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!

 

[ddavisaf]

I have nothing until you post the results of the compression test. It's a strange problem, but I may or may not have a couple tricks up my sleeve.

Don't forget to replace the radiator cap.

 

[ddavisaf]

Oh yeah. Pull off the LICP real quick also, and see if you're pooling oil. Are you venting your BOV?

 

[dashtz69]

Alright, I just got back from work. While I was at work my Dad replaced the Thermostat. He said he let it idle for a while, and then drove it about 30 miles to fill up the tank. He said the needle pegged out just above where it used to, but this was probably because he got a bigger thermostat (I think he said he got the 180 instead of 170). He explained it to me, and I guess it makes sense, but I'm not sure if he's correct. Then I did a compression test right after I got home from work. THe car had been sitting for a little while (about 20 minutes), but was still warm. I got between 178-182 all the way across. That is still weird because before it used to read way high, around 195-210 at the highest one time. But it could also be because of it sitting for that little bit. It was too dark to get to the LICP, and no I do not vent my BOV. And the car didn't burn any more oil on that 30 mile trip. So I will keep an eye on the temp. and maybe do another compression test when it hasn't been sitting for so long. Is there anything else I should be keeping an eye out for? Sorry for the long posts, but thanks for the help!

Josh

 

[ddavisaf]

Your oil problem concerns me more than the coolant does to be honest.
I'm wondering if you blew the valve cover gasket, or if you're losing oil through the turbo seals. Clean out the oil in your engine bay. Brake clean or wash it (make sure you cover the CAS). Then lets locate this leak.

 

[ZachM31]

this is just something i've noticed on 20+ mile trips, if i go about 10 miles (to work, to school) i never have a problem with overheating, but on trips longer than that, about 10 miles into them, my coolant gauge starts to rise, so what i do is just turn the heater on and roll the windows down, this keeps the gauge about where it should be (right at half) otherwise it sits at about 5/8 or so of the way up the gauge, i have a new waterpump, new coolant (60% distilled water, 40% prestone any color antifreeze), no leaks, coolant level is full, recovery tank is at full, i don't have a FMIC.... i was going to buy a water temp gauge just so i knew exact numbers and whatnot, but it is fine around town, but if i am on the highway at 60-70 mph.. then up she goes, everything is in proper order, so should i just buy some water wetter and see what that does for me? i used to be able to drive 85 mph on a 90 degree day for an hour straight and never had any problems, but i overheat on 50 degree nights! summer is over now, but i dont want to leave a problem behind me and have to worry about it next summer.. any help would be nice..

 

[justin0469]

new thermostat?

 

[AWDPetmitsu]

Yeah, new theromstat and/or radiator cap? We don't see those listed.

 

[ZachM31]

well ive noticed that my radiator cap "sticks", like when i turn it, i have to pry it a bit to get it off, don't know if that is a problem, and i believe i still have the original thermostat, so i will do those 2 things, and go from there, should i buy OEM ones? or does anyone know a good place with decent prices? i am on a pretty tight budget, and was hoping it wouldnt come down to spending money, but i guess if it needs to be done, than so be it, thanks.

*well i bought an OEM thermostat and radiator cap from Mach V, so i will see how it works then after i replace those 2 parts..*

 

[blkGSTspider]

yesterday, my car is overheated...
there was full coolant and i change my water pump like 3 weeks ago...
i was 30 minutes away and i had to drive home... so i drove a little and stop and cool the car down and go again and again.... i drove car like 5 minutes with higher that H red line for like 5 times... does this enough to damage my engine??? it took me five hours to get home...
please give me some advise about damaging my engine and how do i check...
and how much compression is normal??
couldnt find good answer on the search....
please reply
thank you

 

[power=dsm]

driving on the "h" is a BIG nono

if you a 1g compression is 165, 2g 185 on turbo models

Damage you could cause is damaged head gasket, warped head from the extrem heat and worst case scenario is a warped block

Start off by checking your oil, coolant and doing a compression. You might want to change your coolant, because once it boils over it's not good anymore.

