ok so here is my problem. the maxima today failed on me and started overheating and leaking coolent from behind the motor on the firewall by where the water lines go into the cab of the car for the heater core except one thing on my car the guy that i bought the maxima from last year had the heater core go out on him and instead of replacing it he juz had the hose routed back into the engine and by passing the heater core. Well today out of no where the car starts to shoot steam from under the hood and no its not the hoses or head gasket or anything like that. Me and my friend both looked it all over and figure=d that either its (A) the thermostat stuck closed or (B) the radiator is clogged because the hose on th lower end of the radiator is ice cold but on the top end of the radiator it is boiling hot. so my problem is im not exactly sure what is is for sure but have an idea that it could be one of the two things i listed. i have a thermostat to replace the one in my car if that is the problem. its the nismo lower temp thermostat. please any and all help would e really appericated as i need my car to get to and from work and college and soon my new job at tacoma suburu.

 

my guess is going to be a clog. that's the only why i can explain the upper rad hose being hot while the lower rad hose is cold. you can usually rule out a bad t-stat when the engine will not get up to normal operating temp. may be a bit more difficult in the heat of summer.

 

Closed stat...............



Let the motor cool enough so the cooling system is no longer under pressure or get it to the point where you can just safely remove the radcap (idea being to have the motor close to the hot/normal operating temp of the stat .

Remove fat top hose from rad.

Start the motor - if the stat is the problem you will get a really small/no flow spewing from the top hose when the motor is at normal op temp and the stat is closed/stuck closed - you need/want a huge waterfall to come out of that top hose if the stat is working ok.

Easy enough to test for clogged rad (that I believe is not the problem) - with the same top hose removed from the rad, also remove the bottom and stick a hosepipe ito the top of the rad .......................... I bet the rad flows anything you care to pump in there

 

yeah thats what we were believing that it had to be the t-stat being the problem but we didn't wanna rule out the radiator as well. Only reason i say that im not sure as well as my friend saying the same thing is because we don't wanna rule out the chance that it could be the radiator but at the same time in college have learned usually a vehicle that is overheating and the radiator is ice cold as well as its lower radiator hose, and hot upper radiator hose is because a stuck closed t-stat. but there could always be that chance that the radiator could be the one at fault.

Also the motor was at operating temperature and we were able to remove the radiator cap and have no pressure or hot steam flow from it when we opened it.

 

Sorry - don't understand that one at all or you are not telling the whole story.

Cooling system completely filled with liquid as per owners manual? - if yes then irrespective of stuck thermostat, you will undoubtedly get pressurization of the system (including the radiator) if the motor reaches operating temp/higher according to your gage.

So - no pressure? - you sure?

Was the motor really at operating temp?
That leak behind the motor - is it still there?

 

Look for a FREEZE Plug that could be leaking. Then for me after finding that, we had the water pump go, because of the overheating.

 

I was thinking clogged radiator until you said you lacked pressure, then my thoughts turned to a water pump.
my opinion is to :
1. flush the system out
2. check the water pump by hand (see if it turns freely, any shaft play etc..) while it is still installed
3. Change the t-stat

I'd do #1 and #3 just as routine maintenance.
you may want to change the order, but as long as all steps are done you should find the problem.

your problem is a flow issue, or lack thereof

 

ok so now my question is if it is the water pump how hard will it be to remove and replace the water pump can it be done with the engine still in the car?

 

Refer to the autozone repair sticky for the water pump removal procedure...

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=396706

 

cool looks like its gonna be alil fun but shouldn't be all too difficult to do.

 

wait... so you say you've got a coolant leak on the back of the engine near the firewall?

if so, it's not a water pump or a thermostat. it's a leak.
find where the water is coming from and fix it.
simple enough.

 

ooooohh i just read the thread...

Doesn't sound like a w/p issue at all..

Check the hoses and connection between the hoses the previous owner done to bypass the heater core..If you cant find any obvious signs of trouble in that area,refill the radiator with water,close the system(put the rad cap on)start the car,let it warm up to temp,while you are watching the areas of concern for leaks...

