Got a call from my fiancee last night about smoke or steam coming out from under her hood. I told her to pull over but she decided to just go home and take a peek. There was some drops of fluid on a hose and her radiator overflow container was empty. This morning she got a broken hose repaired at her mechanic and went to work. The car started overheating again, however. She said the fluid level looks correct...is it possible too much air got in the cooling system? Can this be purged out? Any other recommendations? Her mechanic is probably an hour away from her job, so driving may not be adviseable. 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS, btw. Thanks!
Car overheating...help needed
- Thread starter B8
- Start date
- Status
I'm to assume that the mechanic checked the function of the thermostat, that the radiator isn't plugged, and that the pump is functioning?
Does the gauge read HOT, or are there the signs telling here like before?
Does the gauge read HOT, or are there the signs telling here like before?
Last edited:
I wasn't present, so I'm not sure that the thermo or anything else was checked. I do know that the thermo was replaced with the past year, though. The gauge goes well above the midway point where it usually is and turning the heat on does seem to help control the temp somewhat.
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2002
- Messages
- 39,793
She should STOP driving it until the cause is locked down. She's driving a car with an aluminum head and she'll warp it (if she hasn't already - leading to the recurring problem).
This can easily turn into $2k if you're not connected.
This can easily turn into $2k if you're not connected.
Though the thermostat isn't very old, that doesn't mean that it's not going to fail. Things happen. Some fail open, some fail closed. I'd take it out and test it in a hot pot of water with a thermometer to gauge activation, or just replace it with new. Some brands have better quality control as some have said. I've been using STAT I think it is, with good success. Some stat's have a fail-safe design so that in the event of a faiture, they stick open.
How old is the vehicle, miles, when was the cooling system last "serviced"???
Good luck, and I too would not drive the car till the problem is sorted.
Take care.
How old is the vehicle, miles, when was the cooling system last "serviced"???
Good luck, and I too would not drive the car till the problem is sorted.
Take care.
If there are no leaks, you probably have air in the system.
It can be tough to get it all out. It can take a few drive cycles of cold/hot.
Hopefully, you just had an old hose that gave way.
But a bad thermostat will allow excess heat, which can blow a hose, or a a water pump may have an oddball slipping or corroded impeller, causing the same.
It can be tough to get it all out. It can take a few drive cycles of cold/hot.
Hopefully, you just had an old hose that gave way.
But a bad thermostat will allow excess heat, which can blow a hose, or a a water pump may have an oddball slipping or corroded impeller, causing the same.
Originally Posted By: B8
Got a call from my fiancee last night about smoke or steam coming out from under her hood. I told her to pull over but she decided to just go home and take a peek.
Probably at least some of it overflowed. Did she check in the radiator, not just the tank, if there was coolant in it? Did she add any more coolant?
Got a call from my fiancee last night about smoke or steam coming out from under her hood. I told her to pull over but she decided to just go home and take a peek.
Probably at least some of it overflowed. Did she check in the radiator, not just the tank, if there was coolant in it? Did she add any more coolant?
Thanks for all the responses. She purged some air out of her cooling system and topped up a bit and that seems to have helped the problem, but not fix it entirely. Today her overflow tank was empty, so I checked the dipstick and the oil level looked normal. Oil was a brownish color though, so the car's in the shop again getting looked over. Coincidentally, a service indicator light popped on last night, but the nice people at AutoZone said the fault code was for the O2 sensor, so it sounds like an unrelated problem. Should have more info today.
Kestas
Staff member
Brown as in milkshake brown? This doesn't sound good. Change the oil and get a better look at it. Maybe even submit a sample for UOA to check for coolant in oil.
If silicated coolant was sent through the engine and burned, this would poison the O2 sensor and hence explain the timing of the fault code.
From everything you've told us, you're probably looking at a blown head gasket.
If silicated coolant was sent through the engine and burned, this would poison the O2 sensor and hence explain the timing of the fault code.
From everything you've told us, you're probably looking at a blown head gasket.
Just heard back from the garage. They purged the system of air, filled the system with coolant, drove it around and the overflow was empty by the time the mechanic got done with the drive. He didn't specifically diagnose a blown gasket, but said it was one of the possibilities. He did hint that trading it in would be adviseable.
Maybe not milkshake brown, but brown. We planned on getting the oil changed tomorrow, but I don't know what we are going to do now. If it's a blown gasket it would be $1500 to $2000 to fix on a car that's not worth more than $5000. We've had cooling system issues in this car for close to a year, with the dealership unable or unwilling to help. Now I know why there is a mitsubishisucks website out there...
Maybe not milkshake brown, but brown. We planned on getting the oil changed tomorrow, but I don't know what we are going to do now. If it's a blown gasket it would be $1500 to $2000 to fix on a car that's not worth more than $5000. We've had cooling system issues in this car for close to a year, with the dealership unable or unwilling to help. Now I know why there is a mitsubishisucks website out there...
- Status
