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Pastimes : Auto Repair & Maintenance Tip -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jon Khymn who wrote (120)	11/17/1999 5:07:00 AM
From: rustyjack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 134

Hmm....this one could be scary Some coolant normally flows into to the overflow tank when the engine heats up and back into the engine as it cools but it should not be a violent boiling flow. If the coolant is boiling into the overflow tank the engine is obviously overheating. Hopefully. the thermostat is just stuck closed and the temperature gauge is not working(does it register at all?).Replacing the thermostat should be about 1 hour labor. If this happens without the temperature gauge rising to hot levels there are two possibilities. One is that the coolant level in the engine is very low or there is a problem with the headgasket.(This all assumes that the temperature gauge works properly). If there is leak of cylinder combustion gases into the cooling system it can create an air pocket around the engine temperature sensor and it won't register properly. The pressure build up will force the coolant out into the overflow tank. You may also have no heat inside the car if the car if the coolant is low or the headgasket leaks. White smoke out of the exhaust pipe when first starting the engine(burning antifreeze)or the temperature gauge working erratically (rises very quickly to hot and quickly back to cool),are other signs of a headgasket problem. The cooling fans should cycle on and off when the engine is at it's hottest levels and the car is at a stop. I'm off to Vermont for some early season skiing this morning. Will be back Sunday. Good Luck.