QuestionQUESTION: My LHS just started overheating. Replaced thermastat twice, and radiator cap. I havent checked or replaced the timing belt or water pump, because Im not sure if that is the problem. I have alot of time and money wrapped up in this car with the high miles it has on it. Still gets good gas mileage (27 mpg) for as old as it is. I have a popping & gurgling noise from under the hood, which the air was released after new thermastat was put in. after car runs for a few minutes this noise stops. Do you think replacing the water pump and timing belt will fix this problem, according to the information I have provided? or wld you say I should use time, energy and money on a different vehicle?
ANSWER: Hi Kristen,
I doubt the water pump or timing belt would do anything to improve the overheating. More likely the radiator needs to be flushed out to improve the circulation of coolant through it.
At the same time, or even before that, I would suggest that you take a look at the exhaust from the tail pipe when you first start the vehicle in the cool of the morning. If you get protracted white smoke then that would indicate that one of the two headgaskets is leaking coolant into a combustion chamber and from there it goes out the tailpipe. That causes a loss of coolant and pressurization of the cooling system such that the coolant circulates poorly. That also causes early onset of gurgling sounds/popping before the engine has a chance to warm up.
It that is what is happening, then you could try putting a coolant additive called "Bar's Leak" into the refill container per the directions on the package as it may be possible to close the leak that way without opening the engine up. A radiator shop where you can get a good flush out would be able to test for exhaust gas presence in the cooling system which would confirm that issue. It also manifests itself sometimes as a milky appearing condition of the engine oil as seen on the dipstick, but not always.
So first do the diagnosis for a head gasket leak and absent that I would get the radiator flushed out at shop. If there is a head gasket leak, try the Bar's Leak. If that doesn't fix it, then you are faced with the headgasket repair which can be done along with the timing belt/water pump job, but then you are looking at labor costs that may be prohibitive.
Roland
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QUESTION: Would this also allow the defroster on heat setting on high to blow cold air? That's all I am getting. I was surfing the Internet prior to finding this site, and came across a blog were a gentleman was referring to a product called Steel Seal. It was a green/yellow liquid that he added to the radiator and said it could seal the head gaskets, kind of like the Bar's leak you mentioned prior to.
AnswerHi Kristen,
If you are loosing coolant, but not finding any water as such to be leaking or on the ground, then again I would watch the tailpipe for white smoke as I described. With a loss of coolant you could get a situation where the heated coolant doesn't flow through the heater coils in the box under the dash and thus you wouldn't get warm air either from the defroster or from the other air ducts. But the defroster actually activates the AC compressor and the defroster air is purposely cooled as that cooled air is more efficient at removing frost from the windshield that would warm air. So set aside the issue of the defroster air temperature for now. Figure out what is happening to the coolant/why the overheating/why the bubbling-gurggling. Yes, the Steel Seal is probably similar to Bar's Leak. I don't know if one or the other works better, but first verify that you have such a leak.
Roland
