Hey guys, my car overheated and i need help... I'm so dam pissed and freaked out...

I was driving it the entire day with no problem, then I come home, and parked it. Ever since last night, I noticed oil leaking from alittle left of the right tire, so before I drove it today, I checked the dipstick, and it looked like the oil was still there. So just 20 minutes ago, I parked the car, and looked underneath, alittle more oil was dripping, so I decided to park the car across the street so my driveway doesn't get stained. I put it into first, and then suddenly the car turned off and the temp gauge went to "H", it overheated. I walked to the front, and theres antifreeze coming out of the car onto the road. I popped the hood, and thought that the radiator hose probably broke, but not enough antifreeze was leaking. So i looked at the antifreeze tank, and all the antifreeze seemed to have reversed its direction and started filling the tank up and leaking. BTW, this morning, i noticed that the antifreeze level in the tank was at "min", so I filled it to "max", could that create a problem?

What could it be? The little oil leaks can create car to over heat? Was putting more antifreeze into the tank to "max" creating the overheating problem? Or did something like the waterpump malfunction? What should I look for to fix this problem? And also, I'm not to familiar with the car, but directly underneath the front passenger seat is where the oil is leaking, what exactly is located there? The oil plug to do oil changes? Please help ... I'm somewhat depressed, pissed, and scared that I might have damaged something.

 

It might be that your water pump gave out or just your thermstat.Overfilling your tank does nothing to damage your system.The tank is just for safety.Maybe your hoses are clogged.Squeeze them and listen if there is crust.

 

did you put any oil in?
i overheated once realy bad in my old car, it turned out to be the water pump. it wasnt pumping enough. it took a while to overheat at start, then evrery time i drove highway, then right away after warming the car up. also melted things..

 

Your head gasket is blown.

The combustion pressure is getting into the cooling system thus filling it up with gases and pushing your antifreeze out.

Thats why your overheating.

 

This is a hairy situation.

 

This could a small repair or a very large repair. you can try this or that, but the bottom line is you should at least have it checked out by a shop or a delaer. And if you can handle the repair yourself after it has been diagnosed then go for it. There are tools designed to check for head gasket leakage & clogged radiators and such.

 

If the head gasket is damaged, how would much would it normally cost to replace it? Also how much would it be to get a new water pump?

 

- Have the shop do a pressure test of the cooling system to see if it's leaking.

- Do you see any light brown 'mayonnaise' under the oil cap? A sure sign of coolant getting into the oil.

- Do the fans run when the engine gets above normal temp? Not running = baaad m'kay?

- Do you get hot air through the dashboard vents when you set your climate to full hot? no heat after 2 minutes = no coolant flow = possible bad water pump

- Does the upper rad hose get hot after a few minutes of engine running? top rad hose staying cool = no coolant flow = possible stuck thermostat.


I'd do a flush and refill of the cooling system with new thermostat AFTER finding the cause of the oil leak.

 

quick question is it normal for the bottom radiator hose to stay cool at all times?

 

Ok guys, so the main culprits are blown head gasket, water pump, thermostat, or a clog in some radiator hose.

I'll be taking the car to the shop like 5 blocks away from my house, let them diagnose it. My main concerns are if I will damage something, and if the vehicle will overheat immediately.

Also, what does it mean when oil is leaking from that particular area, under the engine and alittle to the left of the right tire, is there where the oil release plug thing is (the plug you remove for oil changes)?

 

The oil change plug on the oil pan is over there, but only underneath the car will you be able to see the source, because it could be the oil pressure sensor switch too.

If the car is cold you can probably drive it five blocks. Go easy on it and turn the heat on full and crank the fan, as that can aid in cooling the engine, assuming there is even any coolant flow (if the waterpump is buggared there won't be).

 

Alright, I'm gonna drive it to my mechanic right now. I hope its nothing big, and just something simple like the waterpump or thermostat. I'm also going to do an oilchange, might aswell, since the oil is black, which might fix the oil leak problem.

 

waterpump isnt very simple....


an oil change wont fix the leak, i think your pressure sending unit is bad, and its leaking oil. did you check for any symptoms???? did you pull the dipstick and look for a chocolate milk looking oil? gas bubbles in the overflow tank?

 

Well I'd like to think the water pump is easier then head gaskets .

My mechanic took a look at it, and was 90% sure that the thermostat is to blame. He also told me that before he sold me the car (mechanic was also the dealer/seller), he put in a new radiator and radiator hoses. As for the oil leak, he was also pretty certain there was oil leaking from the oil filter. The mechanic will fix the overheating for free (replacing the thermostat) and I'll pay for the oil change, since the oil was black to begin with. BTW, when I woke up this morning, there was no oil what-so-ever, went out and got two quarts of oil, put it in, and drove the car to my mechanic. I left the vehicle there, and will check up on it tomarrow, I don't really need the car immediately, still have my 2000 Max SE .

 

Actually the front headgasket is ALOT easier than the water pump... the back one not so much but I'd still rather do that than the water pump again.

 

Hehe, I just wanted to say that because it might be the situation I'll be in, just trying to make myself happy . Whatever the cause is, he'll fix the overheating problem himself, and I won't have to pay a penny. I just want the car back in running order...