NINAROSS Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Just got my fuel pump installed, yaaaay for that, but now I have a overheating problem, at idle car temp runs up, sometimes temp runs up when the car is in motion but it drops back down, after driving for a while and I cut the car off, my coolant overflow tank is boiling over and it sometimes kills my battery from the heat, any suggestions on what can be causing my problem, I havent had any leakage so I'm ruling ot hoses, I just got a water pump installed maybe 3 months ago. thanks for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Can you verify that your cooling fans are running? The fact that it seems to run okay when the car is in motion would lead me to suspect that maybe the cooling fans aren't working right. Did you replace the thermostat when you changed the water pump three months ago? Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NINAROSS Posted June 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 no i didnt replace the thermostat, someone told me maybe it isnt opening up, i believe my fan is working, a friend of mine also hooked it up so that my fan could run at all times with a wire running from the fan to the battery, but that didnt stop the overheat so I took it off...is it fairly easy to change a thermostat...I'm not afraid to get dirty if its something I could do myself I wouldnt mind doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Did you confirm that the radiator fluid is running through the radiator while the engine is running. When the engine is cool, open the radiator cap and start the car. Watch the fluid carefully, it should be moving through the radiator. Let it run for a while so the engine gets warm and keep watching. If the fluid is not running, something is either not opening (a thermostat) or there might be a collapsing hose or a blockage somewhere in the system. When was the last time the hoses were changed. Should be done yearly or at most every two years along with the belt(s). If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 The thermostat is easy to change. You should have changed it when you did the water pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 I am leaning towards the thermostat as well. There is one other posibility. I don't know where you live (rural is worse than urban) but since the car is 12 years old, check and flush out the radiator fins with a garden hose and or compressed air if available. You would be surprised how much dirt, debrie & insect carcasses can accumulate and block air flow in 12 years. Can't hurt, plus it's free and easy. Good luck and keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 When was the last time the hoses were changed. Should be done yearly or at most every two years along with the belt(s). Where did you get changing the belts and hoses every 1-2 years? I have belts and hoses going on 10+ years and no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 When was the last time the hoses were changed. Should be done yearly or at most every two years along with the belt(s). Where did you get changing the belts and hoses every 1-2 years? I have belts and hoses going on 10+ years and no problems. Traded my '92 in 2000, 125K on it with original belt & hoses. That said, they were inspected regularly. Every year or two is a waste of time & money (send me your old ones). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Traded my '92 in 2000, 125K on it with original belt & hoses. That said, they were inspected regularly. Every year or two is a waste of time & money (send me your old ones). I agree with Larry, still have all original hoses and they are fine. The belt is easy to replace on 4.9 motor, so it may make sense to do that say in 5 years or so depending on the condition of the latter. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 When was the last time the hoses were changed. Should be done yearly or at most every two years along with the belt(s). Where did you get changing the belts and hoses every 1-2 years? I have belts and hoses going on 10+ years and no problems. I would hate to have to replace the hoses every two years. Some of the hoses are preformed and very expensive. I plan to inspect mine shortly on my 96 for bulging, dryness and wear marks from rubbing. If they feel supple to the touch and are not suffering any physical wearing, I normally don't change them. If they are beginning to feel thin I change them. Any bulging around the clamp and they are history. Its subjective. With regard to belts I look for cracking or voids in the ribs (missing portions of the rib) which to me is a sign of dryness and a loss of flexibility. If they feel and look dry I change them especially given the considerable tension they are under. While Marika's 2 year cycle may be excessive, her car is having its coolant changed and the risk of a failure that could put you on the shoulder of the road is minimized. It sounds like Marika has a good mechanic. Given the age of her vehicle its a great opportunity for her mechanic to get his eyes under her hood to look things over. For instance, fiddling with the hoses on the 4.9 can uncover things like the plastic T that is 'just ready to split' if you know what I mean... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 NINAROSS, I have had two thermostats go bad in my 91 Seville 4.9. The first one went spontaneously on the highway and my warning messages came up and I shot up to 260 degrees. That is a catastrophic failure, not opening at all. When I took it out it was bound closed as the copper end that has the 195 degree printing on it was rubbing against the frame tightly. You could see where it was rubbing. The second one was beginning to fail. It was winter. What would happen was that my car would warm up to about 224 degrees for a long time and then all of a sudden it would cool down to 175 when the stat opened. 224 degrees was too hot, and you could feel that the engine was not liking it when it was 10 degrees out! The stat was also rubbing and you could see the wear marks on the stat. Make sure of a couple of things 1) when the engine is cool open the radiator cap and the coolant should be up to the neck of the opening, 2) look at the cap there is a poppet valve in the middle, it looks like a tiny frying pan, pull it down, it should spring back up and be firmly up. If this poppet valve fails you will pump coolant into the resovior (container), as the engine cools if pulls coolant from the container make sure it is full cold, 3) watch your temp gauge when you first start the car, 195 plus or minus 5 to 15 degrees is normal operating temp, watch to see when your thermostat opens your temp will rise to about and I say about 210 to 217 and then all of a sudden drop to below 190, if you don't see a drop your stat could be bad. Its a two bolt job, with a slight loss of coolant, they use a rubber ring seal so there is very little clean up like the old gaskets. I use the Stant Superstat stats, they really look well made compared to the run of the mill stuff. Check this site out and click Superstat, http://www.stant.com/index.cfm?location_id=168 Let us know what you find out, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 BY THE WAY! Those two stats that I had go bad were the pick it off the shelf at Pep Boys type. Having those two stats go caused me to go find a better quality stat and I found the superstat... It really feels like quality in your hands, its stainless steel, whereas the run of the mill stats feel cheezy, cheap and light. I also like that thought was given to improving temperature regulation. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NINAROSS Posted June 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 thanks for all your input guys! One thing I have recently noticed is a buildup in my radiator cap, it resembles mud what could that be? can show me a picture of my thermostat and where the exact location is, thanks alot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 That "mud" might be the sealant tabs. Perfectly normal. It has been a few years since I've had a 4.9 and can't recall without seeing it but I think the thermostat is on the engine end of the upper radiator hose. Let someone else confirm this though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 thanks for all your input guys! One thing I have recently noticed is a buildup in my radiator cap, it resembles mud what could that be? can show me a picture of my thermostat and where the exact location is, thanks alot! It sounds like your cooling system needs to be flushed out. Flush until the water runs clear at the petcock. Getting to the petcock on mine was near impossible. It is not necessary to use a cleaner or flush like prestone. Here is the picture, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 By the way, don't take off the Lower Housing just the upper housing, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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