# overheated



## sacwingnut1334 (Mar 12, 2015)

My wife has a 1993 Nissan altima. After driving on the freeway fo . Quite some time I reached my exit. When I slowed down I smelled coolant and when I looked at my temperature guage it was red lined. I barely rolled into the gas station that was off of the exit. After getteng some coolant into it I realized that it was leaking from somewhere and quickly. I went and got some stop leak and after following the directions the car had stopped leaking and temp went back to normal. I left the gas station to return home but as soon as I got a quarter of the way home it skyrocketed again. I turned on the heater which was not even blowing hot and the temp went down. Got to my exit and the temp had gone up again but this time my car died on me. I walked home thinking I'll come back when its cooled down. I returned four hours later but now it won't start at all it only makes a wineding sound. Please tell me its a cheap and easy fix!!!!


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Well, there's no way to tell if it's a cheap and easy fix unless we know what's wrong with it and hopefully the overheat didn't cause a bigger issue, like a blown head gasket. If you get it to where you can work on it, you may want to start by adding water to the system (no sense wasting antifreeze at this point because you may have to drain the system, anyway) and pulling the spark plugs. Crank the engine and make sure there is no water pushing out of the spark plug holes. If it does, than you have a head gasket issue (and possibly something that caused the issue, like a stuck thermostat, bad radiator, etc.) and it's not going to be cheap nor easy to fix. If it looks good, then you may want to do a compression test if you have the equipment, since the plugs are already out and just to check that it's good. Also, look at the spark plugs while they are out. Also, check the oil dipstick for signs of water. 
If all is good to this point, then you need to find out why it is not starting; check for spark and make sure it's getting fuel (see if it'll start on carb cleaner after spraying it into the engine, which is an easy way to find out if it's a fuel delivery concern. After that is figured out, the cooling system should be pressure tested to find any leaks that need to be fixed. I would plan on replacing the thermostat (genuine Nissan is best). If there are no leaks, than you could have a clogged radiator. A bad or non-working electric fan can cause overheating, but this will typically be an issue at idle and slow speeds and not at highways speeds, where the air forced through the radiator is usually sufficient for cooling. Make sure there is no blockage of airflow though the A/C condenser and radiator cores. Make sure the water pump's not leaking. Also, these engine are known for developing air pockets when the coolant is low, so the system must be purged properly after filling the system or hot pockets and possible overheating can occur just due to that. Good luck and keep us up to date!


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