Engine is overheating

Bleeding the system is easy. When warm, crack open the bleeders on the system by the hoses. Next, are you sure that the thermostat went in correctly? For instance, I am not sure if there is room on that model but in is possible on some cars to put the thermostat in backwards. And there is only ONE thermostat. There other sensors and make sure that the electrical was hooked back up properly to the sensors and the fans. Is the fan working, is there enough fluid in the vehicle, does the car heater work and get hot?

Here is a guide that can help

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Hmm I though i replied already, maybe I replied to the wrong thread or maybe i hitpreview and not submit :(.

First off thanks for the reply! I know my heater blows hot when i turn it on to cool down the engine after exiting the freeway. I know both electrical fan are working fine or else I would be in bigger trouble. The thermostat should of been in the right I used haynes manual as a references. Lastly I know how to bleed the system, I just didn't bleed it when I changed the water pump I though it would be fine, but now I have another problem the new radiator cap I purchased from stant fits my car but now it wont come off! The cap loosens but wont come off, the two hinges of the cap wont let go of the radiator. I dont mind destroying the cap I am thinking about prying it off with a screw driver. Start up car warm it up bleed it add coolant and slap on a new cap and hopefully get this thing over with! :x

Well, I managed to take the radiator cap off. I changed the coolant and bleed the system but my temperature gauge is always going up and down not always constant. I dont know if i have bleed properly. Here is how I did it.

1.) Drain out all coolant in radiator by removing drain plug.
2.) Reinstall plug, and fill with new coolant with bleeder valve slightly open.
3.) Once I have finished pouring all coolant in I closed the bleeder valve. then fill my coolant reservoir to cold max.
4.) I start the car with radiator cap off, and heat on max.
5.) I wait for car to warm up, then add if need.
6.) I turn car off and install new cap done.

Ok, so basically thats what I have done but I noticed that when i was warming the car up. It took probably 10 min the coolant would drop and rise out of the radiator, and once in a while I would see a big bubble of air shoot out the top of the radiator. I dont know if this is normal or not. During this period I choose to open the bleeder valve again, the coolant level in the radiator dropped and I proceed to add more coolant then I saw that coolant was coming out the valve I closed it. I waited another 1 or 2 min. and didn't see any bubbles coming out or anything so I just shut off engine and put on the raidator cap.

I took it for a drive to school about 5 miles away the next moring and while I am idling the temp rise when I am driving it would go down...sometime when I am idling the temp would go pass 50% which was normal temp before any overheating happened.

Any suggestion as too what may be wrong? I notice one of my fan is not really really close to the radiator like the other fan..I bought a OEM "STYLE" radiator maybe i have a fitment issue. Its about an less than an inch way from the radiator

The distance should be fine for the fan. The bleeding is something I do when I know the system is full of coolant and the overflow res is full too. Then when the system is warm I crack open a bleeder and let out the steam and air. I may have to crack it open and shut several times as the fluid exchanges around the system and lets the air get pushed around as well.

There are other things that you could watch for as well. For instance, the radiator hoses can look just fine but have a failure inside that restricts the flow of coolant. When you are idling and the engine temp starts to climb are you ever hearing the fan kick on?

Hey bruce nice to hear for ya again 8)

Hmm, I have new hoses and I also flushed the engine with garden hose I doubt I have any restrictions there, but i know I bent some of the radiator fins in accident does that cause restriction?

I will try bleeding it when the car warms up, and see how that goes! Thanks :P

The fins will not cause any flow restrictions. They help dissipate the heat as it flows through the radiator. The radiator cap is very important to be replaced with a proper and exact replacement. The pounds of pressure is important and the ability to open and close to allow the use of the resevoir is critical.

Other than a blockage which we have covered, the fans to cool, the thermostat, bleeding and the radiator, the water pump is about it. Double check!

Hey bruce I doubled checked everything, the cap is 13psi like the OEM cap so it should be fine. I think I will take the car to my uncle who is a mechanic and let him bleed it in a few days as thanks giving week is around the corner and I will be getting off school.

I drove my car about 18 miles on the freeway I notice the temp. gauge would be a little below 50% (50% was what the car use to be on when everything was fine regardless of local or freeway drive) It took maybe 20 minutes on the freeway for the temp. gauge to move to the 50% mark then it would drop down. When I exit the freeway the temp would be below 50% but as I accelerate from the stop sign my temp gauge would raise to 70% and back down to a steady 40=50% when I got to my friends house I decide to check the the hoses, the upper house is warm and the lower hose is cold. I already replace the thermostat twice...I am getting so frustrate :cry:

Anyways thanks bruce and happy thanks giving :D

It sounds like a blown head gasket to me. The bubbles you noticed in the radiator is actually engine compression being released into the coolant system
Remove the radiator cap now (with engine cold) start car and observe for bubbles. Have someone rev the engine and continue to observe.
If you still see bubbles at idle or with the R.P.M.'s up you shoud know it a blown head gasket.
Also, there may be some crud mixed with the radiator fluid. This crud is actually oil gas exhaust all mixed, not mold as you were told.

Air Conditioning problem
1998 Nissan Sentra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

i have been having problems with my car overheating got that under control and got my oil changed andcar overheated put abot 75% aintifreeze(100%) and abot 25% water in radiator now heater in car wont heat ..what do you think problem is?

with hot engine feel the heater core hoses. if one is hot and one is cold. both warm. both are cold then theres a issue with your heater lines, heater control valve or a plugged heater core. but most likely if the coolant was low you have air int he system and it needs bleeding.

with both hoses hot then thers a issue with the control doors inside of the dash.

