Car overheating?

tyrone girl · November 18, 2009, 10:03:43 AM

Last week when was driving to work the temp hand in my car just auto started rising like mad so i pulled into filling station where i know the fella and he put water in it for me - he filled it up but now driving this morning it started rising again like mad nearly got to the top - what causing it and would it be a big thing?

Fear ón Srath Bán · November 18, 2009, 10:08:13 AM

You're probably losing water somewhere tg, and what with your racing through red lights at roadworks it could well be your head-gasket

Seriously, if you (or the mechanic) can't see water leaking anywhere, then it could be leaking inside the engine, and that probably is a (cylinder) head-gasket, and that is a big job.

Aerlik · November 18, 2009, 10:11:23 AM

Before you do any of the above, check your thermostat. If it's coopered it will be all of a few quid to replace. Start off with best case scenario

theskull1 · November 18, 2009, 10:15:04 AM

If it's losing water it could be

The head gasket has leaked ........ water gets into the combustion chamber.....is there a lot of white smoke out of the exhaust when it's running?
The water pump has gone.....leaking water round the engine bay
The radiator is leaking .....leaking water round the front of the engine bay
Cooling system hoses have cracked.........leaking water round the engine bay

Is it a petrol or diesel

If it's the pump/radiator/or hoses and it doesn't require constant filling you might get away with driving it with a few bottles of water in the boot to refill the cooling system when it gets too low .........until you get it to a mechanic sharpish.

If it's the head gasket then I wouldn't drive it too far ....will need a bit more work

Fear ón Srath Bán · November 18, 2009, 10:18:18 AM

Should still be able to see the leaking around the expansion tank Aerlik? It should not be leaking if it's just the thermostat, i.e., it should not be necessary to fill it up with water.

The key here is whether there's any visible loss of water.

tyrone girl · November 18, 2009, 10:25:39 AM

Its diesel -

Without sounding stupid tho how do i know if there is any visable loss of water ? Cos the grounds too wet to see if anything is leaking from it

Aerlik · November 18, 2009, 10:29:46 AM

I see your point. But, if the water was replenished and it didn't fill properly due to pressure in the radiator it might explain the need to refill, so when it cooled down it dropped down. I dunno. Just a thought.

take_yer_points · November 18, 2009, 10:59:57 AM

Quote from: theskull1 on November 18, 2009, 10:15:04 AM
If it's losing water it could be

The head gasket has leaked ........ water gets into the combustion chamber.....is there a lot of white smoke out of the exhaust when it's running?
The water pump has gone.....leaking water round the engine bay
The radiator is leaking .....leaking water round the front of the engine bay
Cooling system hoses have cracked.........leaking water round the engine bay

Is it a petrol or diesel

If it's the pump/radiator/or hoses and it doesn't require constant filling you might get away with driving it with a few bottles of water in the boot to refill the cooling system when it gets too low .........until you get it to a mechanic sharpish.

If it's the head gasket then I wouldn't drive it too far ....will need a bit more work

Exact same thing happened me yesterday morning - mine was due to the water pump packing in. As Skull says, I refilled with water twice to get the car up to the house (about 2 mile journey).

tyrone girl · November 18, 2009, 11:05:35 AM

Thanks guys - so i presume im not gona be able drive it and will just have to leave it in ?

I so cant afford this money wise and cant do without my car at the min either - im still secretly hoping its something small $:-\$

theskull1 · November 18, 2009, 11:36:43 AM

Taking it to a local country mechanic TG?

Not knowing what you drive...

Head gasket ....could be £400-500 (if the head needs to be skimmed...which they say it normally does)
Radiator .....approx £200
Water pump ....£200
Hoses.....£20

Of course you may have overheated due to the radiator/water pump/hoses leaking water and as a result overheated (warping the head), in which case it could be £6-700 approx to get all the bits and bobs done.

Happy Christmas....cars are a real bollocks when they give bother

offtheground · November 18, 2009, 11:38:45 AM

Don't be worrying yourself, you can always join the dirty girls...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8365267.stm

Sound's more like the thermostat (temp controled valve to restrict water flow around engine to allow engine to heat up quickly, then open up when engine's hot to allow water to carry heat to radiator) to me given that you were able to drive for a week okay then suddenly had this problem again. A thermostat would be cheap enough to buy ~£10 /20. How you pay for fitting it would be entirely up to you. Ref the link above.....

theskull1 · November 18, 2009, 11:48:26 AM

offtheground
It was leaking water (and as a consequnce overheated)

tyrone girl · November 18, 2009, 12:05:31 PM

But the silly question again - how do i know if its leaking water - dont break my heart telling me 300/400 quid now - il cry $:-\$

It was last monday morning it overheated and got water in, just started rising again this morning - why would it have let me drive ok for over a week

offtheground · November 18, 2009, 12:08:20 PM

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.

theskull1 · November 18, 2009, 12:27:53 PM

Quote from: offtheground on November 18, 2009, 12:08:20 PM
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