overheating
 

So I was driving from Portland back to Corvallis and my car started overheating. Not knowing what was wrong I had it towed to the nearest dealership. Now they tell me that I need a new trinary (spelling?) switch, which they say will cost around $700 to replace because they need to get new pipes or something along those lines. I don't know much about the cooling system so my question is. Does this sound about right or is something fishy going on?:confused:

Re: overheating
 

Trinary switch? I've never heard of such a thing.

Re: overheating
 

Yeah they sound like theyre taking you for a ride, get a second opinion. Have you even checked your coolant level?

Re: overheating
 

Trinary??!! Sounds fishy... Look, check your fuses first, if the cooling fan fuses are broken, then there is the problem, if they are ok, turn your engine on, check the coolant level and replace the cap, let the engine warm up to normal operating temperature, if the big radiator hoses are still cold, then maybe the problem is the thermostat, if they are hot, then go get a second opinion.

Re: overheating
 

The coolant is full and the fans are not working. I'm going to pick the car up tomorrow. Someone I told the symptoms to said it sounded like a broken thermostat.

Re: overheating
 

Let me come have a look at it, if what they are referring to as a trinary switch is the thermoswitch that controls the fans, that can be fixed for a whole lot less than $700! I'll be back in Corvallis Wednesday evening.

Re: overheating
 

I ended up already getting it fixed:o I went there and told them that I wasn't gonna pay 700 and they said that they were including recharging the A/C and putting new coolant in. So it ended up being only $350, which I thought was still a lot for just a switch but it was a dealership so :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Re: overheating
 

$350... ouch.

New coolant temp sensor from Autozone $26.50

New gallon coolant from Wal-Mart $12.00

1/2 oz 134A freon $7.50

5 minutes labor to replace coolant temp sensor + top off tiny amount of lost coolant, $8 or free.

Total: $54.00

They better have thrown in a free air-freshener, a niiiiiice one :rolleyes: I hate dealership service departments.....

Re: overheating
 

i have a problem that is pretty recent....and i dont like it

i leak antifreeze but not from the raditor or hoses (that i can see)

on the belt cover i see where anitfreeze has leaked but i dont know where from exactly? anyone have this problem in the past? fixes?

thanks

Vic

ps: i was going to start a new thread but this thread is the same subject..so i piggy backed

Re: overheating
 

Probably spraying out around the cap.

Are your engine fans working?

Re: overheating
 

try a 10A A/C fuse... Sucks that they cost $350 nowadays

Tom

Re: overheating
 

They ended up needing to order a pipe too. So the parts costs were about 120 and labor was 230ish.:rolleyes: They did try the fuse first and that wasn't it. But I'm just happy to have my car back:D

Re: overheating
 

yes the fans are working, but it looks like its coming from the motor...the belts are wet and you can see where the antifreeze dried on the fan belt cover.

Re: overheating
 

Youre going to have to buy or borrow a pressure tester, so you can pressurize the system and look for coolant escaping. Its best to hose off the existing coolant first though. If the system holds pressure while you keep an eye on the gauge, replace the cap.

Re: overheating
 

ok, i'll give that a whirl. thanks chris:)