 

Ok so i just lifted up the car and removed the tire and to my surprise i found a puddle of coolant on the ground and the coolant blown all under where the water pump is at so im no more then likely sure its the water pump that has gone out





and this is where it was blowing off the over pressurized coolant from in the system

 

It might be the pictures dude,but that doesn't look like coolant to me,it looks like oil,maybe from the p/s system..

Are you sure it's coolant?

 

bro im sure its coolant and not power steering.
if it was power steering it would of been howling like a dog when it is very low or out of power steering fluid and also would of been hard to turn the wheel since there would be no power steering assist

 

Ok,have fun with the w/p swap..

 

yeah i know ive already seen whats its gonna take and can tell it wont be the easiest thing but if i can do this then it will make it much better for me to be able to work on suburu's at the dealership since this is my car to get to and from work and college and i have to have it back up and running for my first day at suburu next week plus cant miss any college time.

found a place that can get me the part by today in the afternoon. Also gonna buy new upper and lower radiator hoses as well. and install the nismo 170 degree t stat. might as well have had it since like 3 or 4 years ago and never got around to installing it in my pervious maximas so ima install it now since im working with the radiator hoses and water pump.

 

Please fix it before you start working at the Subaru dealership, don't let it be the reason for being late or miss the first day of work there cause you have a broken NISSAN Maxima, show them how great NISSAN is or was.

 

These days I'd rather a subaru.

 

Great,but why?

Nissan maximas suck or something else?

 

New nissans suck, they're all having engine issues of some sort it seems like.
no such issue on the subarus that I am aware of.

 

That is good to hear,i'd hate to have any 3rd gen bashing going on in this forum..

 

I've had more maximas than you.

I'm looking for another one, but the price has gotten ridiculous on them now so I'm consigned to driving mini-max

 

Cheapskate.

I just read this thread. This is exactly what was happening to my car when I first bought it (I knew about the problem). The wp was going out and seeping antifreeze. If you didn't replace the antifreeze quickly enough, it would overheat. Also, if it sat in traffic or was left running without enough airflow, it would overheat.

Luckily, there was a guy that worked at the Chevron station that just moved here after being a Nissan Tech and he swapped it for $200 including parts (a brand new pump). He moved away like 5 months later. I should have paid him to rebuild the VTCs, but he moved too soon.

 

well the maxima didn't get overheated luckily i got it home before that happened but it was near overheating and i got the new pump it came in today but i was out at of town so tomorrow right away once the parts store opens im off to pick up the new pump and get on installing it and a new upper and lower radiator hose and the nismo 170 t stat. and i do plan on fixing it ASAP as it also will make me miss my other job and college which i am thinking if i cant fix it fast enough tomorrow which im not gonna try rushing it then ima call out for college and stay home fixing the maxima so that i can have it back up and running.

 

ok so i now fixed the problem as far as i can tell but wont be sure till i take the car out alil later for a hot lap to see if anything happens i got it up to operation temp and the fans kicked on at 62 degree's celcius. the reason i say 62 instead of the OEM 82 is because i replaced the on i had in there with a nismo t stat because the t stat in the max was bad it wasn't sealing down all the way and also the other problem was in fact a rip in the valve to pipe hose from constant rubbing against a piece of metal. Found out this morning that it wasn't the water pump when i removed the tire and removed the belt from the pump pulley and the pulley had free play when i tried to move it from left to right in rotation.

 

the pulley had free play, but it's not the problem?

either my reading comprehension skills suck, or you just don't make much sense.

 

Better matt?

 

my bad. Matt it was in fact the hose in the back of the engine compartment that had ripped and was leaking bad. Also the thermostat was bad as well it doesn't seal properly o i replaced it with a nismo thermostat i had bought a few years back when i had my first Maxima.

 

What about all that "coolant" you found on water pump side of the engine??

BTW,i still think it's oil or power steering fluid..

