radiator problems.....or a broken water pump?

Question

i have a 2003 dodge neon and my thermostat keeps rising to the highes level setting off the indicator (its not broken) i did have a leak in the raiditor and it was very notice able..
after pacthing is up there was noproblem till yesterday now the thermostat keeps rising i admit the is very little antifreeze in ther and the rest is water but the is the same mixture tha was in the care that it was rinning off for the last three minths i cannot seem to keep the thermostat down my raiditor is in nee of repair but i m wondering if its the water pump does the water pum help regulate engine temperture? ther are no ivsible leaks and no drippiage could it be that i just need to put antifreeze or could it be the water pump or a broken raidiator? help i will give points for best anwser but really i just need help!

Answer 1

Could be the water pump. That's what moves the antifreeze around to cool your engine. It could also be the thermostat, or even its fuse. Check thermostat fuse. There's no way to know from your description, there are many reasons for overheating. Best have the codes pulled and see what the car tells you is wrong with it.

Answer 2

All water pumps have what is called a weep hole and when the water pump seal goes out antifreeze will come out of the weep hole and stain the surrounding area. If your radiator was leaking its probably best to replace it and never use any of those stop leak products. They are more of an emergency repair to get you home until you can get the leak fixed properly. Have you changed the thermostat. When you put in antifreeze do you mix it with tap water or distilled. Distilled is always the best as tap water will leave mineral deposits inside your cooling system. Also on the thermostat they make what is called a fail open thermostat that allows for coolant flow even if the thermostat fails where as a regular thermostat fails in the closed position and will cause overheating. Always run at least a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and distilled water because it not only protects from freezing but raises the boiling temperature as well. Good luck.

Answer 3

I'd say the most likely thing is the thermostat.
It is the most common cause of overheating when there is plenty of water in the system.

As you already know, the radiator can leak and make it get hot.
You can add water and it will stay cool for awhile, until the water leaks out again.

The same can be true of a leaky water pump, heater core, or hose.

If there is no leak, or no obvious leak, and the system seems to have enough water in it, but it still gets hot it is more than likely the thermostat.

The thermostat blocks off the water from the radiator until the engine warms up. It can be damaged by getting too hot (like when you had a bad radiator) and fail soon after.

Other possibilities are an electric cooling fan that isn't working, or a blown head gasket.

Answer 4

Did you use a radiator stop leak to repair the leak. If you did the radiator could be stopped up.
The water pump only pumps coolant through the cooling system. If it has no leaks or the shaft bearing is OK, the pump is OK.
Also since the car was getting hot, it may have effected the thermostat. And the head gasket will cause overheating if it's leaking. To check this, remove the radiator cap (while the engine is cold, to prevent being burned) run the engine and look for bubbles in the radiator.
The radiator is probably the culprit.
Hope this helps.
Master tech 40 years.

Answer 5

Codes won't tell you anything and there's no such thing as a thermostat fuse. this can be several things, but it's not likely the water pump. what fails on a water pump is the bearings, a failure that would cause this type of problem would be a frozen water pump and if that were the case, the belt would squeal like crazy and break, as it move but the w/p didn't. a bad w/p will drip coolant from the bottom just back of the pulley, there is a hole there that leaks when the bearings are bad,, but that won't cause a overheat. If the coolant is low, top it off, with the car cold into the rad and the overflow bottle. Change the thermostat, it could be frozen shut, but it is unlikely. if you rad is that shot, you could change it, but the most common cause of this sort of problem is a warped head and/or a blown head gasket. A mechanic can check for this, but take it ot one you trust, as this is about a 1,500 dollar job either way, you have to pull the head to fix it. Running it with low coolant, unfortunately can cause this. if it's not this than the rad is plugged up, but if it just started happening, and it temp gauge maxes out all of a sudden with a full coolant tank, it is likely the head gasket/head. It can also be a cracked block. Sorry to be the one to give you the news..

Answer 6

If you have driven the car with low coolant, it is possible that you have damaged the head gasket. Is there white smoke coming out of the exhaust?

The water pump is not readily visible, it is driven by the timing belt, so you may have to do some dis-assembly to inspect it.

Have a pressure test done on your system, and make the repairs needed before you do serious damage to the engine.

Answer 7

You need to empty the water out of the engine, and then replace the radiator if it is damaged. Check your sensor on the radiator and wires for damage, The sensor on the radiator is to keep your water temperature down in your engine. IF you still over heat change the sensor in the radiator it could be faulty. To check the water pump works undo one of the jubliee clips on top of the radiator and see if any water is force out under pressure, If it just trickles out your pump is not working. If it spurts out is working ok.