try again , Engine overheating?

Question

Engine overheating, 99 Jeep Cherokee classic 4.0 in-line 6

i drove my car about a mile and i could smell radiator fluid so i looked at my temp gadge which was normal so i stopped, opended the hood and noticed it was pretty hot for driving such a short distance. there was also a trail of coolant drips behind the car, which makes me think the water pump is bad, i checked the oil it was at a safe level but it was dark and kinda thick. so anyway i was just a block from home so i took it home i heard so valve clicking noises pretty sure it wasn`t lifters.

in september i replaced the radiator, waterpump, thermostat, hoeses and tempiture sending unit.
i just got the car in august im thinking the oil wasn`t changed very often

i`m wondering if the sluggish oil is causing the engine to over heat and/or the thermostat is bad causing the waterpump to go out.

any ideas where i should start,
thanks

oil is not milky, the thermostat was installed correctly i replaced again this afternoon, i dont smell coolant in the cab,the exhaust does not smell like antifreeze, its does not push up out of the overflow when driving.

the coolant level was low not even up to the thermo housing and had looked wet and the gasket looked toasted and the coolant is rusty

Answer 1

I agree, with super kid, the head gasket may be blown, does the exhaust smell like antifreeze? if not change the oil and see if that helps.

Answer 2

During this hole time did you do a cooling system flush? As in harsh chemicals to clean out the system that sets up as residue in the bottom of the circulation pockets in the block. Not only that Is it pushing it up out of the overflow when your driving? If so that's a notorious head gasket issue allowing exhaust gases to be pushed into the cooling system. Thus both issue can cause over heating. Perhaps the radiator is clogged as well. To check for this latter issue when it gets up to operating temps put your hand on the front of the radiator and look for hot and or cold spots, that will tell you if its clogged.

Now the block clogging you usually can remove a freeze plug and stick your finger inside to see if its full of crap. Sound like someone had a bad leak perhaps and filling it up with stop leaks perhaps at one time or another.

Answer 3

Not likely the oil.

The drip marks could simply be a sign that it had been overfilled, keep checking it.

If the gauge says it isn't overheating it should be correct, but if you know where the sending unit is then simply disconnect the wire and ground it (Touch it to any metal surface) to see if the gauge is working properly, as it should go right to its' limit.

Sounds like changing your oil would be a good thing to do because of the valve noises.

Find out what temperature thermostat you had put in because if the weather is warming where you are it might just be one that is too hot 195° is too hot for summer 180° is the norm.

Answer 4

I know this might be a dumb question, but did you put the thermostat in backwards? It does happen, and anyone can make that mistake.

If you smelled coolant in the cab, it could be a heater core leaking. Check the floorboard for coolant drips.

I would replace the oil, even though it shouldn't be causing your problem.

Answer 5

if the pump went bad = no water flow

if the thermostat went bad = no flow thru the radiator after warm up (THE THERMOSTAT COULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ON BACKWARDS)

if the radiator plugged up = no water flow thru the radiator

if you replaced all the components tghe only thing that comes to mind (after personal experience, thats why I do periodic maintenence myself) the gasket to seal the water pump may be blocking the water flow if it was not "punched out"

second option remove the thermostat (it will take longer to warm up but should keep the engine from overhating) also your vehicle should have had an alarm to inform you of an overtemp condition

Answer 6

your Q was where to start. is there enough prestone. 2 where is the leak and how bad. 3 what is the temp of the prestone using a laser termometer to verify your guage reading. note, a low coolent level will give false reading to the guage. the oil is another problem. see a pro. gl.

Answer 7

verify to work out in the journey that your leaking fluid. in the journey that your leaking fluid discover the place its leaking and replace. yet another risk is once you overheated the 1st time you're turning out to be your motor vehicle so warm that it warped or cracked the pinnacle. in keeping with the place interior the rustic you're in case you in simple terms replaced the coolant with water it could have frozen up. for this reason you decide on 50/50 water and coolant.

Answer 8

I would check your thermostat again. My husband works on cars a lot and he said that it is not unusual to get bad ones.

Answer 9

With all of those things having been replaced I bet the head gasket is blown

Answer 10

If the oil is brown milky color, than you may have a cracked block. You may also check the heater core.