 

[blkGSTspider]

i see no coolant in oil and no oil in coolant...
and if its radiator cap, i suppose to see steams coming out from the radiator cap when i overheated right?? i see only steam coming out from the small hose that going in to the coolant container...
damn whats wrong.. i cant even take it to mechanic cuz its labor day damn...

 

[blkGSTspider]

how much is to fix the damage in worst scenario?
does it can be fixed completely?

 

[power=dsm]

flush your coolant and put some new stuff in that motor! bring you car to a garage and have them pressurize you cooling system with air( no more than 20psi) It can give you a heads up on whats

 

[nc90awd]

if you over heated with no coolant loss I would change the thermostat and radiator cap especially if you already changed the water pump

 

[ddavisaf]

You more than likely warped the head. Never drive a car hot. As to why you overheated...
Thermostat, Radiator cap would be the first things to change out.
Then do a compression test. 165 Is standard, 121 service limit with a difference of no more than 14 psi between cylinders.
You most likely warped the head though.
Which is a couple few hundred dollars to fix if you take it somewhere. Doing it yourself, 150 max for a gasket kit, and then you'll need new headbolts which vary in price. Hard to tell since we don't know what kind of car you have.
Update your vehicle profile.

 

[Tweaker_G]

Ok I've been having problems with my car overheating while on the freeway. It stays normal while driving under 65, but once I get that fast it starts slowly creeping up. Also the heater doesn't work most of the time. I'm assuming these are related. Anyways so far I've changed the water pump, thermostat, head gasket, chekced the tension on the belt, and cleaned out the cooling system. What else could be causing it to overheat like that?

 

[luv2rallye]

A faulty radiator cap.

 

[Tweaker_G]

whoops i forgot that i've changed that too

 

[blackGSX2g]

Have you checked to see that the water pump is pumping by starting it up with the radiator cap off?

Are you losing coolant at all, or does your coolant level stay normal?

If you are loosing coolant, take your car to a shop that can do a hydrocarbon test on your cooling system to see if any exhaust is getting in there in case your headgasket didn't seal right.

 

[Tweaker_G]

I've checked the water pump and it is pumping. I lose coolant, but it's very slowly. I'm thinkin that it's just leaking from the overflow tank though cause it'll go down to a certain point to where it's almost empty in the overflow tank and then it won't lose any more. I'll see if I can get it in for that hydrocarbon test. Anything else I could check before I get that done?

 

[urcnjoe]

Do a compression test. When you did your head gasket it may not have sealed properly. What type of gasket did you use, and did you have the head machined to make sure it was straight? Did you re-use your old head studs or replace them?

 

[blackGSX2g]

You could also pressure test your coolant system. I believe Sears has a tool for that. If your system has small holes that leak under pressure, it could cause you to dribble away coolant and allow your car to overheat. My buddy had a small slit in the hose that goes to the heater core and it caused his motor to overheat constantly. The coolant would just slowly drip onto either the exhaust or behind the motor where you couldn't see/smell it so it wasn't noticable.

Try that and a compression test. Those would be the best 'free' solutions before you test the coolant for hydrocarbons.

 

[kory03]

Hey guys i have had my dsm for sometime now, has made plenty cross country trips due to being in the navy but this trip was the worst. I drove from fl to missouri, and the car drove fine for the 2 days. I stayed in my home town and left about two days later. I drove from missouri to washington and went through the mountains and well about a day into the mountains my engine temp started raising and i noticed the car running extremely rich. I have a fmic too so if that plays any factor, but it only did it in the mountains. any help would be appreciated. thank you.

 

[Tweaker_G]

I can't remember what gasket I used, but it was the most expensive one that napa had. Yes I had the head machined and used new head bolts. I'll try the compression and pressure tests and tell you my results.

 

[Tweaker_G]

I actually had the same problem with my 92 eclipse. I went from Missouri to Idaho and had to stop after every mountain in Wyoming to let it cool off. That was about a year ago and it's still overheating.