97 neon overheating........

Ok, here's the problem


I was driving back to work this afternoon, and all of a sudden i heard this low dingdingdingding noise. so i look down and my temperature gauge is nuclear. so i pulled over and checked everything. i was about 2 quarts low on oil, (there were little wisps of smoke coming out of the diptick hole when i pulled it out), so i added more oil, and the coolant levels an the transmission fluid was ok. and it's still overheating. it starts overheating after about 5 or 10 min.

anyone know what might be causing this?

thanks.

I'm no mechanic mind you, but what about the themostat and sounds almost like the headgasket issue.


dnkygirl

Link dnkygirl suggested, check your thermostat. Has the car been overheating frequently or just all of a sudden? If all of a sudden you may just need a new t-stat, but you were 2 quarts low on oil I would definitely get that checked out....do you see oil drips in your garage or on the driveway?

I'm not a mechanic either... But I know enough to do 100% of the work on my car rather than a shop. There's numerous things... Radiator blockage, water pump failure, *thermostat* (yes dnkygirl, you could be right! ;) ), blocked hose (highly unlikely, but could happen). The head-g may be leaking and could be a reason why you are 2 quarts low, but that would not be the reason why you're overheating.
I hope I helped, but I think I just added to your list of unbearables. Sorry, but I just wanted to aid another neon enthusiast from the dread of overheating.

Matt

Well everyone is on the right track...
If it was just your thermostat then you wouldn't lose oil, your temp would spike, and when you stop you'd hear a bubbling or gurgling noise..
on the other hand if the head gasket blew in the right spot then you'd lose oil and water. yep the pressures in the cylinder would blow out the water in the rad, and hence your temp would spike, bec of lack of coolant. Another tip is that if you found oil in the coolant then that would indicate the h/gasket.

In this case your coolant levels were ok, and you didn't mention oil in the coolant, so my money is on the bad thermostat.

seeing that its Sept I would think that you've already fixed the problem :-) but I hope that this and the other info will help fellow Neon owners...

Remember to burn Honda's as often as necessary :-)

Wizard

I had a '97 DOHC and the auxilary cooling fan went on it 3 times. Everytime it went, the temp went "nuclear" on it. I like the term...hahaha
Check that if you haven't already done so.

RRMike1

:devil:

Well, I don't work as a mechanic for a job, but I know a hell of a lot more than most of those dirtballs with 2 rotten teeth that run most country bumpkin garages. Here is your problem: Judging by the fact that you have lost both oil and your car is overheating, you probably have overheated before (just maybe never noticed it). Your car has aluminum heads and all it takes is one time overheating and you can fuck up the heads causing them to warp. Aluminum can't withstand very high temperatures. Your problem probably originated with an antifreeze leak, then overheating, then cracked/warped heads. When a car has a cracked or warped head, both oil and antifreeze will leak. When the gasket is bad, oil will mix with the antifreeeze and your oil will have a sludgelike appearance when you drain it. If unchecked, the oil will become more and more dilute eventually causing a hydrolock on the engine (very bad news). A compression test also will indicate if the head gaskets are bad. Also, if after you car has warmed up, you are blowing a large amount of white smoke from your exhaust, it is a good sign that the head gaskets are bad. Luckily, most heads can be rebuilt for about $100 (for a inline 4 banger), but the labor is what is killer. All together it's probably going to run around 600 bills. If the head is cracked, then you have to buy one brand new. Probably about 200 bucks (guessing). The job can be done by a good "do-it-yourself" person with a haynes repair manual (did my 88 Z24 a few weeks ago), but it does take some time. Ripping the motor down is cake and can be done in a half day, but putting it back together is a bitch (especially fuel injected ones)_ Next time, be very careful and always check your oil when you get gas, monitor your gauges, and check your anitifreeze weekly when the car is cold. One antifreeze leak can lead to a whole shitload of problems. Good luck! :frog: