[fiery enzyme]

Hi,

I have just purchased a second hand Baleno a week before. She is a clean car. I drove her for 250 kms in the city and there hasn't been any problem. She has run 60k kms.

Now yesterday, we decided to take the car for a short one day trip to a place nearby (read 250 kms). So we start out early in the morning and I open her up on the highways (something I have been waiting for). so after some 60 kms of running I feel the A/C is only blowing air. Hmmmm so I check to see if A/C is on. It is.

I glance at the temp gauge and , it is in red. I immediately pull over and open the bonnet and decide to check the coolant level. I can feel the liquid in the coolant box is boiling. So I wait for 10 mins then open the box and I see it almost empty. Ok may be I need to kick myself for not checking that before.

So I fill it up with two bottles of water both in the coolant box and the radiator directly. ( the coolant box says "Engine Coolant only". So did I do something wrong by pouring water in it?)

Now I have to drive below the 1.5k rpm and I slowly limp towards our destination at 35 km/h to 40 km/h. Throught this the eng temp remains at 65% to 80% of the range.

So we reach the place and when we start back I try to source coolant over there. I find something called VKool. Is it a good brand? Can this be used for Baleno? Well I have no choice I use four caps of it and we start driving back. I could immediately see the temp gauge dropping down to normal levels.

So I start back tentatively and drive around 60 km/h. No change. Ok. So I switch the A/C back on. No issues for 10 more mins. I don't exceed 65 kmph. The the needle shoots up to 75%. I switch of the A/C stop the car and add four more caps of the coolant. The level is the same from the first time, so no leak I think.

Start driving again this time with no A/C. I was able to drive up to 70 kmph. But if I exceed it, the needle starts shooting up again.

This is kinda frustrating considering I was taking my family out for the first time in the car. I'm taking her to MASS today, however would really appreciate your thoughts and opinions on this. I will let you guys know what they say.

In the mean time do you think:

1) Wrong Coolant?
2) Clogged radiator?

I dont know..

[dinar]

Check if the radiator fan is turning ON.

[Takumi-san]

If there is no leak, there may be blockages in the links which lead to the engine from radiator. Is the radiator water rusty ? Sometimes the radiator is too old and simply blocks water and doesnt allow cooling.

No, you did nothing wrong by adding water. Coolant is better because it wont cause rusting of the radiator and has a higher boiling point. However if you buy a coolant concentrate, you are supposed to add water in the recommended ratio. Ready mixes are those which already have distilled water mixed with them. Distilled water helps in reducing salt intake into the radiator which later leads to scaling / deposits.

In your case, the hoses will need to be checked, as also the radiator fan. DO NOT drive with AC on. Keep constant check on the temperature gauge. If it goes higher than 70% , pull over and let cool. You are asking for major trouble with engine if you do not. Get this fixed asap.

[anupmathur]

Certainly not 'wrong coolant'! Clogged radiator? Could be.
Or, the thermostatic valve is not opening fully to allow all the coolant/water to go through the radiator.
The water pump could also be the culprit.

If none of the above, then the problem could be more serious, like a leaking head gasket!

[kutlee]

get the radiator flushed, replace the coolant with whatever mass recommends, check the the thermostat, and the fan. Check A/C level, fan and thermostat. should be back to normal condition.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

Hi,

I have just purchased a second hand Baleno a week before.

Sounds to me like a blown head gasket. I had a similar problem with a M 800 that I had bought as a second hand vehicle about 4 years ago. We changed almost all components of the radiator as this problem persisted and then finally the head gasket was changed which put an end to this problem.

[crazydiablo]

Dont worry, please take it to a MASS or a good electrician.

This is because the wires in the fuse box has been interchanged/wrongly connected.

If you notice the radiator fan will not be working but the AC fan will be on when u switch on the car. Wiring issue as far as my diagnosis goes.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by crazydiablo

This is because the wires in the fuse box has been interchanged/wrongly connected.

If you notice the radiator fan will not be working but the AC fan will be on when u switch on the car. Wiring issue as far as my diagnosis goes.

Can't agree with this.
Here's why:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

So I start back tentatively and drive around 60 km/h. No change. Ok. So I switch the A/C back on. No issues for 10 more mins. I don't exceed 65 kmph. The the needle shoots up to 75%. I switch of the A/C stop the car and add four more caps of the coolant. The level is the same from the first time, so no leak I think.

Start driving again this time with no A/C. I was able to drive up to 70 kmph. But if I exceed it, the needle starts shooting up again.

[iceman91]

4 caps of coolant!!!!! please explain

[Jaggu]

Check radiator fan, coolant system clogging, water pump and thermostat. Right now iam using a Baleno Altura done 75k kms and the temp stays at just below half way mark which is the normal level i guess.

Running water in radiator and Vkool (i think its servo or HP product0 wouldnt have done any harm, except that water would have boiled faster compared to coolant.

Take it to a good MASS and they should be able to rectify the issue.

EDIT: as amit pointed out is it 4 caps lol? Its should be 80% coolant if am not mistaken, four caps would be .25%

[fiery enzyme]

Originally Posted by iceman91

4 caps of coolant!!!!! please explain

Literally 4 caps of coolant. gulp?!

I'm taking the car to the Mechanic now. Will post what he says.

[fiery enzyme]

I took the car to MASS. The guy wanted me to turn in the car so he can check. I told him to take a drive and see if anything is wrong. He drove the car however the needle stayed normal now. He said there could be a blockage. I asked him if we can flush the radiator. He says the core for Baleno is too small and hence we can't flush it . We might have to replace the whole thing. I asked him a ball park estimate, he says 5k.

He also said the gasket might be blown and that he needs to check it so I have to turn in the car. I asked him for a ball park estimate and he refuses to give me one. I told him I'll bring in the car later. Wasn't comfortable if those guys knew what they were talking about.

Then I ran into another Bhpian, who took a look and said the lines might be clogged. He pointed out that the return lines were bent in such a way water can't flow through. He recomended me another place which I'm going to take the car tomorrow to. In the mean time he advised me not to use the car since he felt the heat coming of the engines were too hot for a car that had run only 5 kms (since I started the car today morning)

So question to Baleno owners.

Does the car usually generate a lot of radiating heat, for ex when you have driven the car for say 10kms with A/C and you open the driver door you can actually feel heat coming off the underbody of the car?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

So question to Baleno owners.
Does the car usually generate a lot of radiating heat, for ex when you have driven the car for say 10kms with A/C and you open the driver door you can actually feel heat coming off the underbody of the car?

Never felt anything like this. But then I have never had the temp-needle going above halfway mark.

[Jaggu]

Engine heats up fast compared to my swift diesel and then tick tick contraction sound from the silencer pipes with 10km drives in hot summer. This is not a scientific way to determine engine heating.

Can you post of pic of bent pipe, this can be the issue.

[fiery enzyme]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Engine heats up fast compared to my swift diesel and then tick tick contraction sound from the silencer pipes with 10km drives in hot summer. This is not a scientific way to determine engine heating.

Can you post of pic of bent pipe, this can be the issue.

Exactly what I hear too. It is actually the tubing that is folded in a impossible way ( just like how you can fold your garden hose backwards)

I will post a picture in a little while.

@SB, nest time when you drive your car with A/C on, can you just stop somewhere after 15 to 20 mins, open the driver door and sit in your car? I could feel the heat from the underbody of the car coming from the side of the car.