1994 Sentra, 1.6L, Overheating...

kccollier · Mar 12th, 2007, 05:44 PM

Hey folks, I need a few opinions. A few days ago there was this "scavenger hunt" all around town, which requires very aggressive driving. My car has never overheated until this day. When I pulled to a stop and got out of my car, I noticed coolant leaking on the ground. I popped the hood and took a look around, and eventually pulled the radiator out, and all is well. My theory is that the engine got so hot the coolant expanded and came out the overflow container. Since then I have filled the thing back up with coolant, put the radiator back in, however it still overheats. Just driving around town it will heat up to normal operating temperature, and it will stay there for a while, then it will gradually start to creep up the temp scale. With the engine running, I popped the hood to verify there weren't any leaks, and noticed one of the fans on the radiator went out. The driver's side fan, however, was working perfectly. I can't quite remember, but I think that this fan didn't work before, but I can't be certain.

My question to you is, is this one fan out of comission able to cause this gradual overheating? If that is unlikely, do you think it could be the water pump? Any opinions appreciated!

Oh yeah, the A/C has not been on at all during this.

Kyle

1994 Nissan Sentra
1.6L I4
Manual Transmission
Air Conditioning

MisterRx · Mar 12th, 2007, 08:50 PM

The most common part that fails when car is overheating is Thermostat, some how it get stuck in one position. I you decide to get the part, get it from a Nissan dealer.

The other part I can think of is Coolant Temperature Sensor. How it affect? I don't know. Maybe it's not turning on your fans.

Check the engine oil, make sure coolant hasn't gotten in. Could be damage to the engine block if coolant and oil mixes.

Other people on the form might have better answer.

mrnor1 · May 8th, 2009, 05:25 AM

I also have the same problem on my 94 sentra 1.6 auto but it only has 60000 miles and have replaced thermostat twice flushed radiator and replaced fans. also ran without thermostat and still overheated could this be blown head gasket??

Shane Ruthnum · May 8th, 2009, 08:09 AM

If the thermostat is removed, and if you are sure the fan is operating correctly, there are 4 other things to look at!

1. when you fill the cooling system, be sure to bleed it properly.
Set the blower to "hot" to eliminate air from the heater core as well.
Position the car so that the radiator is at the highest point.

2. Could be a leak in the cooling system.
Get the car up to operating temp. and physically check for leaks.
Or get a pressure check done on the cooling system.

3. Could be a blown head gasket!
Oil and water wont always mix.
There could be a leak between the cylinder and cooling system only.
The surest way the check is to get a chemical leak down test done.
This checks for combustion gasses in the cooling system.

4. If it passes the chemical test, get the radiator stripped and cleaned as it could have a bolckage!
Especially if the car only overheats under heavy loads like constant high speeds or stop start hard acceleration!

Following these step will be sure to locate the fault!

Sentra GTR-1 · May 8th, 2009, 08:49 AM

Usual over heating issues with the GA16DE lead to waterpump failure-when running the motor- pop the hood to listen for what sound like marbles or bearings rolling around on the side of the block, also if you see coolant leaking out of the weep holes- your water pump has failed. Other trouble shooting you can do is check the thermostat to see if it opens at the correct temp- i remember a couple years ago i had thought my thermostat was faulty so what i did is I placed it in pan of water with a thermometer, as i gradually increased water temp thermostat opened like it should. So that eliminated that possible cause. Also check for coolant temp sensor or possible coolant leaks along the seams of the OEM radiator. The OEM radiator came with plastic end tanks- i should know- mine had a coolant leak appear just at the top near the radiator cap. Drove me crazy until i cleaned my entire motor and ran the motor and sure enough- the little green leak started appearing right there at the seam. Replaced it with a OEM new one (or go with a Koyo if you can find one cheap)with aluminum welded end tanks(no plastic to crack) and no more problems- mine has been leak free ever since. Also check to make sure fans are wired properly. Go by process of elimination-sometimes your expensive leak could be solved cheaper than you thought. Hope this helps out!

fofgrel · May 8th, 2009, 06:52 PM

Why not start with the fan that you already know is not working?