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!

 

[motozachl]

Wow this is a great find. Often its the smallest items that cause the issue. Perhaps this is also why I have a boost leak

 

[BrokenTsi]

Its the hose that comes from the thermostat housing? Those hoses are pretty stout, what did you do to be able to get a crimp in it?

 

[motozachl]

^^ I believe he meant crack and not crimp...

....but it was basically a hole in that hose that was sucking air in....

 

[olmytsi]

Good shit!!! I need to replace my overflow hose as well cause I think it has some cracks in it.

 

[ClipseAPG]

Hey guys, after flushing the whole system and checking everything, I figured I would check out if it maybe I just had air pockets in the system. However, after filling everything up and starting the car without the radiator cap on, I saw I was pushing coolant out of the temp housing and the system was VERY pressurized (the upper radiator hose was very very hard to squeeze) which directly translates into a blown headgasket right? Anyways, if I'm looking at a headgasket job, then I will replace the water pump at the same time to be sure as is recommended. I have been "scared" to do a timing belt job however, because the timing marks on my camshaft gears don't seem to align. I'm concerned because the previous mechanic to work on the car may have screwed the timing marks up, is that possible or am I just expecting the worst in my mind? Do you guys have any tips for someone doing their first headgasket and timing job? Any information that people usually pick up after having done a few of them would be great like lubing up the oil pump, water pump, what tools would be best etc...Also, if I'm not going to be sending the block off to get machined then a cometic headgasket isn't what I should use and I should be using an MLS is that correct? Any bits of information would be appreciated, it looks like I'll be memorizing all of the VFAQ and write-ups on here in regards to timing and HG jobs....Thanks!

 

[BLINKY619]

head gasket replacemnts are fairly easy not to mention you learn more stuff and may find more if none surprises... other than that dont have bad thoughts its a dsm. sooo it will be harsh at times.... well ok to start off heres a quick review of what some other people have posted

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/maintenance-repairs/378764-head-gasket-kit.html

hope it helps

 

[viprez586]

You've got it backwards. MLS are for blocks & heads that have been resurfaced.

Like mine yay!

 

[ZyklonBZombie]

i have a 92 eclipse gsx with a "jdm" galant vr4 engine. the problem is that my car doesn't read past the middle mark of the temp gauge (though it was just 2 days ago) but when i finish driving and shut the engine off the coolant os "bubbling" and sometimes blows out the overflow tank. i have replaced several hoses that had leaks develope, replaced the thermostat and the radiator cap. i am running a bottle of 50/50 mix antifreeze with the rest water (prior i was running distilled water and water wetter with no problems). the water pump is maybe 9 months old, the thermostat opens, the fan comes on (i only have the rad fan closest to the hoses), and alumiun radiator. the upper radiator hose did collapse on itself once. i also replaced the alternator last week (because someone told me seizing alt bearings can cause the water pump to move slower and cause overheating). i am at a loss as to why i am overheating and lossing coolant. also since replacing the alt my low oil light stays on and flickers when driving. any ideas or thoughts ??? i am at such a loss and worried that i may a head gasket problem, cracked head, or jumped time ... also i am blowing no smoke, no water in oil or oil in water and performance is great, no power loss or misfiring. please help!!!!!

 

[92AWDHX40]

Do a compression test, coolant loss overheating that could be the cause.

 

[jmorri15]

try tightening your belts. mine was slipping but not making noise so the water pump wasnt running at the right speed. it had me stumped for a few weeks.
oh and look in your oil to see if theres any coolant in there. if there isnt an exchange of oil and coolant i would say its a pump problem

 

[prockish_90gsx]

the oil light flickering is probably the sensor which is located on the oil filter housing. either the wire is not making good contact or the sensor is bad. good luck

 

[Demon33]

I had a similar problem last year- pushing coolant past the radiator cap and into the coolant overflow bottle. At boost levels below 20 psi I didn't see this problem at all. But above 20 psi I pushed coolant every time.

So long story short, after trying several OEM replacement radiator caps (13 psi) without success, I found a 1.3 bar (19 psi) cap in the classifieds that to this day has not let a single drop of coolant into the overflow bottle even at 26 psi boost!

On Green Performance has 1.1 bar (16 psi) caps which they say are good for 20+ psi boost levels.

Also, fix any leaks in the coolant system ASAP. A drop in pressure due to a leak will lower the boiling point of your coolant and cause it to boil much sooner than normal. A blown or leaking head gasket can also be a possible cause of your problem.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[RLPerformance]

Get a combustion tester and check for combustion in the coolant. Usually if a headgasket is really bad it will start bubbling pretty quick with the radiator cap off. Sometimes letting the car warm up can show combustion, other times you have to rev the engine while checking. If the tester fluid turns from blue to green or yellow, you have a headgasket failure.

Also if the issue happened after replacing hoses, make sure there isnt any air in the system. That too will cause "bubbling" and overheating.

