over heting/blowing cold air

[tuner]

hey all any info would be great. ok on my way home tonight i noticed my temp gauge maxed. not only that its blowing cold air.

i could get it to blow warm air and the temp gauge down a bit by playing around with the switches. i checked the overflow tank and its empty. could this be the problem?? there doesnt seem to be any leaks in the hoses and exhaust seems to be normal. also checked oil stick and it looks normal.

like i said any info would be great.

[dj inferno]

thermistat.. or water pump

[LongJohn]

If you run out of water your engine will overheat, but the heater will blow cold since there is no water to heat it up. You should fill it up and check carefully for leaks.

[BuGS]

I agree, Fill up and make sure to keep a close eye on your overflow tank. The guys and the local oil change place thought I was stupid, they said that my overflow was empty when I had just looked at it that morning and it was 1/2" below full. So they were trying to get me to do a Flush so they could "Find the porblem and fix it, while refreshing my fluid". Mechanics do that a lot around here. I call BS and got the flush for free. Its a good thing to know the law and just tell them that You'll send a complant into the Better Business Beuro.

[tuner]

thanks for the advise. well it turns out im just a ****ing idiot!! i let rad cool down and just checked to fluid level in the rad...low...added 1 liter and still isnt full!! gonna add some more tomorow.

with this said..would it be safe to say its for sure a leak in a hose or the rad itself?

[guyaverage]

Check under the engine on the passenger side (under the belts) for moisture. Its possible your water pump is leaking around the seals (you'll need a new pump if this is the case.. might as well do the timing belt while you are there if this is the problem. Neither part is very expensive if you do it yourself). The pump can drip slow enough for you to not notice while at the same time losing a lot of fluid. Antifreeze can be detrimental to the rubber in the timing belt so if you replace the pump, replace the belt too. You'll be removing it anyway if you replace the pump.

This could also be a pin-hole leak in a hose, the radiator, or (worst case) the engine could be using it internally thru a bad head gasket. But I've seen enough of these 1.6's with just 'slightly-leaking' water pumps that I would suspect it first before anything else.

[skullmonkey]

hey i had the same problem its your thermostat and to fix it, it is like 10 bucks

[mykel78]

Fill'er back to the top, warm it up, and check for leaks. If you don't find a leak, drive it around, mind the temp gauge at all times. See how long it takes for the level to go down. You may also check for other problems, especially of you're losing fluid and can't see where it's going. If it's just a leak, you'll find it.