engine and drivetrain Car Over Heats And Shuts Off

[blake654]

My car will over heat after driving for a while then it won't start till I jump it any ideas why I checked everything.

[Stevenc22]

Thermostat and water pump. Check those first. Then check the radiator and go from there.

 

Does the thermostat open when its supposed to? (You can boil it in a pot on the stove and use a thermometer to measure when it opens)

 

Is the water pump leaking from the weep hole? If so the bearings are shot.

[blake654]

I put a new water pump in and radiator and new thermostat no leaks either

[jireland2002]

Maybe air trapped in the system.  You can bleed it by pulling the temp sensor.  As we all know running hot can also be too much ignition advance or too lean a fuel mixture.  Remember to run preminum fuel.

 

No restart may be a battery/alternator/regulator issue.

[danco_]

Is your ignition timed correctly? Bad timing will cause this problem too.

[percy]

My car will over heat after driving for a while then it won't start till I jump it any ideas why I checked everything.

 

Not sure if you are asking about two things: why overheating and why difficult hot start.

 

How do you know the engine is overheating?  The temp gauge is notoriously inaccurate and susceptible to ground issues.  Sending units can be wonky too.  Losing coolant?  Steam?  There are different degrees to overheating.  If you truly have a severely overheated engine and shut it off, you risk the danger of difficult starting due to warpage and/or abnormal metal expansion.

 

Could you really mean that the gauge reads hot and you shut the engine off and have a difficult "hot start" situation?  Different kettle of fish.  Could be weak starter or weak battery or poor-loose grounds or corroded wiring leading to increased resistance.  The list is fairly obvious.  Recently had a similar lament about a different model that seemed to run hot, despite a recently R&R'd cooling system.  Turned out the oil grade was too light resulting in both low oil pressure and higher engine temps.  Returning to 20W50 seemed to normalize things.  Not saying this is your situation, but it is worth considering.

[blake654]

Sometimes it will smoke and shut off other times will shut off and then feel really really hot. Timing might be it I'll look into it.

[percy]

Sometimes it will smoke and shut off other times will shut off and then feel really really hot. Timing might be it I'll look into it.

"Smoke?"  What color?  Where from?  Or did you mean steam or vapor?

 

Not to be smart, but "Really really hot" does not tell much quantitatively.  An engine at normal operating temperature could be described as hot.  Put your hand next to the exhaust and it will be "really really hot."

 

I agree with others about ignition timing, but maybe for different reasons.  Retarded ignition timing might cause a poor performing engine that might have a tendency to stall and run rich.  What color is your tail pipe?    Still, you did not complain of poor performance, unless that was what you intended to say.  Over advanced timing may result in hotter operating temperatures and difficult starting, but I would expect you to be complaining about pinging and detonation noises.

 

I asked about smoke for many reasons.  If you had a stuck or partially engaged carburetor choke, that might permit fair running until the engine reached "normal" operating temperature.  If the choke is engaged on a warm or "hot" engine, one might expect hard starting and a rich mixture accompanied by a darker than normal exhaust.  Is your choke working properly?  Is it adjusted so that it is wide open when things are warm? 

 

FWIW, in looking at your picture I see a lot of things that raise eyebrows.  In no particular order, radiator cap is off.  Are you certain yours is yours holding pressure when it is seated on radiator?  Ohio Mike will tell you that a bad cap can cause or aggravate cooling problems.  The yellow wire from the coil?  Is your electric choke connected to a 12V source?  (Not clear maybe yes or no).  E21 radiator = good and may even offer better cooling than stock OE radiator.  Un-plumbed valve cover vent makes for a dirty and smelly engine compartment, route it to a catch can?  Could this be the source of some of your smoke? I can't quite follow what is going on with your fuel line.  At firewall it looks like it could be connected to what might be an electric fuel pump, but I could be wrong.  If you do have an electric pump, then its not clear why you would be still using the manual pump or vice versa.  Clearly, IF you have an issue with fuel supply, the so-called stalling and hard starting could be connected to that rather than any perceived over heating problem.

 

I see the electrical tape so maybe the picture is not an accurate portrayal of things as they are now, e.g.,removed  radiator cap.  But you posted it for a reason? 

 

Good luck

Edited July 22, 2014 by percy

[Stevenc22]

You don't even have your water temp sensor hooked up!!!! And what is the yellow wire coming off your coil just hanging in your engine bay.

[FunkyLaneO]

Wow!, there is some stuff going on in there, like Steven said the water temp sender is not hooked up, also the battery is backwards (the wrong battery was made to fit, placing a strain on all the wires that connect to it), the electric choke is not hooked up (potentially your issue if it never fully opens), I am not sure what I am looking at with the fuel delivery (?).  I think a PO that had this car fancied himself shade tree mechanic but had no idea what he was doing.  I would start by sorting out all that electrical and determining what is hacked (yellow wire? that isn't original whatever it is)and what belongs (like a connection to your temp gauge so you know if it actually is overheating).

 

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I am not ripping on you or your car, I am trying to be as constructive as possible but like I said, you got alot of stuff going on under that hood!

[Arizona02]

Engine overheating and battery voltage low needing a jump start.   One possible answer

2 problems caused by 1 part, a Really  Loose Fan Belt  turning the water pump and alternator at half speed.

[TobyB]

I think it's the roll of tape sitting next to your fuse box...

 

t

[Mike Self]

A hot engine can cause fuel to boil either in the carb (especially if there's no heat-block plate between carb and manifold) or in the fuel line upstream from the mechanical fuel pump.  Mechanical pumps don't suck vapor very well at all; that may be causing your hot start problem.  From your picture, it's hard to tell where the fuel line goes upstream from the fuel pump.  Is that a fuel filter there?  Regardless, make sure the fuel line doesn't lay on the cylinder head.  

 

Check out the preceeding suggestions and let us know whatcha find...

 

mike 

[bob02]

Man, that engine bay needs some love...might want to get that fuel filter off the alternator. Is that an electric fuel pump before the mechanical fuel pump?? Hopefully you have a fire extinguisher handy while that car is running... May be time to bite the bullet and get that poor car to a mechanic that knows 02's. Oh, your timing is probably wacked.

 

   Good luck,

 

 bob

[blake654]

Yeah well I just swapped in this engine and I'm figuring out the bugs. I could take it to a shop but rather learn my self. If I just have someone else fix it then I won't learn