OVERHEATING
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4
my fc keeps over heating, i can drive it about 3 or 4 blocks before it gets really hot and theres antifreeze steaming from the over flow, my radiator is not leaking and and all my coolant lines are good, i was wondering what are some of the possibilities of why my car would do that.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 22,465
From: California
there are a few things that can cause it.
technically step one should be to pressure check the cooling system, if the o rings in the engine are bad, it'll pressurize the cooling system.
thermostat is bad/slow, they are cheap. if you're really cheap, its easy to chack
radiator cap(s). these go bad too, also if the coolant is older, you can get a piece of crud stuck between the cap and the engine. i had this happen last week, engine temp is normal, but since there is no seal on the cap, the coolant just comes boiling out.
other possibility is something like a plugged radiator, but that doesnt really happen all of a sudden
technically step one should be to pressure check the cooling system, if the o rings in the engine are bad, it'll pressurize the cooling system.
thermostat is bad/slow, they are cheap. if you're really cheap, its easy to chack
radiator cap(s). these go bad too, also if the coolant is older, you can get a piece of crud stuck between the cap and the engine. i had this happen last week, engine temp is normal, but since there is no seal on the cap, the coolant just comes boiling out.
other possibility is something like a plugged radiator, but that doesnt really happen all of a sudden
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by j9fd3s' post='918041' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:58 AM
there are a few things that can cause it.
technically step one should be to pressure check the cooling system, if the o rings in the engine are bad, it'll pressurize the cooling system.
thermostat is bad/slow, they are cheap. if you're really cheap, its easy to chack
radiator cap(s). these go bad too, also if the coolant is older, you can get a piece of crud stuck between the cap and the engine. i had this happen last week, engine temp is normal, but since there is no seal on the cap, the coolant just comes boiling out.
other possibility is something like a plugged radiator, but that doesnt really happen all of a sudden
technically step one should be to pressure check the cooling system, if the o rings in the engine are bad, it'll pressurize the cooling system.
thermostat is bad/slow, they are cheap. if you're really cheap, its easy to chack
radiator cap(s). these go bad too, also if the coolant is older, you can get a piece of crud stuck between the cap and the engine. i had this happen last week, engine temp is normal, but since there is no seal on the cap, the coolant just comes boiling out.
other possibility is something like a plugged radiator, but that doesnt really happen all of a sudden
you dont think it could be the water pump? because i just did a motor swap and the engine only has 30k miles on it, but im still using my old water pump, and if it is the thermostat would it be ok if i just took it out and didnt replace it?
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 22,465
From: California
Originally Posted by dong1721' post='918058' date='Mar 9 2009, 02:23 PM
you dont think it could be the water pump? because i just did a motor swap and the engine only has 30k miles on it, but im still using my old water pump, and if it is the thermostat would it be ok if i just took it out and didnt replace it?
water pump will just leak externally.
if you take the thermostat out, the bypass needs to be plugged, otherwise the coolant doesnt go thru the radiator
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2
Originally Posted by j9fd3s' post='918073' date='Mar 9 2009, 04:55 PM
water pump will just leak externally.
if you take the thermostat out, the bypass needs to be plugged, otherwise the coolant doesnt go thru the radiator
if you take the thermostat out, the bypass needs to be plugged, otherwise the coolant doesnt go thru the radiator
I know im new to this forum, but water pumps dependent if the past owner ran water in the system could of rotted the fins internally so the pump spins but there is no flow in the system, very unlikely but ive seen it, its scary and kind of sad...
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 737
From: Folsom, CA
Originally Posted by xfearnoartx' post='919864' date='Apr 4 2009, 01:09 PM
I know im new to this forum, but water pumps dependent if the past owner ran water in the system could of rotted the fins internally so the pump spins but there is no flow in the system, very unlikely but ive seen it, its scary and kind of sad...
hahaha i know what you mean it happened on my CRX that i had all the fins were missing and it was horrible since i never got it fixed everything fu*ked up and i sold it with it still overheating