No Heat 20 degree outside!

[mcamp]

I have a 96 Grand Voyager 3.3L engine. Had the tranny recently rebuilt - last work done by a reputable independent mechanic. Noticed quite recently that I no longer had heat coming out the van and noticed for the first time in a long time the radiator fans coming on. Seemed a bit odd since it's 24 degrees out there. Neither the driver's side or passenger side or rear has hot air so I ruled out a had heater core or cores. I can hear the doors flipping and I just replaced the thermostat today. Still no heat. I did pop off the radiator cap when it was cold and couldn't see any fluid. I think there is leak and the water pump is the likely culprit since there was also a small puddle of fluid under that side of the engine. I poured more anti-freeze (50/50) in the the resevior but wonder if it is OK to put it directly into the radiator. How much work is involved in a water pump replacement? Should I take it to the mechanic - I don't have a garage and working on this rig in 20 degree weather is slightly unappealing! After running a few minutes the fans come on and the upper hose is getting warm but the lower hose still feels cool? Thanks in advance!

Martin

[vipergg]

Originally Posted by mcamp

I have a 96 Grand Voyager 3.3L engine. Had the tranny recently rebuilt - last work done by a reputable independent mechanic. Noticed quite recently that I no longer had heat coming out the van and noticed for the first time in a long time the radiator fans coming on. Seemed a bit odd since it's 24 degrees out there. Neither the driver's side or passenger side or rear has hot air so I ruled out a had heater core or cores. I can hear the doors flipping and I just replaced the thermostat today. Still no heat. I did pop off the radiator cap when it was cold and couldn't see any fluid. I think there is leak and the water pump is the likely culprit since there was also a small puddle of fluid under that side of the engine. I poured more anti-freeze (50/50) in the the resevior but wonder if it is OK to put it directly into the radiator. How much work is involved in a water pump replacement? Should I take it to the mechanic - I don't have a garage and working on this rig in 20 degree weather is slightly unappealing! After running a few minutes the fans come on and the upper hose is getting warm but the lower hose still feels cool? Thanks in advance!

Martin

The fans are coming because you have no coolant and the engine is getting hot . The leak may be as simple as a hose connection that the tranny guys did not put back on right or use new clamps on . Fill the radiator to the top with 50/50 then fill the overflow bottle midway between the min and max markings on the bottle and then keep an eye on it , maybe they never properly filled it after the tranny work . .Low coolant is also why you have no heat .

[Bear]

If it is a bad water pump, the '96 3.3 is an easy job. Get her in the air, pull lower radiator hose to drain system,remove splash shield, remove serpentine belt and water pump is in your face. Remove the pulley and then the pump bolts and she comes straight out. replacement is simply a case of replacing the "O" ring and the pump, attaching the pulley, replace serpentine belt and splash shield and away you go (after reinstalling lower radiator hose and refilling the system with coolant).

[mcamp]

Well - I spent some quality time under the van with the help of some ramps a mirror and flashlight. It was a pretty good leak coming out and I checked the hoses the tranny guys replaced, and took a good look at the water pump. There was nothing coming out the weep hole and the stream was higher up. I checked the freeze plugs with the mirror and they all looked good even the one on the end of the head. Finally found a stream shooting out from either the head, head gasket, or block on the upper corner closet to the front of the van. I pulled that plug closest and it look good. I might have blown out the head gasket on the outside of the head or it could be a cracked head or a pinhole in the block.

The temp gauge never went past 3/4 - probably due to the cold weather we've been having.

Anyone know of a weep/relief hole on that side of the block or head?

The motor has 135K on it and to my knowledge it hasn't had a rebuild although the recent tranny rebuild was the 2nd.

Is it worth replacing the head gasket? Could I just do one side?

Thanks,


Martin

[joerope67]

Martin, I just fixed my brothers 91 grand voyger 3.3L. Almost the exact same problen your having. And it was also caused by mechanics that thought they knew what they were doing. So, the first thing you should do is get a repair manual to doubble check any advise anyone gives you. You can get a Haynes or Chilton for under $20 at almost any parts store. Ok, heres the scoop. On the 3.3L you have to bleed the air out of the upper block and head when refilling the coolant. If this isnt done the coolant will not circulate. Thats why you had no heat after tranny mech replaced the hoses. If you drive it in this condition the heads will eventually warp. By your discription of the leak, this may have already happened.
The first thing you need to do is get the cooling sys filled correctly. To do this remove the eng. coolant temp sensor. Its on the right end of the front head about two inches down and has a single wire going to it. When you have it out start filling the radiator untill antifreeze is comming out the hole where the sensor was. Now you put the sensor back in and finish filling the radiator. Thats it. Make sure theres antifreeze in the resevoir and be sure to check the radiator cap, if theres any doubt, replace it. Now, start it up and keep you fingers crossed. Let it get up to temp and check your heat. If theres heat then the coolant is circulating, now you can check for collateral damage. Keep an eye on the exhaust, if theres white smoke that doesnt go away in a min or two you got a blown head gasket(s) and possibly a warped head(s). Check for leaks. If no leaks or white smoke your in good shape, you can drive it. Keep an eye on antifreeze and oil daily. If the antifreeze level keeps going down repeatedly and its not leaking, this could be a small leak in the head gasket. Check the oil for white/tan greasy/foamy residue on the dipstick, this indicates water or antifreeze in the oil and again its the head gasket. I hope its not, but if it is a head gasket(s) its a big pain in the ass job. Two or three days work so you shouldnt cut any corners if you only want to do it once, you should change both gead gaskets. Doing just one wont save you any money or time. Parts come in sets, you cant buy one head gasket. All the gaskets you need to do this job will cost about $100. And, once you get all the stuff out of the way to remove one head the other will only take another hour or so. If you do change the gaskets you should also have the heads plained by a automotive machine shop to be sure their strait (cost about $50 each) If their warped, you cant see it and end up doing alot of work and not fix the problem. I hope this helps. Good Luck.
Joe

[Mrbizness1]

Originally Posted by Bear

If it is a bad water pump, the '96 3.3 is an easy job. Get her in the air, pull lower radiator hose to drain system,remove splash shield, remove serpentine belt and water pump is in your face. Remove the pulley and then the pump bolts and she comes straight out. replacement is simply a case of replacing the "O" ring and the pump, attaching the pulley, replace serpentine belt and splash shield and away you go (after reinstalling lower radiator hose and refilling the system with coolant).

I have read some posts that say you must lower the engine to get the pump out on 98 and later models with the 3.3. Anyone know if this is correct?


JOEROPE67 Excellent post thanks for the info.