my car over heated, what can cause this?

Question

my engine over heated causing me to blow a head gasket. i took the air intake, exhaust manifold and the head off of my engine. there was no damage to the cylinders or pistons but i really needed to replace all of my gaskets, so i did that. but i wanted to know what caused my engine to overheat to begin with. i think my radiator might be clogged because i couldn't drain the radiator until i too off the air intake. we drained my coolant resevoir and it didn't drain all the way, the bottom is all black. so i don't know if it a tube or if it is the radiator but i don't think my cooling system is working right. one of my spark blugs was melted by this overheating

me engine temp gauge says that my engine runs cool. it slowly moves up when i turn the car on but then stops at a certain point really low and wont raise anymore. if i had a bad thermostat wouldnt the gauge show the engine too hot? there are no leaks of any kind. i checked my cylinders and my head with straight edges and there is no warping of any kind. i am narrowing it down to my thermostat not opening or my radiator is clogged. but i don't want to replace the radiator if only the hoses going into the radiator are clogged.

Answer 1

Cooling Fan inop
Thermostat stuck closed
Water pump inop
Coolant leak
Restricted coolant flow
sudden blown heater hose (coolant loss)

Answer 2

A lot of things could have contributed to the engine overheating. Since you have taken the engine apart, run the list..you are replacing the gaskets, is the water pump in good condition? Was there a leak in the head gasket already? Cracked exaust manifold? Clogged or bad catalytic converter? Maybe your radiator is clooged, take it to a shop and have it checked. Good luck.

Answer 3

check the radiator fan there might be a problem in the connection,wires may be loose or broken or it could be a problem with a radiator tube since the reservoir was black a radiator tube might be cracked or leaking that black must be engine lube oil that might have burnt due to over heating u should get the radiator pressure testing by mechanic and if possible change the Lube oil of the engine it could be possibly contaminated

Answer 4

One simple test to try is a pressure check. Have the cooling system checked, and the radiator cap checked. The cap is often overlooked, but if it doesn't hold proper pressure to raise the boiling point of the coolant then you can overheat with no other problems present.

Answer 5

Ironhand has all the basics there for you - but I'm picky and he forgot one (a very important one IMO - no ditz'ing intended Ironhand)

IF you blew a head gasket and you did not have the head checked then your head could be cracked or warped - this will cause overheating - and do it very fast // this is beside what cauesed the problem to start with -- so if you still have problems you could be fighting TWO things (or more).

Answer 6

could be a pair of issues. a bad thermostat or water pump. The water pump will many times be obvious, you may see water shifting interior the radiator, if it quite is broken it may be noisy too. it quite is probably the thermostat, in warm climate you may basically get rid of it, and the motor vehicle will paintings super, it quite is motive is so chilly water does not pass next to a warm engine, while the water warms up the thermostat opens and the water facilitates cool the engine. If it truly is caught, it is going to reason overheating. you will need the thermostat while it get's chilly (freezing) yet in warm wether you do no longer. i could substitute it so while you're ever in chilly it heavily isn't a controversy. BTW- I study the guy's above me's positioned up - do examine that the A/C belt does not connect with the water pump.

Answer 7

could be a variety of things from a clogged radiator to a froze thermostat to a water pump going out and or the oil pump

Answer 8

Cooling Fan inop
Thermostat stuck closed
Water pump inop
Coolant leak
Restricted coolant flow
sudden blown heater hose (coolant loss)

Answer 9

start the engine with the thermostat out and see if the coolant is ctrculatinf. if not the radiator is cloged.

Answer 10

I would replace the radiator completely, that way you have peace of mind that it is going to work properly since you went through the trouble of fixing everything else.