SO my 2000 Maxima has been over heating alot for the last 2 weeks or so, Im not real mechanically inclined when it comes to cars (snowmobiles are another story) Anyway i have been watching my temp gauge skyrocket unless i have my heat turned all the way up and on full blast, Then today even that didnt help entirely. I got home and looked to see that my drivers side Fan isnt working either. Does anyone has any ideas. Sorry for the vague description if you need to know anything else i will try to find out. Whoever can help me out i would appreciate it a whole lot thanks.

 

Cooling fan control information can be found starting on page 351: http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/2000/ec.pdf. Based on this information it seems the fans should function simultaneously, and the fan motor, wiring, etc.. is dead. Though on other cars the fans can be control independently.

The issue could be a thermostat stuck closed, thereby by-passing the radiator; which sounds like the true culprit to me. Page 16 shows how to remove and test the thermostat: http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/2000/lc.pdf. Although, for the time required to remove and the thermostat cost you might as well replace it and test the old one.

Also check the coolant level which could indicate a leak or bad radiator cap.

Another good source of cooling system information: http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/overheating/index.html

 

I would start by replacing the thermostat especially if both radiator hoses aren't piping hot after that drive. If one hose is much cooler, then the stat is stuck closed or you have some kind of clog.

 

So this shouldnt be an expensive fix? Like i said Im not too mechanically inclined so im not sure how much of the work i can do on my own. Thanks so much for that input TallTom and 2slow I appreciate it. Im still open to anymore help anyone can offer.

 

Also does anyone have an explanation on why one of my radiator fans is working but my drivers side fan is not?

 

Based upon the factory service manual both fans should operate simultaneously, which indicates an issue with the driver side fan's electronics.

I would warm the engine so the one fan operates and check the incoming voltage to both fans. If they match, the fan motor is likely dead, if they differ the driver's side fan relay is likely dead.

 

Oh Ok, the first response you gave i didnt really understand what you meant but i gottcha now. What do you believe the price range would be for fixing an issue like this? Like a min and Max price? Or Am i better off selling? Its a 2000 Max SE with 165K on it. Runs like a top other then this recent overheating issue i am having. Is this a problem i should be overly concerned about or will it be ok to continue driving as long as i keep an eye on my temp gauge?

 

As always, DIY will save money over a shop. Regarding actual price range, it could vary a great deal depending on what's broken and if you DIY. For inexpensive replacement parts I usually go to: http://rockauto.com/.

If the engine has not been severely overheated, it will likely be fine once the cooling system is repaired. Though there is always the risk of other damage due to excess heat, but I think the VQ30 if fairly robust (I am not an expert here).

 

I dont think my motor has any problems due to excess heat cause it hasnt even gotten all the way up, it has gotten to the top line of the temp gauge but has not went past that yet, Also i havent heard any hissing or had any smoke.

 

Hi,
-Fan Not Working
In regard to your cooling fan not operating the maxima's have 2 fan relays that control the fans going on and off, its possible that the secondary relay is failed. to test this, all you need is a analog or digital multimeter to test power to the fans. on the one thats failed disconnect it plug that connects it to the fan array harness and plug in the multimeter and set it to voltage test. then go inside the car start it and set your heater to defrost the front windshield and turn the *** to 1 that should be fine. this forces the fans to turn on and if all is well you should get battery voltage to the fan, if you get voltage and the fan doesn't spin your fan is probably burned out. if you dont get voltage check the relays and retest.

-Thermostat
In the 2000 nissan maxima there are 2 thermostats one on the left side and one on the right. "this is facing the engine", they both have to work together in order to cool properly. like mentioned before they could be stuck and in that case you would probably be better off replacing them. If you need i can post a picture describing where they are located at.

I suggest that you go this yourself so you don't have to deal with the dealers high prices and if you do all the work yourself you are looking at about 60 - 70 dollars in thermostats and a 2-3 hours to replace them.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need anything.

