Chevrolet - Cavalier :: Started To Overheat - Reason Is Head Gasket Or Water Pump?
Dec 8, 2011
OK, we have a cavalier that is slowly dying but until we find a good price on a used car we are looking at it has to keep chugging along... It started to overheat about month ago, just when you go up a hill otherwise it is fine (doesn't overheat but a few lines from the red zone!). Mechanic said it was a head gasket and we have noticed that the coolant level is down slightly... can it be a head gasket yet still drivable? Also about 2 months ago the car needed a new water pump, flushed and filled, could it just be the new water pump was bad? No other issues, heat works fine, no puddles under the car etc....
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I was checking under my hood today and I happened to notice a dent in what I think is my water pump. Should this be cause for concern or something I can just ignore?
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I thought I needed a head kit my truck runs and drives great till I run out of coolant no smoke doesn't get hot I run out of coolant I lose my turbo. Pull over fill it up I'm back to normal I just noticed I have sweat marks on my water pump pulley.
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I have a 1990 legacy and just replaced the water pump gasket and now it is leaking out of an upper bolt head on the pump and how to cure this....
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I had a leak in my water pump so we had it replaced and a new thermostat. Now it is overheating in just about 2 minutes and my heater is now not working. I was told that it is most likely an air pocket in the coolant. I have let the car heat up, not to the point of hot but over half way and shut it off, taken the cap of let it sit for a while and then trying it again. No luck so far. Is there another way to get it out of there? and would the cap have anything to do with it? it has been hard to take off in the past and now its coming off easy. It is the plastic kind. I am at the end of my rope here . the car runs like a dream, its just this one thing.
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Ok so my car kept overheating and I saw I had a small leak from the gasket on the water pump. I replaced the water pump and gasket but then it would zoom straight to overheating. I then assumed it was a stuck thermostat and replaced the OEM with a fail-safe thermostat. After topping off fluid and leaving the radiator cap off until I saw fluid running through it took it for a drive. The temp began to climb to overheating but dropped just as it was getting to the red and then began to fluctuate. Finally heat came through the car climate system and all was good until I had to come to a stop. It seems that whenever I have to stop at a light the temperature rises to overheating.
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I have a 2003 Honda Civic with 140k miles. It has a leaking head gasket which is causing the engine to overheat when driving slower without airflow to cool the engine.
I would love to drive the car to 200k+ miles but if this is the first of many pricey fixes I want to cut my losses.
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The problem is my new-to-me 97 Ford F150 5.4L SOHC engine, auto transmission, is overheating after driving it for a short while. Seems to be fine at idle. I have read previous posts with the exact same issue, but the consistency seems to be all over the map from burping the system, head gasket, thermostat, and possibly a plugged radiator.
Backstory:200,000+ miles.
Truck sat for 6 months after previous owner broke the shift cable.
Truck was in a front end collision. Frame looks bent underneath the engine.
Previous owner had overheating problem. He said he changed the heater core. Looks like brand new coolant in the system so story probably checks out. Desperately needs an oil change. Very black oil.
Previous owner thought the system needed a burping. So I'm largely assuming the problem started after the heater core change, or he misdiagnosed an overheating problem and thought the heater core could cause it. I have found a radiator cap and thermostat in the truck which seems to indicate he tried many things to fix the overheating and was unsuccessful. Engine looks pretty clean for the miles.
Symptoms/Backyard Tests :
Blows cold air with heat on highest level and on defrost.
Blender door fuse intact.
Doesn't overheat at idle.
Ran the truck for 15 mins with the coolant bottle fill cap off on level ground to try to burp it after draining some coolant and checking the thermostat orientation. Coolant level increased in the bottle. Large air bubbles came out. (Another session before this one, I ran it for 30 minutes with no coolant cap, and eventually coolant overflowed the fill bottle. Normal or no?)
