Overheating. Any ideas?

1387 Views 27 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Vallary99, Nov 24, 2005

saber96

Discussion Starter · Nov 18, 2005

I hope maybe you guys have some Ideas on this! I am having an overheating problem on my '96 gst Eclipse. It only overheats at @ 60mph and above. City driving is fine. The radiator has been flushed and checked - OK. Installed a new water pump and thermostat. Replaced radiator hoses. One shop thought the timing belt might be an issue. It was close to time to change it anyways, so that is done. Another shop tested the head and thought the head gasket was leaking - new head gasket installed. We also had the temp. sending unit (?) replaced. Now I'm out about $1500 and still can't drive it. It's been a reliable car with hardly a problem, but now I can't figure this out and all the shops are drawing blanks.

One thing I do wonder about is a squeal. It sounds like a loose belt is squealing for a minute or 2 after startup. I have tightened all belts and dressed them. Could the squeal be coming from the turbo and is it possible for the turbo to go out or wear and cause the temp to overheat?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated. I am out of ideas and just want my car back up and on the road.

Thanks!

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knewblewkorvett

· #2 · Nov 18, 2005

From the one pic in you sig, I could not see a FMIC. So air blockage probably is not the problem. I would think the timing belt would be unrelated to a temp problem but I don't know for sure. This may be a dumb question, but are you sure it is actually overheating? Have you taken the temp of the radiator? Your problem is just the opposite of a normal over temp problem. Normally, it is in slow moving traffic that cars overheat. Your problem is at when the car should just be [email protected] mph.

The only suggestion I have is a Fluideyne radiator but I think that would be a band aide to a larger problem.

saber96

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 18, 2005

I thought the same thing, so we checked it out. It is definately overheating. Guage is correct.

Vallary99

· #4 · Nov 18, 2005

Sounds dumb but I've seen this happen before on other cars. Are you sure your fans are running the right way? Or at all? I saw this happen on a Honda before and it ended up being the guy wired his fans to push instead of pull and it was only overheating on the highway.

saber96

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 18, 2005

That isn't dumb at all. I have checked the fan and as far as I can tell it is fine and it pulls the air through. After a quick jog on the highway, it is running when I check. I have also tried flipping on the AC as it overheats just to see if that would trigger the fan any differently and I saw no difference. Running the heater full blast does lower the temp, but not enough to make it very drivable at high speeds. When the heater is ran, it is very hot air.

v2ner

· #6 · Nov 18, 2005

how's your oil?

saber96

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 18, 2005

Oils good. It has about 1,000 miles on it. The car leaks a little oil, but not enough to add between oil changes.

Weird isn't it? 3 shops in town have no idea and 1 shop wouldn't even look at it.

44pirate

· #8 · Nov 18, 2005

Exactly what temps are talking about here?

saber96

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 18, 2005

I dont' have exact temps. The stock guage pegged to red so we started checking / replacing the normal stuff - radiator cap, radiator flush, hoses & thermostat. Temp still tried to peg to red on the guage so we took it to the shop. Our first check was the guage and I've had 2 shops verify that it is indeed overheating. From there it has been part after part.

I have been reading old posts on overheating and saw a couple mention the stock turbo. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe our turbo is going out. Could a blown turbo mess with the temp? If so, it may explain why the temp would only raise at higher speeds (when the turbo would be spooling).

Thanks for all the ideas guys!

Vallary99

· #10 · Nov 18, 2005

What temperature thermostat did you put in? Do you have any coolant leaks? Are you running straight water or a coolant/water mix? Maybe there are air bubbles..

saber96

Discussion Starter · #11 · Nov 18, 2005

I run coolant/water mix and haven't leaked any that I can tell.

The car has been taken to 4 shops now to try to get it fixed.

I switched thermostats, radiator cap, radiator hoses and gave up.

Shop #1 pressure checked the head and said that it was OK. They then changed the thermostat again and changed the timing belt and didn't put everything back together right (extra bolts left over on the top of the engine).

We then pulled the radiator and took it to shop to have it inspected and flushed - OK.

Shop #2 fixed the timing belt (returned the bolts), changed the water pump and replaced the sending unit.

Shop #3 tested the head and said they were 100% sure the head gasket was blown or the head was cracked. They didn't find water in the oil, but said they tested for and found exhaust in the radiator. Shop #3 wouldn't work on the car though, so we had to take it to shop #4.

