Driving down 94 friday night ghettostyle stepped on the gas. The temp gauge rose and the car started running like shit and overheated while cruising down 94. The car was towed and made a clunking sound which sounded like it was coming from the t-belt cover. The car was full of coolant when this happened.

I pulled the t-belt covers off thinking the balance shaft belt was broken. The balance shaft belt is still in tact. The only thing I can think of was that part of the gasket for the t-belt cover (wich is literally plastic now) came off and was kicking around in there. Any other ideas???

As far as the over heating problem, I am guessing the car needs a new head gasket (as the temp gauge rose on the gas) but I dont believe that it is the problem why he overheated. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the thermostat got stuck closed or something??? His car looses fluids on a regular basis and it was full when he overheated. He has a radiator fan which is always on and he was cruising at around 60-65 mph. The only thing I can think of is that the engine was deprived of coolant. Could it be the water pump not pumping?

Thanks in advance, John.

What sort of condition is the radiator in? Get a new thermostat and do a coolant flush/fill and go from there. I doubt it would be the waterpump unless coolant is pouring out from its seals. Even then...mine was literally pouring coolant last spring but I never had an overheating problem. One last thing, what mix of coolant/water is he running?

I would suggest exactly what Chris said. Change the thermostat and flush the coolant. Make sure the water/antifreeze ratio is acceptable. More water will allow for better cooling, but you need enough antifreeze to prohibit rust and lubricate the water pump.

To test the thermostat, just pull it out. It will take longer to warm up, but you will be sure that it is running as cool as possible.

it will more than likely run hotter without a thermostat than with a working one though, as the coolant flow needs to be restricted by the thermostat for it to have time to dump its heat through the radiator. If it's flowing too quickly it won't cool down.

Check your A/C condenser core in front of the radiator. On my 2G i was having overheating problems and banging my head against the wall trying everything, until I noticed the core in front of the radiator had 1/4" of dirt across the entire face, completely blocking airflow through it. FMIC and radiator were clear, but I had been missing the third core every time I looked.

Ughh no if there is no thermostat then the coolant will cycle through the open radiator... Thermostat only controls wether the coolant goes into the radiator at a certain temp (to cool) and wether it closes (to heat the engine back to operating temp-200).

uh no, you didnt read what i said. when there is no thermostat, there is no restriction and the coolant flows more quickly than if there is an open thermostat. people that run daily without a thermostat put in restrictor plates to slow the flow of coolant. if the coolant flows too quickly through the radiator, it does not shed its heat. the coolant needs to remain in the radiator long enough to be cooled by the air. Running with no thermostat will yield higher temperatures than running with a working, open thermostat.

Im not sure about that theory so I wont disagree or agree... I dont think it will yeild higher temps though. There is not much restriction when the thermostat is open....

The water pump only pumps as much as the engine spins it. Its not going to pump more and flow better when there is no thermostat. I may be wrong though.

Um why argue about that? Replace the thermostat and replace coolant. take and spray water through the radiator with a hose from the engine bay towards the front bumper will clean out 90% of dirt and bugs and will open up the fins, and you should be goood.


-joe

Thanks for the help. I have new plans for the car now. Please disregard this post.