Overheating... Advice would be awesome :)

Hey guys. I'm pretty nooby when it comes to cars, especially under the hood. Well I was driving home today, and I noticed my water temp gauge was up in the red, and when I got home and parked a giant cloud of steam came out from under the hood. So I popped it, and there was liquid everywhere. Felt like water at first, but then I realized it wasn't, since it was a bit sticky-ish. Could this be coolant? And what could have caused this? I read up a bit on this problem, and from what I have deduced is:

Replace T-Stat
Flush and add new coolant

That sound right? Anything I can check before I buy a new thermostat?

BTW I couldn't see the color of the coolant, it was dark outside and (of course) a flashlight was nowhere to be found.


Thanks guys!

Check the fluid levels of everything. Trans, coolant, oil...look for any caps slightly loose like the radiator cap, oil cap, washer fluid tank, etc...

After you have checked and verified the levels than you can condemn other things.

Alright thanks man. I probably should have checked all that as soon as I bought the car, I've only owned it for a week. My mistake, I'll check all that tomorrow. Thank you for the reply :)

check all the hoses.

Do you mean make sure they are one tight, clamped correctly, not cracked or leaking? Or is there something less obvious I should check for?

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Originally Posted by HungarianHunter

Do you mean make sure they are one tight, clamped correctly, not cracked or leaking? Or is there something less obvious I should check for?

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Yes all that, and also look around the hoses, you may see green corrosive build up on the ends of the hoses. You'd know if a hose let loose and was leaking.

Alright, I'll do everything you guys said tomorrow, and get back to you. Thank you so much :D

yup. feel the hoses. is they are super soft, might as well replace them before they go bizzerk.

Then take it back to whoever u bought it from, if you got it from a dealership, and have them fix it since it's only been a week

up in the red, that is pretty hot.

could also be water pump failure. how many miles does the car have

I got it from an independant seller, and the car has almost 121k on it.

you got ripped of legally u can return the car in 2 weeks

I only payed 3250, it wasn't a bad price IMO. 120,000 isn't too bad for a 2000. I love the car :D

Edit:

BTW guys I fixed it :D The freakin coolant was bone dry, not a drop in it. The car gulped down and entire gallon of coolant like it was nothing. Works perfect now, sits right under the halfway mark. Thank you so much for the help, it was really convenient knowing what to look for :D I love TGC :)

Did you use 50/50 Mix? Straight coolant is bad, so i've heard. By the way, on my 01 v6 w/ 100k on it when should i replace the thermostat? Doesn't overheat though or come even close to half. Any input greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Frankv

Did you use 50/50 Mix? Straight coolant is bad, so i've heard. By the way, on my 01 v6 w/ 100k on it when should i replace the thermostat? Doesn't overheat though or come even close to half. Any input greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Yes sir, got a gallon of 50/50 mix from my local Circle K. IDK about the thermostat, I'm super nooby, but I'm sure someone else with more experience can help you, the people here are really willing to help :D

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Originally Posted by HungarianHunter

I only payed 3250, it wasn't a bad price IMO. 120,000 isn't too bad for a 2000. I love the car :D

Edit:

BTW guys I fixed it :D The freakin coolant was bone dry, not a drop in it. The car gulped down and entire gallon of coolant like it was nothing. Works perfect now, sits right under the halfway mark. Thank you so much for the help, it was really convenient knowing what to look for :D I love TGC :)

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i would double check it for leaks... it can evaporate from the system, but when it is bone dry it is usually for a reason..

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Originally Posted by guynlidia2006

i would double check it for leaks... it can evaporate from the system, but when it is bone dry it is usually for a reason..

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It's been sitting in the same spot in my driveway for a week and a half now, not a single drip spot. I checked over all the tubing, and tightened them even more, I didn't notice any kind of leak. Actually there was one with green corosion, the thick one going from the radiator into the engine. I took it off cleaned it all up and pushed it on further/tightened the clamps (worm clamps?) very tight. Hopefully it'll be fine now. If this happens again I'll check more thoroughly, but for right now it seems ok.

have you checked it while it was running and the pressure was built up?

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Originally Posted by guynlidia2006

have you checked it while it was running and the pressure was built up?

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So you mean let it run for a bit then go in and check it through? That I have not, I'll do that first thing tomorrow though, if that's what you mean.

koo. thanks ne ways bro and yup my g has never been the same since i found TGC. everyone's helpful.

I would look at replacing your thermostat sometime soon, being if your run your coolant dry/overheat its highly suggested to change the thermostat because of the previous high temp your cooling system just went thru.

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Originally Posted by Frankv

koo. thanks ne ways bro and yup my g has never been the same since i found TGC. everyone's helpful.

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What have you done to the interior? That's what I'm working on now.

u got pm. i dont wanna be going off topic lol peace

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Originally Posted by chbuzz

I would look at replacing your thermostat sometime soon, being if your run your coolant dry/overheat its highly suggested to change the thermostat because of the previous high temp your cooling system just went thru.

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Cool thanks. Is a thermostat universal or galant specific? Autozone/checker?

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Originally Posted by HungarianHunter

Cool thanks. Is a thermostat universal or galant specific? Autozone/checker?

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Galant specific.

Where would the best bet be to find one? Online or junkyard maybe?

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Originally Posted by HungarianHunter

Where would the best bet be to find one? Online or junkyard maybe?

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Just buy it from the dealer, its like $7

Hey guys so I found a place where the previous owner put silicon to try and patch up a crack in the radiator.. not wanting to drive with a cracked radiator I ordered one at 3pm yesterday from e-bay. It was at my house at 7pm O.O

It was the most amazing shipping ever. Turns out they ship out of Phoenix, where I live, but it was still a really nice surprise. Throwing it in today :D

Thanks again for all the advice.

Hey man, do you have updates about the problem? My car is overheating due to a leak on the lower hose to the thermostat. It overheats 3/4 from the temp gauge at idle but not when I drive the car.

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Originally Posted by HungarianHunter

So you mean let it run for a bit then go in and check it through? That I have not, I'll do that first thing tomorrow though, if that's what you mean.

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he means drive the car around till the car reaches normal operating temps and then get out and look around the coolant lines for any leaks. DO NOT open the cap. its hot and pressurized.

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Originally Posted by jhendra83

Hey man, do you have updates about the problem? My car is overheating due to a leak on the lower hose to the thermostat. It overheats 3/4 from the temp gauge at idle but not when I drive the car.

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if its overheating at idle but not while driving, i would assume your fan is not not working correctly either. your fans are supposed to keep your radiator cool when theres no ambient air moving thru the radiator. easy way to check is to let the car idle and get out and see if both fans are kicking on.

btw 3/4 way up on the stock gauge is like 230+ degrees. i dont know what the stock block can take but im wary of any temps 220* and higher.

Is the A/C fan working?

All the fans are working...I noticed there was a coolant leak just under the hose and thermostat housing...it looked like it's been leaking for awhile and last night I found out my coolant reservoir was dry empty!

I filled it up w/ 50-50 antifreeze last night and no more overheating. But the needle stays just almost to the midpoint. I'm gonna have to replace the lower hose and drain/flush the coolant asap.