Overheating

November 17, 2007

I had just bought a second hand Corolla

Seca late 1994 (1995 shape). The car was ok when I first bought it. Then now it is overheating and the radiator water has to be replenished almost daily. The coolant level stays full. Only the radiator water empties. The following are the work done on the car after 1 week of purchase.

1) change the instrument cluster as odometer was not working

2) have an engine immobilizer installed and an artificial flushing alarm light when engine is off

3) parking sensor

4) a remote control added to control my central locking

5) casette player replaced by cd player

When I first bought the car, the air cond fan comes on as soon as the engine starts. I asked why this was done this way. The seller did not know why his mechanic connected the air cond fan this way.

I then consulted a radiator specialist and he reckons that the main cause of the overheating is a blown head gasket and I am being charged an arm and a leg. The car runs perfectly, very smooth and powerful, no leaks whatsoever. I really love the way it performs and I'm worried if the mechanic does do some major work, the car might lose its good performance and I'll be in for more problems being a very old car.

May I ask your advice as to other ways I can fix this problem without a major overhaul of blown gaskiet. Maybe there is a shortcut or some tests to determine the real cause. If it is a thermostat or water pump, what are the ways to determine if this is the cause. Is it possible that the electrical work caused some electrolysis or stray electricity? If so how do I test this?

thanks

November 18, 2007

Check the oil fill cap for antifreeze. Smell it after the car has been sitting and visually inspect it, if it smells like antifreeze then you have a problem (bad rings I think). Let the car run in idle under clean surface for around 5 minutes with AC off, check for visual leaks while still running. Try to "rock" the car, put in reverse then drive 10 feet or so, put in park then get out and check for leaks. Turn on AC and check for leaks (don't mistake condensation for a leak on the AC heat transfer or pump). Try adding some radiator conditioner and fill up and let run or drive for a bit. Check oil fill cap again after engine has been running and shut off. If all else fails go to a auto parts store and rent a screw in compression tester (with a long enough hose to fit down the plugs) disconnect ignition fuse, spark wires, and take out plugs then crank over each cylinder and record pressures. This should check for bad piston rings and/or a bad seal. If everything checks out ok then it *could* be your water pump. Not too experienced in engine troubleshooting but logical thinking says that if the water is not being moved through the engine then the water would expand into the overfill. Last option would be to test the thermostat. Check by taking out and putting into a boiling pot of water briefly, check to see if it opens in heat (don't burn yourself). If it's bad then the water wouldn't circulate then same condition could occur based on theory noted above.

Hope all this can help you to get to your problem. I severely doubt that anything done to electrical (in exception to AC fan but thats unrelated) would cause water to run dry. If anything these tests will tell you if your piston rings are bad and may help you fix other common problems (water pump, thermostat, etc)

*Note* This is advice from a Toyota owner and not to be taken as professional guides.

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