Car Overheated

[junkofdavid2]

Car overheated pretty bad yesterday... first started to hear an intermittent "knocking sound" and went on driving for a while until it became worse and continuous (I thought it would go away, and that it was from bad low-octane gas as I had newly reloaded a full tank)... and only then I saw that the thermostat had it on HOT.

Kinda freaked out a bit and pulled over immediately at the nearest building. Popped up the hood and found my water reserve was empty. Filled it up which eventually showed a leak coming from a hose (drip-drip quite fast).

So in the end, I waited for the car to cool, refilled it with water (and hoped that the car would at least get me home).

Restarted when car was cool and car got me home with no major problems and no overheating (although the water had again reduced significantly in the short trip).

Anyway, I now know that it's a "non-serious" problem (leaking hose just needs to be changed).

But the question is, what else needs to be checked/changed after the car overheated like that and was driven while overheated??

It's an automatic car, toyota camry 95, fuel injection and no carburetor and timing is supposed to adjust automatically (I think). Moreover, I did notice the car was not as "smooth" while on neutral at stoplights on the way home after the overheating.

Bringing it to the shop tomorrow to change hose and "inspection", but I want to know what they are supposed to "inspect".

.

Edited October 4, 2009 by junkofdavid2

[Crossy]

Continuing to drive on an overheated engine could damage the head gasket or warp the head, both of which would lead to loss of compression and rough idle.

Could get expensive

[Tywais]

But the question is, what else needs to be checked/changed after the car overheated like that and was driven while overheated??

The exact same thing happened to my car a few months ago, including the "knocking" sound from what seemed to me the valves and continued to get louder. In my case, just as I was reaching the intersection for the home stretch, the engine died. Had a tech come look and he brought water as he suspected a leak. Indeed it was and also a hose fracture.

The shop had to pull the head off the engine block to check if it had warped. Unfortunately it had but only the top head was no longer straight. They sent it over to a shop to re-mill (flatten) the surface and re-install it. Also, my radiator cracked and had to be replaced. Frustrating in that I had no symptoms until the noise .

Yours may not be as serious if it didn't go so far as the engine just stopped running. The total cost for mine was 10,000 Baht and 3 days work. That covered replacing most hoses, radiator, gaskets, head milling, etc. so not as bad as I feared.

//edit - just showing Crossy it's not necessarily expensive - this was on a 2.0 liter turbo charged import also. Most of the cost was for a new radiator.

[junkofdavid2]

I'm amazed at how much possible damage can be caused to a car just by a hose leaking suddenly???

Regarding the knocking sound... it wasn't the valves, it was the early detonation of gas due to the heat (at least that's what I read on the net when I googled "overheat car knock".

..

Edited October 4, 2009 by junkofdavid2

[junkofdavid2]

But the question is, what else needs to be checked/changed after the car overheated like that and was driven while overheated??

The exact same thing happened to my car a few months ago, including the "knocking" sound from what seemed to me the valves and continued to get louder. In my case, just as I was reaching the intersection for the home stretch, the engine died. Had a tech come look and he brought water as he suspected a leak. Indeed it was and also a hose fracture.

The shop had to pull the head off the engine block to check if it had warped. Unfortunately it had but only the top head was no longer straight. They sent it over to a shop to re-mill (flatten) the surface and re-install it. Also, my radiator cracked and had to be replaced. Frustrating in that I had no symptoms until the noise .

Yours may not be as serious if it didn't go so far as the engine just stopped running. The total cost for mine was 10,000 Baht and 3 days work. That covered replacing most hoses, radiator, gaskets, head milling, etc. so not as bad as I feared.

//edit - just showing Crossy it's not necessarily expensive - this was on a 2.0 liter turbo charged import also. Most of the cost was for a new radiator.

What shop was that?

[Tywais]

What shop was that?

Not going to be much help I'm afraid, it's in Chiangmai.

