Overheating !!!!!! please help!

[QuikShifter]

Ok this begun a week ago and well, I checked the coolant level and topped it off and all was fine till yesterday when it started to OVERHEAT AGAIN! so I just kept making frequent stops and adding water, just till I could get around to checking it. So today I figured it was the thermostat because it kept blowing the lid off the coolant reservior. Anyways, I just replaced the thermostat & gasket 2 hrs ago and bled the system too and it seemed fine, well, until I decided to go to the grocery store........what tha f***??&&%$#@*.. So I just loosened the bleed valve until I got back home. however I did not put coolant,as I was intending to flush the whole system tomorrow so I just used water for now. Anybody know whats happeneing here????

[QuikShifter]

could somebody help me out pleaaaaaaseee!!?????

[Hybrid1990crx]

Head gasket? Pull your dipstick and look at the color of the oil. If its a grayish color, you have antifreeze in your oil.

[travagliante]

Radiator is bad?? Is it leaking out? Otherwise its probaly a headgasket, try flushing the radiator and putting in some fresh coolant, or anti-freeze.

[Setanta]

You say the thermostat has been replaced but it's blowing the resovior tank?

To work your problem out, think about the boiling point of water and how a cooling system combats this... it uses pressure to raise the boiling point. If your cap's spring has worn over the years then it is not retaining the pressure necessary to stop boiling and is simply allowing the water into the resevoir as soon as it builds a tiny bit of pressure. That is, it isn't doing its job which is to bleed the water expansion under heat and then seal your system to stop boiling.

So replace it.

That's the simplest solution, but it solved all my problems 3 years ago

Other than that, it could be the pump is dead, but given the symptoms, give the system a good professional flush, fill with coolant, making sure you put the thermostat in the right way around and add a brand new cap (genuine if possible).

Then see how it goes.

Good luck

[Setanta]

WTF is it with you guys immediately assuming its a head gasket? Do the simple cooling system checks first

[91civichatch2571]

replacing the headgasket is such a pain in the ass and its not always (usually isnt actually) the solution. Dont jump to conclusions.

[ci5ic]

It could also be your heater core... is it cold where you live?

It could be that if you didn't have enough antifreeze in the system, it may have frozen in the heater core, and probably won't melt just from running the engine. Same thing happened to my jeep about a month ago. My solution to the problem was to put a space-heater in the car, pointing up under the dash (which is where the heater core is located). Did that for about 2 hours, and it thawed out the core. Added a bunch of antifreeze, and haven't had a problem with it since.

[QuikShifter]

OK, I replaced the radiator cap about 2 months ago so Iam sure that aint it. However, as ci5ic suggests, the weather here in NC has been messed-up the past coupla weeks. Swinging from snow storm to 60deg sun the very next day. Also since it started overheating, I only added coolant once and have been adding water since.
ci5ic, if there is antifreeze in the heater core, could it cause the heater to blow cold air even after the car has warmed up and the controls are on Max Hot??

[ci5ic]

Originally Posted by QuikShifter

OK, I replaced the radiator cap about 2 months ago so Iam sure that aint it. However, as ci5ic suggests, the weather here in NC has been messed-up the past coupla weeks. Swinging from snow storm to 60deg sun the very next day. Also since it started overheating, I only added coolant once and have been adding water since.
ci5ic, if there is antifreeze in the heater core, could it cause the heater to blow cold air even after the car has warmed up and the controls are on Max Hot??

Yeah, if your car is overheating, but you're still getting cold-air from the vents, it's probably the heater core. It's not caused by antifreeze in the heater core, my guess is that it's a lack of antifreeze in the heater core. Basically, your coolant/antifreeze runs through your block, and then comes through the fire-wall and runs through the heater-core and back to the engine bay. This is how you get hot air. When you turn on your heater, the hot coolant/antifreeze heats the air up in the heater core and the fan blows it through the vents. It's basically a second radiator, but it's up under the dash.

So, my suggestion to you is to put a space heater inside your car on the passenger-side floor, kinda aiming up under the dash (the heater core is behind the center console area). Let it run for an hour or two, and keep an eye on it so you don't set your car on fire, and it should thaw out your heater core. Once that happens, it will allow the coolant/antifreeze to flow, and the car should stop overheating. To insure that this doesn't happen again, you'll need to check your coolant/antifreeze mixture and make sure you've got enough antifreeze to keep it from happening again.

EDIT: I suppose that it could also be your water pump, but try this first.

[QuikShifter]

Ok ci5ic, Iam about to go and try this out but just one more question tho,.. since the major overheating started, when I crank-up the car it kind of idles funny almost like a misfire, them it smokes abit until I get to about 30mph then it smoothens out and no more smoke. This morning, I pulled out the 2nd plugwire from the airbox side and I could hear the spark but the rough idle didnt change. Could I be losing compression?? and how come it smoothsout after it picks up speed??

[QuikShifter]

I also checked my dipstick and the oil color looks normal, however the oilcap tells a different story, it is kinda grayish but I think it might be the engine restorer that I used on my last oil change about 400miles ago. OMG could this mean a bad head gasket or even worse,....a warped head????

[QuikShifter]

should I go ahead and start with a new coolant reservior cauz mine is obviously leaking some pressure then fill-up with coolant, then try the heater core solution? or where on earth should I start?? Iam starting to get confused now, theres too many possibilities and too little time not to mention money!!!

radiator cap = $25.00 - done!
thermostat & gasket = $20.00 - done!
waterpump = $??
headgasket = $??
radiator = $??
Heater core fix = $0.00 - about to try this!
Ok whats next!!???? = $insanity
insanity = priceless??

[ci5ic]

Originally Posted by QuikShifter

should I go ahead and start with a new coolant reservior cauz mine is obviously leaking some pressure then fill-up with coolant, then try the heater core solution? or where on earth should I start?? Iam starting to get confused now, theres too many possibilities and too little time not to mention money!!!

radiator cap = $25.00 - done!
thermostat & gasket = $20.00 - done!
waterpump = $??
headgasket = $??
radiator = $??
Heater core fix = $0.00 - about to try this!
Ok whats next!!???? = $insanity
insanity = priceless??

Don't worry about the reservoir, it's not really supposed to hold pressure. I mentioned in another thread that I haven't even had a coolant reservoir in my hatch for over a year, and I've had no problems.

I don't know about your "misfire" problem, it could be completely unrelated. Just start with trying to thaw out the heater core. It's free (if you've already got a space heater), and even if it doesn't solve your problem, at least you didn't spend any money. Like I said though, if you're getting cold air from your vents when you're overheating, then the coolant in your heater-core isn't getting hot (which means that the coolant/antifreeze is not flowing through it), so this is most likely your problem. However, it could be due to the water pump being busted, but like I said, try thawing the heater core first and we'll go from there.

Also, let us know what color the smoke is... white? grey? Are you sure it's not just steam from condensation inside the exhaust?

[POScar49]

my car was overheating not too long ago. i replaced the radiator, waterpump, thermostat, and then finally found out that the head was warped with a small crack X_X. also check that ur fans r turning on and STAYING on. this was a major problem for my car.