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Radiator overflow car over heating after visit to mechanic?
I just bought a van, day two problems.
Brought the van to mechanic (at sellers expense luckily) for a problem with leaking power steering fluid. I arrived at the mechanic with a hot engine to find coolant leaking. Mechanic diagnosed a bad radiator hose and replaced it (along with fixing the power steering problem).
I pick up the van and drive maybe 15km before stopping at a park with my son for a play.
I notice coolant pouring out underneath the car - hot and hissing off the engine. I call the mechanic straight away who tells me that he may have over filled the coolant reservoir and not to worry, it will over flow excess and all will be fine, "check coolant level tomorrow, should be fine".
I trust his judgment and head home. Around 5km down the road the temp gauge begins to rise and nears the top for ages, a few times I see it lower a bit but then rise again almost to top (just barely under). Then the hot hissing (coolant on the engine I assume) begins. All the way home (10km all up).
What I need to know is will this be ok? If there was an overflow of coolant, easy peasy as mechanic says, then why would the van overheat!? Doesn't seem logical to me.
HELP!!
Thanks for all of your responses. Most of which are different but helpful but all lead me to the same conclusion... this van is a piece of s*&t (I've owned it two days and its already of the road).
On the upside the seller has agreed to refund my cash... he almost blamed me for "cooking the engine". I said, "I didn't cook anything, YOUR mechanic assured me it was fine to drive home from the park". He didn't have much to say. Think he's gonna organize a two from my place and refund my cash.
New question, Anyone know of a decent van for sale in Brisbane, QLD? lol
Hey Theneester or whatever your name is. Don't condescend me. I payed more for this van than I've payed for any of my previous cars so I didn't expect it was a piece of crap. I got ripped off. Your comments are judgmental and uncalled for. I never "cart" my kid anywhere. He's my child. We happen to travel in cars together, kind of the way things are for most parents. We don't all hunker down in our houses and not go anywhere on the off chance that the car we just bought is gonna crap out after being at a mechanic all day (by the way my son was picked up by my sister in the morning so he wasnt in the car when I knew it was crapping out, I trusted the mechanic who said it was fine for me to drive me and my son home from the park).
Really appreciate all advice and tips from everyone. Thanks, as I said, I'm getting my cash back tomorrow. Then shopping for a new van.
Vans and wagons rock! :P Taking kids camping in them is fun fun fun! :P
11 Answers
- 1 decade ago
Sounds like a blown head gasket to me I would take it baack to the mechanic and have him check it out and when you get it back you should inspect the radiator and/or the water jug for a brown reisdue it may have gone all over the motor also for this is a quick fix and won't last more then a week or two if your lucky. Or it could be a thermostat also which is pretty inexpensive and also make sure not to run the motor hot you can really damage it if its ran for to long at too high of a temp good luck.
- Anonymous5 years ago
I am actually a radiator specialist! The heater in your car is fed from the radiator under the bonnet (or hood if you are American). Does the radiator get hot all the way down and across? If not, it is probably blocked and will need replacing or recoring (you cannot clear a blocked car radiator); the heater matrix could also be blocked and may itself be in need of replacement or recore. The pump may nt work, or the heater fan may be faulty. There could be air in the system. A proper mechanic should be able to diagnose, or take the radiator and heater matrix to a radiator repair specialist who can test them for you. Hope this helps
- Hank ScorpioLv 71 decade ago
Mechanics diagnosis is wrong. Usually over-heating problems are related to a bad thermometer, bad water pump, or clogs in he radiator or heater core. "LEAKS" only cause overheating when they're excessive.
Tell your mechanic to find out WHERE the coolant is leaking from. And in the future, don't cart your kid(s) around in a piece of junk. Buy a honda civic or a toyota corolla. What good is the extra weight and supposed extra protection of a minivan if it leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere with your kid?
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- strt_stoneLv 51 decade ago
well then im best guess would be that your thermostat is sticking in the closed position and doesn't coast that much but if you Fral that your being riped off by the sealer then take it back think you might ty and have the coolant SYSTEM power flushed as wall but its your van im only a 30 year exp me ch and shop owner for quit some time and im Stella Driving my Second car my first one was a 1940 ford f-1 my second one is a 1984 f-250 with a 6.9 later diesel eng and it has 1555698miles on it and steel runs Grata but i dint know how to perform preventive maintains at all what do you think?
Source(s): 30 years as a diesl tech - 1 decade ago
That's not your overflow. Is your heater core working properly? If you turn it on heat do you get heat, or cold air? I'm guessing he did not connect the hoses properly, or he did not put the radiator cap on correctly. If he did not put the cap on correctly then your system can not pressurize, thus it cannot cool your engine correctly. You need to take it back to the shop ASAP, and don't let them BS you into acting like it's your fault.
- 1 decade ago
Your right, it doesn't sound logical. You should tow it back to the mechanic. It should not be overheating like that. A good shop will run it for a while and road test it before returning it to a customer.
Source(s): Me - ?Lv 71 decade ago
it is a stuck thermostat, clogged radiator or blown head gasket . take it back to the shop.
- 1 decade ago
check that the pipe he replaced is fitted tight could be not tight enough and the cap is on properly if it is still overheating it may need a new thermostat
- Anonymous1 decade ago
it sounds like you either have a thermostat problem (not opening) or the head gasket has gone. get a test on both.
