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!

 

[95 'clipse RS]

actually the boiling points are a bit different. water boils over at 212 degrees F. However, a 50/50 mix of water and coolant will boil over at approx. 268 degrees F.

also, i dont see the heater core posing as a threat to this overheating. yes, he stated he isn't getting sufficient heat, but the heater core doesn't provide much cooling at all. and it only does when its functioning. besides, not much coolant even flows through it to begin with. only thing that the heater core could be affecting is that he might be cold in the winter. however, if the heater core is cracked, or leaking, then that could be affecting this, but only pretty much in loss of coolant. you could unhook it, but unless its leaking it wont make much difference.

rush, i do agree with you though. it pretty much doesn't matter how new the parts, it can still go bad in days, weeks, months, years... also, in theory it sounds like it could be the pump, but why?! if the pump is still spinning freely and not leaking(or spinning in the opposite direction) i dont see how it could be bad. unless the design aspect is really terrible.

 

[rush2252]

my only other suggestion is at one point somebody mixed green w red and got sludge. But usually it rots out the freeze plugs before it plugs up completely This one is frustrating. I have a feeling either the OP is leaving out an important bit of info or were overlooking the obvious..

Kolby

 

[95 'clipse RS]

yeah i know what you mean. the water pump seems fine in theory. but to me that only leaves something like the thermo, head gasket, or a clog of some sort in the head or block like you mentioned with the sludge. IMO if he meant that he put his finger in the coolant after the thermostat was supposed to open and be flowing, he'd be feeling some near boiling coolant. and that would suck. i've done it. but it could be possible that its actually opening too late i suppose. that could explain why the coolant wasn't flowing like it should and why it actually isn't full blown overheating. he's just going to have to either pray its the pump since he ordered it already or do more tests on the cooling system for us to help.

 

[mnetwork]

It is not air because I thoroughly burped the system when I intalled the new radiator. The thermostat is also new and the one before it was OEM AND NEW. It didn't seem to change anythign when I changed the thermostat lastt time. When I put my finger in the coolant it was too hot to leave there, it wasn't just warm or something. Another thing, when I took off the pump, there wasn't a buildup of slude or anything like that at all. Puttin my finger in the passages doesn't reveal any sludge either. That doesn't mean there isn't buildup somehwere in the block, but at least I know it isn't a huge problem all over the motor. As for the heater core I might try to flush it when I put the new pump back in but, why would this cause overheating? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mnetwork]

I also just tested my thermostat in a pot.. it fully opens up fine.

 

[flawlessTSI]

are your fans pushing or pulling?

 

[95 'clipse RS]

actually the boiling points are a bit different. water boils over at 212 degrees F. However, a 50/50 mix of water and coolant will boil over at approx. 268 degrees F.

also, i dont see the heater core posing as a threat to this overheating. yes, he stated he isn't getting sufficient heat, but the heater core doesn't provide much cooling at all. and it only does when its functioning. besides, not much coolant even flows through it to begin with. only thing that the heater core could be affecting is that he might be cold in the winter. however, if the heater core is cracked, or leaking, then that could be affecting this, but only pretty much in loss of coolant. you could unhook it, but unless its leaking it wont make much difference.

rush, i do agree with you though. it pretty much doesn't matter how new the parts, it can still go bad in days, weeks, months, years... also, in theory it sounds like it could be the pump, but why?! if the pump is still spinning freely and not leaking(or spinning in the opposite direction) i dont see how it could be bad. unless the design aspect is really terrible.

^^a clogged heater core wont cause overheating. if it was cracked and you lost coolant then it would. but with it clogged you just wont get good heat.

 

[mnetwork]

are your fans pushing or pulling?

Both fans are wired up to the low and hi wires and and both are pullers.

yeah i know what you mean. the water pump seems fine in theory. but to me that only leaves something like the thermo, head gasket, or a clog of some sort in the head or block like you mentioned with the sludge. IMO if he meant that he put his finger in the coolant after the thermostat was supposed to open and be flowing, he'd be feeling some near boiling coolant. and that would suck. i've done it. but it could be possible that its actually opening too late i suppose. that could explain why the coolant wasn't flowing like it should and why it actually isn't full blown overheating. he's just going to have to either pray its the pump since he ordered it already or do more tests on the cooling system for us to help.

