I've already had my water pump changed earlier this year however yesterday while sitting in the drive in line I started to notice my thermostat needle rise and saw smoke coming from underneath the hood. I let my brother check and there was no antifreeze. I've added the antifreeze but my car seems to still be running hot but will cool down as I'm driving. Any suggestions?
Is my water pump gone again?
Sounds like your fans aren't coming on when they are supposed to. Going down the road enough air pushes past to keep things cool, at an idle it gets hot. Start there, do the fans come on?
Is my water pump gone again?
flush the radiator and install a new thermostat (less than 10 bucks)don't think it's water pump.
your thermostat could be stuck closed too and pushing the anti- freeze out.
first low on coolant to check radiator when car is cold fill radiator and then fill overflow jug while you got hood open look for wet spots check hoses should feel some what firm all good then crank with cap off radiator watch coolant move about ten minutes or less you shoul dsee it drop and rise back up over and over if its not doing this then thermostat stuck and will need to be replace ... if the water pump is bad it will leak coolant center of car right in front you can see it drip or its wet by laying down under front of car and with a light look up recheck your coolant and belts and hoses or take it to a shop for them to check it
if its just a water pump that would be good news,often there is a bleed procedure if its not followed an air bubble trapped in the motor will not come out and it will overheat with and aluminum engine overheating one time will damage the head gasket from then on it wont run the same till the head is resurfaced and the gasket replaced
A water pump will normally leak if it's toasted. If there was no colant in the vehicle, that was problem one. If you are not leaking, and have colant on the system it's now time to replace the thermostat. I'ts a cheap part. 10-15 bucks. usually a quick fix too.
what kind of car is it.
The key here is that the pump really only makes any heat differences when driving at fair speeds otherwise the fan will engage, thermostat opens etc.There could be a small air bubble or air lock in the system too , you might want try either the coolant bleeder valve or running the engine with either the rad cap or over flow container open and stand back , if any air bubbles they should come out.
I'd be checking the anti-freeze with a anti-freeze tester , plus I'd check the thermostat hose by cold starting the engine and then squeezing the hose firmly and after a few minutes the pressure should be up if the thermostat is good.Watch and listen for the fan to engage as the engine sits idling, and check to see what the temp gage states bec the fan should end up engaging , if not check the fan fuse bec it might be blown , or the fan relay might be faulty or the temperature sensor, check as well the wiring and plug in connections for bad connections caused by rust etc.
Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way if the coolant is worn out or dirty you'll need to flush out the old coolant and replace it but be sure you check for any leaks and hoses for cracks and if their quite soft, change them and use new hose clamps, plus change the thermostat.
could possibly be a bad radiator cap
alot of good suggestions from people here. From what you describe, with it cooling down as you drive it would appear that your fans aren't running, or that the radiator is partially plugged. I've also seen a car act this way from a cracked head gasket. I would recommend having a shop check for leaks, they will apply pressure to the system and tell you what's wrong. And a leak check is pretty cheap.
Get your engine hot with cap off radiator if you see the antifreeze moving
through the cap hole if so then check your thermostat it may be sticking at times. If you replace the thermostat and if in doubt please
do while it is out. Make sure you get the correct replacement because
they all are stamped by temperature. If it is incorrect your auto will
not run good and may use more gas.
Your water pump being new don't mean it can not go bad so plan on the
worst and hope for the best. Sounds like fan problems the way you wrote the question.
