Hey people, need a second opinion here. I know what I think, but want your ideas. Okay, car has been overheating when at a standstill. So first I replace the cooling fan because it was not coming on, then I replaced the coolant fan switch, because it still wasnt coming on all the time. It seemed okay for a few days, then today it starts heating up while at a redlight, so I decide I will replace the thermostat. Replace the thermostat and it is still heating up, gets almost to the red, so I shut it off. Next time I start it it is missing and a brief bit of white smoke comes out the tailpipe. Car is idling very rough, and warms up almost immediately. So I take the radiator cap off and start it again, this time there is no white smoke from the tailpipe and it isnt running rough, purrs like a kitten. But there is a boatload of steam coming out of the radiator, and when you rev it up coolant bursts out of the radiator. Another thing though, Would it do this if there was air in the system? I did not use the bleed screw on the thermostat housing. Well, what do you guys think?

 

Does the fan run at all?
Coolant leaking out anywhere?
Do you have enough coolant? Have you tried changing the coolant, then gently squeezing the top radiator hose to get the air out, then filling with more coolant.

If you have white smoke coming out, this could be a bigger problem than just overheating. You could have coolant leaking into the engine.

 

Swap the radiator, same thing with my tundra, like saiko said, if theres a good bit of white smoke, not a good sign >=[

 

Sadly, I believe you guys are right. I have thought from the first that it was a blown head gasket or cracked head. I have pretty much confirmed this. Just waiting to see if that aftermarket warranty I took on it actually works. Will keep you posted. :rippedoff

 

I agree w/ bad head gasket. Your symptoms are very similar to my 94 Accord EX w/ 2.2L engine. It would miss badly for a short time after a warm restart and was losing coolant. Not too bad a job to repair actually, but probably costs $600-$800 for labor and parts.

good luck

 

labor alone is 458.73. If it needs a new head, then the parts alone will be about 750.00. Thats almost 1200. Thank god for the warranty!