# Overheating 00' scratching my head



## hauchinango (Sep 30, 2005)

I have an 00' frontier, V6. I am having an intermittent problem with overheating. The other day, while in dead stop traffic for about 10 minutes, the temp gauge almost pegged. Once I began moving, the gauge went almost back to normal, but still remained on the high side. During the entire trip (even before traffic, my AC was blowing warm....coincidence?)

When I got home, I added some coolant (about a half gallon) and let it run for 20 minutes, and it remained on the cool side. I also added freon and the AC began to blow cool again.

Is there any coorelation between the AC and the overheating problem? Also, this happened to me last year, towards the end of the summer, and I did the same thing....added a little coolant and I was good to go.

Does this seem like a thermostat issue, possibly getting stuck? Is that a good place to start? Would being a half gallon low on coolant make that big of a difference. Thanks for any advice.

R


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

If you have to add coolant for the rad. then you better locate where it's going.


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## ChuckFrontier06 (Jul 25, 2006)

_*Sounds more like a water pump or or coolant leak. Maybe it's leaking internally. As far as the overheating being related to the low coolant, it's probably more to do with the temperature of the condensor since it's located right in front of the radiator. If you had to add refrigerant to your AC system it's leaking somewhere also.*_


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## Two Bills (Jan 15, 2007)

Good advice above. Questions: did you have the a/c on when you overheated? Did you try running the heater at full to see if that would bring the temp. down?


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## hauchinango (Sep 30, 2005)

Thanks for all the suggestions. 

Golfer: I have not noticed any leaks in the driveway or parking spaces. I may have been low for some time, and just not known.

Chuck: Again, no external leaks visable on the coolant.

Two: I did have the AC on initially, but when I noticed the temp getting high, I turned it off. I did not try the heat.

I replaced the thermostat and flushed the cooling system over the weekend. I also added about a half can of freon to the AC, and to this point, all is well. I will continue to monitor. Fingers crossed.

R


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## Cusser (Apr 16, 2004)

Assuming that you do NOT have a coolant leak, don't overlook the fan clutch or radiator fan. Yes, poor air flow can negatively affect both AC and engine cooling. And if you added refrigerant last year and just had to do it again, you have a leak large enough to warrant repairing.


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

In the original post it was mentioned about adding half a gallon of antifreeze ... that's quite a bit.

The engine cooling system is a closed ( sealed ) system ... there should not be any antifreeze missing. It means it's going somewhere.

Obviously the same applies with A/C system.

One area overlooked for maintenance is cleaning the condenser for vehicles with A/C. Usually the condenser is located in front of the rad. when it becomes covered with debris , bugs , etc. this will block air flow through it and the rad. which causes overheating issues for the engine and cooling issues for the A/C.


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## ChuckFrontier06 (Jul 25, 2006)

_*If there is a boilover, the coolant will be coming from the overflow tube on the recovery tank.*_


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## maroonsentra (Mar 3, 2007)

Cusser said:


> Assuming that you do NOT have a coolant leak, don't overlook the fan clutch or radiator fan. Yes, poor air flow can negatively affect both AC and engine cooling. And if you added refrigerant last year and just had to do it again, you have a leak large enough to warrant repairing.


Have to agree on what most have said. Stop and go, usually indicates that the fans are either not working or not kicking on. Is the fan working? This problem is common on a lot of cars. If coolant is good and not low, then most likely a fan issue.

Jason


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## nissanmadness (Sep 18, 2006)

maroonsentra said:


> Have to agree on what most have said. Stop and go, usually indicates that the fans are either not working or not kicking on. Is the fan working? This problem is common on a lot of cars. If coolant is good and not low, then most likely a fan issue.
> 
> Jason


Just for the heck of it, check your overflow tank, the hose leading to it from the radiator and the radiator cap itself. These items are highly under checked as far as cooling system problems go. Your radiator fan I would suspect could be your culprit. Make sure the radiator and condenser air flow paths are clear. Sometimes bugs and debris will partially block off air flow, causing high temp's and high a/c pressures. Which in turn will cause leaks.


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## 4evernissan (Mar 8, 2007)

This is my first post here and I'm glad to be here. I have owned 4 different Nissan trucks and will never own anything but a Nissan. I also have an overheating problem with my Frontier. It's a 2001 frontier 3.3L V6 with 114,000 miles on it. It seems to overheat after about 6 or 8 miles on warm days. When it's cool outside it won't overheat at all. I started small and replaced the radiator cap but that didn't help. I will probably take it to the dealership and have them do a pressure test on it to make sure it doesn't have a leak anywhere. I will probably go ahead and replace the thermostat too. I just got my timing belt and water pump replaced in February so I don't think it's a water pump issue. I think there might be an issue with the radiator fins. I storm chase here and over the years the hail has dented the fins of the radiator and AC condenser up pretty bad. I think this might be restricting some of the airflow through the radiator. I tried using a knife to open up as many fins in the condenser and radiator as I could, but it still runs hot. I called a shop and got a quote of $760 to replace the radiator, thermostat, and AC condenser. I plan on keeping the truck for 3 or 4 more years so I may go ahead and replace these items.


