help overheating

[Ascinder]

Another thing to try at least for this time of year would be to drain the antifreeze and just run straight water to get it home. The reason for having antifreeze at all is just to prevent it from freezing(clever name huh?) and to help prevent rust. Water by itself is a far superior coolant and would help keep your engine cooler in the meantime. I would also point out that that in my experience, any time you have weird/bad symptoms occurring right after somethings been worked on, it usually as a cause of that work. Most mechanics will tell you the "oh it's not that" story because obviously it would make them look bad to admit they screwed up, and 99% of the time the customer won't force the issue and make them correct their work. It also gives them more business since they're now working on "some new problem".

[tom4bren]

Another thing to try at least for this time of year would be to drain the antifreeze and just run straight water to get it home. The reason for having antifreeze at all is just to prevent it from freezing(clever name huh?) and to help prevent rust. Water by itself is a far superior coolant and would help keep your engine cooler in the meantime.

Not true. Anti-freeze is a magic elixer. It lowers the freezing point of the solution but it also raises the boiling point. The heat exchange factor could be as you say but if he's already prone to overheating, then he could actually overheat quicker if the water starts to boil.

I've never experienced it but was told that the vanes on the water pump can erode over time. On that tid-bit of info I changed the water pump on the Eclipse when I was having overheating issues. It was fine but it was time to replace the timing belt anyway so I didn't get too pissed.

I don't know if the VX has a similar problem but some engines are prone to getting an air bubble right behind the thermostat. That air bubble keeps the thermostat from responding to the water temp & opening. You have to get a special tool (can't remember what it's called) that fits on the opening of the radiator in place of the cap and allows you to have extra anti-freeze above the level of the radiator. When the bubbles work their way out, the anit-freeze flows in to replace.

If you do replace your thermostat, make sure you get the kind that has the blow-by plug. Supposedly if your engine overheats, fluid will leak by enough to save your engine ... in theory. In reality, take a pair of pliers and pull that plug out before you install in in the engine. Also, install it with the hole at the highest level. It should allow any trapped air to flow through and solve that trapped air problem.

Now to qualify EVERYTHING I've said. I'm still having overheating problems with the Eclipse so I may be out in left field. I've isolated the problem down to a relay that controls the fan (it never comes on).

[Ascinder]

Antifreeze does raise the boiling point, but water is unmatched at absorbing and carrying heat away. It may boil over, but then all that's boiling over is water and you can just add more to get home for far cheaper and less environmental impact than boiling out your antifreeze. I wasn't telling him to run his VX on it, he just wanted something to help get him home with.

[Marlin]

Antifreeze does raise the boiling point, but water is unmatched at absorbing and carrying heat away. It may boil over, but then all that's boiling over is water and you can just add more to get home for far cheaper and less environmental impact than boiling out your antifreeze. I wasn't telling him to run his VX on it, he just wanted something to help get him home with.

And with the extra antifreeze you have since it is no longer in your truck, you can feed that to your significant other as a calorie free sweetener!!! Sorry, just saw the news about the chick that killed her husband and then a few years later her boyfriend by feeding them antifreeze.

[tom4bren]

Antifreeze does raise the boiling point, but water is unmatched at absorbing and carrying heat away. It may boil over, but then all that's boiling over is water and you can just add more to get home for far cheaper and less environmental impact than boiling out your antifreeze. I wasn't telling him to run his VX on it, he just wanted something to help get him home with.

OK, now we're on the same page

I H8d Thermodynamics in college. I do remember about the caloric capacity of H2O. Thinking about Steam Tables still gives me a headache.

I still remember PV=mRT from that class as well.

[Riff Raff]

I would also point out that in my experience, any time you have weird/bad symptoms occurring right after somethings been worked on, it usually as a cause of that work. Most mechanics will tell you the "oh it's not that" story because obviously it would make them look bad to admit they screwed up, and 99% of the time the customer won't force the issue and make them correct their work. It also gives them more business since they're now working on "some new problem".

ASCINDER--- Hmmm, now the total is up to $600 and continues to grow. You are dead-on target about the mechanic!!!