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!

 

[Gamble97]

Also, the gauge goes 3/4 high and I was looking at the temps through dsmlink

 

[talon95]

I would take the thermostat out and run the car to see if it still overheats. If it doesn't then it could be a bad thermostat. Even new ones can be bad from the factory.

Also try flushing the radiator. I could have gotten plugged.

 

[Gamble97]

Before I put the radiator in I flushed it so I know it's not clogged. Maybe I will try what you said. Have you guys heard about drilling holes in the thermostat?

 

[ck1938]

Before I put the radiator in I flushed it so I know it's not clogged. Maybe I will try what you said. Have you guys heard about drilling holes in the thermostat?

I have a Ford Explorer and the thermostat on that has a burp hole, basically it comes with a hole drilled in it. From what I read drilling a hole in a thermostat is not a problem. It might be easier to ask the parts guy if they have one that will fit that already has the burp hole.

Also make sure your fan is running while it is idling. If it's not you might need to replace a fuse or try a new fan. There's also a relay temperature sensor you could check out too.

 

[Gamble97]

Well, I know the fan is on, but I'm unsure of what temp the fan comes on at. I have the dsmlink coolant offset to 19* so that the fan comes on early. Is it also true that the fan turns off at 30mph?
Anyone have the link to the burp holes in the thermostat, I can't find it.

 

[JLangevin]

Most companies already install a jiggle pin (burb hole) in the thermostats... make sure that when you install the thermostat that the pin points toward the sky. Im not sure why it matters, but it does.

If you have tried everything....

-Radiator
-Hoses
-Thermostat
-Fans
-Water Pump
-Coolant mix

... the only other thing I can think of is leaking head gasket... I would do a compression test next.

 

[Gamble97]

On my fan I have it setup as normal, and I read somewhere that there are 2 speeds for stock fans. I have a slim fan and took both powers and ran them to the 1 power on the fan and did the same with the ground. How do I get the fan to go on high mode? I saw the fan on at idle but it was spinning so slow, like not enough to blow anything.

 

[Auto RS T]

The hole that should be in the thermostat should only be pencil tipped size. It goes on the flange of the thermostat to help air bleed out of the sytem. Most stock t-stats come with a bleed. If there isn't one, add it.

I was thinking there may be an air pocket in the cooling system... now that I see that your fan is running slow, it could be that.

To test the fan theory you could put a blower in front of the radiator and see if the car overheats while idling, this simulates the car moving while you can still check things out. Check the temp difference between the upper and lower radiator hose. This is a good way to indicate if the t-stat is working.

 

[Gamble97]

With dsmlink I had the fan on all the time and it was still overheating at idle.

 

[Gamble97]

Most companies already install a jiggle pin (burb hole) in the thermostats... make sure that when you install the thermostat that the pin points toward the sky. Im not sure why it matters, but it does.

If you have tried everything....

-Radiator
-Hoses
-Thermostat
-Fans
-Water Pump
-Coolant mix

... the only other thing I can think of is leaking head gasket... I would do a compression test next.

tried a new thermostat today and bled the system, still nothing. both upper and lower hoses are hot, the top is hotter than the bottom.
also the fan isn't kicking on. how can i fix this? it will kick on w/ dsmlink but not on it's own

 

[Gamble97]

I posted this in the wrong sections before.

I have checked the hoses, and radiator.
I have replaced the thermostat and radiator cap and bled the system all this week.
I still can't figure this out. I just got done doing the thermostat and bled the system of any air. Still overheats at idle.
Now I've noticed that my fan isn't kicking on. Could this be why I'm at 230*?
I tested my fan with dsmlink and it works, but why does it not come on by itself?
Also could the fan not turning on be the culpret of me running 40* over normal. This is assuming normal temp is 190ish.

 

[Arrow_Runner]

So this is happening ONLY at idle?

And I assume you have enough coolent then right?

Something to check the fan theory is to

A: If you can use DSMlink to keep it on, do so and let the car idle and see if it overheats

B: Just turn the AC on, it will kick the other fan on.

If the fan being on keeps it from overheating, then you'll either have to figure out why it won't come on, or wire up a switch to manually turn it on or just wire it to always on. I would do the 1st one, but the third option would be a good temporary fix.

 

[just2asian]

Try taking the thermostat out and running it without the thermostat, my buddy had an issue like that and he took the thermostat out and ran it. When you run it with the thermostat off you get constant coolant flow. if that solves your problem, then it may be the headgasket. You may have a small leak in a water jacket, and it could be just small enough to create overheating.

 

[Gamble97]

update: Ok, first question, which is the A/C fan and which is for cooling the motor?
I found that one fan will kick on w/ dsmlink and I had a backwards wire for the other fan. I fixed the wire, replaced the fuse and they should both work now. Also, my IAC just took a crap, so as soon as I get a new one I'll let you guys know if I still have this problem.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

If you are looking at the front of the car the AC fan will be on the passenger side.
http://members.shaw.ca/dsm.1000q/Engineprimer/2G/fan.htm
Also I see that you have a FMIC. What size is it, large FMICs have been known to produce a little hotter engine temps at idle, because the fans cant pull as much cool air through the FMIC to the radiator. A good little trick is to wire up the right fan to run with the left AC fan...so they both run all the time.

