My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

[firebirdn]

So my 99 automatic with about 70k is being a b!tch. It got hot so I stopped and put coolant in it and it took quite a bit.Well about 6 miles later it started overheating again : ( . Coolant levels OK. No fluid leaking out anywhere.Heater still blows hot air. 15-20 minutes later and about three police stops I fire her up.Temp reads nothing doesnt even move. So I drove home which was about another 6 miles.I checked her over this morning and no fluid leaks, rad is full? Drove it about 8 miles started overheating again! After it cooled down I drove it the last mile to storage. So I'm not sure if the coolant is flowing or not?It must be because it was low yesterday? I do have another thermostat to try but just wondering if anyone had opinions.Knowing my luck it's probably intake or head gasket. But I thought if the gasket was bad it would leak?No coolant anywhere,not in the oil, not under the car WTF?It's like 30 degrees out so it can wait till spring but any input is greatly appreciated.

[96blackmaro]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Could be water pump, thermostat, or the lower intake gaskets.

[ssms5411]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

I would say check your water pump also.

[Cdr.Instigator]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

I say replace the thermostat..

[techsan23]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Did you bleed any air out of the coolant system after adding that much antifreeze? When I would refill the coolant system I would run my camaro until the temp would suddenly spike due to an air pocket, and then turn the car off and crack open the bleeder. That could be why the temp is erratic, but you probably need to have the coolant system pressure tested. If you added that much coolant there has to be a leak somewhere.

[akirony]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Yeah the coolant cant just get up and walk away yaknow. Its gotta be going somewhere. And since Coolant doesnt evaporate with a snap then I think you should recheck for leaks with the car running just to be sure. No Coolant=Coolant leak(Somewhere)

[FIREBIRDV6RAGE]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

if your gaskets are leaking and there is no coolant in the oil. check your spark plugs is ,if they are completely clean then that means , which ever cylinder you took it out of that's where all the coolant is going to. also there is the possibility of the radiator not being bleed out , there for the air pockets are getting hot which causes an over heat problem just like the other guys said. check your hoses and clamps . and if none of that is leaking check your water pump . if it is none of the above this is the last resort turn on the car and let it run and heat up when it gets around 200 degrees put your hand on the upper radiator hose and check if its hot then check the lower radiator hose. if one of the 2 are not hot and the car is at 200 degrees the you have a clogged radiator . which means a new radiator. if it is that and you want to find out where it is clogged .(turn off the car when it hits 210 degrees) and carefully put your hand on the radiator and feel for cold spots . when you find it then that were your clog is.

[Need4Camaro]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Another possibility - bad coolant temperature sensor, I've had one fail before and had erratic readings just like that when in truth everything was just fine.

[thebeewantsboost]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

do you still have dex-cool? switched to the green stuff? if you still have dex cool the likeliness of a clogged radiator is good. IF you're not loosing fluid. (unless its from boiling over). and if it stays at operating temp at idle. only overheats under load. good chance its the radiator. or water pump. keep us updated.

[David William]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

sorry to hear that..... check your hoses and clamps 1st. Then check the water pipe.. It can also be that bad coolant sensor..
Actually even i had same problem with my Mazda mx5.. had to face lots of problem due to this overheating engine.. after driving 15 miles the engine used to get over heated..I've cleaned out the radiator core externally as much as possible and replaced the thermostat but no luck. The cooling fan is operating normally as far as i can tell. but later found that the problem were in the coolant sensor....
i got a nice solution from this below link regarding this overheating problem..
just check this you may get a nice solution regarding this mater...

repair mx-5

[firebirdn]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Thanks for the input guys. Like I said I'll deal with it in the spring too f'n cold now to mess around it with it. But I did notice the rad hoses were no very hot upper and lower. But if the water pump is not working then I assume the symptoms would be similar?

[nascar24jd]

I would start with the thermostat.

[firebirdn]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Ok. So it appears I have fixed the problem. It wasn't the thermostat because I did that yesterday and she still overheated! So I threw a water pump in her today and she seems to be fixed. When I pulled the old pump off I noticed some corrosion on the bottom so I think she was leaking. Not sure why she was overheating with a full rad? Maybe it really wasn't full after the first time she ran dry? Anyway it's fixed now.

[ssms5411]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Good to hear, water pump is a cheap fix.

[FIREBIRDV6RAGE]

Re: My bird is overheating.Thoughts?

Good to hear, water pump is a cheap fix.

so true just 30 bucks :rock: