Car has overheated on multiple occasions lately and for good reason. Once there wasnt the coolant it needed, then the oil extremely low and finally.. Driving with no gear oil. (dont ask!) Im a retard i know and please dont just flame...

My question is: Now that it has coolant, has oil, has gear oil and has no *obvious* signs of permanent damage.. what might be causing it to still overheat?

Better yet... Are there sensors, wire looms, or any other known common causes for a false overheated reading? Reason i ask is the odd way the gauge was behaving. It seemed very erratic! One second sorely overheated then just mildly warm the next. Also, looking under the hood i couldn't much tell it was overheated. 16lb Radiator cap wasnt leaking and touching the radiator hose didnt seem much more hot then normal.

I appreciate any ideas.. Thanks everyone.

headgasket.

Thermostat? Fan issue?

yea sounds like headgasket to me low coolant, low engine oil. Did you check to see if the oil is like a milshake like color to it.

Originally posted by Babbz413
headgasket.

Yes, could be/probably is your headgasket. BUT could also be your thermostat, radiator cap, radiator, radiator fans, leak in the cooling system, blockage in the cooling system, water pump etc.

Leak in the cooling system;
Look for the easy obvious; signs of leakeage. Puddles on the ground. Lots of coolant on the tranny/backside of engine (pesky heater hoses)

Cooling fans;
Sit at idle to see if the fan comes on (duh). If they don't, you may have to rev it up a couple o' few of times to get heat going. Of course, watch the gauge as you do it.

Thermostat;
Pull thermostat and check it by boiling it in water and seeing if it opens fully (though most just replace it. Cheap and easy flip flop).

If I run into a "funny" problem with the cooling system, one of the first things I do is pull the thermostat and check her without one in. This can help in identification of "bubbles" in the system or thermostat problems. It can allow you to rule some stuff out, like if you pull the thermostat and she no longer overheats, then you can be sure that its not the headgasket or waterpump (provided that your test "without" last longer than 5 minutes of idling and 10 minutes of driving).

Radiator cap;
Have the radiator cap pressure tested (though, like the thermostat, most just replace it),

Radiator;
Look for obvious signs of rust and green/white flake build up on the exterior (usually located on the lower half). See if fins are just flaking off. Look for "wet spots". Pull radiator and have it pressure tested.

Blockage in the cooling system;
Flush the cooling system seperately (radiator then engine side) to check for blockage.

Water pump;
Check for signs of "weepage" under the water pump. Listen for grinding or squeaking (usually a chirping sound) coming from water pump. Look in the radiator cap opening and see if the coolant is actually moving (obviously, don't pull the cap when the engine is hot. Do this when the engine is cold).

Headgasket;
Comp check and leak down. Look for oil contanimation or oil levels filling themselves up, lol. Look for air bubbles in the coolant as well as hardening of the coolant lines(pressurizing from the headgasket allowing combustion chamber pressure in the cooling system). Look for white smoke out of the exhaust after warm up. Check for hydrocarbons in the coolant (though this all could be good, but you could still have a bad headgasket. That's the tricky part).

.....and the etc. is for whatever I forgot/missed

I thought that I should do a quick run down of items that it could be before you go to headgasket. You really should take that extra 1% check on all the other things before you go to headgasket.

Are you sure you dont have a bubble in the system?

Also, what Bullett said :P

Originally posted by teklein
Are you sure you dont have a bubble in the system? Also, what Bullett said :P

Lol, you posting while I'm editting......

Originally posted by bullettdsm

Originally posted by teklein Are you sure you dont have a bubble in the system? Also, what Bullett said :P

Lol, you posting while I'm editting......

Haha!

My car did the same thing his is doing with the erratic hot/normal functions. It was a bubble :P

Originally posted by teklein

Originally posted by bullettdsm

Originally posted by teklein Are you sure you dont have a bubble in the system? Also, what Bullett said :P

Lol, you posting while I'm editting......

Haha! My car did the same thing his is doing with the erratic hot/normal functions. It was a bubble :P

I'm going to 3rd the coolant bubble.

oh christ you guys are awesome.. I'll be sure to check in when i finish the shakedown..

im hoping for a bubble :)

JUST AN AIR BUBBLE!!! No more overheating and the gearbox still shifts fine. Today must be my day... I'm going out for a lottery ticket.

Originally posted by klaymonster
JUST AN AIR BUBBLE!!! No more overheating and the gearbox still shifts fine. Today must be my day... I'm going out for a lottery ticket.

Awesome man!

As soon as I read that the gauge would be hot then go down super quick, I thought thats what it was :p

nice man!