*The needle of the temperature gauge climbed to about the middle of the normal range and stayed there.
Which, interestingly, is still cause for concern, because prior to these troubles the needle always stayed at the low end of the “normal” range. Should I be worried?*
I wouldn’t worry. Assuming the temperature gauge and its sending unit are reasonably accurate, the middle of the normal range is just where I like to see that needle. It could be that your old thermostat was a bit weak, and was letting the engine run a little cooler than it should have been.
You did have the heater ON when you put in more fluid this time right? & also, you have to do the right mixture, which is half water & half antifreeze (but check the bottle, just in case)…
Everything remained fine until yesterday, when my engine began doing a surging thing. At an intersection, idling, with the car out of gear, the motor raced from about 1000 rpms to about 2000 (I have a tachometer).
It hasn’t done that again since, but it has continued to do similar odd rpm things, like idling at 1000 or 2000 rpms or, alternately, simply dying entirely when I take my foot off the accelerator.
Furthermore, it’s been running hot again. Today on my way home from dinner with some friends, the needle crept slowly up toward the red zone. It never overheated, but that might just be because I got home too soon.
Any ideas here? I’m at my wits’ end. Can the car pass emissions inspection in this condition? Can the EGR valve or thermostat I replaced have anything to do with this?
I am really hoping someone responds because the exact same problem happened with my 91 Corsica yesterday, and I haven’t an extra penny to spend to have it checked. Just planning to ride the bus until payday.
Idling very high, dying when I take my foot off the accelerator, and registering as overheating. Let’s hope its something simple, just overlooked.
You need to have your vehicle checked. When that happened to a Toyota that I used to have, it was the water pump. But look at the following site to see other possible problems:http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/cooling.htm
You should have someone pull your sparkplugs and look for signs of coolant or fouling. If your burning coolant (blown headgasket) you can foul up your emmission controls that regulate the engine fuel/air mixture. All sorts of nasty things will happen if you have a bad head gasket.
Having said that, you may also have a vacuum leak somewhere on the vehicle. On newer cars it will probably be a broken or cracked vacuum line. On older cars it could be a manifold gasket leak or a carbuerator issue or a vacuum line.
When I had similar problems (i.e. problems don’t respond to normal solutions) I purchased one of those code readers. It’s a handheld thing about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Runs off a 9-voly battery. It was about $30 at an auto parts store. The regular Auto Zone/Advance/Pep Boys doesn’t always carry there, I found mine at a “hardcore” auto parts store where a lot of small garages and racing guys buy their parts.
You hook it up, and it takes over your engine, revs it up, etc., and then it beeps out these little codes. They’re the same ones the engine analyzers read. You write down the beeps (they come pretty fast) and the book that comes with it tells you the problem.
A) this thing pointed me to a lot of problems I didn’t know I had and B) for some reason, probably a bad chip or something, just running the test itself seemed to re-set the system and the problems would go away temporarily.
Don’t know if this will help, but you might wanna try it.
I had my radiator flushed and fresh antifreeze/water added this morning. The thermostat checked out okay. But there was white smoke coming out of my tailpipe today, and the check engine/ water lights came on again after I drove around all day.
Back to the drawing board. I suppose I’ll have to see a mechanic instead of relying on shadetree mechanic coworkers.
I’m a member of an internet-based association of auto repair professionals. I’ve only met a portion of them in “real life,” but my experience is that those who choose a sponsoring membership (optional at extra cost) are ones who truly care about their trade, their colleagues, and their customers. I would have confidence in their abilities and ethics.
Go to www.iatn.net and select the Member Directory (http://www.iatn.net/dir/). You can look through Memphis and surrounding towns. Look for a shop or mechanic that is a sponsor (should be in blue).
Now, for Fiver’s concerns. I’ve been keeping this in the back of my mind all day. Lots of different thoughts, but no one or two things that stand out as most likely. The symptoms you describe don’t point clearly in one particular direction. Furthermore, the idle problem and the overheating problem might be related to each other–or might not. It may be time for a professional evaluation.
That said, here are some possibilities that you could check:
Coolant level. I suspect it might have a smallish leak, and it could have taken a week or so for it to lose enough to start running hot.
Radiator fan. I believe yours is belt-driven. If so check the belt condidition and tightness, the water pump for play and smoothness, and the fan clutch operation. (If it is an electric fan, check for its coming on.)
Any loose wiring connections, vacuum hoses, or air ducts.
Though it’s not impossible, I think it’s pretty unlikely that the EGR valve or thermostat is malfunctioning. It’s not a bad idea to check them to be sure, but they aren’t at the top of the suspect list.
You say you have white smoke coming out of the exhaust? That’s coolant getting into the combustion chambers. You probably developed this leak from a warped head when you failed to put antifreeze into the radiator.
RushGeekGirl - You probably have a blown head gasket. Very expensive to fix. ($600+).
Have someone diagnose this for you. If it were me I would be able to tell by removing the spark plugs when the engine is cool. The chamber that is drawing in antifreeze will have a discolored spark plug and it may even smell like antifreeze. Also taking your finger and wiping it inside the end of the tail pipe and then smelling said finger may detect the scent of anitfreeze there too.
The other signs may be foamy residue on the oil dipstick, or possibly oil in the radiator. Oil will come to the surface, so if there is oil in the radiator you should notice it when the engine has cooled down and you remove the radiator cap.
I sent in before checking recent messages.
I didn’t run the car with low antifreeze. I just added it recently, as little as a few weeks ago…it was never low. Someone just suggested draining the radiator to my coworker, so he gave it a shot.
I have only had the car six weeks; bought it for six hundred so nothing I discover about it surprises me too much.
Thanks Gary, for the mechanic suggestion. If it is above the cost of the car, I’m not sure it will be worth the effort, but I still need to find someone reliable for maintenance.
Sorry I hijacked.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for ya Fiver.
