Thanks Everyone! :)

[Nicolette LeFabre05]

Okay, so this may not be the best place to get information, but... It's worth a shot, right?

I have a 2005 Pontiac Aztec. It's been in great condition, I keep up on most of the maintenance myself at home.

It has overheated twice in the last five days. Both days I had barely been driving (about 3miles) and it was in the low 40s out. The first time I thought it might have been the radiator fluid being low. I had noticed it was slightly low the day before at work, but forgot to refill it when I got home that night. That was Monday, I let my engine cool down and added 50/50 directly into the radiator as well as some into the reservoir.

Today I'm driving the kids I nanny to their dad's when I notice the needle is in the red again and seconds later all the little alarm bells in the car start going off. So I pulled over immediately again and opened the hood to help it cool faster.

I checked my fluid levels this morning, but cause something about Monday just didn't feel right to me. They were fine. I know that it isn't the radiator fluid being low this time.

I know that my oil needs to be changed soon. I'll probably suck it up and change it this weekend. It is not low however, so I don't think that has anything to do with it.

I also discovered on Monday though that my fans don't seem to kick on the way they should. They take longer than I feel like they ought to to start running.

My dad thinks it may be my water pump, I'm just wondering if anyone else has any ideas. It's not an old car and is otherwise in great shape....

EDIT: so after taking it in to the shop, it turns out that my head gasket was blown. Based on the cost and potential for more engine problems later I am putting the money toward a new car instead of the repairs. Thank you for everyone who helped me out when I was still trying to diagnose the initial problem. smile

[Levis Pennae]

I would start with the thermostat which is the cheapest part that could go wrong and explain everything.

[Crimmy Sun]

First of all HA! You own an Aztec

Second if you aren't low on coolant, your dad's wrong, only possibility of the waterpump being it is if the blade all broke off, which means you have something else to worry about

Here a few things to check, upper radiator hose, let the car run for a minute, then squeeze it, it should be tight, if it's not you have a leak

Lower radiator hose, touch it, if its hot, you're good, if its not, your thermostat isn't opening, replace it, if the fans come on when the needle is leaning towards the reddish or before, then its fine, otherwise you need a temp switch

turn on your front defogger to the max for a bit, if your windows fog up, heater core

check your coolant resevior, if there's a brown film on the top,you've got a bad head gasket, if its a gross murky grey, you have a crack in the block, or a bad head gasket. check the oil, if there's coolant, you have a bad head gasket.

If none of the above, sell the car

Make yourself a check-list, cause that's pretty much every problem

Good luck, yo

[midnitevil]

Crimmy Sun

First of all HA! You own an Aztec

Second if you aren't low on coolant, your dad's wrong, only possibility of the waterpump being it is if the blade all broke off, which means you have something else to worry about

Here a few things to check, upper radiator hose, let the car run for a minute, then squeeze it, it should be tight, if it's not you have a leak

Lower radiator hose, touch it, if its hot, you're good, if its not, your thermostat isn't opening, replace it, if the fans come on when the needle is leaning towards the reddish or before, then its fine, otherwise you need a temp switch

turn on your front defogger to the max for a bit, if your windows fog up, heater core

check your coolant resevior, if there's a brown film on the top,you've got a bad head gasket, if its a gross murky grey, you have a crack in the block, or a bad head gasket. check the oil, if there's coolant, you have a bad head gasket.

If none of the above, sell the car

Make yourself a check-list, cause that's pretty much every problem

Good luck, yo

rofl
Sorry OP, didn't think anyone drove azteks anymore...

[Nicolette LeFabre05]

Yes, I know, it's was my first car and I can't afford to buy a new one. (I do love this car though)

We got a thermostat and new water pump. Based on your comments, Crimmy Sun, it probably is the thermostat. The only stuff aside from coolant in the reservoir looks like rust? It's more red than brown and granular, not a film, hence why I'm getting it flushed as soon as my mom pays me back and I have money again.

Upper hose does get hot and tight, lower hose does not get hot and the fans are turning on before it hits the red.

I'd test the defogger as you suggested, but I don't think it would help determine anything as the heater in the car is unreliable at the moment (the temp fluctuates rapidly unless I've been driving for more than a half hour -_-)

((Edit: I am looking at getting a new car soon... but finding one with decent MPG, that still has decent cargo space since I do a lot of rescue work, and a price that I can actually afford... No luck yet.))

[Crimmy Sun]

Nicolette LeFabre05

Yes, I know, it's was my first car and I can't afford to buy a new one. (I do love this car though)

We got a thermostat and new water pump. Based on your comments, Crimmy Sun, it probably is the thermostat. The only stuff aside from coolant in the reservoir looks like rust? It's more red than brown and granular, not a film, hence why I'm getting it flushed as soon as my mom pays me back and I have money again.

Upper hose does get hot and tight, lower hose does not get hot and the fans are turning on before it hits the red.

I'd test the defogger as you suggested, but I don't think it would help determine anything as the heater in the car is unreliable at the moment (the temp fluctuates rapidly unless I've been driving for more than a half hour -_-)

((Edit: I am looking at getting a new car soon... but finding one with decent MPG, that still has decent cargo space since I do a lot of rescue work, and a price that I can actually afford... No luck yet.))

You're heat is fluctuating because of the thermostat xD

return the damn water pump
it's fine, and thatd be a huge waste of money

and you can literally change the thermostat in all of 15 minutes even if you have no idea what you're doing, don't waste your money

[Nicolette LeFabre05]

Dad's paying for it and the water pump was only $20...

