Car Getting Hot...showing On The Meter...

[dumball]

I was also referring to older 1980's non fuel injected models. Apart from some personal experience with a similar problem to the OP in outback Australia (blown head gasket) the rest has been with poorly maintained older 2wd Hilux type pickups and V8 Chevy blazers operating in Middle Eastern deserts.

Fresh coolant (does wadi water count ) helps the car run cooler, as does a clean radiator. Restricting the coolant flow is a necessity. It's also common to see the Bedouin's snip the legs of the thermostat, throw the body away, but keep the thermostat washer fitted whenever they have overheating problems.

No wish to argue here , worked on motor vehicles for 50 years , minus 50 in northern Canada to 100 plus on the island of Malta , guess i have insufficient experience or knowledge to compete on equal terms considering your resume .

[Farma]

No argument dumball, just mentioning some experiences from a fleet of poorly maintained vehicles operating in a hotter climate over the past 2 decades.

Anyway, back to the OP, has he got his problem sorted yet?

[sunny747]

yes, got my problem solved with 17500 baht from mitsubishi service center in srinakarin.....they were friendly..not the best english but she worked on it..u know the talking dictionary thing......she had shown all the problems in the car.....shown what has been replaced ...and gave my old parts back...gave me 3 months parts guarantee under 5000 km. .....change my belt timing set cost about 3500 baht.....altogether took around 3500 baht for labor....

they told me they will change the seal kit for power starring but after thorough check, they said it isn't necessary to change. There are some other parts they quoted but didn't change as they thought it is not necessary...

so far i'm happy with my car performance but it was quite expensive for an old car........however, it was necessary for full d-check.

Oring distributor

Gasket eng oil filter cap

Pad kit fr brake

Motor radiator cooling fan

Hose radiator lwr

Hose radiator upr

Oil paw eng

Hose p/s dil pump

Brake fluid

Belt timing set

Engine oil

t/m fluid

p/s fluid

belt alternator

belt a/c

belt p/s

clean radiator

center weels

[warwick7735]

Hi

If thats as high as the needle goes, you got nothing to worry about, its still in the normal section of the guage.

The sudden change in needle position could just be the temp sender on the head giving up the ghost, so the resistance readings have altered.

Check to see if the fans turn on and off with there thrmostats on the radiator, if so the water isnt getting that hot, because if it was they would be running all the time (Check this with air con off as turning on air con turns on the fans)

If it was head gasket problems this would increase pressure in the water sytem and the temp would just continue to rise as exhaust fumes enter the water, squeeze the hoses to see if they feel hard or not, indicating an increase. If they feel hard take it to a main dealer, they can put a a syringe device over the expansion vessel and check for CO in the water.

Thermostats generally work or they dont, resulting in a needle going into the red.

If it was my car I wouldn;t panic I'd just keep an eye on it over the next few days to see if the needle settles in its new position.

hope this helps

When a cylinder head gasket leaks , it is engine pressure that enters the coolant not exhaust fumes , the coolant can only rise to a certain pressure as the rad cap blows off at 28lbs , that is why you have an overflow container .Should it be a head gasket . you should have it replaced , because , should anti-freeze leak into the oil(which it often does) it will eat the coating on the con-rod and main bearing shells giving you a problem you do not want to know about . Squeezing the top hose realy hard , you should see coolant going into the overflow container because you easily over-come the rad cap 28lbs , replace the cap if you cannot do this . Radiators should be back flushed and coolant replaced every 2 years maximum , as the coolant deteriorates and can restrict its effectiveness .

Dumball

Well as its the combustion process thats causes the presure in the cylinder bore, and this pressure is exhaust gasses, its these that enter the water and make the water hot. The gasket can break between the cylinder/water or water/oil or cylinder/oil galleries, if its between the oil gallery you will get water in the oil (level will rise on dipstick) and vice versa this will not cause over heating problems.

If its the cylinder/water gallery thats gone this will cause a overheating problem due to the pressured hot gasses entering the water, this also can cause lots of air in the water system which can cause airlocking problems and also a loss of water as it is turning to steam and exiting through the exhaust.

It's far better to remove the centre section of the thermostat than remove it completely as it adds a restriction to the water flow and hence pushes the water to the far extremes of the engine. With it removed you tend to get hot spots usually around the 4th cylinder.

Good luck with the car, glad u fixed it

[wilko]

That gauge is OK.... but you say it used to be lower than that....so something has CHANGED........

before you spend money do a few basic checks.....

NB - BEWARE of hot water under pressure when opened or examining the radiator.

Check

water level....is it low? Has it changed suddenly or over a long time?

If suddenly and there's a new fault ....

If a long time is maybe just acceptable water loss which would go unnoticed until the level is low enough to register a difference

Check the radiator rather than the transparent overflow bottle....just top it up....if needed....if not, this is not the problem...

can you SEE water coming out....check when HOT or parked - don't mistake air con drip.

are you getting WHITE smoke (steam) in the exhaust - this means water in combustion chamber - a leaky gasket. - garage job...

