Front 60k finished, engine still running very hot

[SHO>*]

After it overheated I had the heads checked by a mechanic I trust and he says they're ok. The water/steam from the pipes is getting less and less each time I run the engine, it was probably just excess condensation from sitting for 4 months. So the cooling system finally seems to be right where it should be...and I should hope so considering how much if it is brand new now! Big thanks to everyone who helped point me in the direction of the next thing to fix...and the next thing and the next and the next...

Anyway, naturally I can't let this thread die so I broke something else. My alternator is dead which really sucks considering it's got maybe 2k miles on it since I had it rebuilt. Now my question isn't about the alternator, I'll just rebuild it again. In the process of taking the alternator out though I noticed my accessory belt, which was just replaced, is worn down on both edges enough to see the cords. This is obviously not normal for a belt that has maybe 30 miles on it. I assume this is from a pulley being out of allignment. Would the belt dragging like that possibly be the explanation for the engine being hard to start and idling poorly?

 

[SHOtimer]

No, a misaligned belt will be a problem, but won't cause those kind of problems. You are looking at fuel management, spark management (timing), or air management for that problem.

Doug

 

[Denny]

If you turn the ignition for a few seconds before starting, do you hear a gurgling? If so, looks like we're in the same boat

 

[SHO>*]

Well, you mentioned the CID. I suppose I'll replace that and see if it helps. If that's the problem I feel like an idiot for not replacing it before considering I have a new one sitting in the shed.

 

[SHO>*]

Can't say I recall a gurgling sound. When the car is warm I can shut it off and it will start right back up when I turn the key. The problem is getting it started when it's cold. It will only start if I hold the pedel to the floor when turning the key and then I have to keep on the gas a bit to keep it running until it warms up a little. If I don't touch the pedel while starting it it will start up and very quickly die, no strange noises or anything, just shuts down as if I had turned the key off.

 

[SHOtimer]

So, it is starting and then dying? You can throw on the new CID if you want, but if the car is initially starting and then stalling I don't think that would involve the CID. You might be looking at a fuel pump issue, you need to check the pressure and if the pump is maintaining it. The IAB valve would be my primary suspect. I would be the key piece that would not allow enough air into the motor for it to maintain a cold idle.

This probably has nothing to do it, but while you have it taken apart, I would clean the MAF. Simply spray electrical contact cleaner on the element and let it dry.

Doug

 

[SHO>*]

Ok, so my alternator died and I had to replace that. Got the new one in today and, naturally I'm still having the hard stard/bad idle thing going on. I haven't done anything to try and remedy that yet so no surprise there, I just wanted to get it running...again. Same story as usual, took quite awhile to get her going but once warm she ran fine. Still have white steam coming from the tailpipes. I decided to let it run awhile before taking her for a drive so I went in the house for about 15 minutes. When I came out I noticed there was no more steam coming from the pipes, good news I thought. Then I noticed the fans were running on high, got in and sure enough, the temp gauge was pegged. Now what in Gods name could be causing me to overheat? I have replaced the water pump, lower hose, radiator, thermostat and ect. Just a few days ago I was driving her around and the temp was stable right around the RA range. I only have one thing to say at this point...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[SHO_Diehard]

Have you checked the radiator coolant level after one of these overheating episodes?(after the car is cool of course!) If the overflow tank system is hooked up and working properly, the coolant level should be right under the radiator cap. Is this the case?

Did you install the thermostat properly? The small disk should point toward the passenger side of the car.

Also, how about coolant usage, is the car steadily losing coolant?

Some of your problems like poor starting and backfiring sound like a timing issue. Are you sure you installed the timing belt correctly, with all the marks lined up?

The excessive amount of steam in the exhaust doesn’t sound normal. Any excessive water in the exhaust system should be gone after one long drive.

How does the oil on the dipstick look?

Most of all, hang in there!

 

[SHO>*]

Since the temp was fine prior to putting the new alternator in I hadn't checked the coolant level before this happened. I just checked it and it was a good bit low, I'd say 3-4 quarts or so below where it should be in the radiator and the overflow was 2 quarts or so below the line. I topped it off and that helped of course. It isn't overheating now but it is back to fluctuating alot more. The needle gets up around the O then drops to about A and repeats. This isn't just because of different operating conditions either, it happens even if the car is just sitting in the driveway idling. Also, the fluctuation doesn't coincide with the fans turning on/off. When the needle rises to the O it will drop on its own if I wait but if I gun the throttle a bit it will drop immediately and more quickly then it would if I waited for it to go down on its own. The temp is staying within reasonable limits so I'm not really worried about it, just seems odd. Right now I think the more pressing question is where is my coolant going? The steam from the tailpipes doesn't smell like coolant, there isn't any leaks that I can see and there doesn't seem to be coolant in the oil. Think I'll take it to get flushed, filled and pressure tested and see what happens from there.

 

[SHO>*]

Forgot to mention, the steam from the exhaust was gone after I drove it around for about a half-hour.

 

[SHO_Diehard]

Is that the first time you topped off the radiator since you put the coolant in after the radiator install?

 

[SHO>*]

Today was the second time since the new radiator, water pump etc. Just topped it off for the third time a little bit ago. Didn't take nearly as much this time, maybe 2 cups or so.

 

[SHO>*]

Back to the hard start/bad idle problem for a second. I noticed a fairly loud, high-pitched whirring noise that seemed to be coming from my gas tank. Is my fuel pump on its way out?

 

[SeanMc]

Mine does that as well, and now, it's practically dead. I have the hard start, rough idle, little to no power when the pedal is floored, if I hit the gas in reverse in order to move, and then put it in drive, the car sounds like it's starving for gas, and dies. If I hit the gas while in park, it dies. Even during KOER, it has a hard time keeping the RPMs up. CPS is less than 3k miles old, and CID is weeks old. IAB is off of an older SHO and is no longer throwing a code. My newest codes are 543 - Fuel pump secondary circuit failure and 225 - Knock sensor not responding (ignore if no knock is heard and no knock is heard ).

 

[SHO>*]

Just threw on a new IAB and the idle is now perfect, no more bad idle/stalling. I tried cleaning the old one but it only made things worse.

Now I just need to track down what's up with the overheating.

 

[yamahaSHO]

If it's not the thermostat, I'd replace the ECT.

 

[SHO>*]

Within the last 2 months I've replaced the water pump, radiator, thermostat and ect.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Have you confirmed the coolant is moving through the motor? When you replaced the ECT, was it the 1-wire or 2-wire sensor?

 

[SHO>*]

It was the 2 wire connector below and to the right of the tstat. Coolant is moving through the engine. The temp fluctuates quite a bit, anywhere between the N and the A. Sometimes when it gets up near the N it will drop quickly if I hit the gas. I just did some searching through some old threads and noticed a couple other guys that have had the same thing happening. Neither of the threads came to any sort of conclusion but, in one of them, someone commented about making sure the jiggle valve was at the 12:00 position. I didn't know about this when installing my tstat and, chances are, that it is not at 12:00. What exactly is the jiggle valve, what is it's purpose and could that be my problem?

 

[yamahaSHO]

The jiggle valve are two little valves that allow a small amount of coolant to pass through the motor when the T-stat is closed. It will also stop bubbles from being trapped as well.

Have you replaced the sender for the gauge? If you run the AC, does the motor stay cooler?