Hi all

Tonight my 02 x-type overheated for the first time and what is even more bizarre is that it happened on the coldest night of the season

I live in chicago and as I was driving in the city the temp gauge went from normal to hot..I pulled over to a kmart lot and noticed some liquid leaking from the bottom..either coolant or water..but I suspect coolant because it also pooled below the reservoir tank..I opened the reservoir tank with the intention of filling it with coolant since I thought it was leaking but it was up to the full mark

Also the fan ran quite long and loud after I turned off the car..the engine and intake manifold were cold to the touch..so I don't know if the engine really was overheating..

I let it cool and returned to my house and the temp gauge spiked again

I also want to say that tonight I didn't properly let it heat up..normally I have to heat it up so that it can drive smooth or else it feels sluggish along with the brake pedal being hard to push when you drive it until it heats up..

Tonight though I was in a hurry since it was freezing and was reving the engine or else the idle rpm drops too low and turns off..

I also had my heater on but it was not working..although it hadn't work properly since I bought it..normally I put the blower on low with the temp on Hi and it throws out a little heat..not tonight though..it was just freezing air on Hi temp

Last week I added Peak antifreeze/coolant because I thought the heater was barely working due to a lack of antifreeze/coolant but that didn't solve the problem..the bottle also said it was safe to use with any coolant color or make/model

Also..I've driven the vehicle in comparable temps of 25-30f but tonight it was 15-20f..

Why did this happen tonight??..I never had an overheating problem until tonight..and hope it is not a big issue..

Can someone please point me to a possible solution or diagnosis??..I would really appreciate any help that you guys can provide..I'm freaking out!!

 

I couldnt find an edit button so I'm sorry for posting a reply..

But I would love to add that I also recently performed a DIY oil change a few days ago..less than a week actually..I used 6 quarts of castrol gtx high mileage oil and fram high mileage oil filter..

Please someone help!!..winter is coming and I cannot fathom how it would be if my car is inoperable..

 

Droid, first off, welcome to the forums. I think you will find lots of good information here. So, sit back, enjoy a cup of joe and we will get your taken car of.

As for your problem, it sounds like you are experiencing a common problem with the X-Type. What I need you to do is to open the hood of your car and look at the expansion tank (overflow tank) and if you look back along the firewall, you will see where a hose comes in from the passenger side of the car. Wiggle the hose gently and I bet you will find that the nozzle will wiggle. If you look closely, you will also see a very white line in the otherwise opaque bottle. This nozzle is known for cracking, allowing the coolant to go everywhere, leading to an over heat condition. There are 2 fixes for this.

The first fix is to simply buy a new expansion tank and install that. A new tank is about $100 and installing it takes all of about 30 minutes (basic tools and knowledge and you are done).

The other fix requires you to remove the tank, drill out the old nozzle and then install a metal nozzle in its place. This requires the use of epoxy and whatnot to seal the opening up. This method is cheaper, but also takes a lot more time and some would consider the repair "not right".

If this is not your problem, let me know and we have a few other things for you to check then.

 

First of all Thermo probably nailed it,I am on my 2nd time for the bottle on my 03 2.5. 1st time warranty 2nd time I did the brass nipple repair,IF you do the repair #1--don't cut off to much of the boss of the old nipple, #2 use a 1/8" npt nipple with the largest inside diameter possible to fit inside the hose so you don't reduce flow volume and create back pressure #3-Don't use to large of a bit to drill out the plastic and thread it in straight, it has to be solid before you epoxy it as just epoxy won't hold.
Sounds like your hard peddle at start up is a vacuum leak somewhere.

 

Thanks Thermo & Bill..hopefully that's what it is..i will check on that asap nd follow up on your recommendations..

I'm wondering though..does this problem explain the pooling of coolant below the expansion tank??

And is it safe to drive in the meanwhile??

 

Hey Thermo..I checked the hose that you specified..I wiggled but I didn't feel the nozzle that its connected to the tank wiggle..and I didnt see any white line..

I'm in the car right now and I've had it one for close to 30 mins and it hasn't overheated as far as I'm concerned (knock wood)..it took close to 20mins to get it to operating temp..

Would it overheat on idle??

