got out of the car and noticed water from street to driveway and hissing under the hood, coolant was coming from the overflow tank. I let the car cool off for the remainder of the day and went out in the evening and found the overfow tank still full and looked in the radiator and saw nothing. My husband filled the radiator to the top with water the night before all this happened, is that what caused the car to start overheating and why is the coolant not flowing back into the radiator now from the overflow tank? Thanks in advance.
2007-09-07 04:35:45 · 4 answers · asked by ATXB 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Your thermostat is sticking. DO NOT DRIVE if the car overheats, you can do some serious engine damage, if you haven't done so already. Get the thermostat changed out immediately.
What happened is your thermostat is sticking. It was stuck and you saw it overheat (and should have stopped immediately). The added pressure from having a stuck thermostat pushes the fluild into the overflow.
The temperature may have gone back to normal if the thermostat "finally" opened. However, since the thermostat is sticking, it is unreliable and I would get it replaced.
Driving when the engine overheats can easily cause gaskets, such as the head gasket to fail and heads to warp. If this has occurred, you're looking at a new engine.
2007-09-07 04:39:15 · answer #1 · answered by hsueh010 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the other answers and in addition, remember to buy a new radiator cap if it needs replacing.
2007-09-07 05:18:23 · answer #2 · answered by bobweb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like the thermostat, it's reasonable to get fixed the thermostat cost about $15 bucks. I'm sure that your husband can fix it.
2007-09-07 04:45:33 · answer #3 · answered by Taja 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would have the head gasket checked. That is most likely the problem.
2007-09-07 07:07:13 · answer #4 · answered by beth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