Well, as many of you know I've had an overheating problem. Last week I switched out the overflow bottle because I noticed the cap wasnt screwing down right causing air to go in and out. So I took my dad's from his VX and it screwed down nice and tight. Things were going GREAT until today. This morning it was a bit cool out and I started my car and the RPMs were jumping from 1000 to 1500 until I got to work (I work only 3 miles away) and when I was about to pull into work I noticed the car was overheating. What could it be?? I also replaced the radiator cap...any ideas??? The overflow was half full last week and this week it was a little over the full line.
if you're pushing coolant into the overflow....most likely the headgasket is gone.
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Probably a burnt headgasket. This is very rare however since u mentioned that you suffered from overheating last week, it could be the reason for the burnt headgasket.
I guess your radiator fan is working fine since u didn't mention anything about it.
A new headgasket and skimming the head should work just fine.
(the coolant level is different when the engine is hot or cold. set the coolant level at the lower mark on the overflow reservoir when the engine is COLD. the coolant expands as it gets hot, hence, 'overflow' bottle)
check your coolant level in the radiator when the car is cold to start with.
the idle air control system is very sensitive to low coolant, since coolant runs directly through this valve during operation. low coolant causes the idle to bounce around in this case.
the overheating: check for any external leaks. if there are none, verify the cooling fans are coming on. start the car and turn on the A/C. if both fans are running, you know their respective circuits are ok. so now check the coolant temperature switch circuit.
the coolant temp switch is located in the thermostat housing. follow the lower radiator hose from the radiator to the block. you should see a sensor screwed into what is called the thermostat housing. now,
start the car and hold the throttle at about 3,000 rpm while feeling the lower radiator hose. it will start to get warm as the thermostat opens, and get hotter as the engine heats up. after about 4-5 minutes it should be HOT and the fans should automatically come on. if they don't,
check the temperature gauge on the dash. i know it works because you said it was overheating and the idle was all messed up.
if the engine temp is where it normally is all the time and the lower radiator hose is hot, just wait for the fans to come on. go back to a high idle and wait for the fans to come on, periodically making sure it's not overheating.
if it's overheating, disconnect the coolant temp sensor at the thermostat housing and jump the two terminals in the connector with a spare piece of wire(or a paper clip, but wire is the better choice). this way you're fooling the computer into thinking the sensor is closing the circuit when you are bypassing the sensor. if the fans come on at when you jump the connector and the engine temperature, of course, goes to normal, start with replacing that coolant temp sensor.
if you're concerned about a leaking head gasket, check your tailpipe for any sweet smell and white'ish' smoke/steam when the engine is warmed up. if there is some, consider having the head gasket checked. but remember, water is a normal by-product of 'perfect' combustion. water and co2. so water dripping out is normal.
most shops will use a tester setup over the radiator cap with a liquid that changes color if it detects combustion gases in the coolant. no combustion gases means no head gasket problem.
Well, so far I've replaced the upper and lower hose, radiator cap, and thermostat. I filled up the radiator and let the car run for a little while then filled up the thermostat again. I filled up the overflow bottle to the minimum line like you suggested. I drove around today and got home and checked the overflow bottle. It's was almost to the top! What would cause this??? Could the radiator have been too full or something? The car didnt overheat or anything like that.
well the overflow bottle basically catches... overflow.
did the car actually overheat or anything when you drove it?
im actualyl dealing with a similar issue to you, but instead of troubleshooting the whole system, i just bought an aftermarket fan relay and sensor so the fans come on at 180 degrees i think. that way i dont need to worry about my new ECU messing with anything, because my temp gauge isnt even working, so i just got an aftermarket one.
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