overheating
Thread Starter
SSU, come over and relax
iTrader: (3)
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Cary, NC
overheating my car started overheating friday when i went to take it on a trip, i didnt get far when it overheated and i had to call AAA to tow it back. there was a AAA repair center near by and so i just had them tow it there since i figured it was just a busted hose or something and they called me back telling me that the water pump was leaking, the thermostat was shot, the belt and the belt tensioners (?) were shot, and i needed new hoses. well the grand total on this came out to be over $1000 so i told them good day and i will take my car back and fix it myself.
now when i go to think about it it seems like these guys didnt even look for a leak and just said it was all the possible things. should i just replace everything or should i try certain things first to see if that does the trick? also, i have never had a problem like this on my car so i have never had to fix something like this so i was planning on picking up a repair manual, any recommendations on that?
thanks
now when i go to think about it it seems like these guys didnt even look for a leak and just said it was all the possible things. should i just replace everything or should i try certain things first to see if that does the trick? also, i have never had a problem like this on my car so i have never had to fix something like this so i was planning on picking up a repair manual, any recommendations on that?
thanks
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
I see you have a 98 so this is unrelated and I know absolutely zip about the cooling components of our cars, but I did have a 3rd gen break the "heater diverter valve". A plastic piece of crap, I purchased a new 1 for $12 at Autozone and installed it in 5 seconds. It was still a nightmare trying to get off the freeway with coolant flying everywhere and my engine overheating. Personally I've seen a lot of cars with small cracked plastic pieces though, that typically only leaked while the car was hot enough to pressurize. If thats the case I'd prob rule out a hose. Probably really just have to fill it back up and see where its coming from IMO.
Thread Starter
SSU, come over and relax
iTrader: (3)
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Cary, NC
ok i just got done looking for a leak and i couldnt really find anything. it was making a kind of sucking sound when it was idleing though im not sure what that means but i dont think it is normal.
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
If you just added a bunch of coolant and the thing was really low then yeah the sucking sound is normal, and again I'm a complete novice about this kind of stuff but to me if the coolant is circulating I really doubt your water pump is bad. My friends ford torus over heated and mostly dried up once, couldn't find where anything was coming from. Filled it back up and he was able to drive it for a few more weeks, the coolant levels stayed perfectly normal the whole time. Then it happened again for no apparent reason. Then we found a small crack on the bottom of the coolants reservoir, it was small enough that it only leaked when things got really hot and the pressure was high enough. Also I think it was alleviating just enough pressure from the coolant that the coolant was able to reach a boiling point which accelerated everything. We swapped out the reservoir and put a new cap on just to be sure, in case the old cap wasn't releasing enough pressure, or possibly releasing to much. Everything worked fine after... anyway thats all I know on the matter, best of luck to you. Hopefully we can get someone with some experience to chime in on helping you diagnose your problem.
Thread Starter
SSU, come over and relax
iTrader: (3)
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Cary, NC
well ive decided im just gonna replace all that stuff myself. the car has a lot of miles on it so im sure it could use it. the only thing i am confused about is the guy said the belt tensioner was bad and when i went to the parts store today i asked him about that and he was confused when he looked up the parts. anyone know what part i would need for that?
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 1
From: Just This Side of Damnation
When my water pump let go it only leaked when the cooling system had gotten to temp and became pressurized.
The coolant was coming out of the weep hole in the bottom of the water pump. I couldn't see it directly from any angle, but I could see it running down and out of that area.
You'll have to fill with water (or coolant) to the top of the radiator, run out all the bubbles you can, put the radiator cap back on, and begin to heat up the system. Then, start looking for leaks. Let's hope it's all on the outside...
The coolant was coming out of the weep hole in the bottom of the water pump. I couldn't see it directly from any angle, but I could see it running down and out of that area.
You'll have to fill with water (or coolant) to the top of the radiator, run out all the bubbles you can, put the radiator cap back on, and begin to heat up the system. Then, start looking for leaks. Let's hope it's all on the outside...
Last edited by Mr Incredible; Apr 10, 2007 at 03:29 PM.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 1
From: Just This Side of Damnation
Originally Posted by skywalkrNCSU
the only thing i am confused about is the guy said the belt tensioner was bad
Why replace it unless you know it's bad? They usually squeal like crazy when they die, or maybe wobble real bad, or maybe stop dead while the belt runs over it (which'll likely throw the belt off). Is it doing any of those things?
Belt tensioners have little marks to show if it is within proper tension range. There's a pointer on the moving arm and three hash marks on the stationary part. Is the pointer within the marks?
Thread Starter
SSU, come over and relax
iTrader: (3)
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Cary, NC
Originally Posted by Mr Incredible
If they lied about everything else, what makes you think they didn't lie about this, too?
Why replace it unless you know it's bad? They usually squeal like crazy when they die, or maybe wobble real bad, or maybe stop dead while the belt runs over it (which'll likely throw the belt off). Is it doing any of those things?
Belt tensioners have little marks to show if it is within proper tension range. There's a pointer on the moving arm and three hash marks on the stationary part. Is the pointer within the marks?
Why replace it unless you know it's bad? They usually squeal like crazy when they die, or maybe wobble real bad, or maybe stop dead while the belt runs over it (which'll likely throw the belt off). Is it doing any of those things?
Belt tensioners have little marks to show if it is within proper tension range. There's a pointer on the moving arm and three hash marks on the stationary part. Is the pointer within the marks?
TECH Veteran
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,117
Likes: 0
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Change everything, are you kidding?
Most likely a heating problem is ONE thing, not two or more things.
Where is the coolant coming from? If its coming from the water pump, its the pump for sure. No need to anything else but the pump at this point because you have to change it anyway if its leaking.
Don't change the pulleys unless they're making a shitload of squealing noises. They last a LONG LONG time.
.
Most likely a heating problem is ONE thing, not two or more things.
Where is the coolant coming from? If its coming from the water pump, its the pump for sure. No need to anything else but the pump at this point because you have to change it anyway if its leaking.
Don't change the pulleys unless they're making a shitload of squealing noises. They last a LONG LONG time.
.