Our Community is 940,000 Strong. Join Us.


2002 2.2l OHV Coolant overflow?


jhail010
04-05-2012, 08:51 PM
Well i've been playing around with this issue for a atleast two weeks now and am completely stumped, so i figured i'd ask on a forum to see if i cn get any bright ideas.

The history of the problem: driving to my class at college one night my car randomly starts to over heat a little, creeping up ever so slightly past normal operating temp. I pull over at the gas station and let it cool, then check the reservoir, tofind i'm low on coolant. bought coolant and added it in. got to class fine. after class...i drive like 300ft and temp skyrockets, there was no leakage under the car at the parking lot, so i use the rest of my recently bought coolant to top it up, and slowly try to get the car home.(bout a few gallons worth of coolant on the way there) after a quick diagnosis, I determined that the head gasket was blown, so i went about replacing it myself.

once everything is back together again, and freshly topped up with coolant, i run the car and after it gets up to temp, i now get coolant spurting out of the surgetank...it occures only when its reaches proper operating temp, and the head gasket is brand new. I then decide to check my thermostat to see if its working, and it indeed opens at around 185-187F (boiled water in pot, used infared thermometer to measure temp) and it opens fine. So I figured i might have a cracked or warped head, as on the way back it did sit a few times in the red, so i replaced the head (with a used unit, to save costs)...and used another new head gasket. put everything back to gether again....and same problem.

When i start the car i do get white smoke and water dripping out of the exhaust, but it disappears when it gets up to temp, and there is no coolant smell either. coolant just randomly rises in the surge tank and spurts out of overflow hose. the water pump was replaced two years ago as it failed then, and i've put maybe 10000 to 15000 km on it since then. I checked to see if there was a bleed valve for the coolant and i couldn't see any. so i'm stumped...any ideas?

car has just over 202,000km on it.

Tech II
04-05-2012, 09:45 PM
Have you pressure tested the coolant system, when the engine is warm?

Are you getting good heat out of the heater core?

jhail010
04-05-2012, 10:33 PM
I did check the heater system the first time round, and it seemed to be fine, but i will double check in the mourning just to be sure.

Add your comment to this topic!