My car is getting overheated, replaced the water pump, but coolant is still running out.. After the car warms a lil..

ANSWER : A thermostat is a good first step with overheating issues, usually because it’s inexpensive and easy to replace. So it’s always good to eliminate that as a possibility, but I think you may have more problems then that. I presume you mean that coolant is running out of the overflow tank. This happens because of excessive pressure in the cooling system. It can happen if the coolant is low, because air pockets in the system cause hot spots where the remaining coolant will boil. It can be difficult to get all of the air out of the system so that’s a possibility especially since you just changed the waterpump. It can also happen if there is combustion pressure leaking into the cooling system as it does with a bad head gasket.

When you change the thermostat, find a heater hose or some other small cooling hose near the top of the engine and disconnect it. Refill the engine with 50% diluted coolant until coolant runs out of the hose you disconnected, then hook it back up. Run the engine with the defroster on maximum until you feel heat coming out of the dash vents, checking the coolant level periodically. When you feel good heat, you know the engine is full. If you continue to have a problem, contact YourMechanic and they will send a technician to your home to diagnose your cooling system and tell you what you can do.

ANSWER : Hi there. For the coolant light to go out, you would need to have the coolant between the low line and the full line for the light to go out. If the coolant is low and keeps on being low, then look for any signs of coolant leaks. You may have to use a coolant pressure tester to pressurize the reservoir to allow the leak to be found.

If you need further assistance with the coolant being low and the warning light being on, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

ANSWER : Hello. You can just replace the water pump in this case. Although, the cost of just the timing belt is fairly negligible in comparison to the total labor of the job. My estimator says the water pump is a 6.5 hour job. Multiply that by whatever the shop rate is and you have the total labor without parts. You end up saving about $100 or less on parts if you only replace the pump.

The deciding factor will be the condition of the timing belt. If it has problems, you won’t be saving yourself any money by reusing it. In addition, there are seals and pulleys that may need to be replaced as well.

Assuming all the related parts were replaced the first time around, there isn’t a reason you can’t reuse them. I would say you should weigh the savings of reusing them against the actual condition of the parts. This is best determined after a complete disassembly. Keep in mind, time estimates will vary a bit depending on many factors. Either way, the labor is the largest cost.

If you would like to have the water pump replaced, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to perform this service at your convenience.

ANSWER : Hi there:

Trying to diagnose an overheating issue remotely is incredibly difficult. However, there are three things you can do to attempt to solve this issue. First, remove the water pump, verify it’s the right replacement part and reinstall with new gaskets. Second, flush the radiator coolant fully, as the issue could be caused by an obstruction inside the heater core or other coolant lines. Third, make sure to check all electrical connections to the radiator sensors and components. If you check and complete all three of those tasks, and you still have overheating problems, contact a professional mobile mechanic to complete a car is overheating inspection.

ANSWER : Coolant leaks can occur because of cracked hoses, leaking gaskets, faulty water pumps, or damaged radiators. When the coolant level goes low, the engine will start to overheat due to the low coolant level. I would first recommend giving the cooling system a visual look over. If it is not obvious where the coolant leak is coming from, I would recommed having the cooling system pressure tested in order to determine the leak source. If you would like to have your cooling system pressure testedcoolant is leaking inspection, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can come to your home or office to inspect your cooling system.

ANSWER : Driving or running the engine without the water pump working to circulate the coolant through the motor will cause the motor to overheat and may damage the engine costing thousands of dollars versus using a tow truck to take the vehicle to the shop that will cost a lot less. I would not recommend running the engine more than a few minutes at a time or you will overheat it.

ANSWER : I’m sorry to hear about your overheating issues. There are a few possibilities that can cause an engine to overheat. The radiator, water pump, and thermostat are definite possibilities, but there are a few others that are possible also. A faulty cooling fan is the first thing that comes to mind, but it could also be a head gasket issue, clogged coolant passages inside the engine, or faulty radiator hoses. I would first look at the cooling fan and/or the cooling fan switch. It would be necessary to start with a cold engine and check to see if the fan comes on as the engine warms up. Most of the time, you can do a quick check by turning on the air conditioning, as this should signal the fan on also. If this is something you feel you could use a hand in diagnosing/repairing, contact a certified mechanic, like the mobile mechanics at YourMechanic.com.

ANSWER : Hello. The most common cause of a random coolant loss on this vehicle is a leaking intake manifold gasket. It commonly starts leaking coolant into the engine, which will be burnt off or will leak externally. I typically do a pressure test and a dye test on the system first to see if I can locate an external leak. If nothing is found, then I do a block test to make sure that there is not a head gasket issue. If nothing shows up there, then I replace the intake gaskets. If you need to have this done, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose the coolant leak and replace the intake gaskets if necessary.