97 SE overheating
 

I've got a 97 SE Auto. It's got 233K miles on it and I have developed a new problem. The car seems to be overheating rapidly when I'm in stop and go traffic or even in a drive-through line. This occurs when I have the A/C on so I just shut the A/C off for a few minutes until the temp subsides. Car goes to the dealer next week, but I was just wondering if anyone else had these problems and what might be causing them. Thanks.

Wow, do you have a 300-mile commute every day? Those are some miles! Even in my venture-some teenage days, I put just less than half that amount of miles on the car I had per year.

I don't have much advice on your problem, other than comprehensively analyzing the cooling system under the hood. I'm not familiar with that kind of analysis myself, I'd take it somewhere. Heard cooling system problems can have the potential to break the wallet in bad cases, so I send out my luck.

When's the last time your changed you water pump?? Maybe it's time. Keep in mind that when you do the pump, some anti-freeze and oil will spill, and possible mix in the engine, so have your mechanic change the oil and anit-freeze, too. It's best to drain the oil and anti-freeze 1st before doing the water pump.

DW

Are your cooling fans running while the A/C is on? They should be. Thats the first place to start checking. When was the last time your cooling system was flushed? You may have some calcium built up in the radiator also. Check to see if the cooling fans run constantly with the A/C on, make sure they also cycle on/off as the engine temp goes up without the a/c on. Then do a flush and refill. You may also try a water wetter for better performance. I think Red Line makes one.

Re: 97 SE overheating
 

Impressive mileage! My '97 has 48,000!

Thanks for the advice and the luck;)

I've seen that stuff before, isn't that mostly for german cars? I heard it reduces engine temp. by as much as 20 degrees. Although the temp. gauge on my SE runs a 'lil bit below dead center (after cleaning the engine a while ago) & I want it to run a bit more cooler, do you recommend it?

Re: 97 SE overheating
 

Try checking the radiator fins for blockage or objects that shouldn't be crammed in there. Then check the T-stat to see if its opening correctly and make sure both cooling fans work.

Re: Re: 97 SE overheating
 

************************************************** *****************
New comment (I'm new to this board and don't know why my reply appears to be appended to the previous poster's):

Prior to my purchase of my 1997 Max SE, Super Black, 5 speed, I owned a 1996 Plymouth Neon Sport, red, 5 speed. It was a fast runner, tons of fun to drive, but oh, what a shop baby. I bought the Neon brand new, but if I had known how much repair $$ it would set me back, I would have bought a brand new SE.

The Neon was having overheating problems much as you have described with your ride. I tried many things, but finally one of my mechanics found out what another garage had goofed up. He held a paper towel to both of my radiator fans. One of them had been installed backwards, blowing hot air against the radiator. At highway speeds there was enough air flow, but at slow speeds one of the fans was blowing the radiator's heat forward instead of pulling it toward the rear of the car! FYI, maybe that's your problem!

Re: Re: 97 SE overheating
 

I bent some radiator fins on my car when I was working on it once. Like 5 or 6 fins on the inside of the radiator facing the engine. When I tried to straighten them, they flaked off. These radiators are very delicate. How do you straighten them out, if you can?

DW

noooooooooo
 

problem is your termostat.
cost like 5 bucks and some sealant. your done

Re: noooooooooo
 

And here I am suggesting the most expensive fix 1st :bonk:

You're right. Check the easy stuff first.

DW

I use redline water wetter in my motorcycle and it works great. Now my bike's temperature gauge doesn't move as quickly when I am in stop and go traffic and it runs cooler while I am going down the road. The next time I change my coolant I am definetly adding redline water wetter to my Maxima.

Re: noooooooooo
 

I have to agree. First thing to check is the thermostat, and then flush the cooling system. If that doesn't work, then it maybe your water pump. I'd think you'd be able to tell if there's a water pump problem when you try to flush your cooling system.

good luck!

;) See if the cooling fans are on when the A/C is on.

Hesitant on flushing...
 

I would be hesitant to flush the cooling system of a car with that many miles. No matter that it's a 1997, flushing could also do more harm than good. Lots of crap could be built up in the cooling system and a flushing could bust it loose and send it into the radiator, permanently clogging it.

Regarding Redline's WaterWetter, it's a pretty slick product. Not only does it have excellent heat transfer properties, it also contains a lot of anti-corrosives. I know someone living in FL who runs only water and WaterWetter and has excellent cooling ability with no corrosion.

