Heating Up!
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 576
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From: En Casa del Carajo
Heating Up! A few days ago my car started to heat up rapidly. Well before it pass 210 I shut it down and let it cool. Now that was when I was driving on the city streets,but when I got on the expressway it it ran cool. Can this mean that my water pump is taking a 
or could it be that my thermostat is getting stuck? Also if it is the thermostat should I just change the waterpump? The car has 103k on that pump?
or could it be that my thermostat is getting stuck? Also if it is the thermostat should I just change the waterpump? The car has 103k on that pump? 
210 is normal operating temp for a car with a stock thermostat. Typically the needle will hover pretty much straight up and down. If you are in stop and go traffic it will hit at least 220 before the fans kick on unless you have the tuning changed. Again, this is normal as you arent getting much airflow accross he radiator.
Check the simple stuff first, coolant level in radiator as well as overflow tank, inspect for leaks, etc.
Its not uncommon for the waterpumps to leak so be sure to look there.
Check the simple stuff first, coolant level in radiator as well as overflow tank, inspect for leaks, etc.
Its not uncommon for the waterpumps to leak so be sure to look there.
Rapid heating out of nowhere that is not the norm for your engine......even though our guages are just that "a guage", they are not accurate in most cases..............the t-stat was probably sticking on you.
There's nothing a bad water pump can do to make you RAPIDLY heat up, but then later on work fine on the highway. Water pumps ALWAYS pump water the same...when they go bad its just because they start to leak....but they KEEP pumping water the same.
In the city, like you were in whe nit got hot rapidly.....could be caused by one of your fans failing to come on. One can do the job, but it will get hotter rapidly IN CITY DRIVING.
On the highway, fans do nothing....all the cooling comes from the lower air dam at speed.
Check the level, maybe you need a new cap that let coolant start to escape into the overflow tank.
If not that...........change the t-stat.
.
There's nothing a bad water pump can do to make you RAPIDLY heat up, but then later on work fine on the highway. Water pumps ALWAYS pump water the same...when they go bad its just because they start to leak....but they KEEP pumping water the same.
In the city, like you were in whe nit got hot rapidly.....could be caused by one of your fans failing to come on. One can do the job, but it will get hotter rapidly IN CITY DRIVING.
On the highway, fans do nothing....all the cooling comes from the lower air dam at speed.
Check the level, maybe you need a new cap that let coolant start to escape into the overflow tank.
If not that...........change the t-stat.
.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 576
Likes: 1
From: En Casa del Carajo
Rapid heating out of nowhere that is not the norm for your engine......even though our guages are just that "a guage", they are not accurate in most cases..............the t-stat was probably sticking on you.
There's nothing a bad water pump can do to make you RAPIDLY heat up, but then later on work fine on the highway. Water pumps ALWAYS pump water the same...when they go bad its just because they start to leak....but they KEEP pumping water the same.
In the city, like you were in whe nit got hot rapidly.....could be caused by one of your fans failing to come on. One can do the job, but it will get hotter rapidly IN CITY DRIVING.
On the highway, fans do nothing....all the cooling comes from the lower air dam at speed.
Check the level, maybe you need a new cap that let coolant start to escape into the overflow tank.
If not that...........change the t-stat.
.
There's nothing a bad water pump can do to make you RAPIDLY heat up, but then later on work fine on the highway. Water pumps ALWAYS pump water the same...when they go bad its just because they start to leak....but they KEEP pumping water the same.
In the city, like you were in whe nit got hot rapidly.....could be caused by one of your fans failing to come on. One can do the job, but it will get hotter rapidly IN CITY DRIVING.
On the highway, fans do nothing....all the cooling comes from the lower air dam at speed.
Check the level, maybe you need a new cap that let coolant start to escape into the overflow tank.
If not that...........change the t-stat.
.
Last edited by wicked383lt1; Feb 17, 2011 at 06:45 PM.
The weep hole is on the bottom of the water pump pulley. See if its leaking from there. If so, you need to buy a new water pump.
But that doesn;'t cause overheating....UNLESS it has been leaking for a long time and you're just really low on coolant.
What probably happend is: You lost enough coolant to get an air pocket on the engine/head side of the t-stat and your temps rocketed up....then the t-stat finally opened and coolant was able to flow again. If that air pocket gets stuck in that location again...you'll get hot very quickly, all of a sudden.
.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 576
Likes: 1
From: En Casa del Carajo
Is the coolant level ok.........?
The weep hole is on the bottom of the water pump pulley. See if its leaking from there. If so, you need to buy a new water pump.
But that doesn;'t cause overheating....UNLESS it has been leaking for a long time and you're just really low on coolant.
What probably happend is: You lost enough coolant to get an air pocket on the engine/head side of the t-stat and your temps rocketed up....then the t-stat finally opened and coolant was able to flow again. If that air pocket gets stuck in that location again...you'll get hot very quickly, all of a sudden.
.
The weep hole is on the bottom of the water pump pulley. See if its leaking from there. If so, you need to buy a new water pump.
But that doesn;'t cause overheating....UNLESS it has been leaking for a long time and you're just really low on coolant.
What probably happend is: You lost enough coolant to get an air pocket on the engine/head side of the t-stat and your temps rocketed up....then the t-stat finally opened and coolant was able to flow again. If that air pocket gets stuck in that location again...you'll get hot very quickly, all of a sudden.
.
I'd top off the coolant, warm the engine up to ooperating temp, then pull into the driveway and shut it down. Then watch closley with a flashlight to see where it drips from. Put the front end up on ramps if you have them and lay under it and wait. Shutting it down will cause it to drip out faster as the hot coolant just sitting there gets even hotter, expands and pushes the coolant out past the bad water pump seal.
Thats when failing seals in water pumps leak...after shut down and you walk away. When it gets bad enough, then yes, it will start leaking right away after it starts warming up. Thats why people don't know it until one day they start overheating from all that lost coolant and the air in the system messing with the t-stat opening up.
.
