JoshuaG

I had the thermostat replaced yesterday and the engine is overheating worse than it was before I put the new thermostat in. Was it put in wrong? What else can I check on?


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CatSkinner

How's the fluid look? Is it possible that the radiator is fouled?

takenoprisoner

Heres a couple simple things to check.

First Ill ask is it over heating just at low speed? Or on the highway too? If just at low speed, let the car idle and see if the electric fan kicks on.


If its over heating all the time, another thing Im pretty sure you can do is with the engine cold, open the coolant resevoir cap, idle the engine and look in the resivoir with a flash light and you should be able to see the coolant moving around. If not then your water pump is not working. Im pretty sure that test works with this car maybe someone can confirm.

Bajarider

The best way to easily check coolant flow on a car with a degas tank is to feel the upper radiator hose. It should start to heat up after the thermostat opens. This method isn't very scientific, but neither is looking at the flow through an open radiator cap, even if your car had such a thing. Also, follow takenoprisoner's advice regarding the fan.

How many miles does you car have on it?

Is the coolant clean?

Have you used only premixed coolant or coolant mixed with distilled water in your car's cooling system?

If the answer to these questions on a high mileage car is "no", then your radiator might be plugged with mineral deposits.