Thermo is good, head gasket seems very unlikely since the none of the cylinders came back really low on the compression test, not seeing any signs of sludge (although I can't see into the engine), radator cap is good...

 

[95 'clipse RS]

well there you go, you're eliminating a lot of these other things by testing/checking them. with the the thermo being good, im thinking its the pump. it pretty much has to be unless you have a major clog to prevent the coolant to flow after the thermostat opens. oh, and are your fans set to push or pull? pull as in from outside the bay to inside, and push from inside to outside.

 

[mnetwork]

They're both pullers...

 

[95 'clipse RS]

ok good, i was going to say they would be fighting against the wind on the highway. but anyways, do you still have the thermostat out of the car? and the water pump too? are both still out?

 

[mnetwork]

Yes I do.. everything is out as the new water pump doesn't come in till tomorrow.

 

[95 'clipse RS]

you could test for a major clog, at least in the upper part of the engine if you want the reassurance. take a hose and stick it in the thermostat housing and turn it on and see if water comes out of where the water pump would be almost as fast as its going in. or you could use a gallon jug, but it wont show if its actually able to flow well.

 

[mnetwork]

I poured some water in there and it came right out... didn't seem to have resistance..

 

[95 'clipse RS]

im pretty sure the pump will solve it then. you'll definatley know tomorrow. but its looking like its all narrowed down to the pump.

 

[mnetwork]

I hope so, this engine is so simple. I can't imagine what else could be causing this. Also, what is the proper way to install the water pump. Can I just use the gasket or do I have to use rtv on top of the gasket?

 

[95 'clipse RS]

you're supposed to be able to use the gasket that comes with it by itself. but i personally dont trust them by themselves. i always use either hi temp silicone or water pump/thermostat sealant you can get from autozone for like 5 bucks for either of them. i use this on both sides of the gasket material. i just feel reassured that it WONT leave me stranded or ruin an engine because of something i could have done on the install to prevent a leak. plus you wont have to take it back apart and seal it if it leaks as well. but its up to you of which you would prefer. its just my opinion. i hope i've been able to help you out man.

oh and i usually use a criss cross pattern when tightening the bolts to ensure that it mates up to the surfaces as flat as possible, just like im torquing down a head. just not near as much torque.

 

[rush2252]

+1^^ I use a small dot of rtv only to hold the gasket in place while installing the pump. If you get too much then it can cause more problems. If you coat the entire gasket surface then make sure you dont use excessive amounts and make sure its fairly even.

Kolby

 

[95 'clipse RS]

^^ yes. that is a good point and advice. good lookin out.

 

[mnetwork]

Bought some rtv today. I'll throw it all in tomorrow and update. Any other ideas on this issue would be great...

 

[rush2252]

As previously stated I would go rent a pressure tester and put some pressure on the system once the new pump is installed and everything is back together. This would rule out leaky heater core etc etc. If no leaks and a new pump problem should be solved

Kolby

Stop being paranoid your working on a DSM what could possibly go wrong

 

[mnetwork]

As previously stated I would go rent a pressure tester and put some pressure on the system once the new pump is installed and everything is back together. This would rule out leaky heater core etc etc. If no leaks and a new pump problem should be solved

Kolby

Stop being paranoid your working on a DSM what could possibly go wrong

Where would I get a pressure tester. I've never used or seen one for a coolant system so I have no idea what I'm trying to get.

 

[alpinestars1239]

k so i just had the motor rebuilt, everything was replaced, yesterday i changed out the timing cover because it was cracked, and now my car overheats in ten mins all the time.. did i mess anything up or does anyone have an idea of what happened?

 

[greenydsm]

leaking any fluid?

do you have any colent?


also..are your belts on correctly?

 

[eclipsepunx]

Check out this thread. It pretty much list everything you can do to check the system.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/334006-over-heating-issue.html


One of the biggest things overlooked, even though it should be obvious, is the fans. Are yours working?