Help! Baleno Overheating!

CrackedHead · 17th June 2009, 00:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

Thanks I'm definitely not getting the thermostat removed then!

Are you ready for a bit of DIY ?

Remove the thermostat and put it into a pan of water. Boil the water for 5-10 minutes. The thermostat valve should open once things heat up

. If it does - your thermostat is ok and the problem lies elsewhere.

If it does not open - the thermostat is busted and you need a new one.

If you don't want to get your hands dirty then its OK to do one road trip with the thermostat removed(to rule it out as the cause of the overheating).

The other things that you should check for are excessive air pressure (bubbling) in the radiator - it could mean that your head gasket is leaking.

PS: sorry for the back to back posts

fiery enzyme · 17th June 2009, 01:01

I can definitely try the DIY. Do i need any tools for that.

And how do I know if there is bubbling in the radiator because I can't open it when it is hot?

BlackPearl · 17th June 2009, 01:12

I had a similar problem in my Baleno. It was diagnosed to the thermostat wire being kept open after installation of FFE.

fiery enzyme · 17th June 2009, 01:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I had a similar problem in my Baleno. It was diagnosed to the thermostat wire being kept open after installation of FFE.

I thought if the thermostat was kept open, then the coolant freely flows into the engine. How does that lead to overheating.

Correct me if I'm wrong please.

CrackedHead · 17th June 2009, 01:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

I can definitely try the DIY. Do i need any tools for that.

Never owned a baleno - so I can't tell you the exact steps. Its usually just a couple of bolts. You could ask your mechanic/MASS to remove it for you and then check it yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

And how do I know if there is bubbling in the radiator because I can't open it when it is hot?

Open the radiator when the engine is cold.

-Top it up with water
-then start the car and let it idle.
-maintain a safe distance between the open radiator (and the fan) and your face/hands at all times.
-Once the engine has warmed up, rev it a little. Coolant should not bubble/spurt out of the open radiator.

And use pure water in the radiator while you get this overheating problem sorted out. No point in spending a couple of hundred on coolant concentrate everytime you refill the radiator - Pure water actually cools best.

spadival · 17th June 2009, 07:30

I got the radiator outlet pipe replaced on my Baleno and it was indeed expensive. The earlier pipe was bent, though it didn't cause any overheating issues even then.

4 caps of coolant sounds inadequate. Maybe you can take out the water that you added earlier. The coolant container is detachable and you can drain out the water and put in more coolant.

Also, putting water in does not cause any problem. Maybe the radiator would get a bit rusty. Initially, I just put in water when the coolant level was low, but later I bought a can of coolant, kept it in the car and topped up the coolant level at regular interval.

And Yes, the engine does radiate a lot of heat after a drive, but as long as the temp needle remains in the mid mark, its ok.

nitrous · 17th June 2009, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by FE

I thought if the thermostat was kept open, then the coolant freely flows into the engine. How does that lead to overheating.

He meant the wire connector to the thermostat. Not the thermostat itself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spadival

Maybe the radiator would get a bit rusty.

Aluminum radiator, no?

crazydiablo · 17th June 2009, 13:33

Make sure you have a themostat gasket when u r opening it.

spadival · 18th June 2009, 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

Aluminum radiator, no?

Then no problem at all using water in an emergency situation.

FE, any solution at all so far?

filcord · 19th June 2009, 12:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrackedHead

- Find one good mechanic and stick with him for troubleshooting (everytime you go to a new one, he has to start over)
- Have a little patience. There's only five key components to be checked.

a) The radiator fan and the switch that triggers it
b) The thermostat
c) The radiator itself, the hoses, and radiator cap.
d) The water pump
e) The head /head gasket

Go thru this list checking things from (a)-(e) and you'll eventually find the culprit.

Very sound advice, and I have printed this and stuck it to my little maintenance diary.
BTW, has the problem been diagnosed and solved?

fiery enzyme · 30th June 2009, 00:49

Sorry about the late response guys!!

I was out of town. Have not been able to take the out of station trip yet, but I have used the car for 400kms inside the city and it has not had any problems. I guess the radiator cleaning has helped along with filling up the coolant. But I will never know until i take a out of station trip. Will post my findings once I do that.

simply_sunny001 · 30th June 2009, 00:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

Sorry about the late response guys!!

I was out of town. Have not been able to take the out of station trip yet, but I have used the car for 400kms inside the city and it has not had any problems. I guess the radiator cleaning has helped along with filling up the coolant. But I will never know until i take a out of station trip. Will post my findings once I do that.

I dont think you will face this problem on a long drive unless untill it involves some serious hill climbing

As this problem is more easy to reproduce in City bumper to bumper traffic.

But worth trying

cooldude1988765 · 30th June 2009, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

I dont think you will face this problem on a long drive unless untill it involves some serious hill climbing

As this problem is more easy to reproduce in City bumper to bumper traffic.

