The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support STM Tuned
Please Support Fuel Injector Clinic

Car Overheated / Overheating / Overheats [MERGED]

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

NTRCOOL

Probationary Member
24
0
Apr 10, 2002
Richmond_Va.
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!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So by the way i didnt think about it but it has an aftermarket front mounted intercooler that the owner previous to my brother put on. Im not sure what brand it is. Would i need to pull off the bumper and take pictures in order for y'all to identify it? I saw another thread that someone was having overheating issues that had to do with their fmic.
 
From my experience overheating like this is usually one thing.....headgasket. It sounds like your pressurizing your coolant system. I would buy or rent a tester to check for gases in your coolant system. If your car can't cool down on the highway it's usually head gasket.
 
Where's the "have you compression tested yet" question?

My 1g I DD now was having overheating issues. I do not have a/c anymore. I removed all the lines and that damn a/c condenser and it helped quite a bit with temps. So instead of air going FMIC, AC condenser and then the radiator it goes FMIC and then radiator. I have a nice gal between the intercooler and radiator now. Just a suggestion.

I have a question though for OP, where exactly was the temp gauge at when you pulled over because it was "rising"?

I did pretty much same thing, car blew upper radiator hose and noticed it getting hot. I shut it off but the damage was already done. The HG was toasted.
 
I'd say let it run get up to temperature fill it and leave he cap off and see if it starts to bubble that's the easiest way to check
 
Where's the "have you compression tested yet" question?

My 1g I DD now was having overheating issues. I do not have a/c anymore. I removed all the lines and that damn a/c condenser and it helped quite a bit with temps. So instead of air going FMIC, AC condenser and then the radiator it goes FMIC and then radiator. I have a nice gal between the intercooler and radiator now. Just a suggestion.

I have a question though for OP, where exactly was the temp gauge at when you pulled over because it was "rising"?

I did pretty much same thing, car blew upper radiator hose and noticed it getting hot. I shut it off but the damage was already done. The HG was toasted.

First off, thanks everyone for the quick replies.

Second, the temp gauge was right below the red when i pulled over last saturday (the 1st). I cut the engine as i pulled into the shoulder and then the radiator popped. Im thinking you may be on to something with the compressor delete. I will take pictures of what i have going on when i get off work today.

As for the coolant pressure and compression tests, im not terribly savvy when it comes to fixing my own car quite yet as this is my first car ive felt the urge to really learn on. I know i can rent these kits at a parts store, and i will look up the proper procedure to safely do these tests when the time comes. Unfortunately i dont think ill be able to get them done today.

@gsxeclipse102, im losing coolant because im removing the cap and coolant and steam spews everywhere. I do my best to clean up the affected areas to prevent corrosion and replace the cap once the pressure is relieved.
 
It really sounds like a bad head gasket to me. What you need to do is:

1. let your car sit until it is completely cooled down.
2. Top off the coolant and start the car with the radiator cap off. Turn the heat on full blast. Let the system bleed out and add coolant as needed.
3. Let the car completely cool down again.
4. Take the radiator cap off and watch the fluid. If there is bubbles on a cold start then that is a pretty good sign that you have a blown head gasket.

The real way to tell is to do a leak down test. This involves pressurizing the cylinder from the spark plug hole with an air compressor and a special tool. When doing that test if you see bubbles in the coolant, then you know for sure you have a blown head gasket.

I cant believe no one has said this yet, but you need to quit opening the coolant system while it is hot. ESPECIALLY when its overheating. The coolant will give you 3rd degree burns and the steam can burn you down to the bone. It is not doing anything for you regardless if you think its helping. That is not how cooling systems work. Just let the car cool down on its own.

Running the car until it gets just below the red line is very bad and can kill your engine in a heart beat. If it goes anything past half way you need to pull over and stop. Just because its not it the red doesn't mean its not overheating. Again, anything past half way is over heating.

The coolant is probably not only going down from you opening it, but its probably being pushed out of the overflow as well. I am betting that you have a blown head gasket and are pushing coolant. I have had this happen to me many times and it sounds like the issue. So run the test for that and see what happens.
 
It really sounds like a bad head gasket to me. What you need to do is:

1. let your car sit until it is completely cooled down.
2. Top off the coolant and start the car with the radiator cap off. Turn the heat on full blast. Let the system bleed out and add coolant as needed.
3. Let the car completely cool down again.
4. Take the radiator cap off and watch the fluid. If there is bubbles on a cold start then that is a pretty good sign that you have a blown head gasket.

The real way to tell is to do a leak down test. This involves pressurizing the cylinder from the spark plug hole with an air compressor and a special tool. When doing that test if you see bubbles in the coolant, then you know for sure you have a blown head gasket.

I cant believe no one has said this yet, but you need to quit opening the coolant system while it is hot. ESPECIALLY when its overheating. The coolant will give you 3rd degree burns and the steam can burn you down to the bone. It is not doing anything for you regardless if you think its helping. That is not how cooling systems work. Just let the car cool down on its own.

Running the car until it gets just below the red line is very bad and can kill your engine in a heart beat. If it goes anything past half way you need to pull over and stop. Just because its not it the red doesn't mean its not overheating. Again, anything past half way is over heating.

The coolant is probably not only going down from you opening it, but its probably being pushed out of the overflow as well. I am betting that you have a blown head gasket and are pushing coolant. I have had this happen to me many times and it sounds like the issue. So run the test for that and see what happens.

I will have the mechanic check the head gasket tomorow. I am aware of the risks of both the coolant temperature, as well of the respiratory risks of inhaling the vaporized coolant, i have been using 2 towels to cover the cap and wearing both gloves and a respirator when the fumes are present. Hopefully after tomorrow my mechanic will have an answer for me as he works on imports.
 
This seems like a HG. Mine was about the same spot on the temp gauge and towed it home. Fixed broken hose and filled with water for temp test thinking I had caught it in time. I drove less than 3 blocks and it immediately starting rising the temp gauge. I got home and the overflow was VIOLENTLY bubble with the car off.


Edit: @jakk220 you are definitely correct, don't open it when it's hot!!!
 
Has there been any outcome of this yet. I seem to have a similar issue. I have a 1g with a fmic and a mishimoto radiator with one stock fan. My thermostat I'm pretty positive is a 180 with a small hole drilled. The car will cruise at 203-206 and if I do a pull on a 80* day it jumps to 223 but slowly goes back to around 206. Thanks
 
You can have a tiny leak in the headgasket that a compression test or leak down test wont show. Best way to check for this, is either drive it down the block revving it out, or free rev it up high a few times. The point of this is to put a load on the engine but not allow it to get up to operating temp. Cut the car off and get out and check to see if your hoses are pressurized. If the hoses are pressurized then it is definitely the head gasket.
 
Sorry for the delayed reply. This still has not been resolved. Its been in the shop for a while. On an unrelated note one of my ignition coils disintegrated and my fuel injector rail was cracked and leaking fuel so i had to get those replaced. They are now trying to figure out the overheating issue.
 
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top