 

Droid, if you are able to let the car idle and not overheat, but when you get out on the highway it does overheat, then you are looking at either a bad thermostat or a bad water pump. I would tend to lean towards the bad water pump as the thermostat could still cause it to overheat at idle. The bad water pump could also possibly explain the loss of coolant as the water would leak out on the driver's side of the car, roll back over the tranny and drain out near where the over flow bottle is. The bad water pump could also explain why your heater core is not putting out heat as there is not sufficient pressure being built up by the water pump to push the water through the heater core. If the thermostat was bad, you should be getting tons of heat out the dash.

If you are worried about being able to replace the water pump. DON'T. This car has one of the easiest water pumps to change. Remove the battery and then you will see it sitting there on the side of the engine. I think you can figure out the rest from there. Should be able to replace it in an hour or so. Another hour to refill the system and get the air burped out of the motor.

 

Also..fans just turned on 35-40 mins into idle period that its been on warming up..

I hope that's a good thing??

Sorry for so many questions nd posts..its just that I'm very concerned..that cup of joe didn't help!!..lol..

Thanks to you all for viewing

 

Yea..I've heard that its a straightforward procedure..so of worst comes to worst..ill probably be doing a dyi

Last night I wasn't driving on the highway..

I hope a getva chance soon to show you a pic I took of where the coolant pooled..I think ota below the water pump nd the expansion tank..

Question though..is it safe to drive with a bad water pump??

Thanks again for your prompt reply..I'm gettin a crash course on jags thos weekend!!..

Update..close to an hour idle and still no sign of overheating..though my fans have been on for 10mins straight

 

If it is leaking coolant that is never good. Keep in mind that the temp gauge is not linear. It will go from just a touch below halfway, which is normal, to overheating. It wont just go over halfway and stop. I personlly would not drive it until its fixed. It could be minor now, you drive it, it gets worse and could overheat quickly and damage the engine. Ours cars are know for the reservoir tank going and the water pump. Both of those happend to me. My water pump was leaking slightly and I was taking it to my mechanic to be fixed. It gave up in the mechanics lot and looked like a geyser. A couple minues earlier on the freeway it could have been a disaster. Both are not that expensive to replace. your call. Good luck and hope it works out for you.

You also probably do have the start of a vacuum leak. You have the check engine light on? If so get the codes read and look them up here. Probably an easy enough fix for that as well. Hang in there!

 

Test your coolant. It could be just colored water, and that can freeze and cause you to overheat.

Also, if it is undiluted coolant, that can also freeze. Antifreeze needs water mixed with it to work properly, otherwise it will actually freeze, too.

 

Yea I agree..

My temp gauge went 3/4 of the way towards H before I got home..turned off the car nd the fan ran for a few seconds after..turned off..nd then turned back on..

Today I had it idling for 1hr nd stayed in normal temp..a little below the middle..so I'm agreeing more and more with Thermo considering that prior to last night my heater was abysmal..it would feel a little hot but only if I had the fan blower very low..otherwise it was cold air..

I'm thinkin last nights cold snap finally claimed my water pump..i don't know if it was the cold or I who is responsible because like I said I've driven it in comporable temps 5 degrees warmer..but other times I let it idle nd warm up by itself..nd last night I was reving it to get it to operating temp

As far as the hard brake pedal I read a few weeks ago that it could be a vacuum leak..something about the brake booster line..etc etc..I have to read more on it..so hopefully this is also an easy fix

My bro didn't tell me about any of these problems but I'm guessing that these symptoms didn't manifest themselves in the tropical climate as oppose to the freezing weather here in chicago..

Ill keep you guys posted..nd thanks again for your input

 

Hey Bruce..thanks for your input..

The addition of coolant last week is another concern for me because I only added some belueving that a lack of coolant was responsible for no HEAT. .

well I added some green Peak coolant to the expansion tank nd it had some orange coolant. .

Well last night as I was search ing for answers for the overheat issue..I read somewhere that it is detrimental to mix different coolant colors..but the bottle said ot was safe to add to any color coolant and any make or model..

But the car ran fine the last week with no issues whatsoever..I don't know if it makes any difference but from the outside you can't see that there's coolant..perhaps ots too opaque..I'm not sure..but when I take the cap off the expansion tank..the coolant is there..greenish/brown..more greenish than not..like a rusty green if I can expalin it better..

So thar is another concern of mine..mixing coolant..but I never knew that you couldn't do that especially if the coolant bottle said it was ok to add to any color coolant..

I hope I'm just blowing this out of proportion..