[Bobr]

I would change the oil and filter immediately then wait and see what happens. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you crack or warp the head or ruin the head gasket. Only time will tell. Toyota's seem to have pretty tough engines so you may very well get lucky, also, as someone else said the knocking sound you heard was probably just fuel pre-detonation, fuel exploding before it should have due to the heat, so the knock should be gone, not come back and not cause any permanent damage. Good luck to you.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Bobr

[Tywais]

An easy check if the head gasket is blown is to take the radiator cap off, make sure it is full of water and run the engine. If you see gas bubbles coming up then it's likely the gasket and/or head has a problem. Don't know how definitive that test is though.

[Heng]

Funny that the major automakers won't install something as simple as a flashing light and/or bell (like the very same one you hear when you do something "horrible" like leaving your lights on after you remove the ignition key) when the temperature guage goes above 50%. Would certainly save folks hundreds if not thousands of seized up engines per year... oh wait, can't have that now.

[HDRIDER]

Funny that the major automakers won't install something as simple as a flashing light and/or bell (like the very same one you hear when you do something "horrible" like leaving your lights on after you remove the ignition key) when the temperature guage goes above 50%. Would certainly save folks hundreds if not thousands of seized up engines per year... oh wait, can't have that now.

Hi

My car warn me if it get to hot, i dont even have a temp gauge

[elkangorito]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

[Tywais]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

I am a licensed pilot and pretty good at it. However, my car has a heads up display (HUD) and rarely need to look in the cockpit (the HUD doesn't show engine temperature though). That and it happened in such a short period of time that when I looked at the gauge it was too late. I figured it was bound to happen someone would come along and make a comment like above without knowing individual circumstances. Trying to compare flying a plane to driving a car, funny stuff.

[Heng]

Funny that the major automakers won't install something as simple as a flashing light and/or bell (like the very same one you hear when you do something "horrible" like leaving your lights on after you remove the ignition key) when the temperature guage goes above 50%. Would certainly save folks hundreds if not thousands of seized up engines per year... oh wait, can't have that now.

Hi

My car warn me if it get to hot, i dont even have a temp gauge

Cool, what's the maker (no need to list specific model if you feel that's too personal)? I've yet to come across it from the models we've owned: Japanese/American/Italian/German/French/Swedish.... whether the car cost $30,000 or $300,000. Just about all have some sort of battery type warning, but no overheat warning other than a lamp.

[Heng]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

I do, but again, my suggestion is for a good number of folks who fall into the 'it never overheats so I've learned not to monitor it for the first 5 years when a new-ish engine is likely to perform within parameters' crowd. Which covers a lot of cars and drivers.... probably the majority of whom we don't have to worry about becoming pilots.

[nonthaburial]

I realise that not everyone is technically minded, but guages etc are installed for a reason. If you know your car well then you should be able to hear and realise that when engine noises change, its likely that there is a problem. I cannot understand how, when hearing a change of engine noise,the car is driven on and a quick check of the guages is not carried out until its too late.

I also wonder how many drivers check their oil and water regularly. In hot countries with AC blasting the engine takes a hammering and unless the coolant system is full and well maintained a problem is just around the next bend. For the OP who stated that he had a hose leak after overheating he may be putting the cart before the horse. An overheating engine is likely to blow a weak hose. Its all down to weekly maintenance and being aware or its going to hit your pocket.

[Heng]

Everyone's needs are different, but I'm all for a little MORE technical info available to the driver (nothing special, just what the computer is already monitoring, just made available for you to actually see... not just a vague 'check engine' light when something is finally in the red), especially on higher performance vehicles. And that's from someone who believes in regular maintenance and listening to my car, but there certainly are problems that can arise in between maintenance windows and plenty of issues that are relatively 'silent,' especially as your car ages... but you might be more likely to notice if you can actually see more raw data. I can get about 10 times more info from my 25,000 Baht PC regarding system operating status than from my car's computer, and I don't even have to be concerned about the safety of my family if my PC fails.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Heng

[HDRIDER]

Funny that the major automakers won't install something as simple as a flashing light and/or bell (like the very same one you hear when you do something "horrible" like leaving your lights on after you remove the ignition key) when the temperature guage goes above 50%. Would certainly save folks hundreds if not thousands of seized up engines per year... oh wait, can't have that now.

