Overheating engine can you help me fix it?

Hello,

You could have an air pocket stuck where the ECT is. When you fill your cooling system you need to fill it from the highest spot. For instance, on my vehicle, a 1997 Ford Mustang GT with a 4.6L engine, I take of the upper radiator hose from the thermostat neck. I than fill the cooling system through the upper radiator hose until I have coolant running out of the thermostat neck. This way I ensure that there are no air pockets present in my cooling system. If an air pocket is present, then the coolant will not be able to circulate. This guide can help us fix it

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

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros

Engine Cooling problem
1999 Nissan Altima 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

I have a 99 Altima. Was driving one day and the belt broke. when the belt broke it also broke the alternator pulley and idler pulley. I replace both belts, the alternator and the idler pullet. I took it for a test drive and the car overheated, and the Radiator busted. I also notice the sensor near the alternator on on the upper radiator hose was broken. so i replaced it. then i put everything back and started the car and noticed smoke coming from the top of the engine and near the header. the fans also came on after 15 mins. So I replaced the thermostat. still the same. I tried flushing the coolant from the radiator and try to bleed it. still the same. I am not sure what to do next. what else could be wrong? please help!.

Hi there,

Often i does not take much to blow a head gasket, i would be getting a Co check done, this is a simple chemical test in the radiator, it will detect any Co build up in the cooling system, if so you will have a head gasket problem.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

use this guide

Mark (mhpautos)

Engine Cooling problem
1999 Nissan Altima 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 185k miles
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My 99' Nissan Altima is a bull, I love the car. It's got 185,000 miles on it. I do repairs on my own like, brake pads, rotors, oil change etc. I do consider myself a novice still in car repair. Ok when I drive my car for anytime over lets say 20 mins and i turn the car off, the engine seems to keep running, like the fan or something in car isnt turning off. I knew of guy who had an altima and just remember hearing the same thing. Any help would be great, thanks a lot

Tom

Sometimes the cooling fan will stay running after the car is turned off. Some are on timers, others through temp switchs. If the fan shuts down shortly then I wouldnt worry about it, especially if you know of others that do it with no harm being done

My 1998 Altima overheats in less than 5 minutes. I've replaced the radiator, the fan, & the thermostat. The water pump is fairly new and it does not leak. All fuses work okay. What am I missing?

Have coolant checked for CO possible headgasket failure. See any bubbles in rad?

No bubbles in rad and the oil looks fine. No mud or water signs. Car power is also okay. I did notice the fans were not coming on as they should so I changed the temp sensor. I also replaced the relays. I tested with the sensor unplugged and fans stay on at full speed but car still over heats. I'm wondering if it may be the water pump..although it is fairly new (about 4 months) and it is not leaking. Please HELP. I'm exhausted.

Engine Cooling problem
1998 Nissan Altima 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive 156000 miles

right under the gasket head, smoke is coming from under that panel with the plug in it. I think its called the manifold. what could be causing this?

The "smoke" you are speaking of may be steam if you are having engine cooling issues. You may be seeing the break down of your head gasket or possibly a leaking coolant galley plug.

Other Category problem
1998 Nissan Altima 6 cyl Wheel Drive Type unknown Automatic 103458 miles
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my car overheats regularly should i change the radiator & thermostat, or should i just take it to the pros?

First change the thermostat and see if it goes away, that will probably fix it. if not you could choose to get your hands dirty or take it in.

let me know if you go with getting your hands dirty.

My car had been over heating. I saw that the water pump was leaking. I took the car to a mechanic shop and they told me that the water pump was bad and got it replaced. My car still overheats. what do you think is wrong with the car now? I was thinking that it must be the thermostat. If you have a bad thermostat, will the water still pump the antifreeze?

I am surprised that the shop didn't advise you to replace the thermostat since they are already working on the water (really close to one another).

To answer your question, faulty thermostat does not control the operations of the water pump. For as long as the engine is running and the serpentine belt is attached, the water pump will continue running and will not circulate the coolant kin the thermostat is stuck closed.

There are several reasons why a vehicle overheats.
1. Faulty thermostat.
2. Faulty coolant temp sensor.
3. Radiator fans not working.

Answer these questions.
Does it overheat all the time, or some of the times? If so when? At idle, at the stop light, while you are driving. What speed.

What you notice it overheating, do the radiator fans turn on? Do you have enough coolant? If you turn the fan control to maximum and temp control (on the dash) to full heat, does that help lower the engine temp gauge in the instrument cluster?