I know the thermostat needs replacing though and have already looked all of that up (seeing as the thermostat is hidden unless you know where to look)

I'll talk to him about just replacing it first though, since he's helping me. We'll see if that does the trick.

Thank you so much for your help!

[midnitevil]

Just remember to be very careful when cleaning the thermostat housing of the old gasket, and possibly silicone sealant. In my old car a simple thermostat swap turned into an odyssey, where I kept getting leaks. I replaced the gasket twice, and opened it all up and used extra sealant 4 times, until I found my problem. A tiny chip on the housing where coolant would just flow through.

[Kokuren]

Fans turning on before it gets in the red.....

Fans are supposed to turn on to prevent it from reaching that point, so It sounds like your fans are good, maybe just a stuck thermo. Its a 5 minute fix for most cars if you know what you are doing.


Its still... an Aztec.

[Nicolette LeFabre05]

It is probably the thermostat. Turns out (like most things in the Aztec) you have to take apart half the engine just to reach it. We couldn't even get the d*#& throttle body off after spending 20 minutes reaching around the back of the engine and crawling underneath to remove the bolts...

I'm just going to try to take it in tomorrow. Just not sure how to work out logistics if they expect me to leave it there all day *sigh* If I'm lucky the shop I took it to for the electrical issues will let me see how they do it. They let me observe when they fixed the shorts...

[Crimmy Sun]

Nicolette LeFabre05

It is probably the thermostat. Turns out (like most things in the Aztec) you have to take apart half the engine just to reach it. We couldn't even get the d*#& throttle body off after spending 20 minutes reaching around the back of the engine and crawling underneath to remove the bolts...

I'm just going to try to take it in tomorrow. Just not sure how to work out logistics if they expect me to leave it there all day *sigh* If I'm lucky the shop I took it to for the electrical issues will let me see how they do it. They let me observe when they fixed the shorts...

You said something earlier about loving your Aztek?

[Nicolette LeFabre05]

I do love it, but... $580 later... The first shop told me the head gasket blew (They were wrong) and that it was going to cost me upwards of $2.4k to repair. I spent half my morning looking at cars online... The second mechanic took a closer look before telling me what they though and it turns out it's the thermostat AND water pump. So their fixing those and flushing the radiator. I should have my car back by tomorrow.

I'm hoping that my mechanic (the second one) is correct because otherwise I can't afford the repairs.

I am saving for a down payment on a new car just because I get horrible mileage but I'm hoping to get at least one more year out of this one (provided it doesn't crap out on me.) Also, I am NEVER getting a car with a transverse engine again. Way too much trouble to get to anything from what I've seen.

[Levis Pennae]

Nicolette LeFabre05

I do love it, but... $580 later... The first shop told me the head gasket blew (They were wrong) and that it was going to cost me upwards of $2.4k to repair. I spent half my morning looking at cars online... The second mechanic took a closer look before telling me what they though and it turns out it's the thermostat AND water pump. So their fixing those and flushing the radiator. I should have my car back by tomorrow.

I'm hoping that my mechanic (the second one) is correct because otherwise I can't afford the repairs.

I am saving for a down payment on a new car just because I get horrible mileage but I'm hoping to get at least one more year out of this one (provided it doesn't crap out on me.) Also, I am NEVER getting a car with a transverse engine again. Way too much trouble to get to anything from what I've seen.

Glad to hear it was something simple (ish). But I wouldn't let the Aztec ruin all transverse engine layout for you.

[midnitevil]

Nicolette LeFabre05

I do love it, but... $580 later... The first shop told me the head gasket blew (They were wrong) and that it was going to cost me upwards of $2.4k to repair. I spent half my morning looking at cars online... The second mechanic took a closer look before telling me what they though and it turns out it's the thermostat AND water pump. So their fixing those and flushing the radiator. I should have my car back by tomorrow.

I'm hoping that my mechanic (the second one) is correct because otherwise I can't afford the repairs.

I am saving for a down payment on a new car just because I get horrible mileage but I'm hoping to get at least one more year out of this one (provided it doesn't crap out on me.) Also, I am NEVER getting a car with a transverse engine again. Way too much trouble to get to anything from what I've seen.

You said you do "rescue work". Why not go for a minivan or something like that next? Some get good mileage, and that's basically what the Aztek was supposed to be, no? or was it an SUV? I forget.

[Crimmy Sun]

midnitevil

Nicolette LeFabre05

I do love it, but... $580 later... The first shop told me the head gasket blew (They were wrong) and that it was going to cost me upwards of $2.4k to repair. I spent half my morning looking at cars online... The second mechanic took a closer look before telling me what they though and it turns out it's the thermostat AND water pump. So their fixing those and flushing the radiator. I should have my car back by tomorrow.

I'm hoping that my mechanic (the second one) is correct because otherwise I can't afford the repairs.

I am saving for a down payment on a new car just because I get horrible mileage but I'm hoping to get at least one more year out of this one (provided it doesn't crap out on me.) Also, I am NEVER getting a car with a transverse engine again. Way too much trouble to get to anything from what I've seen.

You said you do "rescue work". Why not go for a minivan or something like that next? Some get good mileage, and that's basically what the Aztek was supposed to be, no? or was it an SUV? I forget.

The Aztek was just a mistake, that's all
That's what happens when concepts make it to the market before anyone steps back and looks at it objectively

And I still say, it wasn't the water pump