I have a 97 Gle that recently started running hot when I drive for more than an hour. Sometimes it will get hot enough that when I shut the car off a small pool of antifreeze will form under the car. So far I have changed my thermostat, and got a new radiator cap. I thought this would fix it, but no such luck. Any suggestions on what my next step should be?

Marlon...

 

Where is the antifreeze on the groud in relation to the car? Is it directly under the radiator or futher back in the engine compartment. Start by checking all of the connections into the radiator and the radiator itself. If nothing is found the start looking around the timing chain area of the car. This is where your water pump is, unfortunatley. If you have to replace the water pump then its gonna be some $$$ mostly for labor.

 

First thing I would check is if your fan is comming on. So go out and start your car and wait till the fan comes on. If it never does and your car starts dripping afreeze, then you probably have an electrical problem with the fan. Does it over heat while driving or only when stopped?

 

good advice.

From what I have learned the water pump itself rarely goes bad on a maxima, it the two o-ring seals. Over time they stop expanding and contracting with temperature changes and will leak. You could always go have your coolant system put under pressure to see where the leak is comming from, but from my expierence it may not reveal a water pump leak.

I have had a fairly bad coolant leak for a few months now, and am 99% sure it's the water pump. It only leaks when the car is parked and sits over night. I won't leak when it's running or when the weather is warm. But a my shop could not get the coolant system to leak under pressure.

 

Forgot to mention my fan does come on.

Just went for a drive a few minutes ago. Since the weather is warmer the car gets hot much faster. When I parked my car antifreeze was leaking so I opened hood and noticed the coolant reserve tank was much fuller. Looks like the antifreeze from the radiator is backing up and overflowing the coolant tank.

 

Then you need a new radiator. Its clogged up.

 

by process of elimination, since you don't hear any unusual noise that pretty much eliminates the water pump itself, and if you aren't leaking anti-freeze anywhere except from the overflow, that leads me to believe that as Maximized Jiggs said the radiator is clogged. before you go and buy a new radiator, I would try flushing it out with a garden hose, odds are this won't help at all, but its worth a shot before you spend $.

 

yeah try flushing it out with the hose. Just be sure you reverse flush(against the afreeze flow) otherwise u will just wedge the crude in there harder instead of flushing it out

 

Dude it is your radiatior. I had the exact same problem (posted in january). Check the fluid level inside your radiator. More than likely it will be dry as hell. Also if your resovior is higher than normal then your radiator is cracked because the fluid basically moves under pressure and since your radiator is cracked no pressure is there to move the antifreeze. I bought that hi flow radiator off ebay for 225 shipped and it took me 5 minutes to install it. If you need any help pm me or email me at sharkulator@hotmail.com.

 

Radiator has antifreeze in it.

I think the radiator clogged issue is what I have.

You guys think if I took my radiator totally out and ran a garden hose through every hole a few times that would unclog it?

 

Possibly. If you pull the radiator out and run the hose if you do have a leak you will be able to tell and if it is clogged that should remove it. It only takes a few minutes and few bolts to pull it out so go for it.