Please help - Car Overheating!

K

Keeper

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Ok when driving to work I noticed my temperature is very high - almost in the red!

at the garage, water was boiling, steaming out - oil was VERY LOW

2 pints of their best stuff, poured some water in after we were able to open it (after it cooled a bit)

we threw some water over the radiator to help cool it.

ok - back to work....

woh-oh... still getting hotter :erm:

stop at the next garage, wait till it cools down a LOT, and start my way back home, knowing I need to take it in to a mechanic.

it was a long journey home, with about 4 or 5 stops to cool down in between :(



so... what's happening? i'm waiting for it to cool again and then i'm taking it in - but what can I expect? cost?

facts:
- the care drives fine, starts fine.
- didn't hear anything funny
- the temps don't stay under 100 degrees very long :(
 
I told you I don't drive a lumina heheh :D it was just to mock that alfaholic dude

Damn - I know nothing about cars really...I Wish cars were more like PC's (Actually, a car running on windows is a bad idea - scratch that..)

I just need an idea of what the damage is, so it looks like I know what i'm talking about when I go to the machanic, so they don't ROYALLY screw me over :rolleyes:
 
there's a couple reasons for an engine overheating:

1. lack of water due to burst radiator (on some cars you won't see the temp gauge going up because it doesn't function outside of water)
2. increased friction due to oil having left the system (your pistons are about to seize)
3. water not cooling down due to water pump not working / fan not blowing.

my unexpert guess is that it's probably point 3. which is a lot cheaper than point 1 or 2. but you still want to get it fixed ASAP, as engines aren't made to run in the red and you can end up doing further damage if you aren't careful.
 
python, explain to us how blowing a gasket works...
i'm always interested to learn
 
in this situation you can try an anti-freeze... it helps to keep temps down.
 
well don't think it's blown yet, car is running fine.

i've blown one before, and know that it only has like 10% power... not the case here.

thanx for the input murray. fans work though, temp gauge works too...so it might be point 2? the pistons?

what is your guess on the price to fix this? (i'm not going to a Delta shop or anything, they rip you off big time - just a service garage)
 
You get two types of burst gaskets - where air is pumped into the coolant, and the other where coolant leaks into the oil.

The first type of blown gasket is fairly straightforward to fix - you just take the head off, measure for head warpage (and if the head have warped, skim it so it's true again) and replace the broken gasket. (This happened to us).

Second type is not cool. Water in the oil means your engine is messed up totally. The leak can be anywhere, it can be the gasket, it can be in someplace else, and is not cool to have as it might mean a total engine rebuild.

Then (this one also happened to us quite recently) your radiator might have developed a small crack, and is leaking water. We were quite fortunate in the fact that the crack developed next to the radiator cap, and we were able to fix it. Still going strong.

If the radiator have developed a crack lower down, then you can trace it by performing a pressure test.

A slipping fan belt can also prevent the water pump from performing well.

This can also be a defective thermostat not opening fully. The thermostat is a small valve which is normally closed when the engine is cold - and this allows the engine to get up to heat quickly especially in cold weather. Once the engine is warm, the thermostat will open allowing cold water to come in and hot water to leave the engine.
 
Keeper said:
well don't think it's blown yet, car is running fine.

i've blown one before, and know that it only has like 10% power... not the case here.

thanx for the input murray. fans work though, temp gauge works too...so it might be point 2? the pistons?

what is your guess on the price to fix this? (i'm not going to a Delta shop or anything, they rip you off big time - just a service garage)
Click to expand...

You don't always have a significant loss of power when the gasket blows.

However, if you still have to drive somewhere put the heater on full and open the windows. this helps to get some heat out of the circuit.
 
@Keeper - if I were you, I'd take a look at the thermostat.

Or take it in to Silverton Radiators, the guys there will know what to look for.
 
What car is it? Maybe the guys who have the same car will be in a better position to relate and advise.
 
Keeper, could be something as simple as a cracked radiator cap.
 
Sapcat said:
Keeper, could be something as simple as a cracked radiator cap.
Click to expand...

+1

Or in my previous case, worn out thermostat

I think at end of the day you have to take in for them to check it out.

I also suggest you also find a mechanic you can trust (if you not that mechanically inclined) so that you can take you car in without being too scared :)

If you in CT, I can assist with awesome mechanic.
 
I agree with most of what was said above. I can recommend the following tests:

1. Does the electric fan (provided it is electric) turn on when the temperature gets to +- 90C? If no, there is your problem. (could be thermostat, not fan though)

2. Any water leaking out of the radiator? If yes, that is your problem. If no:

3. Do the engine belts seem tight? If they are loose, water pump might not be spinning up fast nough to send water round the engine.

4. Head gasket. Check the radiator for any signs of mud, if present, it's pretty bad, but you can still sort it.
 
The OP mentioned Delta, so we are possibly dealing with an Opel here...maybe Rouxenator has some bright ideas! :p

There are so many things that could be causing the overheating that it is pointless asking us...we will point you in 75 different directions, most of which will be wrong...get the car to a garage ASAP, before you do any more damage.
 
If I remember correctly, Keeper has an Opel Corsa..

There might be a leak in the radiator somewhere. Also check to see if your radiator fan is working.

After sending my car in for a service, the idiots left the power cable to the radiator fan disconnected. Engine temps went through the roof, but luckily it was a simple fix.
 
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