Seems to overheat after the thermostat opens. After doing the 15 minute warm up/burp, I took it for a test drive. I drove it about 20 blocks with the temperature gauge on the dash reading the same as the warmed-up idle temperature. Got to the 20th block and the gauge immediately spiked to overheat with the oil pressure dash light coming on. I could be mistaken as the oil pressure light almost looks exactly like the overheat dash light. But I'm pretty sure the temperature icon was on the right side of the oil can icon and not the left.
After the above drive: Upper rad hose too hot to touch.
After the above drive: Lower rad hose medium warm. Could hold on to it if I felt like it.
After the above drive: Upper part of rad pretty hot. Not Insta-burn but hot. Tempature decreases to warm to cool as you go lower down the rad.
After the above drive: Both heater core hoses going to the cab luke warm.
Coolant looks brand new.
Radiator looks slightly bowed. Probably from the accident? Otherwise looks clean and minimal bent fins.
Drained some coolant and pulled the upper rad hose to see if the thermostat was upside down. Looks installed correctly.
No signs of weep hole leaks from the water pump.
Fan seems solid. Has maybe 1-2mm of play in the bearings.
Something that looked like steam from the muffler at startup, that disappeared after getting closer to a normal range warm engine.
I have driven crap cars for many years and I've never seen a plugged radiator which makes me skeptical of it being that. All the radiators I have changed were because they were eventually leaking from cracks in the radiator.
I would also be interested in doing an informal poll if you have read this far and have had this era of F150 that overheated. Have you ever repaired the head gasket? And/or have you ever changed the radiator?
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2004 Sentra, 100K, rough starting, running good. Dealer diagnosed Head Gasket leak, #3 cyl. misfire. $!300+ est. No can do.I added K&W Head Gasket&Block Sealant, per instructions. Filled radiator and reservoir with 50/50 coolant.Car start improved but CAR NOW OVERHEATS after 15 min. driving. Blasting heat brings guage to normal zone.DID SEALANT CLOG SYSTEM? How doI diagnose? What to check next?
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I have a 2002 Audi A4 1.8T with 85,000 miles. Recently my car started overheating, I replaced the water pump, thermostat, and timing belt. The mechanic also ran tests to make sure there were no issues with the head gasket, those tests came back saying the head gasket was a-ok. Yet, my car is still overheating but only on days when the outside temperature creeps above 90 and I am in stop and go traffic. I have to re-fill the coolant tank about once a week depending on how much I drive. I find no coolant puddles under my car when it is parked, so I do not believe it is leaking. What else could be causing my car to overheat?
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I've got the 2.4 L DHC 97 Stratus, 4 cylinder. I just finished a head gasket job and now I'm getting a crank, no start condition. I noticed I was getting no fuel pressure at the rail and when checking the 4 pin connector to the fuel pump in the trunk, I'm getting 0 volts when cranking. I ordered new fuel pump and ASD relays, though I did the tests in the Haynes manual and the ones I have seem good. All of this stuff was working before I took everything apart. I've checked around for obvious electrical connections or ground wires I missed hooking back up, but can't find anything. l am getting spark, so I think that means my crank and cam sensors are working. I'm stuck on this one.
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I just purchased a 2003 F150 Supercrew 4.6 that had been wrecked, but somewhat repaired. I knew the owner said it had a blown head gasket. It has water in the oil (small amount asi it is lightly milky) and water starts dripping from the exhaust after it has run for a few minutes. I did not run it long, but throttled it up to warm the engine. It started dripping soot filled water from the exhaust connections. I bought it to put a 4bt in it anyway, but want to sell the motor with the ability to tell the buyer the skinny on it. I drove it on the trailer and off with no apparent loss of power noticeable.
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I just finished replacing the head gaskets and all gaskets above it on my Chevy Venture. When I went to start the vehicle the first time nothing happens. The dashlights come on, but when I turn the key to start nothing happens. No clicking, no nothing. I have tested the battery...OK. I have tested the starter...OK. I have traced the wiring harness to ensure all wires are plugged in. I have checked all the fuses. I thought maybe its the gear switch so I changed down to 1st and then back up to Park...Nothing. I jiggled while in park..Nothing. Could it be the actual ignition switch? It was fine before this escapade.
