# my car overheats!



## shingouki1 (Feb 11, 2004)

ok, all done changing my coolant and thermostat. the engine plug was too tight. i just couldnt make it budge. i changed the thermostat and finished the job. except from some smoke cuz there was a little water i couldnt get to that was evaporating, all else went smooth..........now i have a questions for you guys. my temp seems to stay more constant now since i changed the thermostat...(here comes the but)...BUT after its completely warm to just a tiny bit over half of the temp gauge if i sit in traffice for like 2-3 minutes it will go up a little less than a quarter warmer. arent my fans suppose to come on? how hot should it get before they come on? i dont have one of those fancy testers but all i know is that i opened the hood while the car was running and the damn fans never came on.


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## sno (Oct 4, 2002)

i'd get a tester light and check for power to your fans, also check fuses and other wires for loose connections.


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## new94 (Jan 9, 2004)

You can get a bad thermostat sometime's it's more common then you think! These are just thing's i'd go over, is the thermostat facing the right direction, is there power at the fan's, do the fan's even work, and what temp. thermostat did you put in? Check the fan's first by running direct power from your battery to the fan and see if it come's on, if it does then check the thermostat if it doesn't then figure that out first! Relay, fuse etc.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

You have air trapped in the cooling system.Your thermostat is not fully imersed into coolant, therefore it cannot open. Don't drive your car like that... overheating --> head gasket --> warped head.


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## shingouki1 (Feb 11, 2004)

well ive driven it so too late for that. i tested it for about half an hour and just now i came back from my greandmas house. it didnt over heat one bit. it only does it when the car doesnt move and just sits there for more than like 3 or four min. but other than that it stays right int he middle of the temp gauge....im gonna check the fans, its too late now but i will do so on monday. thanks for the help guys. by the way, im using the stock dealer thermostat. i think its 76.5 degrees celcius thermostat. no leaks anywhere its just that the fans never kick in.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

The fans should kick in when you turn on the A/C assuming your A/C still works fine, if not then you have a relay or fuse problem. Keep an eye on your coolant level and refill it as needed.


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## Catman (May 21, 2004)

Twiz said:


> You have air trapped in the cooling system.Your thermostat is not fully imersed into coolant, therefore it cannot open. Don't drive your car like that... overheating --> head gasket --> warped head.


Did you follow the procedure to purge the air from the system? The two times my mechanic flushed and filled I had problems. When I did it, I followed the Haynes manual on purging the air. No problems since last fall. That was after I put a new Napa thermostat. I did have air trapped. May have had problems without purging the system of air.


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## sts25 (Aug 19, 2004)

my sentra just recently started running with the gauge at the midpoint . I changed the thermostat and the radiator cap, also pressure checked the system nothing seemed to help. fans still come on ocassionally. I "shot the block" in a few places with a non- contact thermometer and the temps are normal. possibly the coolant temp sending unit breaking down or gauge crapping out?????????????


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## SleepERr (May 20, 2003)

i used to have a overheating problem, so to fix it i got a gti-r radiator, flushed the cooling system, and removed the thermostat all together (It just takes longer to get warm now.) and since my turbo was slowly melting my condenser fan i just removed it. But it still runs very cool, it never goes over the half way mark even with one fan in 100 degree heat in rush hour traffic.


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## ga16de6669 (Aug 17, 2004)

overheating on a ga16de? i drove mine with no coolant for like a week with no overheating :dumbass: . it was leaking and i dint catch it. well cudos :fluffy:


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## shingouki1 (Feb 11, 2004)

i left my car on with running AC for 8 minutes and it didnt go past just barely over halfway. i did purge it like the b13 fsm said to do. so everything looks to be ok now. before i would sit there for like 2 min and it would go up to about 3/4 of the way up, but now it seems to be normal. im gonna go ahead and upgrade to a 300zxTT radiator cap to keep my car cooler. thanks guys for all the help.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

You should upgrade to a 300 ZX completely, buy the rest of the car not just the radiator cap....get a '91 to '96 edition t-tops, twin turbo


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## shingouki1 (Feb 11, 2004)

yeah, i will upgreade to a 300z...let me count...1 2 3 4 4.50....yup $4.50, you think i can get one for that? its what i have in my bank account. i checked out my fans and they do power on from direct power from the battery. im thinking a fuse or relay somewhere doesnt work. i gotta get a couple of multireaders and check it out. so now im only 25 bucks away from getting 2 multireaders.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

I got one of those multireaders from Home Depot for 29 bucks it's a nice tool, it's a business card size (looks like a little wallet)...full range on all, it comes in handy.


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## nx2kdriver (Oct 12, 2004)

i have an nx2000 and i have the electric fans set up to a toggle switch...never have to worry about them not comming on...if the car heats up i turn them on...works fine for me :thumbup:


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

Depending on how you wired that toggle switch you may or may not need a jump from another car if you leave the switch to on position, besides the temp sending unit inside the radiator switches everything for you... overriding it means overlooking any cooling problems you may have.


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