 

if your problem turns out to be a dead fan, you are better off replacing the whole fan assembly, rather than just the motor for that fan. Chances are your other fan will fail soon. I had to replace mine 2 months ago and it's a very easy task (about 90 bucks from Amazon with free shipping). If you are not really mechanically inlcined but are willing to be, this a good opportunity to develop that inclination if you wanna save real moola on car repairs.
Also, you don't mention whether the temperature is rising at idle, while sitting in traffic or highway speeds. If the cause of it is the fan not working, then you should not overheat while at highway apeeds. If you do then there is something else that might be causing it, along with the fan problem.

 

It overheats MUCH MUCH faster at idle, when i am driving it dosnt overheat too quick but after awhile it does climb. I also have had water in the coolant for about a week and a half. I get paid wednesday so Antifreeze will replace that water on wednesday, that could also be adding to my problem. I also was just out looking at it and saw the a part of my radiator about the size of a pin needle appeared to be "Leaking" I saw it bubbling for seemingly no reason. I saw no whole but i did see bubbles. Anything i can add to this to make it easier to diagnose i will do so. I really appreciate all the info flowing in. I am gonna bring it to Advanced Auto tomorrow so they can run a free diagnostic on it for me. I think when i get someone to look at it I shouldnt be far from a fix.

 

I'm not sure what you mean. Typically you should have a 50/50 mixture in the cooling system (50% water and 50% coolant/antifreeze). You can either mix the straight coolant/antifreeze yourself with distilled water or you can buy the pre-mixed containers. I hope you don't mean you had just straight water in the cooling system. Also, any leak in the cooling system can cause you major trouble down the road.

 

Thats what i mean sadly. I didnt have any Antifreeze and i was told water could be used in a pinch. I only drive my car to work and back, Litterally that is the only thing i use it for (10 miles round trip) Is this really bad?

 

The straight water in your cooling system is not horribly bad, see in the maxima's the engine case is made of aluminum not cast iron. making the engine rust free. but at the same time water has a lower boiling temperature in turn putting more stress on your cooling system. Antifreeze also has lubrication properties that water doesnt. dont be too worried about it but make sure you get some antifreeze in your system.

 

My 2002 Maxima power steering reservoir is leaking (hoses) behind where the reservoir is located. I have clean up the area trying detecting where is coming from but to no avail. Has anyone experienced the same problem? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Joese

 

This isn't the correct thread for this, but one of my hoses coming from/to the reservoir had a small leak (the hose was a little wet). I assumed the hose had dried/relaxed and replaced the clamp with one I could tighten just a little more.

 

2slow is right, but also if you have time and see if you can remove the sweaty hose. this hose is not a high pressure hose so it is possible that the hose is dry to the point where its cracked and that could be the source of your leak. bend it to see if you see any cracking and if there is replace the hose, it should cost no more that 6 - 7 dollars from Nissan.

 

Mine is doing the same thing. First noticed last night that the gauge was almost pegged and it was only like 72 degrees outside. I got it home and it was steaming and I could take the antifreeze in the air. It would cool down when driving down the street normally, but when down my road (which has about 15 speed bumps per foot), it went up quickly.

I went out and looked at this this morning and I don't think the fans were turning on. I tried the AC, Defrost, etc... Am going back out to test with the multimeter in a few.

Will respond with results.

 

I had this exact same problem, Mine ended up being the drivers side fan was actually broken the blades were still there but the mount inside was broken so the blades didnt spin, Might not be the same for you I dont know, But it looked intact and was actually cracked all the way around. As long as you keep moving over 30 miles an hour your good. But Idle if I sat to long I usually shut the car off... Or turned the heater on High it halfway acted as a radiator cooler.. Good Luck

 

Thermostat check 1st and then on to the cooling fan debug as mentioned above.

 

I have some issues with my car that needs to be fixed. First, the coolant fan does not work but the air conditioner fan does. The check engine light is on in the car and it is reporting that the something is wrong with exhaust pipe. I went under the car and I see that the cover for the flexi pipe is not on tight. When I start my car it sounds as if it does not want to start up, well I need to get back in forth to work.
Is it safe to drive the car like this for a couple of days?
Is it okay to leave the air conditioner fan on to keep the engine cool?
Will the car stop in the middle of the road after I have it going--ref. the exhaust pipe?