Got some weird problems..

Butter88

Registered User
For the past couple weeks when I was driving to work in the mornings my temp gauge doesn't move for at least 4-5 miles, and when it does it goes over to the "M" in NORM and then cools back off. Coolant level is normal. Yesterday as I was going to work, the same thing happened, but when the temp gauge finally started going up it went all the way over and ended up overheating. I parked her at the local abandoned K-Mart and walked the rest of the way to work. After work I hitched a ride back to my car and tried to drive home.....w/ the same results. When I checked the coolant level this morning it was way low, I'm guessing from the evaporation when it overheated.

What could be my problem?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dan
 
Is the radiator fan plugged in and operational? Another common culprit is a bad thermostat. If it's stock put a 180* in there. These are the most likely scenarios... Good luck!
 
could also be an air pocket in the cooling system. This known to cause the temp to rise and then quickly drop off and rise and quickly drop off. If there is an air pocket, it may have escaped and obviously the coolant level would have dropped to take up the space the air had.

Could also be bad coolant...too much water mixed in with the coolant or not enough water mixed in with the coolant.

Or, are you sure the car was overheating? Or are you just going by what the temp guage said. It may also just be a bad sending unit.

Let us know
 
thanx for the input...

Joe: The fan is plugged in and working. The thermostat was replaced about a yr ago....I have a new one on hand just incase.

Mike: I thought it might be an air pocket also, until it overheated. I'm pretty sure it was overheating due to the radiator puke tank bubbling. Bad coolant could be my problem cause the coolant in the puke tank is an awful brown color. I'll start w/ the small stuff first. I've heard everything from the thermostat to headgaskets. I'll find out this weekend hopefully and let you know.

Thanx for all the help guys

Dan
 
hmm

Brown? Did it look like it had oil in it? Open up the dipstick and engine oil filler cap, look for funny odors, white smoke, white foam, or anything unusual. I was going to say check the radiator cap until you said that. Depending on how fast it heats up, it could also be the water pump going bad.
 
you say the overflow is bubbling? Why didn't you say so. I think I may have your answer, although you may not like it. But before I tell you my thoughts, a tests to determine if i am right.

1) If the overflow bubbles, take the rad cap off (while cool of course) and run the engine. If the coolant in your rad starts to bubble or foam up as soon as the thermostat opens, guess what....you have now joined the Head Gasket club.

2) Another way to test this is take it down to a mechanic and have him stick an exhaust sniffer into the overflow while the car is running. If it reads any exhaust at all when the thermostat opens up, guess what....you have now joined the Head Gasket club.


In all honesty, although I hate to say it, if your overflow is bubbling, it sounds like a classic symptom of HG failure. I hope I'm wrong, but let us know what you find.
 
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