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!

 

[Epixinc]

i just built the car from the ground up . when i got it it had a blown timing belt and bent valves. i have had the timing belt on it for maybe a month. i didnt replace the water pump because it is brand new . it was put about a month before i got the car. still looks brand new, no play in it , looks good. i might try this tylonel thing, any ideas on the high pressure when the car is running?

 

[PIMking]

Do you have a aftermarket temp gauge? are you sure that its really getting hot. I havent heard anything about these water temp gauges going bad but you never know sometimes.

 

[ZmanIV]

Check the coolant for hydrocarbons or better yet when the system is cold remove the cap and start the car then check for bubbles.

 

[Epixinc]

when the car is cold and i start it, i get a lot of pressure in the tstat housing.... like the compression from the motor is intercepting the coolant passages. You know like when your HG is blown. problem is i just replaced the HG with a Cometic three layer MLS. I really think the issue is this other radiator i put in. the problem started originally with my OEM radiator that had a crack in the top if it(plastic) i attempted a fix with hot glue hoping it would hold up to the heat, but over time it busted through. so i replaced it with one out of my parts car. it was an automatic, but i was hoping it should work. almost as soon as i got it pressurized and all the air out of the system, she overheated. so i replaced it with one the other day with one that i know works. pressurized it and got a small pin hole crack at the fan bolt location, so i jbwelded it and let it sit all day before i touched it. pressurized the system this evening, and its not heating up past midline, but i wont know for sure till i drive it and put boost to it. cant do it tonight ### i been drinking Jack Daniels for the last three hours!!! guess i will know tomorrow.

Do you have a aftermarket temp gauge? are you sure that its really getting hot. I havent heard anything about these water temp gauges going bad but you never know sometimes.

no i am using the factory gauge, but it is definitely getting hot! when it starts blowing steam out the overflow hose, i know its definitely hot!

 

[eclipseGSTud]

I'm not quite sure why my car is overheating right now. I just changed the hose that comes out near the radiator cap to the coolant overflow bottle earlier today. I noticed that the other day there was a lot of coolant in the coolant bottle, but the next day the coolant in the coolant bottle was at normal levels again. Not sure if it went back into the system or flowed out. Tonight, I noticed that the heater wasn't working and about 5-10 minutes later I noticed that the car was overheating when I glanced at the temperature gauge. I pulled over to check and discovered white smoke coming out from near the alternator area. It was dark, so I wasn't really able to pinpoint the exact location. I looked underneath the car and there was some liquid dripping down to the ground and a red wire hanging down that looked like it was ripped off or something. Do you guys have any suggestions on what I should check or likely causes of what happened? I'm going to tow the car in the morning to a mechanic to check. I don't think it's safe driving the car like that.

 

[Icarus]

Sounds like the water pump is toast and and the the oil sender wire is disconnected.

 

[MadScientist92]

Sounds like the water pump is toast and and the the oil sender wire is disconnected.

Ditto on that! Check to see if there is any staining on the downpipe. The water may been hitting that causing your "smoke"

 

[andy4g63]

If the heater core is clogged/even partially/ the car could overheat/Coolant does not circulate freely.
Check and replace thermostat. After that if it still does may be the pump, unless pump is leaking and it is very obvious.

 

[djjohns55]

check your heater hoses too.

 

[GofaST4life]

well guys, i was back under the hood today, like every other day...but anyway, i was just checking things over, i refilled the radiator fluid cause it was a little low...

but i ended up pouring in to much, so i was like, eh well itll just go to the overflow...but, it didnt...so i was like hmmm...i pulled the tube off the thermostat, and nothing was coming out, i grabbed a allen wrench and stuck in the overflow nipple, turns out it was clogged, then the access fluid dripped out...i hooked everything back up and went to pick up my lil borther...

i get back and pop the hood to check it out, well my overflow tank is full and there is drips of fluid coming out from under my radiator cap...i squeezed the upper hose and fluid started coming out, usually the hose isnt able to be squeezed (pressurization)...

shouldnt the system be pressurized, like its been before, my car doesnt over heat, the fan turns on and off when needed, and the heat still works good...so??

should i even bother worring about coolant being pushed out?

and all the liquid that came out was rusty orange and crappy...WTF...the coolant i poured in was green so...

 

[crimsondragon]

Meaning...
A. Your water pump is rusting.
B. Your pipes are rusting.
C. Both A. and B. are rusting.
Solution: Run more antifreeze. Throw in a bottle of water wetter while you're at it. I'd pull the water pump just to make sure.

