stv951

Hello,

car is a 2001 C4 manual, has 55k miles, and has new water pump and thermostat installed about 120 miles ago. No water leaks, fans work well, but water gauge passes mid line and goes towards red if I dont switch it off.

When the temperature is that high, the oil pressure wont exceed 3,5 bar at 5000rpm. There is no water in the oil, or vice versa. Could it be a head gasket ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated[/QUOTE]

Kevin H. in Atl..

Have you checked coolant level?
After opening the system, it take some time for all the air that is admitted to bleed out.
You would need to top off the coolant level and monitor for several driving cycles.

stv951

Done that three times... No more colant needed. There is also no leaking.

Kevin H. in Atl..

Might be a blockage of coolant flow?
How did the waterpump fail?
Was there evidence of a broken impeller?
Could there be debris from the damaged pump somewhere in the system impeding coolant flow?
Check thermostat installation?

Kevin H. in Atl..

Perhaps new thermostat is defective?
You could remove and test the thermostat.

2fas4u

If you didn't do a mechanical bleed then you can still have air in the system which would cause overeheating. try driving with the heater on high, i know it's hot in nc but if you can stand it it may work. keep us posted.

Chuck Jones

Is the cars' computer designed to shut down the engine's rpm's if the temperature exceeds a given threshold? I know my big outboard motor will reduce the engine's rpm's if the oil pressure drops below a certain level as a mechanical safety margin as well as an indicator for the driver that something is amiss..

stv951

Guys the motor was bled with the right procedure (opening the valve on the coolant reservoir, and putting the heater on) Fans are working as they should. The therostat was changed by a garage, so was the water pump. There was nothing wrong with the pump, just changed due to mileage. Since then the car overheats...

Guess it is a blown gasket. Car also has low oil pressure when this hot

Kevin H. in Atl..

I would check the water pump and thermostat installation.

chris walrod

I would take it back to the 'mechanic' that replaced this stuff. Dont you think its a little too coincidental?

Tippy

[/QUOTE]

Does it actually go to red or does it just reach to about, lets say, 3/4s to the right? By your avatar you are used to cold weather and now maybe you are driving in warm weather? It is normal for the needle to go to about 5/8s or so to the right on hot days. Unless it actually makes it to red and flashs the warning light you are not overheating.

You said you have low oil pressure. My car can get as low as .8-.9 bar at idle when the temps reach 100 degrees fahrenheit, totally normal.

aben8057

I agree if the car wasn't overheating prior to the water pump/thermostat service then the install was done incorrectly. I wouldnt start jumping to conclusions about a damaged head gasket just yet. It could be something as simple as the thermostat being installed backwards which I have seen. Bring it back to them and have them double check the install.

michael.s.under

Does it actually go to red or does it just reach to about, lets say, 3/4s to the right? By your avatar you are used to cold weather and now maybe you are driving in warm weather? It is normal for the needle to go to about 5/8s or so to the right on hot days. Unless it actually makes it to red and flashs the warning light you are not overheating.

You said you have low oil pressure. My car can get as low as .8-.9 bar at idle when the temps reach 100 degrees fahrenheit, totally normal.[/QUOTE]

+1 above, I am in AZ - 115 degree days, stop and go, and my car often goes over the mid line, then the fan will kick in and hover around the middle line. Once, the car went to almost 3/4s of temp guage and the AC shut off and blew hot air until the fans kicked on and started to decrease the temp. to normal levels. Has something like this happened?

Vadim

Michael , i have same problem right now with my 2000 C2 , i don't even drive in hot climate .I am from Seattle ,but if i stock in traffic ,them car start geting hot .My gauge don't get to the red spot,but it will move to the right ,so i know it is too hot for car .I did manual switch mod ,so i can turn my fans manually .It is helps ,but it is not proper way to fix a problem .And I did ,same as you , i drove with open valve ,nothing helps .

michael.s.under

Yeah its frustrating some times, like someone is holding a lighter closer and closer to your woman until she is about to burn.... I have been having much better results since my coolant flush but still on the way home it gets hot. At last check, yesterday it was up to 117 degrees c in the coolant. That is hot my friend....