 

no the hole was directed in the direction of the water pump side of the engine so thats why i thought it was the water pump leaking all the coolant from underneath. as for the oil all underneath the chassis that u think is power steering or oil its not the car has over 200,000 miles on it but has had the engine switched out because the prior owned had the engine originally in the car mess up on him. dont know exactly went wrong with it juz know the engine in the car isnt the same one from when the car was made. so all the oil u see in the pics has been there since i bought the car. i plan on taking and pressure washing the underside of the car and getting rid of all the grease and oil from beneath and having the underside resprayed with a sealant / sound deadening material.

 

elusivemax93

I don't know you personally, but your typing skills suck and smacks of nothing less than selfishness.

Please - have the common decency to type complete and coherent sentences while using proper punctuation - you are asking for help but don't have the time to do things properly on the forum, yet expect the readers to sit here and dissect your verbal diarrhea in order to make sense of what you actually tried to say.

As for your "problem" getting solved..................Nonsense - the stat temp spec has absolutely no effect on the fans kicking in at any temp other than what the ECU is telling them to (IIRC about 94C with no aircon?) - and that temp is measured by a temp sensor dedicated to the ECU's job. Apart from that - there is absolutely no reason to have the fans running while the stat is still closed (by both logic and design implementation) - ie - if the engine temp is lower than the stat temp (especially in your case where you say you fitted and lower temp stat) then the fans should not be kicking in AT ALL. Capacity wise - in my experience the Nissan's cooling system is more than able to handle its job with no or very little assistance form the fans - eg - if your ECU is in proper control of the whole engine-bay, you can sit and idle the motor for hours at normal op temp with the fan kicking in on rare occasions for only very short periods of time.

How exactly do you know that the fans kicked in at 62C ?(hopefully C and not F!)

 

thats fine go ahead make fun of how ****ty i type as English isn't my best subject nor i do i care for it that much and as for the thermostat it does affect when it opens and closes. When the coolant within the cooling system gets to a certain temperature the thermostat opens as u can test any thermostat by putting it in water that is a certain temperature. the ECU goes off of the ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor and lets the computer know at all times what temperature the coolant is in the cooling system. And yes granted a car can idle for hours upon hours and the cooling fans ever hardly turn on to aid in cooling the system but as for my cooling system something is wrong with my cooling system ive replaced a ripped pipe to valve hose and a thermostat and radiator hoses and yet the engine is still over heating so my concern is fixing my car with or without the help of the likes of people that put me down like you. Have some compassion for those that dont do so damn great with typing in english and have running sentences. And maybe the fans dont turn on exactly at 62C but i do know that the thermostat opens when it reaches that temperature. So go ahead flame me up for this ban me do as you all please but think about how much good you just did by doing so to me when i cant help that my english skills are not that great as you all are good at them. You cant blame a mexican that was born in the states but raised speaking spanish first before english. atleast im trying to do my best anbd not make it o so confusing but i cant promise that i can be erfect like you LvR im glade that your so great at your english skills really i am but back off and give me some room for error. good bye do as you wish.

 

Thats right my friend - the world owes you a packet and only you have problems that needs solving.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your English - don't go putting words in my mouth.So you want help but refuse to interact sensibly and with only facts?

Initially you had "the maxima today failed on me and started overheating" and snottily stated "Well today out of no where the car starts to shoot steam from under the hood and no its not the hoses or head gasket or anything like that" ..................... and way later you only find the funky hose after many suggestions to that effect and pages full of questions based on your authoritative statements? .................... and according to you this is really an English problem?.

Could have fooled me .

For the record :

I am not a mod and therefore cannot ban you (and wouldn't if I were and could either) - I am a Maxima owner just like you that was trying to help a fellow saying he has a car problem on an open user forum.

 

elusivemax93:

LVR is correct,it is extremely hard to decipher your posts due to the lack of punctuation,you being a mexican american has nothing to do with correct grammar,as many of our members here are of the same heritage as you,but type perfectly. We can't help you correctly if we cant understand what you type,most of us just give up trying to decipher what you trying to communicate..

We take time out of our lives to try and help you fix issues with your car,so how about you take a little more time to help us help you by using some punctuation in your posts..It's not that hard to do,it just takes a little more time.

Check it out-->http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/