QuestionQUESTION: I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden my car shut off and smoke starting coming from under my hood, it was my radiator, it got a huge crack in it. So i got a brand new one and installed it today. But when i started the car, it ran for about 2 minutes and antifreeze starting starting over flowing out of the resivous alot. So i thought it was the thermostat, so i replaced that to. Its still over flowing and now its not starting at all. It seems like it wants to start, then it doesn't and over flows a large amount. I drive a 2002 GLS Hyundai Elantra with about 82000 miles, do you think you might have somewhat of an idea?
ANSWER: That is interesting. To me it sounds as though you may have a faulty water pump. If the water pump is not cycling the antifreeze as it should, then there is a possibility that you could have a back up somewhere and cause overheating within the radiator to the point that it cracks. If you have replaced the thermostat, then it is most likely not any kind of electrical sensory issue and is some sort of mechanical failure along the lines somewhere. Of course, don't rule out the possibility of that quite yet either.
Have you by chance noticed any overheating in the vehicle before it quit starting, such as an increase on your temperature gauge? I don't believe I have heard of a vehicle not starting due to a faulty water pump though. Did your "check engine" light come on as well?
I will do some more research on this and see if I can find some more information to give to you. I hope that it works out for you and turns out to be a minor problem.
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QUESTION: Well, the only time that it overheated was when my radiator blew, and when i put the new one in it ran at normal temperature till i turned it off cause of the fluid pouring out. Also the check engine light never came on either. i was also thinking the water pump, but like you said, that doesn't explain it not starting. thank you for the information and I'll keep on tring different things till i get it, unless you get another idea that is lol.
AnswerThis may seem weird, or obvious, but be sure to run a check on your fuses before you start jumping into something larger. After that, if everything checks out okay, see if you can't run a scan test on it to see if the car puts out any odd codes on the engine diagnostics. If there is no sensory codes that come up, then it almost has to be something mechanical, and I would definitely start with your water pump. To be sure of this, make sure you call the closest Hyundai dealership near you and ask their service department if they have had any issues similar to the one that you have described. I have personally dealt with some weird electrical issues in the Hyundais that I have owned, so anything is still a possibility.
I wish you the best of luck on this one and really hope that it turns out well for you. Let me know if there is anything else that I may be able to answer for you though.