We simply took it to shop #4 and asked them to pull the head and replace the head gasket. They did and ....it still overheats. Now they have also let us know that they tested the head before pulling it and it tested fine. They proceeded to pull it and replace it since we had asked them to, but the old gasket had been fine.

Shop #3 found exhaust in the radiator.
Shop #4 found a head gasket that was OK and no cracks in the head.

Where could the exhaust gases come from, because that would be the culprit, right?

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JaS4811

· #12 · Nov 18, 2005

Does the overheating happen while boosting or normal highway driving?

What thermostat are you using? If you are not using a Mitsu, that could be a problem. Mitsu thermostats have a bigger opening then they one you can buy off the shelf.

Also, inside the radiator, does it look coroded at all? If so it could just be your radiator is not flowing enough.

Burp your system for air and make sure the overflow hose is not clogged.

John

saber96

Discussion Starter · #13 · Nov 18, 2005

The overheating happens at normal highway speeds, no huge stress on the motor or boosting.

The thermostat I placed in it was an off the shelf brand. I am not sure what brand the mech. shop put in it. I guess I'll swing by the dealership and grab another to replace it. The radiator was taken to a radiator shop to be inspected and the guy there said it looked fine. I might look for another local shop and get a second opinion. I guess it'll make for a weekend project.

JaS4811

· #14 · Nov 18, 2005

saber96 said:
The overheating happens at normal highway speeds, no huge stress on the motor or boosting.

The thermostat I placed in it was an off the shelf brand. I am not sure what brand the mech. shop put in it. I guess I'll swing by the dealership and grab another to replace it. The radiator was taken to a radiator shop to be inspected and the guy there said it looked fine. I might look for another local shop and get a second opinion. I guess it'll make for a weekend project.

One more thing you might check is your timing, doubt that would be is since it happens during normal driving. It could be too far advanced.

John

The_EE

· #15 · Nov 19, 2005

I have been having over heating issues as well, I flushed the radiator and replaced the thermostat and it didnt change. My Turbo went out shortly after words. I have upgraded to a 16g for the moment and I have not noticed the problem. I am going to be making a bit of a drive today and see if thats the cause. It could also be my FMIC doing it but again, I didnt notice anything after the turbo was replaced.

The_EE

· #16 · Nov 19, 2005

Went on a drive and didnt see any problems, it is kinda cold out right now so I dont know.

sickfast2ndgen

· #17 · Nov 21, 2005

oh the wonders of the search button...

i have the same sort of thing going on. It just started a week or two ago. I have already changed the thermostat (190 degree OEM mitsu), dialed back the timing (~3 degrees BTDC), and got a new rad cap today. the problem persists. the car isn't leaking and isn't pushing any fluid out of the overflow. The lower rad hose is cold to the touch when running. i think my car's sensor is fine, because when i turn on the heat it is retardedly hot. almost enough to burn you. The only thing i can think of is maybe it is sucking in a small amount of air.

to that end i plan on going around the cooling system and checking everything for a snug fit.

If anyone makes progress on this problem, please share what you did. This condition may be ok now while its cold, but we'll all be sorry if we dont have it fixed when summertime comes.

Vallary99

· #18 · Nov 21, 2005

I used to have an overheating problem. It ended up being from lack of airflow. I installed new, quality fans and it resolved the problem. Then again, I have a Super 20G and a FMIC. I was using the cheap fans you get from Advance Auto Parts and they didn't work. I now have the Flex-a-Lite slim line fans and they work like a charm.

91gsxKid

· #19 · Nov 21, 2005

in my 91 gsx, my temp gauge reads dead center of the gauge, but when i pop the hood everythin in the engine bay is buring hot, i mean everything like i touched my fuse box cover and it felt like it was gona burn me. is this normal on these cars or is somthing wrong. i had 90 laser turbo and i dont remeber it every being that hot. thanks

Vallary99

· #20 · Nov 21, 2005

91gsxKid said:
in my 91 gsx, my temp gauge reads dead center of the gauge, but when i pop the hood everythin in the engine bay is buring hot, i mean everything like i touched my fuse box cover and it felt like it was gona burn me. is this normal on these cars or is somthing wrong. i had 90 laser turbo and i dont remeber it every being that hot. thanks

Yes, that's normal. It's called residual engine compartment heat buildup.

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