Hi

My car warn me if it get to hot, i dont even have a temp gauge

Cool, what's the maker (no need to list specific model if you feel that's too personal)? I've yet to come across it from the models we've owned: Japanese/American/Italian/German/French/Swedish.... whether the car cost $30,000 or $300,000. Just about all have some sort of battery type warning, but no overheat warning other than a lamp.

Hi

Look at BMW

[Heng]

Cool thanks, actually on my 'want to get' list.

[Lopburi99]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

I am a licensed pilot and pretty good at it. However, my car has a heads up display (HUD) and rarely need to look in the cockpit (the HUD doesn't show engine temperature though). That and it happened in such a short period of time that when I looked at the gauge it was too late. I figured it was bound to happen someone would come along and make a comment like above without knowing individual circumstances. Trying to compare flying a plane to driving a car, funny stuff.

That's for sure. I'm a pilot (private) too.

I remember the first time I took over the controls from my flight instructor: Oh MY GOD! NO Brakes!!

[elkangorito]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

I am a licensed pilot and pretty good at it. However, my car has a heads up display (HUD) and rarely need to look in the cockpit (the HUD doesn't show engine temperature though). That and it happened in such a short period of time that when I looked at the gauge it was too late. I figured it was bound to happen someone would come along and make a comment like above without knowing individual circumstances. Trying to compare flying a plane to driving a car, funny stuff.

That's for sure. I'm a pilot (private) too.

I remember the first time I took over the controls from my flight instructor: Oh MY GOD! NO Brakes!!

I too had a PPL many years ago.

The point I was trying to make (& as pointed out by others) was that a lot can happen in 5 minutes. Usually, things like overheating problems are noticed IF the temperature gauge is monitored at least every minute. If this is practised, it becomes 2nd nature.

As far as comparing driving to flying, if a drivers license was as difficult to obtain as a pilots license, there would be fewer drivers & fewer road accidents. I'm not suggesting, however, that this should be the case.

[Lickey]

First check would be a compression test, an overheating engine will cause burnt valves,loose valve seats/guides, seized piston rings,cracked spark plug insulation,fried injector seals ect, all would account for rough running, a compression test would pick most of these things out straight away.

Good Luck, Lickey.

[katabeachbum]

Do any of you people look at anything besides the speedo? If not, I suggest you get into the habit of glancing at your gauges every minute.

Thank god none of you are pilots.

I am a licensed pilot and pretty good at it. However, my car has a heads up display (HUD) and rarely need to look in the cockpit (the HUD doesn't show engine temperature though). That and it happened in such a short period of time that when I looked at the gauge it was too late. I figured it was bound to happen someone would come along and make a comment like above without knowing individual circumstances. Trying to compare flying a plane to driving a car, funny stuff.

That's for sure. I'm a pilot (private) too.

I remember the first time I took over the controls from my flight instructor: Oh MY GOD! NO Brakes!!

I too had a PPL many years ago.

The point I was trying to make (& as pointed out by others) was that a lot can happen in 5 minutes. Usually, things like overheating problems are noticed IF the temperature gauge is monitored at least every minute. If this is practised, it becomes 2nd nature.

As far as comparing driving to flying, if a drivers license was as difficult to obtain as a pilots license, there would be fewer drivers & fewer road accidents. I'm not suggesting, however, that this should be the case.

Monitor temp gauge every minute in thai traffic? Sorry, to busy avoid hitting someone else

Modern cars have spoiled us totally with all kinds of visual and sound warnings, like when reversing, leave your key in, open doors or trunk, low battery charge, light still on. But for most cars there is just a gauge for overheating.

