Overheating...., Diagnose my problem? Options

[95GTCelica]

head gasket can be an issue too? if u went past the red u have warped the head and need to replace the gasket and machine the head again. i'm surprised u didn't kill it

Well I only drove it around the block once and figured that it might not do any harm. I didnt think it would get so hot so fast. But in hindsight it wasn't the greatest idea. Thanks I'll look into that too. Right now I am going to replace the thermostat and look to see if there is any deris in the cooling fins while it's cool out. Hope it works. Thanks

[95GTCelica]

Well it didn't work...back to square one. But the old thermostat didnt look like my new one. The old one lacks a bleeding valve and the new one looks substantially beefier. Any more ideas?

[Renegade]

it's ur head gasket, u will start to loose coolant slowly, probably every three days you will have to top off the coolant. a way to find out is to change ur oil and see if coolant is in ur oil. the coolant will separate from ur oil when u drain it in a pan.

[95GTCelica]

alright i'll try that im due for another oil change soon anyway. thanks

[95GTCelica]

no coolant in my oil.... any other suggestions?

[Bitter]

oil and coolant mix doesnt always occur.


do a compression test once the engine is warmed up fully.

[Batman722]

Well it didn't work...back to square one. But the old thermostat didnt look like my new one. The old one lacks a bleeding valve and the new one looks substantially beefier. Any more ideas?

then it's probably the wrong part. Where did you get it ? I would go OEM dealer for that.

[95GTCelica]

It came straight from the dealer, picked it up myself. I'll see if I can track down a compression test kit, looks like it could be a good thing to add to any toolbox. Then I will check it tommorrow. Thanks for the help.

[Bitter]

Well it didn't work...back to square one. But the old thermostat didnt look like my new one. The old one lacks a bleeding valve and the new one looks substantially beefier. Any more ideas?

then it's probably the wrong part. Where did you get it ? I would go OEM dealer for that.

nah, its not uncommon for the dealer part to look better than the cheap**** aftermarket part thats in the car from a previous owner. the oem t-stat is made from a thicker sheet steel, is heavier duty, and indeed does have a jiggle valve to help bleed air.

[95GTCelica]

O.k so I did a compression test...twice, just to make sure the numbers were right.

First time

195,195,205,210

Second Time

190,200,205,210

What do you think?

[Bitter]

eroded water pump, air pocket.

just to be sure its not the head gasket, get a combustion gas test kit. you add a chemical to a sample of your coolant and if it turns blue or something then you have CO2 in your coolant which means a combustion leak into the cooling system.

[Batman722]

I still think it's your thermostat.

[95GTCelica]

eroded water pump, air pocket.

just to be sure its not the head gasket, get a combustion gas test kit. you add a chemical to a sample of your coolant and if it turns blue or something then you have CO2 in your coolant which means a combustion leak into the cooling system.

Well I'm going to try to take it to the mechanic tomorrow, should be the end of this probem. I really dont have too much time during the week to do this stuff. Although I learned a hell of alot with compression testing, changing the thermostat, and I actually want to do it myself so I can learn more. If I feel adventurous enough tomorrow I will give this combustion gas test thing a try. If not mechanic.

I still think it's your thermostat.

Really? Why do you say so? I just replaced it...Maybe I screwed it up somewhere?

[DEATH]

If you didn't change the cap you'll be kicking yourself in the end [that's if the mechanic is honest enough to tell you it was that simple].
I still agree with Batman tho - It still sounds like your T-stat. But just change the $5 cap just in case.

[nics]

recently i had the same problem. it seems that there is so much pressure in the radiator that all my coolant goes into the over flow tank which leads to loss and overheating. does this really happen when your thermostat is stuck close?

im planning to change it with failsafe thermostat. is this a good brand and 192 degrees is ok?

This post has been edited by nics: Aug 18, 2008 - 1:58 PM

[cheeco]

did you pull out the radiator and clean it? clogged radiators are a very common cause of overheating in traffic, but ok on the highway, assuming the fans operate ok. gets especially worse when the a/c is on.

[95GTCelica]

I still think it's your thermostat.

O.k just got the celica back and the culprit was the thermostat!!! What the hell I changed it for a brand new one! I didn't find out why though because my mechanic had to leave early, i'm gonna call him tommorrow so i can get all the details. I still cant believe that it was the thermostat, Batman you nailed it right on the head.

Thanks to everyone who helped, i learned alot.

[nics]

I still think it's your thermostat.

O.k just got the celica back and the culprit was the thermostat!!! What the hell I changed it for a brand new one! I didn't find out why though because my mechanic had to leave early, i'm gonna call him tommorrow so i can get all the details. I still cant believe that it was the thermostat, Batman you nailed it right on the head.

Thanks to everyone who helped, i learned alot.

did you CEL went on? mine did yesterday.