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My son has a 2005 TL about 150,000 miles, automatic.
Car has been a problem child, we raplaced a lot of things already. The latest saga is overheating. He was dead on the road due to overheating about 2 months ago. Added coolant, resevoir had steam spraying out before that. Replaced thermostat. It seemed OK, but he did need to add coolant to the overflow resevoir about once a week or so.
Last week, he ran into the back of someone stopped pulling onto a road, about 10 mph i would guess. enough to crack front driver bumper, but really not much more.
Now it is overheating again. weather is aroun 50's degrees F, his drive to school is about 55 mph for about 20 minutes.
Anyhow, got it home, and there is a leak of coolant that slowly puddles under passenger front side of the car, and looks like it is coming down a hard line vertically for power steering system. I have attached a diagram of the power sterring system with arrows on the parts that have coolant on them.
I replaced the thermostat and gasket again, but it is still throwing a P0128 "coolant thermostat (coolant temperature below thermostat regulating temperature)" and a P0125 "insuffiecient coolant temperature for closed loop fuel control" codes. I have not looked into these quite yet, but I have just replaced the thermostat with a brand new one after seeing this code. He has driven it about 20 minutes or so; perhaps it wasn't enough time to clear the code?
Also, I had filled the radiator last night, and the coolant overflow resevoir to slightly below the top line. It sat the night on concrete, and this afternoon, I saw the puddle of coolant (not too bad), and checked levels again, they appeared to be the same as when I filled them last night.
He returned from his test drive tonight, about 15-20 minutes, driving around 40-55 mph in 55 degree weather, slight raining. He said the temperature gauge was holding steady a bit above the top of the temperature symbol on the gague (about 75% to H). I checked the overflow container, and it was almost to the lower line.
I will also mention, he has not had heat (this is the first fall/winter we have had the car, so we dont' know for how long no heat). So probably heater core.. the next project I guess.
Anyhow, does anyone have any ideas? The only obvious signs of coolant leaking are where I am showing in the pics, around the power steering lines. I am assuming the overheating is due to loss of coolant (perhaps accerelated while driving),
Any ideas? Know issues? Sound familiar to anyone?
(unless one of the rubber hoses on that side is pierced, like radiator or heater core hoses, and water is just getting there somehow)
It's under the plastic covers, driven by the timing belt. So if belt was never done it should be done ASAP. (you change it and water pump every 100k miles).
It gonna look like water is leaking from behind the AC compressor, or directly to the right of where plastic cover meets the engine.
It's gonna look like water is coming from behind the AC compressor.
My mechanic friend I bought it from had replaced the water pump, timing belt and tensioner. I have just replaced the thermostat twice in the past 2 months or so, thinking that was it.
I am going to do some testing today on it. Below is a list of items that my mechanic friend replaced before selling the car to me about 7 month ago. Really the only driving done on the car was teaching my son to drive, and more recently him drving to school starting in late August. I would guess we got the car in maybe April or so.
I will investigate around the water pump area, but this leak is definitely at the front passenger side, ahead of the tire, like around where a fog light would be. Maybe renting a coolant pressure tester would help identify a leak, or just indicate there is a leak?
Anyhow, I have poked around the car not running, I think I may now do that with the engine running, and see if it is coming out anywhere with the engine running.
So, it looks like the heater control valve, up against the firewall is shot, leaking. That may explain why he has no heat in the car.
Will get around to installing a new one Saturday.
Hopefully that does the trick!
Coolant leak and overheating
