Drove this bad boy for about 7 years now. Had to replace the water pump once, which I know they’re notorious for having problems. I’ve also been dealing with a small oil leak for a while now, so I figure it’s toast within the next year in that regard. Recently, I had a new thermostat housing replaced and a new water pump put in. I also got new brakes and brake pads. The main problem is that no heat comes out of the vents, and there’s a bad smell even though the coolant is completely filled, but air still blows. If I let it sit to warm up, nothing happens, but when I drive it, that’s when it starts to take a crap. After about 10 minutes of driving, I start to hear a high fan sound, and the alerts say ‘Idle Engine / Overheating’ while the thermostat swings around like crazy. I can let it cool for a few minutes and then drive a little more until it does it again. The fan sound keeps going even after I turn off the car, but it finally goes silent when I turn it off. I’m worried I’m slowly killing the engine even though I’m only driving in small increments. So now, if I fix this problem, I’m really starting to wonder if it has been damaging the engine over time. The car has 154k miles. I took it to a nice guy at JiffyLube who did $150 worth of diagnostics, but he didn’t charge me. The first time, he was able to unblock my thermostat housing signals by sending power to it while running the diagnostics. It worked for a week, but then the same problem occurred again. He looked at it for a couple of hours when I brought it back, said the computer showed nothing wrong, and mentioned it might be beyond their understanding at that point. He said it would likely cost at least $2k to fix at a garage. At that point, it feels like I should just kick it to the curb since it has an oil leak, too. I talked to several other people about it without them looking at it, and they said it could simply be a bad thermostat that was put in or perhaps another water pump problem. I’ll have to risk getting either of those to really find out. Every shop I’ve brought it to over the years, different mechanics have looked at it and tend to be confused by my car’s problems no matter what the issue is. When I walk into a garage, I feel like an easy target to trick into paying more than what’s needed, but luckily, I haven’t been ripped off yet. Input would be appreciated. I’d be fine with getting a new thermostat to last me several more months until the oil leak catches up. But if I toss it now, I could only afford a car worth around $4k, which would basically be the same kind of vehicle I have now, just without current problems. I can’t afford car payments. Also, any suggestions on how to get anything out of this car? Should I sell parts and if so, where? Or should I take it to the dump if it can even drive me that far? Sincerely, Naïve Person When it Comes to Cars.
These things are a pain in the ass to get the air out of.
Levi said:
These things are a pain in the ass to get the air out of.
Do you think it’s a thermostat issue? Or could it be something more complicated?
Levi said:
These things are a pain in the ass to get the air out of.
Do you think it’s a thermostat issue? Or could it be something more complicated?
It could definitely be the thermostat. Have you checked for air in the system? That can really mess things up.
Sounds like there might be a blockage somewhere. Have you flushed the coolant system recently?
Penn said:
Sounds like there might be a blockage somewhere. Have you flushed the coolant system recently?
I haven’t flushed it. How often should that be done?
Penn said:
Sounds like there might be a blockage somewhere. Have you flushed the coolant system recently?
I haven’t flushed it. How often should that be done?
Usually every couple of years is good, especially if you’re having issues. It helps clear out any gunk.
You might want to check if the thermostat was installed properly. Sometimes that can cause issues.
Cael said:
You might want to check if the thermostat was installed properly. Sometimes that can cause issues.
Yeah, I was thinking that too. I hope it’s just a simple fix.
Cael said:
You might want to check if the thermostat was installed properly. Sometimes that can cause issues.
Yeah, I was thinking that too. I hope it’s just a simple fix.
Definitely worth checking. If it turns out to be a bad one, you might be able to get credit for it.
If you’re close to needing a new car, maybe consider selling it for parts. Could get you some cash that way.
Reese said:
If you’re close to needing a new car, maybe consider selling it for parts. Could get you some cash that way.
Yeah, I’m thinking about that. Do you know any good places to sell parts?
@Keithbell
You could try online marketplaces or local auto shops. Some might buy parts directly.
I’ve had similar issues before. Sometimes it’s just a faulty sensor. Have you had those checked?
Nuri said:
I’ve had similar issues before. Sometimes it’s just a faulty sensor. Have you had those checked?
No, I haven’t checked for sensors. I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.