Dustin

 

[Gamble97]

I have the turbo xs fmic.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

24"x12"x3"? It may be just that since its so big the fans at idle cant pull in as much air since the FMIC is there, but while driving the force of the air as you drive through it allows it to get more to the radiator.

Dustin

 

[5150]

Well its not exactly over heating as much as its just running to hot. I've replaced the thermastat with a 180deg., changed coolant, Fluidyne Radiator, And slimline fan. Cars operates at about 210 with the heater on full blast when i turn the heater off it gets even hotter.

I have no idea what else to do so if anyone has anything please let me know.

 

[Wherestheboost]

Taken all proper procedures where done with replacing the cap also, and making sure the fluid is full and no air pockets, could possibly be a water pump issue.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

Im guessing you have alogger or an aftermarket guage to measure this. What you could do is take the T-stat out, and drill 2-3 1/16"-1/8" holes in the outer ring of it so that coolant can always flow through those holes without the T-stat having to open. I would also try to burp the system, and add a bottle of wetter to it. Also since you live in Cali. I would say go to a 70/30 coolant mix (70% water), the water absorbs heat better. Also do you have AC? I would say get a piece of metal that is 6"s wide, and is as long as the radiator, and angle it under the car between the AC condensor and radiator. Also check your rad. cap for dry rot, or any cracks.

Dustin

 

[GSTracer05]

Hey there...

I'm having the same exact problem so I'm curious to know if the other guy tried some of the listed advice and if his problem is resolved.

I have a 99GST with a Greddy Front Mount IC. Once I upgraded to the XS Ballbearing Turbocharger, the car started to overheat under hard driving or with the A/C on. The car is automatic btw.

I purchased a Fluidyne radiator with 2 FAL slimline fans which I have wired to run all the time and the car still overheats. I have tried the Redline waterwetter but not much help. I mostly use water for the radiator with a tad bit of antifreeze. (im in so cal).

Where can i purchase this 160 thermostat?

I also tried made a custom grill in my front bumper to let in some more air because I figured the intercooler was blocking airflow to the radiator but still no help.

Any further suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Samzer]

Is the fluid leaking out? It may be low.

 

[-noble69-]

ok ive searched threw a lot of threads but still my car over heats
i have changed the radiator, cap, thremo, coolant, blurbed the system. now i have two questions


while i was changeing the radiator i noticed that lots of fins on my intercooler where bent. dunno if this could be my problem or not.
the second question is that when my car over heats i can simpley rev it and it will go down

im at a lost right now. thanks for the help

 

[femmeDSM]

Ah, the dreaded overheating...

Sounds like you've accomplished some of the first troubleshooting tasks already, but here's a run-down that will include some things you may not have checked:

Have you tried running without a thermostat (TEMPORARILY)? Replacing a thermostat doesn't always mean that you've completely ruled the thermostat out as the problem. I've had thermostats go out after only a few weeks in the car. An easy way to completely rule out a faulty thermostat is to remove it completely and test without it (no more than a week or so with this setup, as running permanently w/o a thermostat is not recommended). Also, I assume you replaced the parts listed with OEM? The cheap AutoZone thermostats and rad caps in particular have not proven themselves trustworthy to many.

Have you verified whether you are in fact losing any coolant? From your symptoms, I would not assume this is necessarily the case, but just to be thorough, put a piece of white poster board underneath your car overnight and check for green spots in the morning. Just to rule that out.

Have you inspected ALL of your hoses? Thoroughly? More than once? In good lighting?

What water:antifreeze ratio are you using? You can try adding more water, as water cools better than antifreeze (but does contribute to rust, so don't overdo it). I've also had luck with WaterWetter additive.

Check the crank pulley for separation/play. A bad crank pulley or antique water pump will cause many strange and otherwise unexplainable overheating issues. Also check the water pump belt. Are you getting any belt noise at all?

Verify that your rad fan is coming on when it should. Check the radiator fan switch (the sensor on the bottom passenger side of your radiator) if your fan isn't running.

When's the last time you checked your compression?

Failing these, there are still a few other things we can check out, but this should help us narrow it down.

 

[GVR4592]

The inexpensive slim fans don't flow enough to cool the radiator, especially on 2g cars. Use either stock fans or Spal fans.

I would still do a pressure test on the system and replace the cap if you haven't already.

Napa has the 160 degree thermostats, but I don't think that's such a good idea. If a 180 isn't getting the job done there is an issue somewhere in the system.

Lower temp thermostats can actually cause engine damage, because of expansion(or lack of in this case). Without proper expansion of the cylinder walls, engine wear is increased significantly with temps below 180 degress.