# Overheating issues



## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

After a long drive in traffic today at lunch I noticed coolant pouring out onto the floor. Luckily it was only from the overflow hose on the reservoir. The needle has been dancing around the high end, but I've been on long farily grueling drives before. I didnt realize how dire it was. 
The fan didn't kick on when I popped the hood, but it had been before. The fan fuse is good. I will try to diagnose the fan's problem. This definitely did not help.
Anyways... I think it's the coolant temp. sensor, that's what has also been causing my shitty cold starts as well (which have been better over the last week). Is it possible to be thermostat? 
I'd jsut like some advice, that'd be great. This kind of thing wears on my nerves.
Thanks b


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

Coolant oin the floor is a good indication of a leaky heater core. The fan only kicks on when the water is too hot. Usually when idleing.
Interesting similarity? My sentra came from a house about 500' from the Pacific Ocean. After only 3 0r 4 years the window cranks all rusted out, the heat and fuel guages were always pegged one way or the other. The radiator looked like a battery. Like an hourglass where you could stick a finger right through it. cause - electrolysis. It was very evident on the instrument cluster when I removed the bulbs. They were all flickering and stuff too.


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

Thanks for the reply, but the coolant was coming out of the overflow hose on the reservoir. Not from the radiator.
Also the car's last two owners were from the Orange Free-state (way inland) If this was a 13 year old Cape Town car it would most likely be a total rust bucket. Now I cringe every time someone throws their wetsuit on the hood after surfing.

I also thought I'd own up; I put 20w 50, and seal reconditioning stuff this weekend. The oil is no doubt too thick, and the conditioner was like molasses. 
I found oil on the intake manifold in those cavities under teh injectors yesterday afternoon. I think the oil came out of the valve cover gasket??? Car still runs fine except some minor chatter comng from the v/c on start-up, as well as if you listen really carefully while it idles. That sucks. Live. Learn.


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## Myetball (Dec 15, 2002)

Definately check out the thermostat. Chattering may only be goo stuck in the lifters under the shims. You may want to put a lower temp thermostat in.


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## racecargo11 (May 18, 2003)

if you can't figgure it out there is know shame in tking it to a mechanic


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## sentrastud (May 3, 2002)

Get yourself a cooling system flush while your at it. Places like MR. Lube and stuff will do it cheap and usually do a fairly good job. It never hurts.

-Nick


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

I got a guy I know who takes care of me down the road. I just like to have an idea before I bring it in. 
I pulled the cooling system apart yesterday. The temp sensor in the radiator is working. tested it with my new used multimeter. The fan won't kick on though. Motor I think.
The thermostat is shot also. It was fused to the manifold. I couldn't get it loose. Any ideas for getting it loose? Before breaking anything I put it back together and left it.
Also the hoses were full of corrosion, except the radiator which drained clean??. South Africans don't beleive in antifreeze. The hard pipe on the rear that goes from the heater hoses around the back of the block is rusted good. 
I'll have some fun parts to scavenge soon. Gotta leave it for awhile, it's fine on short highway stints, and getting groeries.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

BennittoMallito said:


> * The fan won't kick on though. Motor I think.
> The thermostat is shot also. It was fused to the manifold. I couldn't get it loose. Any ideas for getting it loose? *


 Do a complete flusytem flush. The thermostat should fall right out. Give it a good whack with a wrench or somm. Replacing it will probly cure most of the probs for now. And there's a sensor for the fan on the radiator. Try unplugging the fan and run12V directly from the battery to the fan. If it spins, itsnot the fan. My guess is the thermostats not letting enough water into the radiator so the water in the radiator never gets hot enough for the sensor to turn on the fan.


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

OK sensor fan on radiator checked out ok when hooked up to the multimeter, and immersed in water, it gave a reading as the water heated up before it boiled. Like it details in Haynes manal. Not sure teh temp as I had no thermometer. 
The fan isn't working for sure. I definitely need a thermostat as well.
I will do a flush in a few weeks when I return from the states. That will definitely help. Thanks for the advice.

Incidentally while I did this I changed the oil again. Used Shell 15w 40 , and castrol 10w40 and my small leak from front main seal/crank pulley area has dissapeared again. WTF??


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## blownb310 (Jun 10, 2002)

All of the suggestions in regards to flushing and a new thermostat are good ideas before you proceed. If you still have a problem after that, you might check your cooling fan relay for corrosion. The relay is mounted on the driver's side of the engine compartment, on the radiator support, right by the battery. It will be a blue relay that is snapped into a holder. I have repaired my winter beater B12's cooling fan by replacing this corroded relay with a good used one from a parts car. I spliced in the entire connector too, because the old one was full of green corrosion. 

Additionally, if you want to verify that your cooling fan motor is good, simply pull off the two wire connector at the radiator temp sensor [that you already checked out]. Turn the key to the "on" position, and jump the connector with a paper clip on the engine harness side of the connector you pulled off. The fan should run immediately. If it does, go to the relay I mentioned above.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

I replaced the fan relay sensor. 23$ at Autozone. That was when i was trying to figure out the bad guage


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## soon2be (Jun 16, 2003)

I have an 87 wagon and mine is overheating also. It gets all the way to hot before the fan will kick on. Then after it finally kicks on it will go back to a stoich point. Any suggestions on how to fix this?


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## soon2be (Jun 16, 2003)

I replaced my thermostat, gasket, thermostat housing, radiator fluid and it still is getting right to the Hot then the fan will kick on is there a fuse or something that I should check out??


