help overheating

[zadam123]

My mechanic fixed my thermostat housing a few days ago cause it was leaking and now my car is overheating he also replace my thermostat. My car is not leaking now and has antifreeze and im not stuck in traffic. And my fan is working. Any ideas what is could be. evey 10 minutes i have to pull over to let it cool down

[jdm monkey]

bad thermostat (not opening)

[zadam123]

That's what I thought but mechanic do.t think so. Is there anyway to test that? I know changing it is a big job

[jdm monkey]

The only way to test it is to take the thermostat out let it sit in water until it boils and check if it opens.
Another possibility is a bad water pump.

[Grif]

Another possibility is a bad water pump.

I was thinking water pump as well, but the only time ie ever had one of those go bad (not in the VX) you knew it!! It made one hell of a noise.

[Marlin]

Another problem is the fan clutch. My fan still worked when it was running. The easiest way to check is to try and spin the fan with the truck off, it should not wiggle and be difficult to turn. If its easy to do it, or it wiggles, the clutch is bad.

[PK]

We can eliminate the fan clutch if the engine is still overheating while you are in free flowing traffic.
The air flow through the radiator eliminates the need for the fan.

Sounds like thermostat or water pump, or richard head mechanic left a rag or plug in one of the galleries while he was working on the engine.

Be careful or it will cost you a motor.

PK

[Grif]

Did a quick search here, seems if the engine is running lean it can cause overheating as well? Most reports indicate a throwing the CEL for a lean condition as well. Is the check engine light on?

If the lean condition is the cause, then some reports indicate cleaning the MAF sensor will rectify the issue.

I dunno, just throwing that out.

[zadam123]

I was thinking water pump as well, but the only time ie ever had one of those go bad (not in the VX) you knew it!! It made one hell of a noise.

Thanks for the input.no noise was made just noticed the air conditioner was starting to blow out hot and look at that temperature and it was hott. Here's another question i have a 1 hour ride home would it be better for me to go a little faster or to drive slower to keep the temperatures down?

[zadam123]

Also how hard is it take out the thermostat. does anyone have a step by step. i heard it's a big job

[lasturbo]

Another problem is the fan clutch. My fan still worked when it was running. The easiest way to check is to try and spin the fan with the truck off, it should not wiggle and be difficult to turn. If its easy to do it, or it wiggles, the clutch is bad.

I agree with Marlin, it may be a fan clutch failure or very weak. You need this to pull the air through the radiator. Did you check it yet?? I know this because mine was starting to run higher than normal on the temp guage and when I replaced the fan clutch, fixed it!!

Here was my thread on the fan clutch help I asked for FYI:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ght=fan+clutch

[zadam123]

I just checked the fan clutch and it doesn't wiggles an is not real easy to spin. So i don't blow out my motor what is the hottest i should let the temperature run before i pull over to let it cool off middle,3 quarters or up to the first line by the h? Also does the fan have two speeds ybecause it seems like it's spinning but not real real fast

[Marlin]

I just checked the fan clutch and it doesn't wiggles an is not real easy to spin. So i don't blow out my motor what is the hottest i should let the temperature run before i pull over to let it cool off middle,3 quarters or up to the first line by the h? Also does the fan have two speeds ybecause it seems like it's spinning but not real real fast

I am still sticking to the idea that the clutch is bad or going bad. Mine appeared to work just fine, but under any torque it was slipping, and my temp would get hot, even when driving.

As for speed, the RPMs are more important than actual speed. The lower the RPMs, the less combustion, therefore less heat generated. I would NOT run your AC, as a matter of fact, running the heat on full will help reduce the engine heat, but as long as it isn't in the red, you should be ok. You can also crack the hood, cut a hole in the hood I would change the oil after this problem is solved, if it has run hot a little bit, your oil will start to break down. No worries, don't drive it in the red, get it home, should be no problems, I have over heated mine a few times on the trail. Another trick the ZU guys showed me, and this will determine if its the fan, pop the hood, with the truck in park, rev the engine to about 2-3k rpms manually at the throttle body. If the fan isn't sucking a bunch of dirt out of the radiator, your fan isn't working, mine is like a hurricane under the hood when I do that and you can drop temp back to 170 in less than a minute.

[Ascinder]

Another thing to try at least for this time of year would be to drain the antifreeze and just run straight water to get it home. The reason for having antifreeze at all is just to prevent it from freezing(clever name huh?) and to help prevent rust. Water by itself is a far superior coolant and would help keep your engine cooler in the meantime. I would also point out that that in my experience, any time you have weird/bad symptoms occurring right after somethings been worked on, it usually as a cause of that work. Most mechanics will tell you the "oh it's not that" story because obviously it would make them look bad to admit they screwed up, and 99% of the time the customer won't force the issue and make them correct their work. It also gives them more business since they're now working on "some new problem".

[zadam123]

Another trick the ZU guys showed me, and this will determine if its the fan, pop the hovod, with the truck in park, rev the engine to about 2-3k rpms manually at the throttle body. If the fan isn't sucking a bunch of dirt out of the radiator, your fan isn't working, mine is like a hurricane under the hood when I do that and you can drop temp back to 170 in less than a minute.

Should i try this on a cold Modor or let it warm up a little bit also how do i know if it's sucking dirt from rad. Do I just open the cap and look for bubbles is that what you mean?