As for pressurization, I am able to squeeze my hose as well. I also have a small leak coming from the end of the hoses. Have you checked for any leakage there? It's a real slow leak, one that I couldn't see until I got under the car and noticed coolant lining the underside of the hoses. Fix that radiator cap as well. I hate to see if blow open and spew coolant all over the engine bay.

 

[whitetsi95]

Your hoses could be worn out thats why you can squeeze them. Also buy a flush kit for your coolant system from like autozone follow the directions and flush your system. That would help with the rusty water. Also it would help cooling of the engine.

 

[eclipseGSTud]

The car was leaking coolant. I parked the car overnight where it started to overheat and towed it this morning to a local mechanic. Hopefully its just some hose that needed replacement and not a water pump or anything else serious. Thank you all for posting and giving me your suggestions. I will post an update soon.

 

[GofaST4life]

well after a quick drive to pick something up, i was forced to pull over and pop the hood, smoke/steam was pouring out and my coolant was flowing out of the over flow tank...

im going to let it cool, drain the fluid, replace some hoses with the silicone hoses i have left over from a previous issue...and hopefully that helps...

im not sure if i have time to pull the water pump tonite...

 

[da_golden1]

check your turbo coolant lines they sometimes get clogged or dry rot.

 

[welfle18]

When I was loosing coolant slowly it was a faulty water pump.

 

[Flash]

I wouldn't be surprised if your radiator cap was just leaking. It has a rubber seal that could be rotted.
How long has it been since you last flushed your coolant?

 

[RoasT BeeF]

You dont need to replace your waterpump unless its leaking or the pulley is wobbly. I would just flush the system and replace the radiator cap as already stated and see where you're at.

 

[GofaST4life]

well, after some investigating me and my dad came to the conclusion that i need a new radiator cap, the cap i have now went to sh*t, the seal/spring are stuck so its just staying up and letting the pressure push out all my fluid via the overflow tube...

so now my engine bay is all messy, it stinks, and i have coolant sprayed all over the place...

even though i flushed the car last summer, im still curious as to why its so orange and rust looking, after i get a new cap, im going to flush it again, check all the lines for rot and clogs, maybe ill find out why my fluid isnt staying green or even light colored.

thankx again guys...

DSMtuners never fails...

 

[ummdsmwhat]

had almost same prob. i changed out the thermo and no more problems. its like $17 and takes about 2min to replace. try it....got it at NAPA - $17.49

 

[dsm4fun]

help im overheating the car is a 95gst and it just started all the sudden yesterday I was driving and decided to get on it. I was having fun till i looked down to see the temp at the high point so i turned on the defroster to full and it ran back down to about 3/4. Its weird because it only happens at about 35 an up going slow takes a while to heat it up but it still climbs I also noticed i dont hear my fans coming on. The one on the passenger side comes on but not at a high enough rpm to be considered cooling the drivers side not on hmmm. Thats weird because i could leave it idling the whole time ive had it and they come on loud but now its just running one fan and slow. If anybody can help it would be appreciated

 

[No_Skillz]

Do a search. This kind of thing has been covered many times.

In the meantime, don't let your temps go above half. Anything higher than that on the stock guage is hot enough to warp your head.

 

[mtwollet]

ahh, I just recently got my car back from the shop and had a clutch, balance shaft belt, timing belt,water pump, idler pulley, and alternator belt replaced.

When I got the car home yesterday I noticed I heard a poping sound around the thermostat housing- radiator cap area, and noticed that the coolant overflow tank was boiling, I called the shop back and told them about the poping sound, then today I decided to log temps to see what they were, general hwy driving was about 230, with a hiccup at 240F, when I got the car home and was setting in the driveway for about 1min 30sec, I noticed the temp at 257F, I turned off the engine and once the engine cooled to a degree , I noticed the coolant overflow tank was empty and I opened the radiator cap and need to add more fluid to both areas. anyways Im sad to say that damage probably occured , and am not thrilled, do you think this was harsh punishment for the engine, or if it still has a prayer

 

[tbonitz301]

If i had to guess i would say it will be fine. I've seen temps around 300*.Not on my car thank godMake sure your cooling system doesnt have air in it. When i fill up my car with antifreeze i take a little empty tylenol gel capsule, and stick it in the thermostat so it lets antifreeze past.Not sure if thats your problem though.

 

[Epixinc]

did u ever solve this problem? my car has the same issues!!! i cannot figure out what to do to fix it. i took the thermostat out today and drove it home, it didnt overheat till i was only doing like 10mph for a while, not enough air going through the rad. but i have a feeling the new thermostat wont solve my problem either.