So, of course, they tell me both last night and this afternoon that they couldn't get it to overheat, fluid levels fine, etc, I give up, and get the car back.
It takes me about 20 minutes to get home (including a stop for gas), it's 88 and sunny, so of course I have the A/C going. Temp gauge stays at 45-50 percent (0 being the cold peg and 100 being the hot peg), until I get home, and starts climbing again, to 70ish.
I was home then, so I turned off the car, let out a stream of invective, and arranged to borrow my mother's car, again. I move my car into the street so I can take hers, and when I start it back up, the temp was at the 70 percent mark, but dropped to the normal 45-50 by the time I got it parked.
I still took my mom's car to work.
The dealer had told me they couldn't get it above normal, even running the A/C (they did put ten miles on it; to be fair it wasn't as hot yesterday). I asked, but there was no test they could do to see if the fans were working on both speeds on a '99.
Anyway, what the hell do I do now? I can't have a car I can't trust if the weather is hot, and the dealer couldn't find anything wrong, and I can't drive my mother's car every day. It's an aluminum block on an iron head, so I'm not going to risk warping the head gasket to see how hot it gets.
Any thoughts from anyone qualified? I know I've bothered Kag about this lately, but I thought I'd put it out there to see what other people think. The car (my red Neon) only has 69k miles on it, and I can't afford payments on a new car, or even a used one.
I am not going to let it see how hot it gets. I've driven it for eight years now, and it's handled hot days Just Fine before now. Aluminum head + iron engine block + overheating == warped head gasket.
quote:
Mortious had this to say about Tron:
bonnet
Freak.
Might, your radiator core might be getting kinda clogged. When was the last time you flushed it? They have all kinds of crazy crap you can get to throw in there that will help scrub it out.
"Pop the hood" sounds like a cunnilingus manoeuvre. But I guess you'd know all about that, right Led? 
More pertinent to your concern, Mighti-Maus, I would suggest taking it to another shop to get it looked at. Insist on taking them out in the car yourself if need be. It's your vehicle and they're doing the service. They're LOSING money not checking the car out properly. Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael fucked around with this message on 08-09-2007 at 07:16 AM.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
The fans work, at least on the first speed, because they come on when I turn on the A/C. The fans are electric. The thing that makes it puzzling, is for 20-25 minutes on the hot days, the temps are fine.
As for the dealer, they've never failed before to take money from me when they could... although they did waive the $90 diagnostic fee when they couldn't find anything, and only charged me for the oil change.
Maybe on my next day off I'll just take it to Pep Boys or somewhere and have them do a coolant chemical flush.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
Lyinar Ka`Bael, Piney Fresh Druidess - Luclin
quote:
Kermitov wrote:
The fact that it got hot and then cooled down quickly sounds to me like the thermostat is sticking. Other things to check would be the water pump, coolant level, hoses, drive belts, etc. It sounds like you've already covered the rest though.
Well, I don't think the thermostat is sticking... part of me wonders if it's the fan relay... I did a google search and saw something about a Chrysler vehicle of that vintage where the fan relay failed due to high heat and electrical load, but I would expect it to overheat worse, sooner, and more often if that had stopped working. Dealer won't even tell me flat out if it's a two-speed fan or not.
If it's the latter, you really don't have anything to worry about. On hot days, yes your car IS going to run a bit hotter than usual.
I'm an individual. Just like everyone else!
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Mightion Defensor obviously shouldn't have said:
Well, I don't think the thermostat is sticking... part of me wonders if it's the fan relay... I did a google search and saw something about a Chrysler vehicle of that vintage where the fan relay failed due to high heat and electrical load, but I would expect it to overheat worse, sooner, and more often if that had stopped working. Dealer won't even tell me flat out if it's a two-speed fan or not.
It could be that I guess, but even with the fan not turning as long as your A/C is off the car should not overheat at all. With the A/C on it probably still wont overheat unless it's under load, but it will run a bit hotter. To check the fan relay just let the car get hot... if the fan turns on, it's okay. Do you know the temperature rating of the thermostat they put in? If you never let it get hot enough to "overheat" then it might be that you had a 180 degree thermostat and they installed a 195 degree one... on my car that's a 10 to 20% difference in needle deflection on the temperature gauge.
Release the belt tension and grab the pulley on the water pump and give it a good shake... it shouldn't "wiggle" at all... if it does the bearings are going out and it should be replaced... also, water pumps have a weep hole that starts seeping fluid when the seals wear out, if you smell coolant at all when you shut the hot car off, it's leaking from somewhere.
I guess I'll cast my vote for the stuck thermostat or the bad fan relay.
If that's the only time it overheats it is the only time the mechanic will be able to get it to overheat too.
1. They (the dealer) said the "leaks" from my car are "Water from the A/C running off the frame rail, picking up oil from the previously fixed oil leaks" (We'll ignore the fact that water and oil don't normally mix)
2. The radiator fan relay is also mounted on the frame rail (near the driver's wheel well, specifically)
3. It is a solid state component, which relies on its aluminum mounting bracket and screws to act as a heat sink, cause it fails when it gets too hot.
4. See where I'm going with this? Maybe some of this oily water crap is getting on the relay, and causing it to overheat, and shut down, therefore turning off the fan when it gets really hot and bothered... like say, after twenty minutes of driving on an 85 degree day...
Hmmm... maybe I should have them steam clean the oily residue off the engine and replace that relay...
Thoughts? Mightion Defensor fucked around with this message on 08-10-2007 at 06:02 PM.
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This insanity brought to you by Mightion Defensor:
Hmmm.... interesting findings, thanks to google:1. They (the dealer) said the "leaks" from my car are "Water from the A/C running off the frame rail, picking up oil from the previously fixed oil leaks" (We'll ignore the fact that water and oil don't normally mix)
2. The radiator fan relay is also mounted on the frame rail (near the driver's wheel well, specifically)
3. It is a solid state component, which relies on its aluminum mounting bracket and screws to act as a heat sink, cause it fails when it gets too hot.
4. See where I'm going with this? Maybe some of this oily water crap is getting on the relay, and causing it to overheat, and shut down, therefore turning off the fan when it gets really hot and bothered... like say, after twenty minutes of driving on an 85 degree day...
Hmmm... maybe I should have them steam clean the oily residue off the engine and replace that relay...
Thoughts?
Couldn't hurt.
