Questionwhat are the possible causes for overheating?
what should I check first?
AnswerOpen the hood and start it. Let it run until it warms up and see if after a while the cooling fans come on. This is assuming your 929 is not a 1990 hold over with the rare manual fan driven from the water pump.
Second, if the cooling fans come on you can feel the upper and lower hoses to check if the engine starts to overheat before the upper hose gets warm.
Third, warm the engine up and then shut it off and allow it to cool down till it only feels Luke warm. Then take off the radiator cap and restart it and see if you can see the coolant moving inside the radiator. Cover the cap with a thick bath towel and wear safety glasses when doing this step. Remove the cap with the towel over it to prevent spray and wear gloves.
What I suggest for this car is that you do a complete cooling system overhaul to it and if it has not had a timing belt yet you need to do so now.
It involves a coolant flush, a water pump, and a thermostat.
If your cooling fans are not working which for the manual fan means that it will not spin or does not spin at the same speed as the engine when the car is overheating and the car is parked you will need a new fan clutch and for the electric when it will not run at all it means a new temp switch and or a new cooling fan or relay. Any one of these things can be easily diagnosed by a competent mechanic and are considered easy fixes.
I can do the 929 Timing belt, cam seals, crank seal, tensioner, idler, water pump, thermostat, belts, and hoses, flush and fill coolant in about three hours flat which for me is $150 labor and roughly $350 in parts and consumables such as coolant and clamps...
If your 929 is your baby and most owners of 929's love theirs to the point of madness, you should defiantly go to town with it and it will repay you with many more years of servitude.
Regards,
John