 

Attached are pics of the coolant that pooled below the expansion tank..

I let the car idle for quite a while..perhaps 50mins. Then turned it off..waited another hour and warmed it up for 5mins nd moved it from parking space on the street..left it alone for another hour nd took it a few blocks to the grocery store and back..all the while checking below the car for any leaks..

I'm happy to report that I did not see any leaks like the night before and it also didn't overheat while I took it around..

I don't want to get too optimistic since I just drove it a few blocks..but I did not get any leaks or overheating warning on the temp gauge..

Isolated incident??

 

Hey guys..I have somewhat of an update..

Simce about two weeks ago when I posted I havent had any problems with the car..it ran at normal operating temp and never overheated..

That is..until tonight..once again I suspect the temperature..its been relatively mild..but tonight it dropped to 0 with a windchill of -15 here in chicago..

Lo and behold..the car overheated again..aside from the water pump that I'm probably gonna change soon since I left it in my jobs lot..what else can it be..

Tonight and since I haven't bothered to turn on the climate control for fear that that was somehow connected since the last time I tried to blast heat with no result..

But tonight??..I didn't even see a leak..please help..what can it be??

 

Pretty sure that your answer lies in the posts in the thread. You have a coolant leak and that will not fix itself. It will only get worse. It might not have overheated lately because you had enough coolant in the system. You are living on borrowed time, especially if it is the water pump. Reread the advice already given and go from there. It's something that can probably be addressed relatively easily and for not a ton of money, but just letting the issue go on without addressing it could only make it worse.

 

Well..it never lost any coolant per se..when I checked the tank that night it still had coolant and its still at the same level as before..haven't had to add any..tonight when the temp rose to 20f I took it home and it drove flawlessly..so aside from the water pump I don't know what else it could be..

I'm still going to change it..any suggestions as to what is the best replacement..any aftermarket brand you suggest??..or would it be better to go with OEM??..I would really like to get one with a full kit..pump gasket belt etc..any suggestions??

 

Again (maybe I missed it in your posts), but did you test the coolant?

 

When i brought it from florida I only changed the oil and added some coolant over the existing coolant when I thought that the heater wasn't working becauseit may be low on coolant..but it wasn't low on coolant..I just added more..and only added because the heater wasn't working..I never tested..never knew you could or how..

 

Anti-freeze Testers are available just about any Discount Store (WalMart, Kmart, etc) or any Auto parts store, almost always under $10 USD.

Yes, do change the coolant out a soon as possible, but make sure that it at least provides you with adequate protection until it is done! Even if you have to open the radiator petcock and drain a gallon of coolant out and replace it with some 100% anti-freeze, the $12 to $15 USD you'll spend to do that will seem very small indeed compared to a cracked engine block!

DO NOT STORE THE WASTE COOLANT IN AN OPEN CONTAINER!!! (Not down the drain, either - check with your local sanitation company or county for instructions on disposal. Antifreeze is a nasty chemical hazard for many reasons, and needs proper disposal)

Any animal that takes but a few sips of it will die an agonizing, terrible death!

It is an attractive and dangerous nuisance to animals. Cats and dogs will lap it up. They seem to enjoy the taste, and there is very little to be done to save them after, even with prompt veterinary care.



A couple little tricks to using the tester are:
1) read the directions carefully, as reading are temperature affected;
2) run a few fills into the gadget before reading it, so any leftover flush-out water doesn't give you a false reading, and
3) flush the unit out after you are done - mainly so some animal doesn't lick any coolant off or out of the hose - but also so you don't dribble it onto something important, like:

Be careful you don't drip any coolant on the paint finish of your car, or dribble it onto you good shoes - it is a bit solvent and can mess things up.

Best of luck, and we all hope your problem of overheating is readily solved with re-charged and then replaced (if you have to wait for some reason) anti-freeze coolant!

~Bruce

Post Script - When you do change the fluid out, don't mess around with the pre-mixed 50/50 stuff. Buy a Name Brand of pure anti-freeze, and mix it at 70% to 30% Distilled Water.

Do NOT use Tap water, Spring water, or any other water, as any minerals in it will cause the cooling system - with all it's dissimilar metals - to act like a weak battery and eat away / corrode your engines innards. First to go is usually the head gasket from using the wrong type of water, as it is a soft metal, usually pure copper.

Post Post Script - Don't buy that new water pump yet. I just betchya it is not needed!