But worth trying

Car will overheat more in city traffic than on highways.

delhi2009 · 4th July 2009, 03:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrackedHead

Are you ready for a bit of DIY ?

Remove the thermostat and put it into a pan of water. Boil the water for 5-10 minutes. The thermostat valve should open once things heat up

. If it does - your thermostat is ok and the problem lies elsewhere.

If it does not open - the thermostat is busted and you need a new one.

If you don't want to get your hands dirty then its OK to do one road trip with the thermostat removed(to rule it out as the cause of the overheating).

The other things that you should check for are excessive air pressure (bubbling) in the radiator - it could mean that your head gasket is leaking.

PS: sorry for the back to back posts

CrackedHead - What the username suggests ! Facts disapprove of ! Wait, i'll explain why ! I took the advise this wise guy gave above of removing thermostat and lo, My esteem which has been damn unreliable since a while and i got the radiator changed , coolant changed and even the car's wiring for MASS suggested it could be due to wiring too

and still it was unresolved . And here iam, i go through his post above, insist that they do the fan direct and my problem is resolved. Thank you is some short of feelings i have now but in any case, i'd rather say thank you for the guidance above which somehow was'nt meant for me but did help me diagnose an issue bugging since long ! Iam finally able to drive and enjoy the car rusting in the garage waiting to be sold and feels good and its all thanks to crackedHead !

Trust me guys, it still feels good to drive that Esteem more than embera or accord so kinda feeling goody goody to have the car rocking again @ 131000 KMs !

fiery enzyme · 22nd July 2009, 02:30

So I finally took the Trupati trip. Like I mentioned before I have used the car extensively inside the city with AC and it was fine. I had been using the car the whole day and I left for Tirupati in the evening.Until I get out of the city it was fine and then 50 kms out it starts heating up. I had no option but to take it to the Tirupati. It took me 5 hours to do a trip that normally took 2. I was stopping every 30 mins and trying not to exceed an rpm of 1.5k.

This is seriously affecting my morale.

Lesson: Whenever you buy a used car have it completely and extensively serviced before you start using it.

I have grounded the car until I can muster up enough money to completely service the car.

17th June 2009, 01:01	#32
fiery enzyme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: TN 01 Posts: 413 Thanked: 27 Times View My Garage	I can definitely try the DIY. Do i need any tools for that. And how do I know if there is bubbling in the radiator because I can't open it when it is hot?
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 01:12	#33
BlackPearl Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calcutta/London Posts: 3,608 Thanked: 16,998 Times View My Garage	I had a similar problem in my Baleno. It was diagnosed to the thermostat wire being kept open after installation of FFE.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 07:30	#36
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	I got the radiator outlet pipe replaced on my Baleno and it was indeed expensive. The earlier pipe was bent, though it didn't cause any overheating issues even then. 4 caps of coolant sounds inadequate. Maybe you can take out the water that you added earlier. The coolant container is detachable and you can drain out the water and put in more coolant. Also, putting water in does not cause any problem. Maybe the radiator would get a bit rusty. Initially, I just put in water when the coolant level was low, but later I bought a can of coolant, kept it in the car and topped up the coolant level at regular interval. And Yes, the engine does radiate a lot of heat after a drive, but as long as the temp needle remains in the mid mark, its ok. Last edited by spadival : 17th June 2009 at 07:31. Reason: grammar
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 13:33	#38
crazydiablo BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore/San Francisco Posts: 854 Thanked: 24 Times View My Garage	Make sure you have a themostat gasket when u r opening it.
	() Thanks

30th June 2009, 00:49	#41
fiery enzyme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: TN 01 Posts: 413 Thanked: 27 Times View My Garage	Sorry about the late response guys!! I was out of town. Have not been able to take the out of station trip yet, but I have used the car for 400kms inside the city and it has not had any problems. I guess the radiator cleaning has helped along with filling up the coolant. But I will never know until i take a out of station trip. Will post my findings once I do that.
	() Thanks

22nd July 2009, 02:30	#45
fiery enzyme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: TN 01 Posts: 413 Thanked: 27 Times View My Garage	Update: It happened again. So I finally took the Trupati trip. Like I mentioned before I have used the car extensively inside the city with AC and it was fine. I had been using the car the whole day and I left for Tirupati in the evening.Until I get out of the city it was fine and then 50 kms out it starts heating up. I had no option but to take it to the Tirupati. It took me 5 hours to do a trip that normally took 2. I was stopping every 30 mins and trying not to exceed an rpm of 1.5k. This is seriously affecting my morale. Lesson: Whenever you buy a used car have it completely and extensively serviced before you start using it. I have grounded the car until I can muster up enough money to completely service the car.
	() Thanks