The car Overheats all of the time. the fan does turn so i know that is working, but it doesnt seem to be enough to keep the engine cool. the car is also rough at idle. what happens when a thermostat is removed from the engine and the car is being ran without a thermostat?

You can run the car without a thermostat, but I won't recommend it. Rather than doing that, just replace it with a new one. It only costs less than $10 and 3 10mm bolts to undo to remove the thermostat housing.

You may want to consider to have the engine pressure-tested to make sure that you don't have any internal leak that can cause the overheating and rough idle.

So what happens if the engine has an internal leak? in that case what would i need to do? the repair shop where they installed the new waterpump, mentioned that the valve cover gasket was in poor conditions, and that if they pressure test the engine, the inspection plug might have to be replaced. and they also said that they would charge me $150 to replace the inspection plug. I dont want to go back to that place, they dont seem honest. So if i replace the thermostat and it is still overheating, what would the problem be? if it is an internal leak, can i fix that myself?

I would try the thermostat. Like I said $10 and 3 bolts. Maybe 20 minutes.

Internal leak means bad head gasket and will have to be replaced. Top half of the motor has to come out. You can do it with a friend's help (not just anyone, someone who knows about engine), and a repair manual and proper tools.

But seriously speaking, repairing head gasket is not a simple job. If you have never done one, your helper has to be someone that has done.

But pressure test should be performed before any work is to be done. If you feel you can't trust the shop, you should ask your friends and family for a shop or maybe a backyard mechanic that they use.

I have a 97 altima 2.4 twin cam and I just did the thermostat and the car doesn't over heat... the heat was blowing hot... then I went to work and it seemed a little cool then it went hot again.. The fans seem to click on and off repeatedly... I know there is air in the system but I am looking for that bleeder valve and I cant seem to find it...

Well i did as you guys recommended and replaced the thermostat. the Engine still overheats. After 30 mins of running the engine, whenever i set it on Drive or Reverse, the Engine makes a repeatedly clacking noise and it turns off while running. i have to wait for the engine to cool again to turn it back on. if i try turning it on, right after it turned off, it will not start. what does that mean?, i also notice water coming out of the muffler, but it didnt look like antifreeze, just plain water. what am i dealing with here?

Not all engines have a bleeder valve. If the heater is working and the engine isn't overheating, you know the coolant is circulating. That means as long as you keep the reservoir full, any air will be expelled into the reservoir. If you still want to bleed the system manually, look for the coolant temperature sensor or a threaded plug to unscrew. They will be on or near the thermostat housing.

Water out of the muffler is OK. That is just evaporation from the engine. But you really need to have the engine pressure tested. That is the next step...

My car will overheat if it is stalled. As long as the car is moving it thermostat will go back down. I had a new radiator put on about 9 mos ago and I have plenty of coolant. My AC also quit working but I don't know if that would have anything to do with it or not.

make sure the radiator fan(s) are coming on . also remove and test the thermostat. did the A/C issue and overheating happen at once?

As far as the cars AC and the overheating...it happened about the same time. It seems like I was without an airconditioner for about 3-4 weeks before I noticed the overheating.

I have a 93 Nissan Altima with 144000 miles. One day i was traveling, and my serpentine belt broke. It was holding on by 2 threads and i noticed the car was overheating badly. I replaced the belt, and added fluid, but to my dismay the car still overheated. I noticed that my heater was blowing cold air and it still overheated. I replaced the switch for the fans behind the engine since the fans never kicked on, but I still overheated and the fans still didn't kick on. A buddy pulled the cable off the new switch and they started. He also pulled out the thermostat which was stuck closed, but I still had the same problem after. Also the belt to the compressor, which is a separate and smaller belt, was missing. I didn't mind since i didn't need A/C but Im afraid it might have something to do with the problem. Can someone help me. This is my only car, and times are really tough for me right now. If anyone has a clue as to what it could be or maybe a belt diagram, it would be greatly appreciated.

I've since replaced the belt, coolant switch, thermostat,water pump, and ran a rad flush through the radiator, but I still get cold air through the heater vents. I don't seem to be getting any circulation of fluids through the heater for some reason. My uncle's mechanic said it could be my head gasket or a cracked head, but i have no creamy residue in the radiator or the engine oil. I'm stuck. should I get a rad flush on a machine at the garage for pressure?

Hello , this should be the right engine .

Thanks rob, but that schematic of my car looks nothing like my car. Mine has two belts not three as your depicts. Thanks for trying, but sorry.