BlingSlade

I ran the ole' xB pretty hard a few weeks ago, about 85MPH in this Florida heat, and the temp light started flashing. I've had problems ever since.

1. Temp light flashes only when I'm 15-20 mins on the highway. If I just drive around town it never comes on.
-- once I get home and cool car off it needs approx 2 qts. coolant.
-- reservoir is full, prob from the radiator because it wasn't full before.
2. I changed radiator cap, no help.
3. I changed thermostat, no help.
4. Oil check looks fine.
5. Pressure test fine.
6. There is a small amount of coolant on the bottom shelf, beneath the battery, which is on the opposite side of the water pump. Maybe from the reservoir?
7. I can drive the car around town and the temp light never comes on. Only on the highway.


Possible causes:
1. Radiator
2. Water Pump
3. Coolant Temperature Sensor?
4. Blown Head Gasket (this scares me, one of the plugs is a little different color than the others)

I had no idea it could be this much troubleshooting a cooling problem.

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MileHightC

Based upon what you've said I'd lean toward a head gasket...can you get it pressure tested or maybe look for a kit that will test your coolant for combustion contaminants.

BlingSlade

Yep, it's starting to look like a blown head gasket or something similar. One mechanic told me he's seen a Toyota 1.5L engine that had a very small head warp..kind of hard to detect..he looked at my plugs and noticed a small discoloration in one of them.

Still, another mechanic did a compression test and told me the engine is "fine". Based on how hard I was driving it and the end result I'm thinking the engine is toast. It's a shame it only has 74K, but it is 10 years old and it's hot down here!

Hate to see the ole' xBox go but I think it's time.

RichBinAZ

You say there is fluid in the expansion tank, but the radiator gets low...
Check the small hose from the radiator cap to the expansion tank for leaks.
Check for leaks in the radiator, specially around the headers.

BlingSlade

You may be right about the hose having leaks. I took my car to another mechanic and he said my xB passed both the engine compression and coolant pressure checks. I read somewhere that if the expansion tank hose has small leaks it may allow coolant to flow into the expansion tank but there's not enough vacuum to allow the coolant to flow back into the radiator. I've replaced the radiator so I know that's not the cause of the problem.

I think if I do a flush and then replace that hose I've got a chance..

BlingSlade

Yeah, head gasket is blown. Approx numbers are: 10 year mark, 75K, leak occurred
on very hot Florida July/Aug day at 85 MPH.

I'm gonna fix this old dog. New engine + new engine mounts + new rear shocks + new front struts approx $2-$2.5k. Crazy I know but finding a good used car for a decent price down here is a very
exhausting and futile chore. Weird because you can sell your car for a lot more money private party on Craigslist but people just choose to trade it in. At least that's how it is down here in Tampa area ymmv.

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Jtrejo

Hey so did you ever find a solution ?

Because I am having the same exact issue.

It runs fine in city but then..

I run on highway for about 15 min and the coolant overflows from the reservoir.

I have replaced , (Water pump, Radiator , thermostat, Hose's.)

I don't think it might be the reservoir because I see no leaks. But I will replace this week anyway.

My compression is Excellent !

One mechanic told me that it's possible that it can be the catalytic converter. Reasoning? It's possible that it's partially plugged because when driving at high speeds, not sufficient exhaust escape, which returns exhaust fumes back into engine and heats it more than required temp and boils coolant which in turn overflows through reservoir.

So after I replace Reservoir the next step will be to replace catalytic converter.

I might be doing this the wrong way but oh well ...

BlingSlade

My compression was good as well..I went to several mechanics, only one told me it was the head gasket and looking back it was obvious from the start. If you're pushing coolant up and out of your reservoir it's the head gasket--the gasket lost it's seal and allowing pressure into the coolant which can only do one thing, go up and out. Good Luck!

BraddaEdz

So is that For Sure the problem? Blown Head Gasket? Because my Gf's '05 xB is doing the same, Coolant Overflowing in Reservoir,
and Radiator Fan is Nonstop Spinning while I'm Driving or Could it be my Coolant Temp Sensor I replaced?

Because after I replaced it the P0117 Code still appeared but now I just Erased the Code on the OBD, we'll see if it shows up again.

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BlingSlade

Hey Bradda, It's probably a blown head gasket, especially since the car is pretty long in the tooth. I loved that xB but shortly after I fixed it up I sold it and bought a used 2017 Civic Si. Yes, the xB is the greatest city car ever made but in hindsight I should have kept it only 10 years instead of 13 because for the last 3 years it was in the Florida heat/humidity and it really ruined the car. I love my Si, it has a ton of technology and very sporty but that xB rode high enough and was more fun to drive. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever and I had to move along. GL with your xB!

BraddaEdz

Sorry what does long in the Tooth mean?I Really dont wanna believe its blown head gasket,is there any other possible problems?Thanks!

MileHightC

'Long in the tooth' means old...

Why not just buy a simple test kit that lets you know if you've got combustion gases in your coolant? You can find them from $30-$60 and should answer your question definitively.

Combustion Leak Detector

BlingSlade

You can usually find a cheap mechanic to fix head gasket..whether you keep it or not you probably should fix it..I paid around 1.2K(I think) it was well worth it just shop around.

aaronh

Mine overheated last week and has ran fine since. I put coolant in her and have had her on the Interstate at 80 mph a few times. I also have VSC, Trac off, Check Engine,
Maintenance Required lights on. Those are due to clogged catalytic converter. Saying you xB is long in the tooth at 70k 80k or 100k is crazy, mine has 334,593 right now.

We drive it to Florida monthly and live in SC it's humid and hot here too.

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2stroked

You might want to do a little investigation into where your coolant is going.

DannoXYZ

Did you investigate and find what caused the overheating? Could be thermostat, or radiator cap or failed fan thermoswitch. Without fixing actual cause, it can happen again with more and more damage each time.

It's been +110F on & off for weeks in Phoenix area. My xB hasn't any issues and I've been using AC on max.

Low_Kei

long in the tooth is an expression for a span of time (Usually a longer span of time), basically saying because your box is an older vehicle with higher milage? Or even low milage and not driven much, but an older vehicle up there in age.