Car gets hot in traffic and keeps shooting antifreeze out of seam of reservoir?!?HELP

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This one is a Doozy! HELP!!! The car in the winter had great heat, no problems. then when it warmed up I noticed the radiator leaking,,,replaced that, then the car temp guage would start to rise above the mid line,,,then the car was asking for more antifreeze,,, so I put antifreeze in and when I got into traffic it started to show steam coming from my engine,, so low and behold,,I saw my reservoir had a hole in it,, got a new one,, then,,the new reservoir was spitting antifreeze out of the seam when temp would go over mid line in traffic,, so I got another new one,,,same thing....Now I start to think of other things,,replaced thermostat last year, new reservoir cap a few weeks ago, new temp guage today,,,still the same!!! What the F@#K else could it be??? If i put on the AC the damn fans come on and all is good in the world but with current gas prices and travel in the cool mornings I dont want the AC on!!! I am at a loss, is there any way to wire a switch to manually turn the fans on? If so how and where> I need help on this one cuz I travel long distances and get into traffice often. ALL HELP WOULD BE GREAT!!

mackieman1967 in Pembroke MA

May 10, 2011

5 Replies

Popular Answer

ZeeTechon May 10, 2011

Overheating could be caused by many different things. I suggest to find a good repair shop and ask them to check the entire cooling system. Zee

mackieman1967on May 10, 2011

THAT defeats the purpose of this site,,,,,that advice is useless,,gotta alot of smart guys on this site,,,you are not one of them though. regards

ZeeTechon May 10, 2011

So what's your point? Should I grow wings, fly there, diagnose and fix it for you? Perhaps I should write a 20 page article to cover all the possibilities? I guess you are right, I'm not smart - never said I am. But tell me something, how do you call someone who keeps dumping $$$ into his/her car - without fixing the problem and doesn't have a clue about "wiring a switch"? You should know, you are one of them..... Zee

mackieman1967on May 11, 2011

ummmm I guess ... I would call myself .... the correct person to be on this site,, not some random" EXPERT" that goes on this site and says,,,,ummmmmmm "with all the info you gave,, uhhh,,,,well... my advise is to bring it to a shop!!!!! good job genious!!!! I would have NEVER thought of that but,,, let me see,, maybe a guy like "DANDD" on this site may have an idea I have not thought of!?! Crazy..I know...,,,I mean WHY would ANYONE go on this site and ask a question and expect that someone MAY have another idea,,, and guess what genious.... I have a license to fix planes,, (A&p license) computer electronics hvac, and plumbing and currently fix the trains in Boston SOOOO,,,,,unless you got anything OTHER than --.think you should go to a repair shop......why bother going on this site,,,its called repair PAL not repair SHOP ONLY!!. I am NOT a pro at cars like some of these guys but with your ONLY answere being bring it to a shop... what in the hell are you on here for???? YES grow wings and fly somewhere where the --I DONT KNOW people are.. will ya!!!?? If you come up with an REAL idea (on your own that is) and can contribute based on the info. given THEN LOWER yourself to other peoples low level and MAYBE try and be of some help,,,,otherwise you can just be --well....like you are and just keep saying,,,,,go to a qualified service blah blah blah....

ZeeTechon May 11, 2011

Wow! I bow to you, Sir. The truth is, after I read your post about failing to diagnose a simple overheating problem, I thought you have absolutely no technical skills - at all. That's why I suggested a shop - pardon my mistake. Now, knowing that you can fix airplanes, plumbing, HVAC and trains in Boston - not to mention computer electronics (!) - you are really the correct person to be on this site. To tell you the truth, I'm just a mechanic, AKA a grease monkey and that's all. With no additional skills whatsoever - well, I have a Pastry Chef degree, but it's kind of just a hobby of mine- but really nothing to compare to the talents of yours. If I'd have the slightest clue of your skills I'd just frankly tell you to replace the water pump, the cooling fan assembly, change the cylinder head gasket and the head too - if there is a crack on it, coolant temp. sensor, perhaps the 3rd reservoir. You replaced the thermostat last year, so it must be good. And don't forget another important thing, it's a GM, so it needs the fancy orange coolant! DanDD is an excellent technician with a great mechanical background (I learned a lot from him, just like from the other techs on this site). You can bet if I left something out he will chime in and share his ideas. I need to confess I mostly work on German cars and don't have that much experience on the complicated, cutting edge technology of what GM installed into the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass, but I promise I'll catch up. Thank you for using RepairPal! Zee