[junkofdavid2]

I took it to the shop monday, and they fixed the hose as well as waterpump (there was indeed a small leak too apparently, which they showed me before opening it up). I asked them to "inspect" for other damage, but not quite sure what else they inspected.

Anyway, as an update, the engine "smoothness" seems completely back to normal (unlike when it had just newly cooled down from overheating).

Planning to change oil and filter today at B-Quick. (Promo now 500 baht I think, all-in for both oil and B-Quick-brand filter, service is "free").

[sunny747]

my engine would over heat after i drive over 120 km per hour.......but now had it fixed for 5000 baht. nothing was leaking but i guess it was dirt inside as the flow was not good enough.....they also changed something from the engine which looks like stainless steel tray with some holes.....cleaned the radiator properly...

but what surprising that they didn't put any coolant with the water....i'm using just plain water and it seems to work fine...any clarification?

thanks.

[nonthaburial]

Coolant is not really needed in Thailand, water is just fine. Do you come from a cold country ? you can get additives that supposedly clean the coolant system but I am not convinced its worth the money

[Heng]

Modern cars have spoiled us totally with all kinds of visual and sound warnings, like when reversing, leave your key in, open doors or trunk, low battery charge, light still on. But for most cars there is just a gauge for overheating.

My point exactly, I think most would agree that all of those things (with the possibility of hitting someone when reversing an exception) are less important than an engine overheat. Certainly an option I'd pay for, and probably wouldn't cost too many billions in R&D to figure out how to connect the 'left the lights on' bell to the temperature guage. And again, not looking for an excuse not to monitor my guages (which I do), nor go through routine maintenance (which I do like clockwork), but I think an additional redundancy should be present for something this important.

Edited October 7, 2009 by Heng

[junkofdavid2]

When I took it to the shop Monday, they apparently added coolant during the treatment, so I'll just leave it in there until my next radiator flush.

However, I prefer no coolant.

In an old car of mine in the past, it was mildly overheating due to semi-hardened clumps of coolant which were semi-clogging the radiator, and the overheating stopped when they cleaned the radiator thoroughly inside (poking it with some sorta thin flat wire) to remove the clumps. Car worked perfectly afterward.

(When they opened it up, the clumps were exactly the same color as the coolant. Kinda looked like hardened milk in coolant color).

.

Edited October 7, 2009 by junkofdavid2

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Radiators

Maintaining the coolant will go a long ways toward prolonging the life of the radiator and other components in the cooling system. But if the coolant isn’t maintained, corrosion will eventually take over and attack the innards of the system. The most vulnerable components are the radiator and heater core, especially lead-soldered copper/brass heat exchangers in older vehicles. But aluminum radiators and heater cores are vulnerable to attack, too.

Lack of maintenance can also allow a buildup of rust and scale that can clog a radiator or heater core. Heat exchangers with extremely small passageways are especially susceptible to this kind of problem. Once clogged, heat exchangers are difficult to clean and replacement is usually necessary.

http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/coolant_&...tor_service.htm

[Gary A]

For your information, the proper amount of coolant lubricates the water pump, prevents corrosion, keeps the hoses soft and pliable and has a higher boiling point than water. Using plain water is usually an expensive cost savings.

[63Tommy1]

For your information, the proper amount of coolant lubricates the water pump, prevents corrosion, keeps the hoses soft and pliable and has a higher boiling point than water. Using plain water is usually an expensive cost savings.

Amen o that!

Running on plain water can cause a lot of problems, a common one is a leaking water pump, due to lack of lubricants for the pump bearings, cheap to fix for most non-import makes.

Corrosion inside the engine itself takes longer and will cost you a great deal more...

So the correct amount it should be, to much can give you other problems, like crystals clogging the system, already mentioned in this thread.

Tommy