Serious overheating!

A

alaa

Member
Hello everybody,

I am new to this forum and will appreciate your help.

I have 2008 FX 35 with 125k mileage. Two days ago, I was driving on a high road and noticed that the AC is not cooling well (weather temperature was about 39degrees). I drove after this around 30 minutes, when I stopped on the Traffic Signal, the car sounded like it will shut off - engine RPM indicator was fluctuating below and above 1. Then, my eyes suddenly caught the temperature gauge on the Hot position (almost full).

I had to wait for a couple of minutes on this situation until the traffic signal is open and then I stopped on the right and immediately turned off the car. When I opened the engine area; radiator fans were working, but the radiator filler cap was producing like a compressed air releasing noise.

I waited for 15 minutes until the car is cool, and then I drove the car for about 10 minutes with low speed (60km/h). When I see the temperature gauge going above the middle point, I stop and turn the car off for another 15 minutes. I did that around 4 times until I reached the garage.

The technician told me that the Radiator is leaking and that there is, almost, no water in the radiator/cooling system. I was lucky that the head gasket is not blown and the engine is still working. He fixed the radiator and I got my car working as normal.

However, I am still anxious. Did this problem would have bad side-effects on the engine? Should I expect future issues with the car as a result of this problem? Did I follow the right practice in dealing with the over-heating problem?

Thank you for your help!
 
alaa said:
Hello everybody,

I am new to this forum and will appreciate your help.

I have 2008 FX 35 with 125k mileage. Two days ago, I was driving on a high road and noticed that the AC is not cooling well (weather temperature was about 39degrees). I drove after this around 30 minutes, when I stopped on the Traffic Signal, the car sounded like it will shut off - engine RPM indicator was fluctuating below and above 1. Then, my eyes suddenly caught the temperature gauge on the Hot position (almost full).

I had to wait for a couple of minutes on this situation until the traffic signal is open and then I stopped on the right and immediately turned off the car. When I opened the engine area; radiator fans were working, but the radiator filler cap was producing like a compressed air releasing noise.

I waited for 15 minutes until the car is cool, and then I drove the car for about 10 minutes with low speed (60km/h). When I see the temperature gauge going above the middle point, I stop and turn the car off for another 15 minutes. I did that around 4 times until I reached the garage.

The technician told me that the Radiator is leaking and that there is, almost, no water in the radiator/cooling system. I was lucky that the head gasket is not blown and the engine is still working. He fixed the radiator and I got my car working as normal.

However, I am still anxious. Did this problem would have bad side-effects on the engine? Should I expect future issues with the car as a result of this problem? Did I follow the right practice in dealing with the over-heating problem?

Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...

I had the same issue. You should have never driven your car after you noticed the overheating and you shouldve just had it towed. But it shouldnt be a big deal because the worst that can happen is possibly a little coolant in your oil. You can check by opening your oil filler cap and if it looks milk chocolaty in the cap then you have coolant. You should be all good though
 
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I wouldn't say that coolant in oil is no big deal. If there's coolant in the oil, you may have damaged your head gasket or warped your head. That's how the coolant gets mixed in, normally they are separate systems.

If you didn't hit limp mode in your car and just saw the gauge high, you're probably ok. If your car gets hot enough, it goes into limp mode. But keep an eye on your oil to see if there is coolant in there...
 
I would change my oil right away before even driving it. Hell, I would tell the mechanic to change it right then and there.
 
If you are in traffic and see fairly high temps, the very first thing you should do is turn your A/C off, roll down windows, and turn heat on high. Yes, I am serious! Next, you put your hazards on and get to a safe place to pull over without revving too high. Then shut it down.
Even if your main problem was the radiator, I recommend at least replacing all the factory spring type hose clamps with good quality stainless steel worm gear hose clamps. I found two of the smaller hoses slowly leaking on my wife's FX35 because of the clamps. While you are at it check/replace all hoses AND the coolant cap. Coolant under no pressure has a much lower boiling point! Proper coolant flushing is also more important than ever before as factories are not getting all the casting sand out of the new blocks. Flushing can be done with clean tap water, but concentrated coolant should only be mixed with distilled water. Existing coolant can be tested for effectiveness with test strips.
 
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