mackieman1967on May 15, 2011

I apologise for my Scathing remarks on your ability sir,,,sounds like some good ideas,,,(THAT is what I was looking for,,,I disagree to you my friend,,, I have have tremendous respect for the grease monkeys,,, it is a difficult Job and breaks the backs of many a fine mechanic. (thank god I only am a weekend warrior on cars). I hav technical knowledge but,,,like I said in the beginning, this one is a doozy. I replaced thermostat, temp sensor, fans work well with AC on, Pump is my next thought,,,but, seems like they should either work or not?? (thats where your advice comes in) Could one be bad and would it cause the car to overheat? The only time the temp guage goes past the mid line is in traffic ....If it goes Past the mid like a bit it starts to boil and has actually burst the seem on 2 coolant reservoirs!!! I am on my 3rd and last coolant reservoir and dont want it to happen again. NOW ,, see you mentioned the 3rd reservoir,,,,have no idea where or what that is. Remember,,,,the people who ask questions on this site are anywhere from NO care knowledge and have no money, to lotsa car knowledge but are not a mechanic (just a hobby or neccessity thing) I am somewhat in the middle, I have skills but,, not as much as you on cars. (or pastry) AND I used to have a jetta---loved it!! so... many bows to you--best heat and AC ever seen! Maybe another dumb question but someone suggested like yourself the head gasket causing pressure to back thru into the cooant and cause the coolant reservoir to burst,,,, but with a new Cap on the reservoir rated at 15 psi,,,wouldnt that release any pressure that would build up? Rrrrrrr I like the car but dont want to spend a zillion dollars on this...thanks for any thoughts you may have.. other than "bring to shop" lol lol

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Visitoron May 11, 2011

Take the third reservoir out and return it. I'll come tow that piece of garbage for ya and scrap it. You'll even make 150.00. Problem solved. Zorba

Paparoarhidason May 11, 2011

here are the steps for that repair: 1) Drive vehicle to closest qualified shop 2)Let shop diagnose the problem. 3)When the shop calls you with an estimate, authorize the repair. 4)When the shop calls you and tells you the car is ready, go pick it up, pay the bill, say thank you, and drive away. you see how simple it is?

Heroldon May 12, 2011

mackieman...its people like you that make me afraid to fly. Scrap it with its blown headgasket and buy a real car, engineer smengineer, not a mechanic -technician does one make. Barney

Visitoron May 13, 2011

Dang Is this mackieman1967 lost. Fix planes MY a$$.. Go buy a new car , You have wrecked the engine with your overheats. Something with a full maintenance package , And say away from the tools !!

mackieman1967on May 15, 2011

you all are tooo clever for me,,, go back and snort some more exhaust fumes you F'in experts!!! You waste of spaces are tooo good for me... sorry for asking a question on this LAME site !! You all deserve each other.... go stroke your tools and keep overcharging people for work you dont even do.... and in between ,,,,,make sure when that bell goes off you get out there and PUMP-THAT-GAS!!!....I will be sittin there waiting with my piece of junk car!!! ha ha YA ..just go out and buy a NEW car,,, PURE GENIOUS!! must be because you lame so called MECHANICS.... lets seee dont have any REAL answers or advice about what it may be.... perhaps you should ask you wives or boyfriends to help you....and since you probably dont got the money and smell like gas and oil all the time,,, wont BE getting on any planes anytime soon .....lame oooooo

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Bret Bodason May 17, 2011

This one of the liveliest threads we've seen in awhile here on Repairpal. Unfortunately it's mostly bashing on each other instead of addressing mackiemans question. I agree with what a few people said, this is likely a blown headgasket. Best to have the cooling system checked for hydrocarbons to verify. @mackieman, the advice that experienced technicians will give is to diagnose a problem before replacing parts. When presented with a problem where the person has taken the approach of replacing several parts before diagnosing, then the technician has to assume the person doesn't fully understand how to properly address the issue, and suggests taking it to a professional. (e.g. replacing a temperature gauge on an obviously overheating car) I suggest you try one of the DIY kits for checking for a blown headgasket, or take it to a shop to have it checked (takes only a few minutes). If the headgasket is blown then this is a huge repair and it will be expensive$$. Good luck

Visitoron Jun 19, 2011

As an owner of a shop my recommendation to you is to never bring your car into a professional repair facility. We, as shop owners, do not want your kind. Is this how would you approach the same senario if a choo-choo train was overheating? My advise to fit your "budget" would be to buy two bottles of magic head gasket repair and remove the thermostat. Of course you will have to use the A/C to get to your diy store costing you countless pennies in expense. In reality the car should be getting better gas mileage at it's age. I'm sure it's lost 400 pounds of body panel due to rust. Good luck cheapo. Darth Pug

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