We have a '78 jeep cherokee that has started to overheat. We changed the thermostat and it almost immediately overheated again. We drained some of the radiator fluid to see if the radiator was somehow clogged but fluid ran freely through it. We started the truck and it ran perfectly with no overheating. One week later the jeep is overheating once again. Does anyone have any clues what might cause sporadic overheating? We can't afford to take it to the shop and between us two girls we don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge.
2007-02-01 05:42:59 · 6 answers · asked by brandiwynter 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Jeep
sounds like the water pump.if you are not losing antifreeze. if u r then it could be a blown head gasket
2007-02-01 05:47:56 · answer #1 · answered by marfanman00000 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do this first. After a five to ten mile drive immediately watch your tailpipe for white water vapor. Put your hand at the end of the tailpipe. If you feel a damp film on your hand. You may have a blown headgasket. A compression test will help verify that. If there is no water vapor after the drive. You'll need someone to do a total granular acidic flush of your cooling system. When your done install a new radiator cap and keep the coolant recovery bptthe half full when the motor's cold.
2007-02-01 13:59:11 · answer #2 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you want to check your head gasket, just pull your dip stick. If there are little milky spots in the oil, then coolant is mixing with it and it needs to be fixed...like yesterday. I'm not sure if your fan belt is a serpentine belt belt or a v-belt (a serpentine belt winds around in different directions). If you have a serpentine belt and it's been changed recently, make sure it was replaced correctly (should be a diagram in the engine compartment showing how it's supposed to be). If it was replaced wrong, then your water pump can be running in the wrong direction and basically not pumping.
2007-02-02 04:05:47 · answer #3 · answered by Georgie Boy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes the radiator hoses get soft and collapse, restricting the flow of water to the engine. If you have someone rev the engine and you watch the hoses to see if they squeeze together....OR maybe you have an air bubble in the lines. Look for a bleeder, and crack it open with the engine running and wait for coolant to come out, then close it.
2007-02-01 13:53:01 · answer #4 · answered by MIGHTY MINNIE 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ya if your overheating still with all that its either your waterpump or you got a blown head gasket. the waterpump usually when it goes out it makes off noises but if its not making those noises then its not broken. but you probably do have a blown head gasket not fun to replace let me tell you. this will cause you to overheat still because its letting go of all the pressure so your cooling system doesnt run properly. ya i dont know of anyother way to know for sure if you have that problem but overheating sure is one of them also possible loss in power.
2007-02-01 13:57:25 · answer #5 · answered by jeepaholic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe the water pump, or maybe your fan is dead. See if the fan is running when the engine is on.
2007-02-01 14:57:23 · answer #6 · answered by Year of the Monkey 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