Wants to overheat

[Michael Blue]

OK guys, having an issue with my poor little car.
Not quite as bright and shiny as she was 7-8 years ago when i bought her,
She has some minor rust starting, a few minor bumps and scrapes (daughter's been driving her),
And now she's wanting to overheat...

I made sure the radiator has fluid, the oil is good, etc...(just checking everything...)
It has an aftermarket radiator of some kind, but I have no way to get any info on it or the hoses or anything, no longer communicating with the guy who did the trans swap, radiator, etc.
My best guess is a thermostat? But where is it and how hard is it to get to on this car?
Does that sound reasonable to you guys, or do you have other suggestions?

Thanks!

~M

[svxcess]

.

A few more specific symptoms please. How does the temperature gauge react? Just climb and stay there or fluctuate up and down? Is there anything you do that causes the gauge to fall?

Possible causes are a bad thermostat, a bad radiator cap or the dreaded head gasket.

How many miles on the pearlie?

.

[SoCal LS-L]

Originally Posted by Michael Blue

OK guys, having an issue with my poor little car.
Not quite as bright and shiny as she was 7-8 years ago when i bought her,
She has some minor rust starting, a few minor bumps and scrapes (daughter's been driving her),
And now she's wanting to overheat...

I made sure the radiator has fluid, the oil is good, etc...(just checking everything...)
It has an aftermarket radiator of some kind, but I have no way to get any info on it or the hoses or anything, no longer communicating with the guy who did the trans swap, radiator, etc.
My best guess is a thermostat? But where is it and how hard is it to get to on this car?
Does that sound reasonable to you guys, or do you have other suggestions?

Thanks!

~M

:Slaps hand over eyes:

Whos gonna say it? Im not going to, not this time.

[Michael Blue]

Over 150Kmi, climbs and stays, just replaced the radiator cap after the first episode of this, just in case...Head gasket?! Ugh, let's hope not.

Thanks!

~M

Originally Posted by SoCal LS-L

:Slaps hand over eyes:

Whos gonna say it? Im not going to, not this time.

That's pretty helpful?
What are you on about?

[kwren]

Our head-gasket problems almost seems to be more of a time problem than a miles-thing

Keith

[SoCal LS-L]

Originally Posted by Michael Blue

Uh, ok?

Any help with the car?

What's up with this place these days?

Ok, do a block test on it, or pay someone to do it. Very easy, quick, and cheap way to find out if you have a HG problem.

[svxcess]

.

Originally Posted by Michael Blue

My best guess is a thermostat? But where is it and how hard is it to get to on this car?

Remove the bottom belly pan.
Drivers side,
Look for the thermostat housing on the bottom of the engine, drivers side
The lower radiator hose connects to the housing.
The housing is held to the block by 2 10mm bolts.

21200AA072...Thermostat...$12.15
21236AA010...Thermostat Gasket...$2.62






.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by Michael Blue

Uh, ok?

Any help with the car?

What's up with this place these days?

Yeah, good luck getting help from that individual. It could be a stuck thermostat but it could also be a dead water pump, no? I can't recall but there is an easy hose test for a thermostat stuck closed and I'm sure svxfiles can give a good test for the water pump. In my case, the gauge temp sender went bad but the reading was low, not high. It is possible that the gauge itself is bad. If you were close I would plug in the code reader as it can capture live data. That would verify that the temp is indeed going high, versus it being a gauge or sender issue. That's how I knew my readings were bogus. Svxfiles gave me typical temp readings and my ECU was reporting normal temps while the gauge was reading off. And, yes, it could be a head gasket. But don't assume the worst and start with the cheapest stuff first. Make sure the gauge is reading correctly. Then move on to tests for the thermostat. Then the water pump, etc.

[Michael Blue]

It was on its way to overheating. Not a bad gauge.
Thanks for the thermostat info, I'll check that.
If someone has a test for the water pump, let me know.
Here's hoping...

~M

[Huskymaniac]

Found this as a test for a stuck closed thermostat:

"If the upper radiator hose is hot at the engine end and cool at the radiator end, coolant is not circulating. The upper hose is normally cooler than the lower hose due to cooling via the radiator."

and

"Compare the temperatures between these two hoses. Keep in mind that when operating normally, your lower radiator hose should be warmer than the top hose. If one hose is a lot warmer than the other, then it’s highly likely you have a stuck thermostat. "

I suppose it is also possible that the radiator is clogged.

[kwren]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Found this as a test for a stuck closed thermostat:

"If the upper radiator hose is hot at the engine end and cool at the radiator end, coolant is not circulating. The upper hose is normally cooler than the lower hose due to cooling via the radiator."

and

"Compare the temperatures between these two hoses. Keep in mind that when operating normally, your lower radiator hose should be warmer than the top hose. If one hose is a lot warmer than the other, then it’s highly likely you have a stuck thermostat. "

I suppose it is also possible that the radiator is clogged.

Are you talking about a SVX?

[TomsSVX]

How long after the car is running does it want to overheat? Also, what kind of driving are you doing when it is happening, city or highway? A/C on? Fans working?

Tom

[Michael Blue]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

How long after the car is running does it want to overheat? Also, what kind of driving are you doing when it is happening, city or highway? A/C on? Fans working?

Tom

Within 10 minutes, maybe sooner.
It was in town, slow city driving with the a/c on.
Fans sounded like they were working fine.

[Cam]

Start with the thermostat. Cheapest and easiest. You should be able to do it yourself if you have some standard tools. If that doesn't work then I would move on to verifying your radiator is not plugged. If none of the above applies there may be a good chance your headgaskets are on their way out (or if your lucky like huskymaniac was it could be a gauge related issue. He was the exception rather than the rule though).

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by Cam

Start with the thermostat. Cheapest and easiest. You should be able to do it yourself if you have some standard tools. If that doesn't work then I would move on to verifying your radiator is not plugged. If none of the above applies there may be a good chance your headgaskets are on their way out (or if your lucky like huskymaniac was it could be a gauge related issue. He was the exception rather than the rule though).

WORD, baby!!! Sometimes I get lucky. Actually, as annoying as this car has been, I have been pretty lucky. The gauge problem was only a sender. The dripping fluid from the bottom engine cover was a loose fitting on the power steering pump. The dead A/C was a leaky o-ring.

The thing that I find interesting about Michael's case is that the temperature rises quickly and stays high. In most of the HG cases, doesn't it usually start off with the gauge reading normal, spiking randomly and then settling back down?

On a related note, I really enjoy seeing the words, "This user is on your Ignore List."