Car Heating Up

[imnotwearingpants]

Howdy all,

Long time lurker, second time poster. I got a r34 Gt and lately it seems to be heating up real quick after only a few minutes of driving, where i, and any passengers in the car, can feel a noticable difference. I also popped the bonnet after a 40 minute drive and i could smell a faint odur of burning.

This has just started happened recently where the thermo. says that the engine temp is somewhere in the middle. I know this is a rather noobish question, but just wanted to get some opinions on what i should be looking for, eg. coolant levels, some part that might need replacing. etc.

[missusR34GT]

Start with your coolant level, check the radiator, see if there are any leeks in radiator hose.

It could be your engine coolant temperature sensor located on the water outlet, or the auxiliary electric fan motor may not be working..

Check the Malfunction Indicator Light .. if its on when you start your engine then one of the major sensors in the engine control system is not working properly. Most likely engine coolant temp sensor by what you've described.

[GeeTR]

Anna is better then I, as I'm still not sure what you even describing.

When you say, your car is "heating up quickly" and that "your mates can feel a noticeable difference" do you mean the water temp, as thats sposed to get up to temp (half'ish way'ish on the gauge) quickly. Or do you mean cabin temp, with the heater on?

The dash cluster w.temp is really only a slow reaction "three step" unit. Cold / Normal operating temp / Hot. You shouldn't see normal small fluctuations (to stop the average commuter from freakin out).

Would help if you could describe the issue some more

[some_cs_student]

Anna is better then I, as I'm still not sure what you even describing.

When you say, your car is "heating up quickly" and that "your mates can feel a noticeable difference" do you mean the water temp, as thats sposed to get up to temp (half'ish way'ish on the gauge) quickly. Or do you mean cabin temp, with the heater on?

The dash cluster w.temp is really only a slow reaction "three step" unit. Cold / Normal operating temp / Hot. You shouldn't see normal small fluctuations (to stop the average commuter from freakin out).

Would help if you could describe the issue some more

Check the obvious as posted above first, like do you have enough fluid in the radiator, has it gotten so hot that its actually boiled out of the overflow...or do you just think its hot?

Do you have a power FC or an aftermarket gauge for checking the degree of the coolant?

Since you said you "popped the bonnet" I'll assume your talking about the engine bay

There is a bit of info on the forums, from what I've seen, although I don't claim to be an expert, if the engine coolant is really getting hot (as in really hot) you *could* have:

*Blockage in the radiator

*Problems with your water pump

*Problems with your clutch fan (ie. the fan on the front of the engine).

*Air in the lines of the radiator(?)

With the 3rd one, an easy way to test is when the car is hot, pop the bonnet and turn the engine off, if your fan keeps spinning for a long time then the clutch/viscous coupling *may* be gone.

If it stops spinning immediately then its fine.

Another way is to get the car warm and before you start the car touch the fan gently with your hand or similar and get someone to start it, (don't put your hand right into the fan or anything), if your fan has no resistance when the car is hot then your clutch is gone and you should consider buying a new one. *** I did have this problem and the part was $300 from Bursons.

However having the clutch fan go is one of the less common problems that happen, when was the last time your radiator was flushed?

And did you use the bleed valve of the top of the engine?

And before I get flamed about the above, I'm just trying to help, and yes, I have put my hand on the fan before starting the car, yes my hand is still intact (when the fan was not working it wouldn't move with 1 finger on it)