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

I racked my brain and replaced a lot of parts befor comming to the conclusion that the gage was bad. It may have been this part http://community.webshots.com/photo/73449102/73450200EhlYEb that was bad but when I replaced the cluster, all the over heating probs were gone. (It was actually never overheating.)


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## AVERAGE (Aug 9, 2002)

web. i was told by someone(blown i believe) that the wedged looking one u showed was not considered the best one but i believe is the only one u can get from the dealership.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

AVERAGE said:


> *web. i was told by someone(blown i believe) that the wedged looking one u showed was not considered the best one but i believe is the only one u can get from the dealership. *


 That's the one that I put on the cluster with tach.The cluster w/tach was missing the part. The only other one is soldered onto the traces of the cluster. It has a weak heat sink and it mounts totally different. It seem like you would have to pull the cluster to see what you have befor ordering a new one. Check the JY's first.


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## soon2be (Jun 16, 2003)

I replaced the temperature sensor and it fixed the problem I beleive


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## AVERAGE (Aug 9, 2002)

i ve done the jy one already. paid 24 bucks for it and it is on its way out because after about 6 months its doing the same thing that my old one was doing 6 months ago; works when it wants to


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## soon2be (Jun 16, 2003)

It actually didn't work. Brand new part auto zone 20.00 bucks.


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## soon2be (Jun 16, 2003)

O.k. I have know replaced the Thermostat, Gasket, Thermostat housing, Complete radiator flush, Temerature sensor in intake manifold. 
The car will still get all the way to HOT before the fan kicks on and barely cools the car down. The only time it overheats is while ideling in traffic stopped at a light. I am thinking fan relay or something. anyone please help.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

AVERAGE said:


> *i ve done the jy one already. paid 24 bucks for it and it is on its way out because after about 6 months its doing the same thing that my old one was doing 6 months ago; works when it wants to *


 24$$$$!!! WOW!! The entire cluster is only 15$ with or without tach. It's hard to find one that's not stripped. 
Soon2be, have you eliminated the possibility of a faulty gage or voltage regulator? BTW I still have my old one w/out tach. I had a Blazer that boiled over cuz the cap was bad.


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## pmftv (Feb 4, 2003)

*cool idea*

I got an idea here for ya, wire your radiator fan to your water pump, becuz the water pump turns on when you turn the car on and it turns off when you turn the car off, so there is your problem gone!!

Thats what I am doing.

thanks
Mike


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

You have an electric water pump???


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

My Fan wasn't kicking on because the head gasket was blown. Not enough pressure was building up. Thats also why it was slow to warm up, wouldn't idle at first, and eventually overheated in traffic. YMMV.


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## pmftv (Feb 4, 2003)

Yeah, I'm a big idiot. I have no idea why I put water pump?!?!?!

But I am hooking it up to the alternator..just wires to the fan and alternator. I'm not using the harness for it.

it seems to work fine, for the tests I did for it. So thats what, I'm doing, I just have to get some better wire to hook it up..


- Mike


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

pmftv said:


> *Yeah, I'm a big idiot. I have no idea why I put water pump?!?!?!
> 
> But I am hooking it up to the alternator..just wires to the fan and alternator. I'm not using the harness for it.
> 
> ...


I your car is overheating, then there is a reason. It will only get worse. I for one replaced a lot of parts befor figuring out it was never overheating. Weather it was the gage or the vreg , I'll never know cuz i swapped the whole cluster(twice)


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## pmftv (Feb 4, 2003)

Mine was overheating, temp gauge goes up and it is spitting water out of the overflow thing. I checked everything, I changed the headgasket, the fuse was fine, the relay was fine, everything was good, replaced the temp gauge, the fan motor worked, (tested it) I have no clue why it wasn't working, but I got fed up with spending time and money trying to figure out what it was, so I am hooking it up that way i explained.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

After all that.... whatever works. I understand.


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## WBarry (Dec 22, 2002)

Is anyone out there NOT having this problem with their E16? Mine overheats at idle When AC is off, Switch on the AC and the engine temp drops right back to normal. I replaced the instrument regulator (necessary) and the coolant temp switch (maybe necessary but cheap and easy). At least now I have the old temp switch, with the sensor cut off and the wires hooked together it makes a great test rig to check the operation of the cooling fan circuit( everything works). I'm thinking that at idle, not enough coolant is moving through the engine to circulate through the radiator to turn on the switch but heat is building in the thermostat housing where the guage sending unit is located. I noticed in my Haynes manual that starting with 1989 the temp switch was relocated to the thermostat housing. Did Nissan recognize a design flaw? Does anyone know if a thermostat housing from GA16 will bolt up to an E16 if it does I may get one and relocate the temp switch. If not I may just leave the test rig hooked up and run the fan full time. It shuts off with the ignition.


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## Myetball (Dec 15, 2002)

Benito how goes the rebuild...I know you're mechanic is on SA time...can't be worse than Philipino time or South Korean time.


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## BennittoMallito (May 20, 2002)

Supposed to be ready two weeks ago yesterday. He promised it to me today, but it looks more like tomorrow morning. 

Sucks cause I gotta surf, and tomorrow morning looks so promising. Now I gotta go in and ride this chump till he coughs up my car. I don't want him to rush it but it seems like there's no other way. 

Lost my digi or I'd have pics to share sorry. Maybe I can borrow one.


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