Help!

[kellinator]

Do any of you Atlanta-area people know anything about cars? My engine's overheated, my "check engine" light is on, my father is calling me a screw-up on the phone and I'm at my wits' end. I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that Michael is attempting to cheer me up (or at least calm me down) by pouring alcohol down my throat. So, are there any aspiring mechanics out there needing a guinea pig?

Comments

[football-swan.livejournal.com]

Check your coolant. If you're out, that's part (if not all) of why your engine is overheating.

The coolant is usually located near the front of the car. If you're out, go get some Prestone antifreeze (or another brand), mix it half-n-half with water and fill up your reservoir.

If it's not that, I'm of no use.

[leezechka.livejournal.com]

My first thought it fill the radiator.

if it is full then you will need to take it to the shop. You should be able to drive it for a short distance while the engine is cool (tomorrow) There could be something wrong with the cooling system in general (water pump?) If you have seen any steam coming out then you may have a leak.

[kungfoogirl.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I would totally check the coolant first and oil second.

When I've had this problem in the past it been for one of two reasons: the radiator was empty and/or the hoses were blocked OR the oil was very low.

Just a word of caution, overheated engines tend to get cracked engine blocks or other VERY VERY expensive damage. So, I wouldn't drive this car any further than is absolutely necessary. The damage might be inexpensively repairable now, but if you drive it, it could be very bad.

I've got the worst car luck EVER and so I know some of these things from experience.

I'm sorry you're having car trouble, Kelly.

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

I'll second (or third or fourth) what other people have said about checking your oil and coolant. Wait for the car to cool down before doing either.

But I'll add another possibility with the coolant, which is that, to quote a mechanic friend of mine, "It's turned to cat piss." Atlanta's heat can cause the antifreeze to break down, and that will lead to the "Check Engine" light coming on. If this is the case then draining and refilling the coolant system will take care of the problem. My car used to do this every couple of years.

When you say your car's overheating, what precisely do you mean? Is there an "Engine Temperature" idiot light that's come on, and if so how long has it been on? Is there an engine temperature gauge that's reading too high, and if so how high? Or has the car overheated with steam billowing out from under the hood?

Your father needs to fuck off.

[pokeyturtle.livejournal.com]

i had a car die in the middle of july on a state highway for both those reasons--the coolant was totally gone AND the oil was low.

the bearings were burnt out. the engine was totally history.

[lyneidas.livejournal.com]

I second the last comment, as well as the parts about oil, coolant, and driving the car today.

[mfree.livejournal.com]

We should talk.

[grniiis.livejournal.com]

I know a car mechanic, that does it on the side. Let me know via email if you want his number...

[bannanna.livejournal.com]

Lots of good advice, and being a car whore, I can add some...

Most likely culprits: Coolant issues (cheapest fix)

Bad hose, loose or leaky hose
Water pump dead
*Thermostat is stuck*
Radiator has a hole or leak


hopefully one of those..and even the thermostat would be a cheap fix. All of the things mentioned except for radiator patching could be done by the least of amateur mechanics with basic tools.

hmm..

[cotharyus.livejournal.com]

I see a lot of coolant and oil posts, so other than saying "if your coolant *is* low start the car and check for leaks after you fill it up" I'll offer something that's only been said once. Check your thermostat. To check your thermostat, take the top off of the radiator, and start the car. When the car warms up to it's normal operating temp, you should see the level appear to drop some in the radiator, and start to see some defident circulation going on. If that never happens, odds are it's the termostat. It's a 5 dollar part, but it can cause a lot of damage if you let the engine get too hot while you were driving it.

If you get the overheating problem "fixxed" and the car doesn't run right, it's probly warped heads - I know, you're thinking that my head is warped and I run around with it all the time, but I don't have gaskets on my head either - your car does. So if it ran while hot very long keep an eye on it. You could get water in your oil, oil in your water, or leak one or both from the head gaskets if your heads warped. Keep me updated, and I'll keep you up to your neck in good advice. Remember, farm boys can fix anything, and we have to do it inexpensively, but effectively.

[polychromatic22.livejournal.com]

In my car, it was a thermostat problem. It took me some time to fix it so I mostly followed some rules, 1) Filled my car up with antifreeze/coolant and water every single time I drove (even driving back), 2) kept a good supply of both in car.
3) never drove far (not more than 15 minutes)
4) watched engine heat sign fanatically, when it went into red zone, got off the road and waited for it to cool down. (oh and *NEVER* put cold water into a hot engire, wait for it to cool, additionally, never open the radiator when the car is still hot, wait at least 20 minutes, you can give yourself some fairly serious burns when it geysers out!)
5) ran the heater non-stop (in my car running the heater cools the engire since it runs a fan and leeches heat away, this was fairly serious as it was the middle of summer in freakin georgia)

when I finally had a spare second to get it fixed it was a cheap fix (under $10), I think I was even able to get my oil changing place to replace it.

[vernard.livejournal.com]

You need to get an OBD II reader to tel you exactly what is the matter. Autozone's will loan these two you for free with a refundable deposit.