InfinitiForever

Hi, its been a while since ive been on but i have recently had some problems with my I35 over heating. It just started today on my way back from the store. It started making a almost click like noise and then my smoke/steam started to rise from out of the engine bay. I realized that my Engine coolant container was bone dry. ( Which was werid because it had a sufficient amount two weeks before). It has been getting hot lately so I figured that it was just due to the high temperatures we have been having here in southern oklahoma. I put a bit of water into the coolant tank ( with the car still running because I have heard it will crack your engine block if it is not running.) The engine thermostat was still high but had dropped down below the critical point, and was much cooler than before. I then drove a few blocks down not straining the engine by taking it slow to a friends house. When I got there I filled the coolant tank up ( with coolant of course) and the temperature of the engine was still below critical. After waiting a few minutes the temperature read normal and I began to drive home. Well... as it turned out It began to over heat before I could even make it out of the neighborhood. I about a minute away so i just drove slowly home and parked it. When I checked the coolant level again, It was at the same level as when I filled it up at my friends house. So I have no idea what the problem could be.. any help greatl appreciated. Thanks

I know i rambled on but it was in an attempt to describe the situation as accuratly as possible. The gist (*gyst?) of the matter is that my car keeps over heating despite there being a sufficient amount of engine coolant in the container. Tommorow I will put some directly into the radiator.

Also just note, a friend of mine with 20+ years of car experience had said somthing about the temperature guage being jammed due to like the over heating of the valve so that now it does not read to take more coolant when it over heats.

Please help haha I need my car for work and the Lex is in the shop for extensive hail damage.

talkinghorse

iTrader: (121)

It concerns me as to why the tank was dry to begin with...where was the steam coming from? Are the cooling fans operating? Is the Check Engine light illuminated? Any sign of coolant in your oil or coming out the tailpipe? You probably need to have the system pressure checked to see if there are any leaks or if you have a problem with a head gasket.

The clicking noise you heard may have been the AC compressor...if the engine was running hot, most cars are designed to shut off the AC so as to reduce the load on the engine.

Since the system was run low on coolant, you may now have an air pocket in the engine...and that may explain why it continues to run hot yet the reservoir is showing full. There is a process to bleed air from the system and that requires you loosen the radiator cap while the engine is warming up, and until the thermostat opens...don't remove or loosen the cap while the engine is hot or you run the risk of being burned.

So check and see that the fans operating, no air in the system, no leaks, etc. If all that checks out and the problem persists, you could have an issue with the radiator, water pump or thermostat (depending on the symptoms).