Overheating

[VIPERKILLER]

hey guys, Im still down here in florida, got a quick question for ya.

My car has been running without issue for quite some time now, but other night I got stuck behind an accident for 1 hour and 45 minutes, where I basically only went 3/4 a mile. After about an hour and a half, the temp started to rise, and fast. I shut it down, and drove home hours later on the turnpike with no issues, but no real stopping either.

i checked the fluid when i got home and it was pretty much right where it should be, maybe a centimeter low. I topped it off the following morning. although it was no longer as green anymore as it used to be, it looks pretty dirty. but the car hadnt been run for 6 years before putting that fluid back in, so im assuming thats why its dirty, it looked that way after pouring it in last year.

Fast fwd to today, i drove around running errands on my day off, and parked the car and left my co worker in it while I ran inside and lef tit running. when i came out, it was heading into the hot and really fast. I hurried to get the car onto the roadway and get the wind hitting the radiator. It cooled the car down right away. I got out at home and saw that the fan was running perfectly fine, and the fluid level still seemed to be at the right level.

any ideas on what gives??

Click to read more...

 

[2003_svtcobra]

sounds like your fan is not running

 

[VIPERKILLER]

sounds like your fan is not running

well, it was definitely running when I got home and got out to check. so i can only assume that it was also running when it was over heating.

 

[VIPERKILLER]

these are the responses I got so far on corral, what do you guys think?

Could be you thermostat is sticking open.

dont u mean that it is sticking closed?? if it was opening then the coolant would flow through the t stat. if it was closed it wouldnt allow the coolant to pass through and u would oveer heat.

If its stuck open it can also overheat. Your coolant system would be running open loop therefore the coolant would not spend enough time in the radiator to get cooled enough. Thus the reason the problem occurs more when just sitting. Fan can't move enough air to cool the coolant before gets pumped back into the block.

 

[serb82]

It could also be the fan not running when the ac is turned on, once get very hot then the fan starts.

 

[VIPERKILLER]

It could also be the fan not running when the ac is turned on, once get very hot then the fan starts.

when i got home, left it running with the a/c on and checked, the fan was still working as it should.

im thinking there is some credence to their thoughts about the thermostat because when the car was running hot and i was checking the fan, i noticed that the fluid level was right to the top of the reservoir. so im not sure exactly what that means.

 

[serb82]

Yeah neither do i, just that you have an increase in pressure, try a new t-stat good one prolly $20. Once you find out let me know, I'm curious also

 

[Flyn]

Maybe it's hot in Florida.


















J/K... You can test your old thermostat if you want with a pot of water. Drop it in and measure the water temp with a meat thermometer and see when your thermostat opens/closes. Or skip this and replace it, since, as mentioned, they are cheap. If it's not the thermostat, check for any leaks or air bubbles.

 

[VIPERKILLER]

Maybe it's hot in Florida.

J/K... You can test your old thermostat if you want with a pot of water. Drop it in and measure the water temp with a meat thermometer and see when your thermostat opens/closes. Or skip this and replace it, since, as mentioned, they are cheap. If it's not the thermostat, check for any leaks or air bubbles.

haha yupp, and im sure the heat has exacerbated the problem. im praying its just the T stat. I checked as best i could for leaks and air bubbles, even burped it after the first instance of over heating. Ill do a dance if its just a t stat, I really will. :alcoholic

 

[deviantlx]

what type of mix do you have in there??? with florida heat it should be about 70% water and 30% coolant.



i would definately check the thermo as it could be working intermittently.

 

[VIPERKILLER]

in case anyone was wondering, as it turns out, the radiator was just clogged. had them pull it, send it out for a chemical flush, and so far it seems to be working great. no issues to report so far. thankfully ill be back home this winter, so my crapbox can take some more abuse from mother natures representative in chicago yayyyy