 

[Gs Dewd]

You probably have a blown head gasket. I to had this same thing happen. The car would idle all day long and not heat up. Short trips it wouldn't heat up. Drive it for over a half hour and it would overheat. Replaced the headgasket and problem was solved. How much boost are you running and did at anytime it spike to the high side just before the overheating problem start? You should never under any amount of boost be forcing antifreze out of the radiator. The only way it can be "forced" out like that is excess pressure as in combustion pressure from a blown head gasket. Replacing the head gasket is not that bad of a job either. took me about 4 hrs with the extra cleaning and painting I did while the head was off.

 

[99gst_racer]

My money is on the head gasket as well. I just went through this with my car like 10 days ago.

 

[my dreamt dsm]

My money is on the head gasket. I also had boiling coolant and later down the road blew my head gasket. But first start with the less costly. You said you replaced the radiator cap... which kind? Try using the one at autozone with the red clip. I forgot the name. It looks really technical, square shape. There are cheap ones and good ones. It overflows the reservoir because the cap rubber or spring is faulty and letting coolant being push back to the reservoir, that means hot coolant from the engine. Secondly try bleeding all the air out. At times some air in the system will cause over heats. Third... your fug! Head gasket is bad... These video helped me out... check it out!
YouTube - Engine coolant system and compression testing
YouTube - How To Tell If Your Head Gasket Is Blown
One thing I would try that I picked up from davidsfarm Is too start the engine up cold in the morning put your foot on the brake and hit the gas not redlining but get the RPM's around 1500-2000 for 20 seconds, shut the engine off right after and pull the cap if you got high pressure in the coolant system its def exhaust gases getting in through the head gasket because there should be no pressure when cold. Hope this helps.

 

[dsmposter]

i have this problem too. i dont know what it is and its getting me really mad. car over heats to about 234-240. when the ac is on. . once i turn it off it goes back to normal. but when i turn it off. i turn on the heater full blast. i really dont know whats going

 

[my dreamt dsm]

So whats up! Got any clues to seeing what it is!

 

[georgiaboy]

Keep in mind that your coolant system should be a completely closed system, sans having too much pressure in the system and letting the radiator cap relieve the system. The amount of boost you are running should have no bearing on your radiator cap spring pressure. If by boosting you are causing the radiator cap to *relieve* the coolant system, you most likely have a head gasket popped between a cylinder and a coolant passage. So every time the piston is on the compression stroke it pushes pressurized air into the coolant tract. After a few revolutions, the coolant system is so full of pressure that the radiator cap must relieve the system.
Now, can you verify that your cooling fans are coming on? Can you turn your heater on and see the temperature drop somewhat (the heater core acts as a second heat exchanger and allows for more cooling). Your temp guage may not be reading a true reading if there is only air around the temperature sensor, although with you telling us that it is boiling out, I would think that air is being forced out constantly (that is if air is being added constantly through a cylinder).
At first I would guess a radiator cap if everything else is normal, but only use a cap that has an OEM-recommended pressure; you should need no more than this if everything else is in order.
Kinda sounds to me like a headgasket, but do verify your fans are coming on, that the cooling fins of the radiator have no dirt packed in them (do a lot of dirt road driving?), that all of the air is purged from the system, and you have a good mix of AF.

-Les

 

[JDT]

Just a few weeks ago my coolant bottle would bubble and change color. I replace the head gasket and then the timing belt snapped after starting her up. Best bet is it's the HG...

 

[kip477]

my car is over heating and im not sure why, i was thinking my intercooler was to big and its not getting enough air... but i blew a head gasket because it overheated... so is there a typical reason why they over heat?

 

[agentorange313]

Do you have coolant?

Is you radiator or coolant system clogged at all?

What color is your coolant?

What radiator do you have(oem, aluminum aftermarket)?

What condition are you hoses in?

Do you have a coolant leak?

Is your thermostat working?

 

[LunarEclips]

Do you have coolant?

Is you radiator or coolant system clogged at all?

What color is your coolant?

What radiator do you have(oem, aluminum aftermarket)?

What condition are you hoses in?

Do you have a coolant leak?

Is your thermostat working?

cooling system is not the only reason why it could overheat.

list of endless causes

-poor maintenance (low oil)
-bad a/f ratios (stuck closed injector)
-detonation (lack of fuel)
-clogged intercooler causing high temp inlet (or high ambient temps)
-bad sensors causing bad fuel mixtures (ie cam or crank sensor)
-bad ecu
-bad cooling system (water pump, leaky radiator or hoses, low coolant)

and ALOT more that i cant think of right now.....
-

 

[chris_taylor123]

cooling system is not the only reason why it could overheat.

list of endless causes

-poor maintenance (low oil)
-bad a/f ratios (stuck closed injector)
-detonation (lack of fuel)
-clogged intercooler causing high temp inlet (or high ambient temps)
-bad sensors causing bad fuel mixtures (ie cam or crank sensor)
-bad ecu
-bad cooling system (water pump, leaky radiator or hoses, low coolant)

and ALOT more that i cant think of right now.....
-

Its Crazy how many things could be wrong Does it overheat at idle or when your going down the road?

 

[Blurred Talon]

my car is over heating and im not sure why, i was thinking my intercooler was to big and its not getting enough air... but i blew a head gasket because it overheated... so is there a typical reason why they over heat?

Do you have any duct work to force air into the rad after it passes through your FMIC?
Air follows the path of least resistance.