat is bad unless there is something I dont know about these cars but why is the fluid dark brown and not green and why does it seem so thick? Could it just be heat dislodging debris from within the cooling system causing it to become suspended and change the color? I have never done a proper flush but it has been half drained and refilled a few times in the past 2 years. Any ideas?