Car overheating, need advice

[Mivec9]

i think is around 280..not so sure cos i did trade in my alternator for new one..total 320 with the trade in

[Turbonetics]

Ok update,

 

Brought the car down again today to check the thermostat, seems it has already been removed. Thus my mech concludes that theres a problem with my head gasket which is causing the overheating. One of the symptoms that my car has is a bubbling of the coolant which can be seen when the engine is running and the radiator cap removed. Apparently there shouldn't be any bubbling. Another much older and seemingly wise mech there had a look and agrees.

 

Cost: Approx $250 for a new head gasket

 

I thought of wiring the fan to run all the time, but after doing it and seeing how fast it spun, decided not to for fear of killing the motor prematurely.

 

Is there however something I can change which would allow the fan to kick in at a lower temperature?

 

 

However all is not lost, I can still drive the car as when the temp reaches slightly above the half mark the fan kicks in and cools things down. I've noticed this myself while driving yesterday, when the temp reached approx 3/4 mark it would soon go down back to 1/2.

 

So what I'm gonna do for now is just get the radiator refilled with new coolant and distilled water. Also I'm gonna try to avoid driving in busy areas like town at peak periods. Will get the gasket and my damn slipping clutch (another $250) changed with my next paycheck

 

bro,ur problem might not be so simple...even though the problem lies with the HG....

better to change ur HG as fast as possible....if it drags too long,even a new HG wun help...

and iam afraid u might have to overhaul ur engine...

my advise for u is to rectify the overheating problem than thinking on how to activate the fan in lower temperature...though it can be done by replacing to an aftermarket thermostat...

[Genie47]

Ever thought of repowering the car?

 

http://www.carcare.org/Repower/ERC_index.shtml

 

Of course USA different from us but yours is a Swift with a 999cc IL3 engine. How difficult is that? Go inspection, nobody gives a rats ass about it. Think about it. It might be a better solution and the engine is cheap.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Genie47

[Decibel]

Thanks for the advice turbo, will do the repair asap

[Apollo]

your mechanic is know one or dunno one.

 

how can the fan cut in when the temperature reaches 3/4 and there is no thermostat. wat rubbish is this?

 

like i said before, forget the thermostat and do a direct connect, fan run when engine switch on.

 

also bubbling??? bubbling or cavitation of air inside the radiator due to leak? or air due to faulty pump gasket?

 

why dun u get another mechanic to check better?

[Decibel]

I'm not sure bro.

 

1) I've seen the fan cut in after he revved the car for a few minutes, does this mean there is a thermostat after all?

 

2) Afraid that I will burn out the fan motor prematurely if I leave it on all the time though it can be done. However this is not rectifying the problem directly.

 

3) Yes, basically bubbles/slight frothing can be seen with the radiator cap off and engine running.

 

 

Any recommendations for a good mechanic bro?

[Apollo]

it could mean the thermostat faulty, or ur radiator got scaling liaoz so the thermostat cannot work properly? and did you check if he added too much coolant?

 

try to siphon out some of the radiator water and use plain water.

 

anway, there is a shop specializing in car radiator at sin ming road. near the yew lip spray painting. i think only 1 shop tat does that there. they should b able to help.

Edited June 24, 2006 by Apollo

[Decibel]

Doubt both my radiators spoilt leh, cuz tried both. Definitely not too much coolant.

 

I will pay that shop a visit, will I know it when I see it?

[Apollo]

you should b able to since the shopfront stacked with radiators of all kinds.

 

but hold ur horse. assume this is thermostat problem. you hv 3 issues.

 

1) faulty cable which is unlikely

2) faulty thermostat due to scaling build up - need to replace

3) faulty relay contact due to arcing (ie the pole/ terminal has freezed and locked) - need to replace

 

cheapest option is replace both relay & thermostat.

 

so where is thermostat? good question. i suppose best is u goto lawrence ong or the car dealer. buy a pc of oil filter and at same time, ask if they got thermostat and also if they hv pix where this is installed becos u wanna DIY. u can park infront of Law Ong w/o getting book.

 

ya.. do it tat way.

[Decibel]

Thanks alot bro. Who is the Lawrence Ong though?

[Apollo]

ok. spoke to my mechanic.

 

check top hose and radiator side interface. the thermostat housing is connected to a bypass hose. and has 2 cables.

 

he say this thermostat quite useless and may hv been removed since the car so old. if has not been removed, then have it removed.

 

but it is still possible carbon build up cause fan not to work properly also.

 

anyway, try check urself 1st.

[Apollo]

LAWRENCE ONG TRADING

Address : Waterloo Street, #01-09, Waterloo Centre, Singapore 180261 Telephone Number: (65) 63381007 Fascimile Number: (65) 63390682 Representatives: LAWRENCE ONG

[Mivec9]

I'm not sure bro.

 

1) I've seen the fan cut in after he revved the car for a few minutes, does this mean there is a thermostat after all?

 

2) Afraid that I will burn out the fan motor prematurely if I leave it on all the time though it can be done. However this is not rectifying the problem directly.

 

3) Yes, basically bubbles/slight frothing can be seen with the radiator cap off and engine running.

 

 

Any recommendations for a good mechanic bro?

 

obviously the thermostat is in place bro... have u tried simon??

[Mivec9]

the thermostat is located at top rubber hose end..that will be thermostat housing

[Mivec9]

yes the thermostat housing behind has the two cables connected to it

[Fortress]

Hey guys, my 92' Swift has started to overheat recently. Thus far the needle hasn't hit the H mark yet, but as my usual temp is about 1/3 of the way past the Cold mark, this worries me. Yesterday evening in bad start-stop traffic in town, I saw the needle spike up several times to almost the H zone. Luckily it behaved itself later the entire way home on the CTE, maintaining its usual 1/3 reading. Probably, due to the constant wind allows the radiator not to overheat, means radiator ok but not the fan.

Less than 1hr ago though, I drove to the Library in my neighborhood and when I'd almost reached my home carpark after, I saw the needle spike up again to almost 3/4 mark or so, then it went back to normal. Low speed high temp, confirmed fan not working

I'm quite worried, does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? I recently changed my water pump and flushed/replaced coolant when i did my timing belt, oil change. I left the upper and lower radiator hoses unchanged though, and they do seem a bit worn out to me when I check now. Could this be the case? Or could it possibly be the quality of coolant that the mech suppplied me with?

 

Finally I have a spare radiator with me, should I just get it changed? Really appreciate all advise, cheers! It is not the radiator, probably the carbonising due to age, of the fan motor, try cleaning it, said this before

[GK-Mok]

water pump failing

[Ryanyusoff]

noob in this subject,so consult u guys.

 

Yesterday,in the woodlands traffic jam,the car temp shot up after about 1hr of jam.

just minutes before that,the idling rpm is erratic. i was feeling quite puzzled by this.then my aircon starts blowing normal hot air.

at first,i thought it was just the super hot weather.but then i took a look at the temp gauge,it was few lines away from max! i quickly switch off the aircon and wound down the windows.when i did this,i noticed rpm gets back to normal and the temp SLOWLY got back down.

 

as my inlaws and my kids are with me,as soon the temp goes back to the 1/4 level,i switch the aircon back on. all the while,my eyes are more fixed on the temp gauge rather than my driving.but thank God that the temp remained that way till i got home. and today when i drove,everything is as per normal. is there anything that should be replaced?