[Anthony212]

I got a question. About an hr ago i turned on my heat while driving the engine was was temperture gauge was on normal. No heat came out what so ever. After a little while i started overheating out of no where. Could it be that my thermestat has gone bad??

 

[GaryS]

Pull your thermostat and check it with a pot of water and a candy thermometer. Put cold water in the pot, set your thermostat in there and then turn on the heat. Set the candy thermometer in there (don't let it rest on the bottom of the pot) and watch the temp and the opening of the thermostat. The temperature of the thermostat is the opening of the thermostat and you should see the it opening.

The other thing to do is to check your radiator and overflow tank for coolant. I have noticed that a low coolant level will be just enough to keep the engine from overheating but not enough to send heat to the cockpit.

Gary

 

[Luckynumber5]

what year and engine and we can help you better

 

[Mike Gerber]

First, check the level of coolant in the system. Low coolant can produce both of your symptoms. If it is low, you have a leak somewhere. Fill it up with a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. Then have the system pressure tested to locate the source of the leak and repair it as necessary. Do not drive the car any further with it overheating. The aluminum in today's modern engines doesn not take too well to overheating. If the coolant level is OK, then this sounds like a classic case of a thermostat sticking in it's closed position. Replace it along with the gasket (actually an o-ring). Then refill the coolant and bleed the system properly.

Mike

 

[Anthony212]

I have a 92 camry V4. Well theres a story behind the overheating problem. Before my dad gave me the car in August it waws overheating. The machanic thought it was the head gasket and got something to help cure it. He did this without telling us and now my antifreeze is all thick and brown. We flushed it at least two times in 2-3 weeks and the stuff keeps coming back. Now i am 17 years old my high school has a garage and a Auto class. We can bring our cars and what not. Last week I flushed out the Radiator, The Heater Core. But i could not flush out the engine block due to that the bell was going to ring. I think that theres still more stuff in the engine block and it is clogging the thermestat causing no heat and also overheating. I just bought a thermestat and the gasket today and tomorow im gonna flush the engine block out and see what happens.

 

[toyomoho]

Sounds like the mechanic put a leak sealant into the coolant. This stuff can cause headackes for the cooling system and the cars owners, I don't recommend it. You are doing the right thing by flushing the cooling system. Attempt to flush the block also. If you can't finsh in time before class, just run the car on plain water until you can get all the garbage out of it. Once clean, drain the system and fill with distilled water and coolant.

 

[GaryS]

Sounds like the mechanic put a leak sealant into the coolant. This stuff can cause headackes for the cooling system and the cars owners, I don't recommend it. You are doing the right thing by flushing the cooling system. Attempt to flush the block also. If you can't finsh in time before class, just run the car on plain water until you can get all the garbage out of it. Once clean, drain the system and fill with distilled water and coolant.

If you mean take the car on the street, he CAN'T drive the car with just water in it. He lives in NY and they are having freezing weather. Why risk cracking the block.

If you intend to flush the engine again, I would ensure that it is kept in a heated garage. Once you do flush the engine, I would suggest addressing the head gasket issue before you have other problems.

Gary

 

[Luckynumber5]

Just keep flushing it and don't waste antifreeze on it until at least semi clean water starts coming out, but hes right do not drive it with just water in there or it will crack the block.

Try taking the thermostat out to make the flushing easier if you hadn't already.

more than likely the stop leak is plugging water channels in the head gasket and thats whats breaking up so just keep at it!

this is what that stuff does