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## maroonsentra (Mar 3, 2007)

4evernissan said:


> This is my first post here and I'm glad to be here. I have owned 4 different Nissan trucks and will never own anything but a Nissan. I also have an overheating problem with my Frontier. It's a 2001 frontier 3.3L V6 with 114,000 miles on it. It seems to overheat after about 6 or 8 miles on warm days. When it's cool outside it won't overheat at all. I started small and replaced the radiator cap but that didn't help. I will probably take it to the dealership and have them do a pressure test on it to make sure it doesn't have a leak anywhere. I will probably go ahead and replace the thermostat too. I just got my timing belt and water pump replaced in February so I don't think it's a water pump issue. I think there might be an issue with the radiator fins. I storm chase here and over the years the hail has dented the fins of the radiator and AC condenser up pretty bad. I think this might be restricting some of the airflow through the radiator. I tried using a knife to open up as many fins in the condenser and radiator as I could, but it still runs hot. I called a shop and got a quote of $760 to replace the radiator, thermostat, and AC condenser. I plan on keeping the truck for 3 or 4 more years so I may go ahead and replace these items.


If the pump was replaced, check the belt route and make sure the moron didn't route it so the pump runs the wrong way. I doubt the fins would cause overheating unless the entire radiator was bent inward. $760 to replace the radiator? That's the easiest job on any car to replace and that price is insane. Have you check the fans? Are they coming on at all? Seems to be they are kicking on at the ring temps. Make sure you get a 180 thermostat, you don't want it kicking on after the fact it's overheating. Check fluids, coolant been low? Overheating issues, usually lie betweent the fan or coolant. Rare cases is it a simple thermostat, at least from my experience.

Jason


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## 4evernissan (Mar 8, 2007)

Just got back from the Nissan dealer and they had a master tech look at it. They said that it was the fan clutch. I will get it replaced first thing in the morning and hopefully I will be good to go. Thanks for the tips maroonsentra. I appreciate it.


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## maroonsentra (Mar 3, 2007)

4evernissan said:


> Just got back from the Nissan dealer and they had a master tech look at it. They said that it was the fan clutch. I will get it replaced first thing in the morning and hopefully I will be good to go. Thanks for the tips maroonsentra. I appreciate it.


No problem, now on the next car, you'll know what to look for. 

Jason


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## stevem5000 (Apr 16, 2003)

Just glanced thru the posts above...but if you are NOT seeing any coolent leak around the engine or on the driveway...then you need to check for cracked heads...because the coolent is leaking inside the engine...OR it is leaking into a cylinder wall and being discharged out the exhaust...

Take it to a shop...they can run a couple of tests to determine if it is cracked heads...


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## maroonsentra (Mar 3, 2007)

stevem5000 said:


> Just glanced thru the posts above...but if you are NOT seeing any coolent leak around the engine or on the driveway...then you need to check for cracked heads...because the coolent is leaking inside the engine...OR it is leaking into a cylinder wall and being discharged out the exhaust...
> 
> Take it to a shop...they can run a couple of tests to determine if it is cracked heads...


This is possible, but you would have low coolant and you would be spitting coolant out the exhaust which would be very noticable and not as common as a Fan issue. We fixed it.


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## 4evernissan (Mar 8, 2007)

Well, a little update here as I have been very busy with this. As I said in the post above, I got the clutch fan replaced after a master tech at the Nissan dealer said that was that cause of the overheating problem. Well, it wasn't the problem! It still overheats. I put in a new thermostat yesterday and it still overheats. I got the timing belt and water pump replaced back in March, so I don't think the water pump is the problem unless it is a faulty one. Here is a quick list of the things that have been checked and/or replaced.

Coolant level: Good
Coolant condition: New
Hoses: Good
Oil looks good: No coolant mixed with oil
Thermostat: Replaced
Radiator: No cool spots on radiator. Fins aren't in the best condition, but I'm sure that's not the problem.
Clutch fan: Replaced
Water pump: Replaced
Pressure test done: Very small leak in heater hose. Everything else is good.

I sure wished I could get this problem fixed.
Oh, and if you live near Amarillo, TX, don't go to Quality Nissan to get a vehicle repaired. They charge way too much and they just plain SUCK!!!


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## maroonsentra (Mar 3, 2007)

4evernissan said:


> Well, a little update here as I have been very busy with this. As I said in the post above, I got the clutch fan replaced after a master tech at the Nissan dealer said that was that cause of the overheating problem. Well, it wasn't the problem! It still overheats. I put in a new thermostat yesterday and it still overheats. I got the timing belt and water pump replaced back in March, so I don't think the water pump is the problem unless it is a faulty one. Here is a quick list of the things that have been checked and/or replaced.
> 
> Coolant level: Good
> Coolant condition: New
> ...


You need to make sure that the fan is kicking on. What you do is start the car at idle and let it run. When temps start getting high, check the fan to see if its running. Then check your belt route and make sure it's not spinning pump in the wrong direction. Then check coolant, make sure it's full and green.

Jason


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## 4evernissan (Mar 8, 2007)

The fan comes on as soon as the vehicle is started. Coolant level is good and it is new coolant. I will check the belt route and see if it's on properly.


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

Two other things to consider are the rad cap and the rad itself could have circulation problems.


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## 4evernissan (Mar 8, 2007)

Oh, I forgot this in my list. I have a new OEM radiator cap that was installed about a week ago. It wasn't the problem.


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## nissanmadness (Sep 18, 2006)

4evernissan said:


> Oh, I forgot this in my list. I have a new OEM radiator cap that was installed about a week ago. It wasn't the problem.


While it is possible to have a BAD new water pump, have them recheck the timing, as they did replace the timing belt. Also, have your temp gauge and sending unit checked. Have your eng temp checked against a thermal thermometer, see how much difference there is. Make sure the gauge and sending unit are reading correctly. Lotsa luck.


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