Radiator - air flow cools the water as it passes through the radiator.....IS IT OBSTRUCTED in any way? have you modifies the front end of the car...is there a dead animal across the radiator....anything that obstructs air flow.

have you fitted /changed anything on the car that might use more power? .....e.g. air-con, a trailer.....driving with the hand brake on...two fat passengers??

Under the hood/bonnet...can you see any traces of dried up sprays of water or leaks from the hoses?

and if possible chuck out the thermostat and run it without....if the symptoms go then buy and fit a new thermostat. (It will run fine without, but a sticking thermostat will cause problems)

Once you have checked all the easy options and this is an older car, go to your local mechanic....parts are quite cheap in Thailand and the bonus is LABOR - this means fixing a car is an economic possibility!

Edited April 8, 2008 by wilko

[sunny747]

That gauge is OK.... but you say it used to be lower than that....so something has CHANGED........

before you spend money do a few basic checks.....

NB - BEWARE of hot water under pressure when opened or examining the radiator.

Check

water level....is it low? Has it changed suddenly or over a long time?

If suddenly and there's a new fault ....

If a long time is maybe just acceptable water loss which would go unnoticed until the level is low enough to register a difference

Check the radiator rather than the transparent overflow bottle....just top it up....if needed....if not, this is not the problem...

can you SEE water coming out....check when HOT or parked - don't mistake air con drip.

are you getting WHITE smoke (steam) in the exhaust - this means water in combustion chamber - a leaky gasket. - garage job...

Radiator - air flow cools the water as it passes through the radiator.....IS IT OBSTRUCTED in any way? have you modifies the front end of the car...is there a dead animal across the radiator....anything that obstructs air flow.

have you fitted /changed anything on the car that might use more power? .....e.g. air-con, a trailer.....driving with the hand brake on...two fat passengers??

Under the hood/bonnet...can you see any traces of dried up sprays of water or leaks from the hoses?

and if possible chuck out the thermostat and run it without....if the symptoms go then buy and fit a new thermostat. (It will run fine without, but a sticking thermostat will cause problems)

Once you have checked all the easy options and this is an older car, go to your local mechanic....parts are quite cheap in Thailand and the bonus is LABOR - this means fixing a car is an economic possibility!

Hi, thanks for your tips. it was the fan.....stopped working...while i checked i saw it working but when i took to the service center, it wasn't working anymore...i had my radiator clean.

and about the coolent liquid...is it safe to put with the water? i heard it disturbs the engine......can i just buy from the shop and put coolant by myself?

well, it was not cheap..i spent around 17000 baht to change many things since it is an old car....

[culicine]

well, it was not cheap..i spent around 17000 baht to change many things since it is an old car....

Well its not THAT old (well, maybe it is by Thai standards). New lancers go for 600-800K, so unless you can afford a new one, they you are stuck with fixing it. Generally you have to spend a bit on a second hand car (many times the previous owner didn't want to bother with repairs anymore). Hopefully you won't have more problems with it for the time being! I know owners of older cars that don't have too many problems 0 just give it regular maintenance, like checking the fluid levels. Good luck.

[wilko]

That gauge is OK.... but you say it used to be lower than that....so something has CHANGED........

before you spend money do a few basic checks.....

NB - BEWARE of hot water under pressure when opened or examining the radiator.

Check

water level....is it low? Has it changed suddenly or over a long time?

If suddenly and there's a new fault ....

If a long time is maybe just acceptable water loss which would go unnoticed until the level is low enough to register a difference

Check the radiator rather than the transparent overflow bottle....just top it up....if needed....if not, this is not the problem...

can you SEE water coming out....check when HOT or parked - don't mistake air con drip.

are you getting WHITE smoke (steam) in the exhaust - this means water in combustion chamber - a leaky gasket. - garage job...

Radiator - air flow cools the water as it passes through the radiator.....IS IT OBSTRUCTED in any way? have you modifies the front end of the car...is there a dead animal across the radiator....anything that obstructs air flow.

have you fitted /changed anything on the car that might use more power? .....e.g. air-con, a trailer.....driving with the hand brake on...two fat passengers??

Under the hood/bonnet...can you see any traces of dried up sprays of water or leaks from the hoses?

and if possible chuck out the thermostat and run it without....if the symptoms go then buy and fit a new thermostat. (It will run fine without, but a sticking thermostat will cause problems)

Once you have checked all the easy options and this is an older car, go to your local mechanic....parts are quite cheap in Thailand and the bonus is LABOR - this means fixing a car is an economic possibility!

Hi, thanks for your tips. it was the fan.....stopped working...while i checked i saw it working but when i took to the service center, it wasn't working anymore...i had my radiator clean.

and about the coolent liquid...is it safe to put with the water? i heard it disturbs the engine......can i just buy from the shop and put coolant by myself?

well, it was not cheap..i spent around 17000 baht to change many things since it is an old car....

One concern....if it was the fan.....did the car only heat up at slow speed ie. stationary or round town? Because at normal running speeds the fan will switch off.

Assuming the faN IS ELECTRIC AND NOT BELT DRIVE WITH VISCOUS COUPLING????