1999 Villager overheating problem

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

Bought van with 57000 miles, 7 hoses , 3 thermostats, & an engine rebuild later, my wife calls & says it's doing it again ANY ideas would help.

[homersworld25]

You didn't mention the radiator? Was it checked for a blockage? I have a 96 that I had to replace the radiator a few years ago because it was weak and started to leak. Is there antifreaze in the oil? Could be a cracked head or bad gasket. Sounds like you need a better mechanic. Good luck.

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

Radiator was rebuilt when engine was overhauled. Was rebuilt about 30 K miles ago. No leaks.
Thanks for the quick responce.
SanFelipeSeaBee

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

[quote=SanFelipeSeaBee]Radiator was rebuilt when engine was overhauled. Was rebuilt about 30 K miles ago. No leaks. Has been to a FORD, Mercury, & @ independent garages & 3 Mechanics ?
Thanks for the quick responce.
SanFelipeSeaBee {troubled in -32 degrees in MONTANA with an unhappy Wife }

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

I have a friend who surfed up some possibilities, a coolant bleed valve, but nobody is sure where it is, another said to elevate the front end, a defective cap was mentioned, & one person said it could be a leak so small that a mechanic could miss it. lso said that it could take several hours to fill & should be checked daily. Help
Thanks for the help !!
SanFelipeSeaBee

[PAPABEAR76058]

On my 94 there is 3 bleeder place's. One on the rad. one above the intake and one behind the motor. Your best bet is to get a book on your van. They r about 20 buck's at Auto Zone or your parts place.

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

Many thanks. I tried all the parts places in Great Falls MT with no luck. I have not ordered many things online .
Thanks for the info. Did you find a good manual . Chilton, Haines or what ever.
SanFelipeSeaBee

[IH8SPM]

I would try bleeding it. I would go back to a basic re-evaluation of the problem and the replaced parts. You can never take anothers person word for sure proof until you yourself have looked it over. Check your thermostat was it OEM or aftermarket was it rated for your operating temperatures in your part of the world(makes a diffrence) is it installed with the jiggler facing up or in the right way all together. Do you hoses have small leaks is your antifreeez leaking from the rear of the car heator core. This list can go on forever I have learned that the hardest most complex problems are always solved with a little comensense. Start from the beginning on a noce day that you can dedicate time to the vehicle and only that. Make sure the dealer is open on that day so if you need something you can get it and also have another car to get you to the dealer or auto parts. Good luck and check your fans.

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

IH8SPM many thanks, I've been trying to bleed it for several days, it seems to improve then over heats. Service mgr at nissan told me to put a clip in radiator cap, says he's had to sometimes idle them for 2 1/2 hours twice. I bought a haines book did not show the 99. I can not find the air bleed valve on engine. It seems you are to run a 1/4 " neo hose from valve to res. tank while bleeding . I am trying to get a Chilton Truck & Van book, if that fails I guess I'll go down to great Falls & try to bribe the nissan folks out of some time in their book or computer. I replaced the thermostat the 1st time & it was exhausting. If I do that again I think I might as well go for the pump too? Thanks for your help ;o}
SanFelipeSeaBee

[IH8SPM]

You mean you never changed the water pump? That could be the culprit. It is snowing here if not I would go take a look at my 97 and see what I come up with. You could also vent the radiator cap a little when it is warm to let out some air. A quarter turn should do it with gloves a long sleeve shirt and some glasses just be safe a towel as well to cover the cap.

[IH8SPM]

Page 1-22,1-23,1-24 discuss in detail where the relief plug for the radiator and the engine are located. This is in the Haynes manual book number 64200. Good luck.

[SanFelipeSeaBee]

I've posted so many places That I'm unsure what info I've passed along. To be quick I will try to list seq of events. Bought van 1 1/2 years ago. Left for Mexico next day, bought hoses & belts, but did not have time to install, wife was in a hurry. Blew top hose in Parker AZ, replaced. No problem for about 500 miles , started overheating in idle. Blew off new hose upper, I had really tightened it in AZ, 2 more over heats, Decided to replace thermostat. What a chore. A couple of bleeds later no problem. Returning home to MT thru Colo overheats when using heater, day after we get home wife blows engine (-15 degrees) 15 miles out ,says temp gauge normal, heater suddenly blows cold then engine blows.
Engine rebuilt, water pump & thermostat replaced, hoses & belts replaced.
Still funny with heater, so I started filling radiator each am with an ounce or two at a time. Then fine for 30 k miles with a little coolant added when needed every couple of weeks. then a couple of weeks ago wife calls 11 pm & says its all starting over again, heater goes frigid & quick over heat.
Have tried many different bleeding methods.
I bought the haines book you mentioned but Merc changed engines in 99 & their is no pics or help for that engine in book . There is supposed to be air bleed sites but the only thing I've found is a bolt, that you can not see under the throttle housing, I could see a warning that said not to open when hot.
Other things I am trying, clip on cap, run for 5 min 2500 rpm , turn off , removed coolant expan tank & elevated, seems to get a little more air out & coolant in, each cycle. Nissan service mgr said that he has had to elevate front & run at idle for 2 1/2 hours twice on a villager. Done that but as soon as I take it around block twice it overheats.
I'm 60 & have done my own work on older cars & pickups but am not good on modern stuff. Just got a Ford workshop cd still can not find air bleed valve. Have ordered chilton tech manual for trucks & vans .
It seems to me that there has to be an extremely slow leak which has to be completly out of sight, then an air pocket forms & pretty soon ahe overheats. I do not like to assume anything but I would guess that the leak is someplace that was not worked on when the engine was overhauled. There is not coolant in oil or exhaust. A different service mgr said to put pressure in system.?? I really don't know what that means.
Wife is getting ready to go south but we can not afford the shop time and the r & r parts & hopeing for better results.
I really want to thank you for the help you are sharing.
SanFelipeSeaBee

[Stevo2]

Hello SeaBee! Here is some info on coolant fill. If you want a complete procedure, please email me and I'll send it to you. At this time, I would opt for a Factory thermostat and start all over with the complete fill and bleed procedure I have here to email you. It shows the clip and much more. i'm also wondering if you might have some sort of heater core problems like a small leak that is causing air infiltration?
Stevo


Coolant Fill Procedure
At times, in order to completely remove any trapped air in the cooling system of vehicles equipped with 4.6/5.4/6.8L modular engines, it may be necessary to use the following procedure:
1. Disconnect the heater hose at the right front or rear of the engine.
2. Remove the thermostat and housing.
3. Using the thermostat opening, carefully fill the engine with the proper clean coolant mixture until observed at the engine side heater hose connection.
4. Reconnect the heater hose and reinstall the thermostat and housing.
5. Fill the degas bottle to the coolant fill level mark.
6. Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperatures.
7. Select max heat and max blower speed on the climate system.
NOTE IF THE HEAT OUTPUT IS INSUFFICIENT, OR THE ENGINE DOES NOT REACH NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURES, VERIFY PROPER THERMOSTAT OPERATION AND REPEAT PROCEDURE IF REQUIRED.

[Flay]

I'd bet on the radiator. Feel it all over to check if the whole matrix is getting hot as the van warms up. The 'heater blows cold before the engine overheats' is classic for a leak causing low coolant level. You must have a leak somewhere. Oh, and you HAVE checked the electric fans haven't you?

[jokotus]

I wash my villager engine and i discover that the water get to into some component the engine start but the indicator service engine soon was illuminated i switch of the engine and park it in the garage pls what should i do?