Engine problem
1999 Nissan Sentra 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 105,00 miles
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Last week the heater quit working, then the car began running hot intermittently. There was plenty of coolant, so I assumed it was the thermostat and changed it. That didn't fix the problem. I've started it once since then and it immediately got very hot with only cold air coming from the vents. Did I somehow mess up changing the thermostat, or do you think it's something else? Also, at the same time it started idling at a higher rpm than usual and the brake light came on.

usually the heater not working is a sign that there is no coolant in the heater core.For it to overheat quickly is usually a sign that the thermostat is stuck shut, or possibly installed backwards

Engine Performance problem
1997 Nissan Sentra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 230000 miles
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I am just completely boggled! Any help or suggestions would greatly be appreciated. I have a 1997 Nissan Sentra which I have had barely any problems with, but within the last year the vehicle has been overheating and I’m unable to figure out the problem. I burned out a motor because of the problem and it has since been replaced and I’m still having the same problems.
The cooling fans kick on, the thermostat , radiator and water pump have been changed. any other ideas? Is there something I am overlooking…

Try bleeding the cooling system-don't work get it block and pressure tested.

Smells problem
1994 Nissan Sentra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 126,00 miles

WHERE DO I PUT THE WATER IN MY OVERHEATING 1994 NISSAN SENTRA?

You have to wait until the engine is completely cool down, and into your coolant reservoir, not radiator.

Doing the opposite will ensure cylinder head warpage, as the cold water reacts to hot aluminum head and iron block, as the two metals expands and shrinks at different rates.

So the other day i was driving and i realized that my heat was blowing out frigid cold air for some reason and it would only get slightly warm. It was doing this since Friday. Today, which is sunday, i was driving and noticed that my heating gauge was going well above normal so i stopped to take a look under my hood, and it was white smoke coming from the front of the car as well as inside of the anti freeze liquid bottle which was bone dry. I got some anti freeze and filled it to the top and rode around the block and my car didnt over heat so i thought problem was solve. Well before i left for work i looked at the coolant again and realized it was only halfway full now but still had liquid so i thought it might just be a leak. As i started driving ten minutes later my car is starting to overheat again and i see the same white smoke but there is still liquid in the anti freeze bottle. Someone told me it sounds as if i need a new radiator but then i looked online and some said it could be a new thermostat, a flush, or blown head gasket. Do you have any suggestions of what it may be?

The first thing that needs done is locating the source of the leak. That is where the steam is coming from. Do that and let me know what you find.

New thermostat, new water pump, radiator is clean and clear, Fluid level is good, heater blows cold air, temp gauge goes from normal to hot and back to normal quickly. Tubes leading to firewall for heater are cool. Something seems to be keeping fluid from circulating. Is there a special way to purge air from the cooling system?

Always bleed air from cooling system after replacing coolant. Set heater for maximum heat. Remove radiator cap. Loosen drain plug and remove drain bolt (if equipped) from engine block. Drain coolant reservoir. Fill coolant reservoir to MAX mark with 50/50 water-coolant mixture. Loosen bleed bolt and fill radiator up to base of filler neck. Close bleed bolt when coolant flows out without bubbles. Tighten bleed bolt. With radiator cap removed, start and operate engine to normal operating temperature. Add coolant if necessary and check for leaks.

I purged any air out of the system, refilled coolant, ran the engine. The heater still is not workinging and the car is still overheating

Recheck the thermostat, disconnect the heater hoses and crank engine over do you see coolant flow coming out.

Test the water pump

One way to test for a bad water pump is to squeeze the upper radiator hose when the engine is hot and idling. Careful, because the hose will be HOT! If you do not feel much coolant circulating through the hose when you rev the engine, the pump may be bad. The other cause might be a bad thermostat that is not opening properly (remove and inspect the thermostat), or a clogged radiator.

Feel across the radiator for cold spots any found radiator could be clogged up

When you fill the radiator to the top and let it idle, do you get continuos bubbles out the fill cap? Please advise. You may have a bad headgasket.

Now its time to have it:

Block and pressure tested-do the block first to pinpoint a combustion leaking into the cooling system or a gas analyzer to sniff for hydrocarbons at the radiator fill neck.

Pressure test: do not do a pressure test if there's leakage at the headgasket this might cause coolant into the cylinders and lock it up or bend a connecting rod if cranked thereafter. The headgasket should be repaired before doing the pressure test.

If the block and pressure test passes check the following: ,Pressure test the Rad. cap,Clogged radiator,air lock in the cooling system ,Fan clutch,Radiator electrical fan,collaspe hoses,water pump

I have a 1995 sentra 1.6 engine.it was overheating faulty thermostat,I tested,I changed it.new thermostat same thing after one hour driving radiator fan on all the time,driver side of radiator not as hot as other side.check temperature with computer it says that the car overheats changed thermostat the same thing happens after about an hour of driving the electric fan does not stop turning until I turn off the motor.changed the water temperature sensor also.driver,s side of radiator not as hot as other side.purged the coolant also.checked the water temperature with a computer hook up that I have it says water 82c degrees Celsius,new thermostat is 180f degrees other people says it should be 170f degrees,but I don,t think that account for the radiator not been hot on the two sides.have 300,000 kilometers. taken good care of it. last year changed water heater core.old thermostat would not open tested with boiling water it stay lock.a few months ago check compression it was still okey. sometimes at idle I can hear like one of the injectors is off a little bit,as it runs i can count from one to four and it sounds a bit off,this has been going on for a long time.

sounds like a clogged radiator. you cannot flush it the correct way. i suggest replacing it. hope there is no internal engine damage from this. you should have a leak down test to verify the ehad gasket

Roy

It does sound like a plugged radiator. I don't know if you have any radiator shops near you, but here, we boil them and rod them out. It's cheaper and usually takes care of the problem. Also, have you replaced the timing belt? If the engine timing is off, it can cause the engine to run hotter than normal. Finally, as Roy said, you should check the head gasket.