Radiator blew now showing P0117 code

Hi,

I attached the diag for the P0117. This is most likely the reason your gauge was not showing any temperature. This is saying that the ECT is the issue or the wiring has an issue.

As for you not having coolant in the radiator, assuming you filled it with no air pockets then the coolant is either leaking out or being used by the engine. When the radiator blew, did the engine overheat? I am wondering if you have a warped head or blown head gasket.

Here is a guide that explains how to test for this. I would suggest just making sure this is not your issue anytime you have an issue with the cooling system as you did. If the head is warped or the gasket has failed, then no matter what else you do, it will not fix the issue.

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

Thanks for the help, just to follow-up:

Originally, the radiator blew and spilled off some of the fluid. After getting the car home, I drained out whatever fluid remained in the radiator and replaced the radiator with a new one. There was some cleaning to be done around where the fluid spattered.

After installing the new radiator, I followed the basic refill procedures, I warmed the car up and started adding coolant to the reservoir but it would not drain down. (I showed no other fluid leaks but noted that the reservoir coolant I added just kept to the level I had added.)

I'm familiar with how head gasket work and I do not see any smoke, liquids, etc. coming from them or the floor, absolutely nothing. What I'm noting is something like a clogged drain where nothing seems to be flowing through it.

I let the car run for a while and then it began to shake and rattle in the front end. I immediately turned it off. The following day, after the cool off, the car started up as normal, just as it did the day before. However, before starting the car, I checked inside the radiator and it was completely dry, no fluid, nothing at all. I can only deduce that the pump may be bad or a sensor is forcing the fluid or to send the wrong signal. If the thermostat was bad, I would assume, from my understanding of it, that some fluid would have gotten through during the cycle, and if damaged would have produced some smoke, but did not see any smoke coming from the area.

Okay. I am not sure what you mean by not seeing any smoke or liquids coming from them or the floor. Normally if a head gasket fails it leaks internally to the engine. You may see some white smoke from the exhaust but normally you will not see any liquid leaking.

The radiator being dry was most like one of three things. First, the coolant leaked out on the ground. This would be obvious because you would see the fluid. Second, there was an air pocket in the engine and when you shut the engine off and it cooled down, the air pocket restricted and pulled the fluid in from the radiator. Last the head gasket is leaking into the engine and it used up the coolant. If there was no coolant, I suspect you had an air pocket. However, the lack of coolant does not mean the pump is bad. Also, I am not sure what you mean by a sensor causing this.

I assume I am misunderstanding what you mean but I would fill the radiator and then let the engine run and see if there is any smoke coming from the exhaust. Let me know what you find. Thanks

I see. I'll give the car a thorough look in the morning and check for white smoke, etc. I presume it will have to run for a few minutes before any smoke comes out. I will also check the head gasket again, much closer this time. If necessary, I will remove it and look inside too. Thanks.

Smoke will come out most likely at first start up and then after it warms up. It is hard to say for sure because it all depends on the leak. Again, you will not be able to visually see a bad head gasket. There are a lot of ways to check for a head gasket that don't require you to remove the head. The most common is a blue fluid that you use to tell if there are combustion gases in the coolant. I attached a picture of one of these kits. They are available at many large parts stores.

Thank you. Just started looking for leaks again and did note drips from under the car near the rear of the engine. Have been wondering what would be the best way to confirm the source, will try this.

Sorry Tony. I don't think we are on the same page. This tool will only find head gasket issues on the inside of the engine. It will not help with external leaks. You put this on the radiator and allow it to pull in the fumes and if the fluid turns yellow then you have hydrocarbons in the coolant which means your head gasket has failed.

If you have an external leak, the best way to find it is to put a pump on the radiator and pressurize the cooling system to about 15 PSI and then look for where it is coming out. Let me know how you make out. Thanks

After some of your advice, I decided to run the engine for a while. I watched the heating gauge and noted that it wen passed the 40% mark. When it went passed then 50% mark, I turned off the car. I looked under the car and found that it was leaking fluid from behind the engine.

I tried to look behind the engine with a scope to see if the engine or valve was, fruitless. I decided to tear down the intake area. Unfortunately, that will take a few days since I have other issues to handle.

Question: the car does run for a short time, would an engine issue (something outside a bad gasket) allow it? I did not spot any white smoke during the heat up, just undercarriage fluid.

It all depends. If it’s a mechanical issue then normally it will have other signs. Like a valve issue will run poor and stumble. A piston or bearing issue will knock and so on. A head gasket will run okay until the leak is pretty bad. Then it will start having issues. If your engine is running but starting to run hot and you have a leak clearly we need to fix that first. So let me know what you find. Thanks.

I am focusing on taking apart the cabling, hoses, etc, to access the intake. In no hurry since I'm pretty busy with other things. I will let you know my progress. Thanks again.