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!

 

[Jimmer307]

Well i just wanted to join this thread and say, im having the same exact problem. The only funny thing is when i boost hard, the thermostat seems to cool down a little bit.

 

[Froyd79]

Sounds like you broke a heater hose on the rear of the engine. Because of the overheating, even though mldly there may be damage. Yes the car will start with a warped head depending on how severe. Only need 80psi of compression in the cylinder for the cylinder to fire. But it could still run (not very well) on 2 cyl.

Anyway you need to fix the coolant leak. Then you can do a compression test and take care of any problems from there.

Just check that your fan is turning on when it reaches operating temp. Sometimes amalfunctioning fan (or wiring) can really make you chase your tail. If it was one of your heater hoses replace them both. But again it could be a cracked head or a hose that ripped from a clamp. if its pouring out you should see it. If its seeping out NAPA sells a dye and UV light (ive never had much success with it) to find smaller leaks.

 

[phillabaum03]

it could be so many things man. Sorry im sure thats not what you wanted to hear...Could be a few hoses, gasket, thermostat housing, headgasket, or even a cracked head/block. First things first, try to trace your leak. You could always try the dye to find it. Check your oil/coolant, see if your oil is mixed with your oil. Do a leak down test. Start from scratch. Keep us updated and GL

 

[ontario AWD]

Overheating will kill hoses.I did it once and had to replace all of them,some on the side of the road.

 

[Kash]

I would say the headgasket is toast. Low compression and the steamy coolant are signs of a blown hg. When you did your compression test was the car warm? Also did you put a capfull of oil into the cylinders?

 

[liquidz28]

Thermostat has been replaced along with the radiator and both radiator hoses. The coolant system has been flushed. When it does overheat the top radiator hose gets very hot. The fluid in the overflow tank boils and steam shoots out of the hose from the overflow tank onto the ground.

Is that a No on the white smoke?
could be water pump also, i have seen pumps that are so worn out that the blades in there are completely flat (instead of propeller shaped) that the coolant boils to the top of the motor and does not circulate back to the rad. looks like you need to pop the head off anyhow and fix that compression issue, i would put money on the water pump if your cars not smoking like a 68 year old pornstar.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Sounds like a hg to me, had the same problem not too long ago.

 

[02HtownSubie]

it is the water pump.

 

[jerseydiver84]

heater blows cold, dropping compression, sounds like the head gasket. friend had the same issue was the head gasket.

 

[Jimmer307]

what if the heater blows hot and there is poor compression? Whenever i boost hard, the thermostat drops down to about halfway or normal operating temps?

 

[360glitch]

Just to follow up, it was the headgasket. Pulled the head off and there was still fluid in one of the cylinders.

Not sure about your situation Jimmer.

 

[SexaiPander]

Hey guys...i live out in the san fernano valley off of tampa and i work in moorpark/simi valley. Going up the hill back into the valley my engine temperature rises.

Speed: I have my cruise control on 65 and overdrive is on.

Any ideas what could be wrong???

I also have a injen intake. and a flex-lite 210/220(230/240 pusher) low profile electric engine-cooling fan...

My check engine light came about a week ago and my shop said that a vacuum line was messed up. Could that have effected my engine temp?

 

[pj91gsx]

Hey guys...i live out in the san fernano valley off of tampa and i work in moorpark/simi valley. Going up the hill back into the valley my engine temperature rises.

Speed: I have my cruise control on 65 and overdrive is on.

Any ideas what could be wrong???

I also have a injen intake. and a flex-lite 210/220(230/240 pusher) low profile electric engine-cooling fan...

My check engine light came about a week ago and my shop said that a vacuum line was messed up. Could that have effected my engine temp?

The vacuum line should be replaced. I would add more coolant, it may just be low. If that doesnt work maybe the water pump is going, but the water pump makes the car overheat at idle a lot and while driving too.

 

[JFatch1890]

also, if a car starts to overheat going up steep hills then it may be running lean

 

[Anarchology]

Sounds like the coolant level might be low as already stated. Figure that the coolant sloshes back into the block away from the temp sensor that the stock gauge reads. If there is no coolant to give a proper reading, the metal around the sensor heats up in turn heating the sensor and giving you a false reading.

You can see the same thing happen when you blow a coolant line. I've had it happen on my F-Body Trans Am once before. It may not reflect the actual engine temperature, but well most definitely tell you something should be done.

 

[boostngsx]

+1 for the low coolant. I have a 2000 Malibu that does that. There is a small anti-freeze leak and after about a month the fluid level gets low and it will read low coolant when I go up hills. Put more coolant in and check for any leaks.

 

[SexaiPander]

Hey guys...i always keep an eye on my coolant but there might be a leak or something. But thanks for your comments i really appriciate it.

pj91gsx- What were you saying about the water pump? Because when i first bought the car i was on my way to work and my car shut off when i got off the freeway and my shop said the water line or something along those lines broke. Im not positive what the exact problem was but if you think that could be causing the problem i will definitely look into that thanks

 

[pj91gsx]

Hey guys...i always keep an eye on my coolant but there might be a leak or something. But thanks for your comments i really appriciate it.

pj91gsx- What were you saying about the water pump? Because when i first bought the car i was on my way to work and my car shut off when i got off the freeway and my shop said the water line or something along those lines broke. Im not positive what the exact problem was but if you think that could be causing the problem i will definitely look into that thanks

If the car overheats, its usually the waterpump, pressure cap, clogs in the system, or the coolant level. what you mechanic was talking about much have been an out collant line, which the water pipe sends coolant to the oil cooler. The oil cooler is the small round piece with the coolant lines that the oil filter goes onto. Or, he was refering to the heater core lines, or radiator hoses.

 

[freeman 188]

I posted earlier this summer with overheating problems ,that I couldn,t figure out . I pulled the motor on the weekend and it looked good , but when I dissasembled it one of the pistons had a broken ring groove ,which was causing the problem .so for any of you guys that have detinated you motor and it starts overheating after ,but everything checks out good , it might be a good idea to go in a little further .

 

[TOONAH]

Was it the top ring? Were they forged pistons? Was the ring gap set less than 15 thous?
Just kind of curious as to why the ring land broke... Was it detonation for sure?

 

[freeman 188]

they were topline pistons which came in a rebuild kit . I put 1500 miles on the motor and didn,t even know other than the overheating while driving or under load . I replaced several head gaskets and 2 heads trying to fix the issue but no such luck . it detinated once within the first hundred kms due to a vacum line coming of the fpr . second ring grove.

 

[Wicked95AWD]

Idle Surge FAQ

 

[Jimmer307]

Just following up on this thread, I fixed the thermostat, and whala. My car runs like a dream.

 

[mgsx98]

So i just had my engine rebuilt. The car still overheats

Radiator works fine.
Head was taken to machine shop to check for levelness.
Both fans work.
New Cometic head gasket.
Radiator cap is ok
New water pump with the build.
Coolant level is fine.
I also took the thermostat off to see if it would still overheat.

So basically im running out of ideas? What else could be causing it? Air flow? or could it just be my temp gauge gone bad? by the way the engine bay does not feel extremely hot.

 

[talon187]

Whats telling you your over heating? stock gauge or aftermarket? I had this same problem it turned out to be my stock guage is broken. I installed a aftermarket and everything was fine.