overheating with weird temporary fix

E

enduring11

Active LVC Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
118
Reaction score
0
Location
Anchorage
Since its been colder than a witches tit up here in da northwoods of wisconsin my car is having this weird reoccurring overheating issue. Before i go to work i always start the car and let it run for a good 10 minutes before i head out. before i even get to the highway which is about a mile and a half from my house at about 15 mph max the needle maxes out and engine power is reduced. this hasnt happened before the extreme cold so im thinking that has a lot to do with the problem.

so getting to the temporary fix part.... ill pull over, pop the hood and loosen the coolant tank cap and its followed with a gurgling sound like holding a 2 liter bottle upside down and emptying the contents. after i loosen it up the needle drops to the half mark where it normally sits. at first i thought the cap was on too tight so i loosely screwed the cap back on. well that didnt make a difference. this also happens (not all the time but more often than not) around noon when i take my lunch and 3 when i leave work. also my heat takes forever to warm up. i dont know if thats related. i just dont know what the deal is.
 
enduring11 said:
... i just dont know what the deal is.
Click to expand...

I don't see any reason to suspect that it's not what it almost always is. You have tiny cracks in the plastic cooling system parts at the front of the engine. They let air into the system, and the air blocks the circulation of coolant. This causes the poor heater output and the engine overheating. When you take the cap off the degas, the sudden reduced pressure makes it easier for some/most of the trapped air to burp its way out.

There's no need to try and figure out exactly which parts have the tiny cracks, because they all will within a month or two anyway (if they don't already). Replace all the plastic cooling system parts (radiator usually excepted), and your problems should go away. Note that the two main radiator hoses should be replaced too, since they have plastic sections.
 
Do you know of a thread that lists the parts and numbers for an '01 v8? I did a search but only came up with gen 2s.
 
my 2000 ls has no heat, the outside temperature is in the 20s right now and the the gauge says normal running temperature(just under middle mark) after only minutes of running. and stays there in idle, when you drive it it overheats but does not overheat ever while just sitting. but there's still no heat. there's lots of steam blowing out from under the hood and it seems to be coming from the center of the engine near the coolant cap, and thermostat area, there is coolant just sorta sitting on components in that region so its obviously leaking somewhere. i shut the car off and i heard some sort of electronic motor running along with what sounded like gurgling and running water, im sure this was the auxiliary water pump.(i went back and turned the key to the ON position but did not start it, and then shut it off and removed the key, the electric motor stopped) i just don't exactly know what the problem is. any suggestions?
 
Janobala said:
.... any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Wow. Did you search/read any threads at all?
The suggestion is the same - Replace all the plastic cooling system parts. They all fail at once.
In your case, specifically, your thermostat housing and engine fill cap need to be replaced. You should also replace the degas bottle, the plastic crossover tube assembly, and the upper and lower radiator hoses. (If those aren't leaking now, they will be a week or three after you fix the other leak.) After that, fill and bleed it exactly to the factory procedure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 316 (members: 0, guests: 316)
Back
Top