Good luck,
TOM

I forgot to mention that the radiator was replaced at about 150,000 miles. I had an unfortunate incident involving a hen pheasant and my grill colliding at about 90mph. Do you think it may still be a risk to flush the coolant system?

Re: Hesitant on flushing...
 

I'm not so sure i agree. If there is a concern about stuff clogging the radiator, then the cooling system needs to be flushed extra-well to get all the crap out. That's just my opinion. I know that you should be leary of doing a tranny flush if the car has never had one done before, but i don't think the same applies for cooling system.

could a bad belt be causing this?

things to check and/or replace

fuses/relays
thermostat/w.p.
and the last time antifreeze was changed/and maybe you need another rad.

think its time to replace your water pump> it sounds like thats the problem

similar temp issue on '99 I30t
 

I'm having a similar problem with my 99 I30t. Highway speeds, temp is OK, but only for a while - after 30-45 min. temp will begin to creep upwards, or, after exiting freeway, rises in stop & go traffic. I noticed steam bubbling up in coolant reservoir after I got home (engine off), and coolant level is low. I've replaced both radiator hoses and the t'stat, but I used an Advance Auto Parts t'stat that just didn't work, so I put the old one back on. I have not replaced the heater hoses.

I've tried draining coolant and refilling it s l o w l y and also tried bleeding the air out by running engine with radiator cap open; nothing seems to help. It seems the only thing left is either water pump or the radiator itself. I can handle replacing the radiator myself, but money is def. an issue -- I don't want to replace the radiator and then have to pay to have the water pump professionaly replaced too.

Has anyone ever seen this behavior before? Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!!

john

Is the system leaking at all? Have you done a pressure test?

Are we to assume that your radiator and condenser are free of blockage? Fans work?

There is no leakage at all. The coolant loss appears to be out the top of the reservoir due to steam. I have not done a pressure test. The radiator appears quite clean - no noticeable blockage. The fans both work and seem to come on as appropriate.

Thanks!

john

Consider remove the two raditor retainer bolts (10mm AIRC) on the upper raditor support and gently push the rad away from the A/C condensor. You might be suprised to see what finds its way in between these two items and in essence chokes air flow to the radiator. A quick check of the internal conditon of the radiaor can be made by removing the cap and looking for calcification on the tubes. I swear I removed and entier bird's worth of feathers earlier this year between my rad and condensor. I have about the same mileage on my '97 SE as you do and it runs cool as a culcumber.

check the engine oil and see if it's very dark. the friction in the engine can generate heat very fast.

Checked between AC coils & radiator - clean as can be. Took a look at the water pump cover - if I had any DIY thoughts about changing the water pump they are gone now :/

john

Overheating
 

97 GLE overheats at high RPM on highway. When I drop it below 2000 RPM the temperature settles back to normal. I replaced the thermostat, did a full flush: I mean 10 gallons of distilled water until it was coming out ALMOST perfectly distilled water color. MAN that took a LONG TIME (it still hand a patina of old coolant yellow). The old coolant hand a few little red flakes but no calcium and no oil. I replaced it with Nissan LL coolant. The fans on the rad are brand new.

The front radiator, facing the ram air is cool to the touch even after long drives, whereas the one facing the fans is hot HOT. There are no leaks that I can see, but the front rad has some dings and things on on it's lower surface where the ram air enters...

What's next on the troubleshooting list? :confused:

Are both of the radiators in the front for the cooling system?

There's only one radiator. Seems like you're referring to the AC condenser.

My 1997 with 187K runs right in the middle. Is this what most people experience?

Yes, that's where it should be.

So there is apparently some debris in the front of the radiator, between the rad. and a/c condenser. I removed the big things (had a plastic bag in there, and leaves). Do I have to vacuum it or can I spray it with a water hose without damaging the fins? And, should I wait for it to cool down?

You don't really have to wait for it to cool down, and you can just remove the top retaining brackets and lean the radiator out of the way, spray it down with a hose.

im i the only one that noticed this thread is from 2002 :eek:

So I took the two retaining brackets off the radiator, tilted it toward the engine and sprayed the radiator from a garden hose. It was dirty. Now it's clean. The temperature did not spike after I took the thin plastic shopping bag and leaves off the rad. surface facing the condenser, but I figured might as well rinse it. The radiator is surprisingly thin, so even a small shopping bag covering 10-15 percent of the surface perhaps had a significant effect. I still need to test it on a longer trip, since it only would spike after 50 mins high rpm highway driving.

So it's official. My overheating problems is solved.