/cry overheating

[Reconisance]

im in my hometown on my way back to the university of iowa for my finals this week, i get a mile from home, in this 10 degree weather, and i notice my gauge is reading really hot, which is instantly wierd, my car always runs cool.
There is a slight to moderate squeeling noise, and steam is coming from the radiator but its hard to see where its actually coming from because coolant is splashed around in the engine bay a bit.
I have 3 cars, so i can still get to finals, but i will be back in about 8 hourr to diagnoise/fix the problem, can anyone give me a clue as to what it could be so i know where to start, i was thinking possibly the water pump?

 

[CC'S95GT]

that's be the first place I'd start.
sqeeling could be a pulley freezing up.
you could also have a bad temp sensor but that's doubtful due to coolant everywhere.

 

[duh09]

The fact that coolant is everywhere makes me immediately think it's the waterpump. I had the same issue, ended up puking coolant EVERYWHERE.

 

[ivan12]

Maybe a bypass hose burst and the coolant is leaking on your pulleys and belt.

 

[F1atlander]

mainly i would check the water pump and bypass hose. but also check the rad, the fan could had thrown coolant everywhere.

 

[Reconisance]

12/14/01 update
1. So i inspected the water pump, no leaks around it and the pully isnt rattling or shaking, just squealing a little.
2. The hoses are all intact and no signs of leakage
3. it seems as if its leaking from between the fins of the radiator, BUT im not sure by any means. there are no holes, gashes, and any deformities in the radiator itself.
On a side note, my twin fans arent turning on, so i will run through the electrical system as well.
QUESTIONS:
1. Could the squealing be a sign of failure?
2. How could I test a radiator? I can only imagine filling it and watching for leaks?

BY THE WAY, I appreciate the input so far, you all are really helping out a guy on a cold garage floor. (Heated garage is on my wishlist, santa!)

Edit: in the meantime, i will replace the 160 thermo to a 180 which should be better suited for the 0-10degree weather here :/

 

[CC'S95GT]

did you look under the water pump with a mirror or looking at from under the car?
It's possible the rad just overheated and burped out of the expansion tank due to the fans not coming on.

As far as testing the rad you can buy a pressure tester, that goes in place of the rad cap. It has a little pump on the top and a guage so you can watch the pressure as you raise it to what's on the rad cap. 16psi? The teaster might even be on the rent-a-tool list at auto zone.

 

[Reconisance]

- I checked from under the car. Im really skinny though, so i was able to squeeze right up to the pump, i double checked just now just to make sure i wasnt telling you wrong.
- The steam/smoke/vaporized coolant (i suppose) was coming from the engine/passenger side fins down low, and the one fan on that side has/had some coolant pooled a little more than anywhere else. The roads are a bit hazardous, so my POS 94 cavalier would probably die on the way to autozone, but i did my own sort of pressure test and the radiator both held fluid, and held pressure. (How much pressure is the part im unsure of, but 16, as listed on the cap, isnt too much)

Before i changed the t-stat, i dropped some coolant in it and ran it to see if it would either expel or even move it. it didnt, so i am more leaning towards a failed t-stat? I can only imagine either a stuck closed tstat, an internally seized waterpump, or a clogged hose would cause that. in a few minutes after i get this new stat in along with some coolant, ill run it to see whats up. maybe even throw in a pic or two of my nice little heater keeping the radiator (but not me) warm...ish.

 

[Reconisance]

the dang tstat housing wouldnt seal, but after i finally got it, the radiators drain plug had a slight leak. plastic piece of crap broke on me when i tightened it, guess tomorrow im taking the whole radiator out to drill out the stuck, and still leaking, other half. i have the thread size and length so i can get a new metal one made.
The problem is not the t-stat, coolant still is not moving, and the squealing noise is more prominent now, leading me towards water pump.
any thoughts on the matter?

 

[CC'S95GT]

Could be the WP.
How are you cking for coolant flow?

 

[Reconisance]

i tried watching the flow with the cap being open, and then felt both pipes to and from the rad for heat and pressure. the lower tube didnt heat up whatsoever (so obviously the upper exit didnt either) but the tube still felt empty, or i suppose had a lack of pressure. it had coolant in it, being the lower one, but it was still limp

i know its a sketchy way to check, i still have yet to pull the wp off, but that will be done today or tomorrow. ill report back then

 

[CC'S95GT]

Your not going to have much coolant flow till the thermostat opens.
Therefor the hoses won't feel hot or have any coolant going through them.
The rad will need to be burped to get all the air out or the system will not work correctly.

 

[Reconisance]

roger that, thanks for the quick feedback by the way

 

[CC'S95GT]

you just happened to catch me on.

 

[CanaryGT]

Just dont buy a Mishimoto...

 

[Reconisance]

hah, it was already on the car when i bought it. im not sure i like sharing parts with the likes of civics, etc. lol
if the fans stopped working, and the car just overheated, could it cause this problem as well? the fan wires were corroded through, so i need to fix that, but the t-stat, waterpump, all pipes, etc. are all fine. everything but the fans are in working order. so i am left with the assumption that when overheated, it would just burn off the coolant like that?

 

[CC'S95GT]

get the fans fixed and let us know if it fixed it.
Sounds like that was your problem.
When it overheats, the coolant escapes the rad into the expansion tank.
When that overflows it ends up all over under the hood.

 

[Reconisance]

alright, painful hours of minut soldering and stripping and my fans are rewired. thanks to ya'll i have it narrowed down to the radiator. everything else is fine. a new problem arises, these twin fans are reversible, so they can spin either way. which way do they spin? iirc they pull air through the rad, right? thats counterclockwise i believe. VV-- is the left side of the fan, so counterclockwise would pull it through....which..is..right?

and i totally broke those 2 tiny fan guard bars ccasion14:

 

[CC'S95GT]

CC or CCW really depends on how the manufacture references the fan because the fan can be mounted on the front of the rad (pusher) or on the back on the rad (puller).
I suggest just touching the CCW wires to ck rotation. If the fan goes the wrong way, ck the other wires.

 

[Reconisance]

i guess it doesnt even matter. i have everything hooked back up, and the fans still dont turn on, and it looks like coolant is leaking from the upper radiator hose at both ends (into the rad, and into the t-stat housing), like the cap isnt letting out the excess/burning coolant. should i just do a manual fan switch? (i'd rather not, but if i have to..)
or is there anything else i should check?