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I found during an oil change that there is coolant in my oil, I had suspicions of this because of having to add coolant more than I should of had to. There is probably either a crack in my block, head gasket or intake manifold, my question is how can I tell which. I figure that if I preform a compression check it will tell me that I have a cracked block and or a cracked head gasket, what will tell me if I breeched my intake manifold.
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On my car which never overheated but one day the overflow for the radiator started gurgling and I turned off the car fast and brought to our mechanic and he advised that it was head gasket after changing hoses and water pump. when I first realized the gurgling and shut off the car and never ran it again did i save the engine and replacing the head gasket is a good thing. also did I save the head from warping by my actions?
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My 2003 Chevy Impala stalled after driving it for about a mile. The 'low engine oil' came on. I noticed white smoke coming out from under the hood. I pulled the dipstick and it was out of oil.
I poured 2 quarts of oil and attempted to start the car. The car started after I pressed the gas pedal but shut off when I took my foot off the gas. I tried several times. It started butshut off when lifting the foot of the pedal.
I'm hoping it's not the head gasket.
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2001 Chevy Silverado with a 5.3 L engine and a leaking head gasket that was getting worse (at 217,000 miles). Car has rusted body (upstate NY), so not going to spend too much for repairs. Decided to try one of those "magic elixors" in a bottle. Went for the Bars Leaks head gasket repair stuff - Followed directions, etc (put it into the top radiator tube, NOT the overflow bottle). The stuff had little strings of copper-looking stuff floating in it. It worked. After a little more loss of coolant, the coolant loss has finally stopped. Amazing that something like this really worked.
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Recently bought a 2001. In the process of reading about this engine I discovered there is a some what regular breakdown of head gaskets causing water to leak into cylinders and oil pan, all of which is serious.
Given the vehicle is 12 years old and has 89K miles it appears it is in the age and range of where this leakage can occur. Any knowledgeable engine rebuilders that are familiar with this issue on the 4.2 have any comments???
1. Can this issue be avoided by replacing head gaskets now rather than waiting for future failure???
2. Are there new and improved head gaskets for this motor???
3. Does the problem occur on both heads gaskets?
4. Is that all that needs to be done or are there other seals that need replacement???
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2000 Subaru Outback. The head gaskets have begun to leak slightly (oil and coolant), even though I brought it in for the recall at 80K and the dealer put in the additive. I recently (111,000 miles) put in another bottle of the additive coolant conditioner and the leak seems to have at least slowed to a trickle. Is it really essential to have the head gaskets replaced? Or could I just keep an eye on the oil and coolant levels and put a bit of kitty litter in my garage? Some of the information I googled indicates that the recall of this car is for an OUT leak and not an INNER leak--which would be worse. Is it true that an OUT leak is not as worrisome?
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I have a 2002 Chevy Cavalier that stalls ever time it is fueled at the pump. It then continues to stall. I have to pump the gas like the old days when we all had carburetors and repeat the action many times. It always starts eventually, but causes unnecessary anxiety so I always fill my car at a time I don't need to be anywhere in a timely manner. It was taken to the shop but they could not reproduce the stalling, as they did not have the information that it mostly happens at the when fueling. The gas cap can be taken off for a while and it starts okay. The rpm is low after adding gas, if you give it gas, it runs then eventually idles normally.
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I replaced my water pump on my 2000 Excursion 7.3 about six months ago because it was leaking from the little hole underneath. Everything was fine until today I noticed a big stain on my driveway under the front of the truck. I took a look and the new pump is leaking. It seems to be coming from the the back of the water pump where it sits flush against the engine.
Could the gasket have deteriorated or cracked? I bough it from a local parts store called part source, so it should be under warranty. Any thoughts?
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