Car overheating?

[tyrone girl]

Thanks guys - im gona get it filled up with water before i head home this evening and then see if it keeps it from rising and let my da take it to the mechanic for me and see what they think 

[Tony Baloney]

Thats why I reckon it might just be a dodgy thermostat.....If it's not working right, your motor will overheat and dump out hot water. If you're lucky you won't have damaged anything, just need to get stat replaced. It'll be okay to drive to your nearest garage, as long as you check the coolant level before you head-off, and don't drive it on if the water temp gauge goes mental.

I'm no mechanic but that just doesn't make sense to my understanding of how the cooling system works? It's a closed system..it's not designed to dump out water as a result overheating.


Sounds like a slow leak TG.

So I assume you don't notice alot of white smoke on normal driving when it is filled up. If not your head gasket should be OK ...lucky you...overheating can warp the aluminium head very easily

With covers on the bottom of engine bays and timing belts now it's difficult to look around and spot leaks. Maybe someone who's mechanically minded in your office could have a quick gleek. Needs to go to a mechanic but I'd agree with otg....keep a few big bottles of water in the car and keep it topped up every time you use it until then

Mine was doing same about six months ago. The fan went buck mad when I was idling at lights so I checked the coolant level which was low. Parked it in the garage overnight and water was pooling on the floor in the morning. The mechanic stripped the engine back as far as possible without getting into serious work/money. Guessed that the leak was caused by a crack in a pipe in the internal workings. He dropped in a self sealant which did the trick and cost me about 30 in total inc. labour.

[tyrone girl]

Theres hope for me yet - id need to park it tonite then somewhere i can spot a leak

[offtheground]

Skull, It is a closed system, but it will dump out water as a safety measure. If it didn't, the temp would gradually increase and blow out at the weakest point.

TG one other tip for when you're taking the motor to the garage...if you'r car is over-heating is keep the heating on full in the car, This will help to take heat away from the engine. If you're too hot, roll a window down!

[tyrone girl]

Yep sometimes when sitting in traffic it starts to overheat and i always put the heating on full rip and it usually takes the hand down though this morning even with the heating on full blast it kept rising - have water in it now so il know more what way its going when drive it home

[theskull1]

Skull, It is a closed system, but it will dump out water as a safety measure. If it didn't, the temp would gradually increase and blow out at the weakest point.

TG one other tip for when you're taking the motor to the garage...if you'r car is over-heating is keep the heating on full in the car, This will help to take heat away from the engine. If you're too hot, roll a window down!

In the case your talking about (blocked thermostat) it would overheat and blow off steam from the expansion tank (I would guess ) due to the pressure build up? I don't think TG has mentioned this symptom. The water must be getting out another way.

Just watch that advice about keeping the heater on. Yes it will help draw heat away from the engine, but if you're overheating because you're running out of water due to a leak (be it in the water pump/radiator/hoses)  then what you really need to do is fill up the system again before it eventually gets too low to keep the engine at a safe temperature

[no mo do yakamo]

Remove oil filler cap. Check inside cap for white 'mayonaise ' type scum. If this is present, then its definitely a head gasket failure.

[Tony Baloney]

Remove oil filler cap. Check inside cap for white 'mayonaise ' type scum. If this is present, then its definitely a head gasket failure.

Illdecide is a dirty hoor.

[Rois]

My head gasket went and the engine warped - cost me £1,500 for the mechanic to put a new engine together for me.

[Aerlik]

Quick TG, the suspense is killing me.  What is the diagnosis?

[Goats Do Shave]

Get a bottle of sealant & put it in with your water...

Might solve your problems cheaply!

[tyrone girl]

Got the aul fella to check it for me last nite, he filled it wit water again and could see where it was leaking out - seems to be like a slow leak from a pipe - must be a crack in it - so im keeping it filled with water as much as i can - hes gona speak to his friend today whos the mechanic that sorts my car so fingers crossed it wont be a massive job.

[Denn Forever]

Get fixed as soon as possible. 

The coolant should be a mixture of water and antifreeze in some cases a 50:50 blend.

[theskull1]

Get fixed as soon as possible. 

The coolant should be a mixture of water and antifreeze in some cases a 50:50 blend.

Good point...considering the time of year

[tyrone girl]

Whats that mean i havent a clue